bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Review of Impacts of the Tibetan Plateau Snow on Climate Variability over East Asia and North America
Authors: Wang Zhibiao , Wu Renguang , Jia Xiaojing
Published: March 2023

Snow anomalies over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) have been shown to contribute to the climate variability in the neighboring and remote regions. The present study provides a review of the research progress of studies on the impacts of the TP snow anomalies on the climate over East Asia and North America. This review covers long-term TP snow variations in different seasons and in different regions, interdecadal TP snow changes in different times and their contributions to the interdecadal rainfall changes over East Asia, impacts of TP snow anomalies in different parts and different seasons on East Asian and North America climate variability on interannual time scales, intraseasonal TP snow variations and their impacts on East Asian atmospheric circulation, and interdecadal changes in the relationship of the East Asian rainfall and North American air temperature to the TP snow. The review also includes the atmospheric circulation patterns that link the TP snow to East Asian and North American climate. Discussions are provided for relevant issues of the TP snow impacts.
Odour Emissions and Dispersion from Digestate Spreading
Authors: Vuolo Maria Raffaella , Acutis Marco , Tyagi Bhishma , Boccasile Gabriele , Perego Alessia , Pelissetti Simone
Published: March 2023

Odour emissions from digestate applied on 21 October 2020 in a 2.4 ha field in the Po Valley (Casalino, 28060, Novara, Italy) were measured using dynamic olfactometry and a six-specialist odour panel, and two application techniques were compared. The measured odour emissions were 3024 and 1286 ou m−2 h−1, corresponding to the digestate application with surface spreading and direct injection, respectively. The odour dispersion for the different emission values was modeled to a distance of approx. 500 m from the center of the field and 15 m from the ground using a Lagrangian puff model (SCICHEM) in different meteorological conditions. The meteorological variables were measured at the closest station during the whole month in which the digestate application took place, mimicking a “worst-case scenario” characterized by the frequent applications along the considered period. The maximum odour concentrations within one square km area from the center of the field occurred in calm wind and stable atmospheric conditions. This study also evaluated the effect of a barrier downwind from the source. In the worst-case scenario (spreading technique with maximum emissions, no barriers), the average and maximum estimated odour concentrations were 3.2 and 18.9 ou m−3, respectively. The calculated probabilities of exceeding the threshold value of 1 ou m−3 were 36% and 47% for the whole period and the episodes of calm winds, respectively, and 14% on average for the episode of maximum wind gust. In the best emission scenario (direct injection), the average and maximum odour concentrations were 1.5 and 8.6 ou m−3, respectively, while the probabilities of exceeding 1 ou m−3 were 26% and 36% for the whole period and the episodes of calm winds, respectively, and 0.016% for the maximum wind gust episode. In the presence of a solid barrier downwind from the source and for the wind gust episode, the peak values of the concentrations and exceedance probabilities at the sampling height were found to be reduced by a factor close to 2.5 and 5 × 105, respectively. The study also evaluated the concentration field’s vertical distribution, showing that the odour plume’s vertical and horizontal dispersion slightly increased with the barrier. This is not a cause of concern unless the emitted substances causing odour nuisance are also atmospheric pollutants with potential harm to far-field ecosystems and human settlements at low concentration levels.
Fractional–Order Modeling and Control of COVID-19 with Shedding Effect
Authors: Baba Isa A. , Humphries Usa W. , Rihan Fathalla A. , Valdés J. E. N.
Published: March 2023

A fractional order COVID-19 model consisting of six compartments in Caputo sense is constructed. The indirect transmission of the virus through susceptible populations by the shedding effect is studied. Equilibrium solutions are calculated, and basic reproduction ratio (that depends both on direct and indirect mode of transmission), existence and uniqueness, as well as stability analysis of the solution of the model, are studied. The paper studies the effect of optimal control policy applied to shedding effect. The control is the observation of standard hygiene practices and chemical disinfectants in public spaces. Numerical simulations are carried out to support the analytic result and to show the significance of the fractional order from the biological viewpoint.
Characterization of Postural Sway in Women with Osteoporosis and a Control Group by Means of Linear and Nonlinear Methods
Authors: Stief Felix , Sohn Anna , Vogt Lutz , Meurer Andrea , Kirchner Marietta
Published: March 2023

The mechanisms underlying the altered postural control and risk of falling in patients with osteoporosis are not yet fully understood. The aim of the present study was to investigate postural sway in women with osteoporosis and a control group. The postural sway of 41 women with osteoporosis (17 fallers and 24 non-fallers) and 19 healthy controls was measured in a static standing task with a force plate. The amount of sway was characterized by traditional (linear) center-of-pressure (COP) parameters. Structural (nonlinear) COP methods include spectral analysis by means of a 12-level wavelet transform and a regularity analysis via multiscale entropy (MSE) with determination of the complexity index. Patients showed increased body sway in the medial–lateral (ML) direction (standard deviation in mm: 2.63 ± 1.00 vs. 2.00 ± 0.58, p = 0.021; range of motion in mm: 15.33 ± 5.58 vs. 10.86 ± 3.14, p = 0.002) and more irregular sway in the anterior–posterior (AP) direction (complexity index: 13.75 ± 2.19 vs. 11.18 ± 4.44, p = 0.027) relative to controls. Fallers showed higher-frequency responses than non-fallers in the AP direction. Thus, postural sway is differently affected by osteoporosis in the ML and AP directions. Clinically, effective assessment and rehabilitation of balance disorders can benefit from an extended analysis of postural control with nonlinear methods, which may also contribute to the improvement of risk profiles or a screening tool for the identification of high-risk fallers, thereby prevent fractures in women with osteoporosis.
Finding a Husband: Using Explainable AI to Define Male Mosquito Flight Differences
Authors: Qureshi Yasser M. , Voloshin Vitaly , Facchinelli Luca , McCall Philip J. , Chervova Olga , Towers Cathy E. , Covington James A. , Towers David P.
Published: March 2023

Mosquito-borne diseases account for around one million deaths annually. There is a constant need for novel intervention mechanisms to mitigate transmission, especially as current insecticidal methods become less effective with the rise of insecticide resistance among mosquito populations. Previously, we used a near infra-red tracking system to describe the behaviour of mosquitoes at a human-occupied bed net, work that eventually led to an entirely novel bed net design. Advancing that approach, here we report on the use of trajectory analysis of a mosquito flight, using machine learning methods. This largely unexplored application has significant potential for providing useful insights into the behaviour of mosquitoes and other insects. In this work, a novel methodology applies anomaly detection to distinguish male mosquito tracks from females and couples. The proposed pipeline uses new feature engineering techniques and splits each track into segments such that detailed flight behaviour differences influence the classifier rather than the experimental constraints such as the field of view of the tracking system. Each segment is individually classified and the outcomes are combined to classify whole tracks. By interpreting the model using SHAP values, the features of flight that contribute to the differences between sexes are found and are explained by expert opinion. This methodology was tested using 3D tracks generated from mosquito mating swarms in the field and obtained a balanced accuracy of 64.5% and an ROC AUC score of 68.4%. Such a system can be used in a wide variety of trajectory domains to detect and analyse the behaviours of different classes, e.g., sex, strain, and species. The results of this study can support genetic mosquito control interventions for which mating represents a key event for their success.
Advances in Research on the Regulatory Roles of lncRNAs in Osteoarthritic Cartilage
Authors: Wu Jiaqi , Zhang Zhan , Ma Xun , Liu Xueyong
Published: March 2023

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common degenerative bone and joint disease that can lead to disability and severely affect the quality of life of patients. However, its etiology and pathogenesis remain unclear. It is currently believed that articular cartilage lesions are an important marker of the onset and development of osteoarthritis. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a class of multifunctional regulatory RNAs that are involved in various physiological functions. There are many differentially expressed lncRNAs between osteoarthritic and normal cartilage tissues that play multiple roles in the pathogenesis of OA. Here, we reviewed lncRNAs that have been reported to play regulatory roles in the pathological changes associated with osteoarthritic cartilage and their potential as biomarkers and a therapeutic target in OA to further elucidate the pathogenesis of OA and provide insights for the diagnosis and treatment of OA.
DL-TODA: A Deep Learning Tool for Omics Data Analysis
Authors: Cres Cecile M. , Tritt Andrew , Bouchard Kristofer E. , Zhang Ying
Published: March 2023

Metagenomics is a technique for genome-wide profiling of microbiomes; this technique generates billions of DNA sequences called reads. Given the multiplication of metagenomic projects, computational tools are necessary to enable the efficient and accurate classification of metagenomic reads without needing to construct a reference database. The program DL-TODA presented here aims to classify metagenomic reads using a deep learning model trained on over 3000 bacterial species. A convolutional neural network architecture originally designed for computer vision was applied for the modeling of species-specific features. Using synthetic testing data simulated with 2454 genomes from 639 species, DL-TODA was shown to classify nearly 75% of the reads with high confidence. The classification accuracy of DL-TODA was over 0.98 at taxonomic ranks above the genus level, making it comparable with Kraken2 and Centrifuge, two state-of-the-art taxonomic classification tools. DL-TODA also achieved an accuracy of 0.97 at the species level, which is higher than 0.93 by Kraken2 and 0.85 by Centrifuge on the same test set. Application of DL-TODA to the human oral and cropland soil metagenomes further demonstrated its use in analyzing microbiomes from diverse environments. Compared to Centrifuge and Kraken2, DL-TODA predicted distinct relative abundance rankings and is less biased toward a single taxon.
Force-Regulated Calcium Signaling of Lymphoid Cell RPMI 8226 Mediated by Integrin α4β7/MAdCAM-1 in Flow
Authors: Sun Dongshan , Luo Zhiqing , Kong Ying , Huang Ruiting , Li Quhuan
Published: March 2023

MAdCAM-1 binds to integrin α4β7, which mediates the rolling and arrest of circulating lymphocytes upon the vascular endothelia during lymphocytic homing. The calcium response by adhered lymphocytes is a critical event for lymphocyte activation and subsequent arrest and migration under flow. However, whether the interaction of integrin α4β7 /MAdCAM-1 can effectively trigger the calcium response of lymphocytes remains unclear, as well as whether the fluid force affects the calcium response. In this study, we explore the mechanical regulation of integrin α4β7-induced calcium signaling under flow. Flou-4 AM was used to examine the calcium response under real-time fluorescence microscopy when cells were firmly adhered to a parallel plate flow chamber. The interaction between integrin α4β7 and MAdCAM-1 was found to effectively trigger calcium signaling in firmly adhered RPMI 8226 cells. Meanwhile, increasing fluid shear stress accelerated the cytosolic calcium response and enhanced signaling intensity. Additionally, the calcium signaling of RPMI 8226 activated by integrin α4β7 originated from extracellular calcium influx instead of cytoplasmic calcium release, and the signaling transduction of integrin α4β7 was involved in Kindlin-3. These findings shed new light on the mechano-chemical mechanism of calcium signaling in RPMI 8226 cells induced by integrin α4β7.
Evaluation of the Photoactivation Effect of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide in the Disinfection of Dental Implants: In Vitro Study
Authors: Katalinić Ivan , Smojver Igor , Morelato Luka , Vuletić Marko , Budimir Ana , Gabrić Dragana
Published: March 2023

Photoactivation of 3% hydrogen peroxide with a 445 nm diode laser represents a relatively new, insufficiently researched antimicrobial method in the treatment of peri-implantitis. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the effect of photoactivation of 3% hydrogen peroxide with a 445 nm diode laser, and to compare the obtained results with 0.2% chlorhexidine treatment and 3% hydrogen peroxide treatment without photoactivation, in vitro, on the surface of dental implants contaminated with S. aureus and C. albicans biofilms. Previously, 80 infected titanium implants with S. aureus and C. albicans cultures were divided into four groups: G1-negative control (no treatment), G2-positive control (0.2% chlorhexidine), G3 (3% hydrogen peroxide), and G4 (photoactivated 3% hydrogen peroxide). The number of viable microbes in each sample was determined by the colony forming unit (CFU) count. The results were statistically processed and analyzed, showing a statistically significant difference across all groups compared to the negative control (G1), and the absence of a statistically significant difference between groups G1–G3. The new antimicrobial treatment, according to the results, could be worthy of further analysis and research.
Invasive Cutaneous Candidiasis, Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia and Pancytopenia: A Challenging Scenario for Waldenström Macroglobulinemia in an Elderly Patient
Authors: Caballero Juan Carlos , Askari Elham , Carrasco Nerea , Piris Miguel Angel , Perez de Camino Begoña , Pardo Laura , Cornago Javier , Lopez-Lorenzo Jose Luis , Llamas Pilar , Solan Laura
Published: March 2023

Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM) is a slowly progressive hematologic malignancy that usually responds rapidly to treatment. Being a lymphoplasmacytoid neoplasm, it is associated with a monoclonal IgM component, which may be associated with multiple manifestations and symptoms. We report the case of a 77-year-old woman diagnosed with WM following the development of severe and sudden pancytopenia associated with a cold agglutinin syndrome. In order to treat the WM and the underlying hemolysis, treatment with rituximab, corticosteroids and cyclophosphamide was started. Despite the improvement in hemolysis parameters, pancytopenia persisted, and we started a second line with ibrutinib. During treatment the patient developed an uncommon invasive fungal infection (IFI) with bone marrow granulomatosis and myelofibrosis. This case shows an unusual clinical course with a poor hematopoietic response to treatment and a large number of intercurrent complications.
Recent Advances in Bitterness-Sensing Systems
Authors: Li Yanqi , Langley Nigel , Zhang Jiantao
Published: March 2023

Bitterness is one of the basic tastes, and sensing bitterness plays a significant role in mammals recognizing toxic substances. The bitter taste of food and oral medicines may decrease consumer compliance. As a result, many efforts have been made to mask or decrease the bitterness in food and oral pharmaceutical products. The detection of bitterness is critical to evaluate how successful the taste-masking technology is, and many novel taste-sensing systems have been developed on the basis of various interaction mechanisms. In this review, we summarize the progress of bitterness response mechanisms and the development of novel sensors in detecting bitterness ranging from commercial electronic devices based on modified electrodes to micro-type sensors functionalized with taste cells, polymeric membranes, and other materials in the last two decades. The challenges and potential solutions to improve the taste sensor quality are also discussed.
Application of Machine Learning for Leak Localization in Water Supply Networks
Authors: Yussif Abdul-Mugis , Sadeghi Haleh , Zayed Tarek
Published: March 2023

Water distribution networks (WDNs) in urban areas are predominantly underground for seamless freshwater transmission. As a result, monitoring their health is often complicated, requiring expensive equipment and methodologies. This study proposes a low-cost approach to locating leakages in WDNs in an urban setting, leveraging acoustic signal behavior and machine learning. An inexpensive noise logger was used to collect acoustic signals from the water mains. The signals underwent empirical mode decomposition, feature extraction, and denoising to separate pure leak signals from background noises. Two regression machine learning algorithms, support vector machines (SVM) and ensemble k-nearest neighbors (k-NN), were then employed to predict the leak’s location using the features as input. The SVM achieved a validation accuracy of 82.50%, while the k-NN achieved 83.75%. Since the study proposes using single noise loggers, classification k-NN and decision trees (DTs) were used to predict the leak’s direction. The k-NN performed better than the DT, with a validation accuracy of 97.50%, while the latter achieved 78.75%. The models are able to predict leak locations in water mains in urban settings, as the study was conducted in a similar setting.
Efficacy of Different Bacillus of Calmette-Guérin (BCG) Strains on Recurrence Rates among Intermediate/High-Risk Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancers (NMIBCs): Single-Arm Study Systematic Review, Cumulative and Network Meta-Analysis
Authors: Del Giudice Francesco , Asero Vincenzo , Bologna Eugenio , Scornajenghi Carlo Maria , Carino Dalila , Dolci Virginia , Viscuso Pietro , Salciccia Stefano , Sciarra Alessandro , D’Andrea David , Pradere Benjamin , Moschini Marco , Mari Andrea , Albisinni Simone , Krajewski Wojciech , Szydełko Tomasz , Małkiewicz Bartosz , Nowak Łukasz , Laukhtina Ekaterina , Gallioli Andrea , Mertens Laura S. , Marcq Gautier , Cimadamore Alessia , Afferi Luca , Soria Francesco , Mori Keiichiro , Tully Karl Heinrich , Pichler Renate , Ferro Matteo , Tataru Octavian Sabin , Autorino Riccardo , Crivellaro Simone , Crocetto Felice , Busetto Gian Maria , Basran Satvir , Eisenberg Michael L. , Chung Benjamin Inbeh , De Berardinis Ettore
Published: March 2023

Background: In an era of Bacillus of Calmette-Guérin (BCG) shortages, the comparative efficacy from different adjuvant intravesical BCG strains in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) has not been clearly elucidated. We aim to compare, through a systematic review and meta-analysis, the cumulative BC recurrence rates and the best efficacy profile of worldwide available BCG strains over the last forty years. Methods: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane databases were searched from 1982 up to 2022. A meta-analysis of pooled BC recurrence rates was stratified for studies with ≤3-y vs. >3-y recurrence-free survival (RFS) endpoints and the strain of BCG. Sensitivity analysis, sub-group analysis, and meta-regression were implemented to investigate the contribution of moderators to heterogeneity. A random-effect network meta-analysis was performed to compare BCG strains on a multi-treatment level. Results: In total, n = 62 series with n = 15,412 patients in n = 100 study arms and n = 10 different BCG strains were reviewed. BCG Tokyo 172 exhibited the lowest pooled BC recurrence rate among studies with ≤3-y RFS (0.22 (95%CI 0.16–0.28). No clinically relevant difference was noted among strains at >3-y RFS outcomes. Sub-group and meta-regression analyses highlighted the influence of NMIBC risk-group classification and previous intravesical treated categories. Out of the n = 11 studies with n = 7 BCG strains included in the network, BCG RIVM, Tice, and Tokyo 172 presented with the best-predicted probability for efficacy, yet no single strain was significantly superior to another in preventing BC recurrence risk. Conclusion: We did not identify a BCG stain providing a clinically significant lower BC recurrence rate. While these findings might discourage investment in future head-to-head randomized comparison, we were, however, able to highlight some potential enhanced benefits from the genetically different BCG RIVM, Tice, and Tokyo 172. This evidence would support the use of such strains for future BCG trials in NMIBCs.
Optical Biopsy of Dysplasia in Barrett’s Oesophagus Assisted by Artificial Intelligence
Authors: van der Laan Jouke J. H. , van der Putten Joost A. , Zhao Xiaojuan , Karrenbeld Arend , Peters Frans T. M. , Westerhof Jessie , de With Peter H. N. , van der Sommen Fons , Nagengast Wouter B.
Published: March 2023

Optical biopsy in Barrett’s oesophagus (BE) using endocytoscopy (EC) could optimize endoscopic screening. However, the identification of dysplasia is challenging due to the complex interpretation of the highly detailed images. Therefore, we assessed whether using artificial intelligence (AI) as second assessor could help gastroenterologists in interpreting endocytoscopic BE images. First, we prospectively videotaped 52 BE patients with EC. Then we trained and tested the AI pm distinct datasets drawn from 83,277 frames, developed an endocytoscopic BE classification system, and designed online training and testing modules. We invited two successive cohorts for these online modules: 10 endoscopists to validate the classification system and 12 gastroenterologists to evaluate AI as second assessor by providing six of them with the option to request AI assistance. Training the endoscopists in the classification system established an improved sensitivity of 90.0% (+32.67%, p < 0.001) and an accuracy of 77.67% (+13.0%, p = 0.020) compared with the baseline. However, these values deteriorated at follow-up (−16.67%, p < 0.001 and -8.0%, p = 0.009). Contrastingly, AI-assisted gastroenterologists maintained high sensitivity and accuracy at follow-up, subsequently outperforming the unassisted gastroenterologists (+20.0%, p = 0.025 and +12.22%, p = 0.05). Thus, best diagnostic scores for the identification of dysplasia emerged through human–machine collaboration between trained gastroenterologists with AI as the second assessor. Therefore, AI could support clinical implementation of optical biopsies through EC.
Multiagent Intratumoral Immunotherapy Can Be Effective in A20 Lymphoma Clearance and Generation of Systemic T Cell Immunity
Authors: Gilman Kristy E. , Matiatos Andrew P. , Cracchiolo Megan J. , Moon Amanda G. , Davini Dan W. , Simpson Richard J. , Katsanis Emmanuel
Published: March 2023

The use of immunotherapies has shown promise against selective human cancers. Identifying novel combinations of innate and adaptive immune cell-activating agents that can work synergistically to suppress tumor growth and provide additional protection against resistance or recurrence is critical. The A20 murine lymphoma model was used to evaluate the effect of various combination immunotherapies administered intratumorally. We show that single-modality treatment with Poly(I:C) or GM-CSF-secreting allogeneic cells only modestly controls tumor growth, whereas when given together there is an improved benefit, with 50% of animals clearing tumors and surviving long-term. Neither heat nor irradiation of GM-CSF-secreting cells enhanced the response over use of live cells. The use of a TIM-3 inhibitory antibody and an OX40 agonist in combination with Poly(I:C) allowed for improved tumor control, with 90% of animals clearing tumors with or without a combination of GM-CSF-secreting cells. Across all treatment groups, mice rejecting their primary A20 tumors were immune to subsequent challenge with A20, and this longstanding immunity was T-cell dependent. The results herein support the use of combinations of innate and adaptive immune activating agents for immunotherapy against lymphoma and should be investigated in other cancer types.
Computational Methods Summarizing Mutational Patterns in Cancer: Promise and Limitations for Clinical Applications
Authors: Patterson Andrew , Elbasir Abdurrahman , Tian Bin , Auslander Noam
Published: March 2023

Since the rise of next-generation sequencing technologies, the catalogue of mutations in cancer has been continuously expanding. To address the complexity of the cancer-genomic landscape and extract meaningful insights, numerous computational approaches have been developed over the last two decades. In this review, we survey the current leading computational methods to derive intricate mutational patterns in the context of clinical relevance. We begin with mutation signatures, explaining first how mutation signatures were developed and then examining the utility of studies using mutation signatures to correlate environmental effects on the cancer genome. Next, we examine current clinical research that employs mutation signatures and discuss the potential use cases and challenges of mutation signatures in clinical decision-making. We then examine computational studies developing tools to investigate complex patterns of mutations beyond the context of mutational signatures. We survey methods to identify cancer-driver genes, from single-driver studies to pathway and network analyses. In addition, we review methods inferring complex combinations of mutations for clinical tasks and using mutations integrated with multi-omics data to better predict cancer phenotypes. We examine the use of these tools for either discovery or prediction, including prediction of tumor origin, treatment outcomes, prognosis, and cancer typing. We further discuss the main limitations preventing widespread clinical integration of computational tools for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. We end by proposing solutions to address these challenges using recent advances in machine learning.
Aged G Protein-Coupled Receptor Kinase 3 (Grk3)-Deficient Mice Exhibit Enhanced Osteoclastogenesis and Develop Bone Lesions Analogous to Human Paget’s Disease of Bone
Authors: Rabjohns Emily M. , Rampersad Rishi R. , Ghosh Arin , Hurst Katlyn , Eudy Amanda M. , Brozowski Jaime M. , Lee Hyun Ho , Ren Yinshi , Mirando Anthony , Gladman Justin , Bowser Jessica L. , Berg Kathryn , Wani Sachin , Ralston Stuart H. , Hilton Matthew J. , Tarrant Teresa K.
Published: March 2023

Paget’s Disease of Bone (PDB) is a metabolic bone disease that is characterized by dysregulated osteoclast function leading to focal abnormalities of bone remodeling. It can lead to pain, fracture, and bone deformity. G protein-coupled receptor kinase 3 (GRK3) is an important negative regulator of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling. GRK3 is known to regulate GPCR function in osteoblasts and preosteoblasts, but its regulatory function in osteoclasts is not well defined. Here, we report that Grk3 expression increases during osteoclast differentiation in both human and mouse primary cells and established cell lines. We also show that aged mice deficient in Grk3 develop bone lesions similar to those seen in human PDB and other Paget’s Disease mouse models. We show that a deficiency in Grk3 expression enhances osteoclastogenesis in vitro and proliferation of hematopoietic osteoclast precursors in vivo but does not affect the osteoclast-mediated bone resorption function or cellular senescence pathway. Notably, we also observe decreased Grk3 expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with PDB compared with age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Our data suggest that GRK3 has relevance to the regulation of osteoclast differentiation and that it may have relevance to the pathogenesis of PDB and other metabolic bone diseases associated with osteoclast activation.
Application of Human Stem Cells to Model Genetic Sensorineural Hearing Loss and Meniere Disease
Authors: Lamolda Mar , Frejo Lidia , Gallego-Martinez Alvaro , Lopez-Escamez Jose A.
Published: March 2023

Genetic sensorineural hearing loss and Meniere disease have been associated with rare variations in the coding and non-coding region of the human genome. Most of these variants were classified as likely pathogenic or variants of unknown significance and require functional validation in cellular or animal models. Given the difficulties to obtain human samples and the raising concerns about animal experimentation, human-induced pluripotent stem cells emerged as cellular models to investigate the interaction of genetic and environmental factors in the pathogenesis of inner ear disorders. The generation of human sensory epithelia and neuron-like cells carrying the variants of interest may facilitate a better understanding of their role during differentiation. These cellular models will allow us to explore new strategies for restoring hearing and vestibular sensory epithelia as well as neurons. This review summarized the use of human-induced pluripotent stem cells in sensorineural hearing loss and Meniere disease and proposed some strategies for its application in clinical practice.
Costunolide and Parthenolide Ameliorate MPP+ Induced Apoptosis in the Cellular Parkinson’s Disease Model
Authors: Arslan Mehmet Enes , Türkez Hasan , Sevim Yasemin , Selvitopi Harun , Kadi Abdurrahim , Öner Sena , Mardinoğlu Adil
Published: March 2023

Monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) is an enzyme that metabolizes several chemicals, including dopamine. MAO-B inhibitors are used in the treatment of Parkinson’s Disease (PD), and the inhibition of this enzyme reduces dopamine turnover and oxidative stress. The absence of dopamine results in PD pathogenesis originating from decreased Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and elevated oxidative stress. Here, we performed a molecular docking analysis for the potential use of costunolide and parthenolide terpenoids as potential MAO-B inhibitors in the treatment of PD. Neuroprotective properties of plant-originated costunolide and parthenolide terpenoids were investigated in a cellular PD model that was developed by using MPP+ toxicity. We investigated neuroprotection mechanisms through the analysis of oxidative stress parameters, acetylcholinesterase activity and apoptotic cell death ratios. Our results showed that 100 µg/mL and 50 µg/mL of costunolide, and 50 µg/mL of parthenolide applied to the cellular disease model ameliorated the cytotoxicity caused by MPP+ exposure. We found that acetylcholinesterase activity assays exhibited that terpenoids could ameliorate and restore the enzyme activity as in negative control levels. The oxidative stress parameter analyses revealed that terpenoid application could enhance antioxidant levels and decrease oxidative stress in the cultures. In conclusion, we reported that these two terpenoid molecules could be used in the development of efficient treatment strategies for PD patients.
Rapamycin Alleviates Protein Aggregates, Reduces Neuroinflammation, and Rescues Demyelination in Globoid Cell Leukodystrophy
Authors: Lin Dar-Shong , Huang Yu-Wen , Lee Tsung-Han , Chang Lung , Huang Zon-Darr , Wu Tsu-Yen , Wang Tuan-Jen , Ho Che-Sheng
Published: March 2023

We have shown in vivo and in vitro previously that psychosine causes dysfunction of autophagy and the ubiquitin-proteasome system underlying the pathogenesis of globoid cell leukodystrophy (GLD), a devastating lysosomal storage disease complicated by global demyelination. Here, we investigated the therapeutic efficacy of the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin in twitcher mice, a murine model of infantile GLD, in biochemical, histochemical, and clinical aspects. Administration of rapamycin to twitcher mice inhibited mTOR signaling in the brains, and significantly reduced the accumulation of insoluble ubiquitinated protein and the formation of ubiquitin aggregates. The astrocytes and microglia reactivity were attenuated in that reactive astrocytes, ameboid microglia, and globoid cells were reduced in the brains of rapamycin-treated twitcher mice. Furthermore, rapamycin improved the cortical myelination, neurite density, and rescued the network complexity in the cortex of twitcher mice. The therapeutic action of rapamycin on the pathology of the twitcher mice’s brains prolonged the longevity of treated twitcher mice. Overall, these findings validate the therapeutic efficacy of rapamycin and highlight enhancing degradation of aggregates as a therapeutic strategy to modulate neuroinflammation, demyelination, and disease progression of GLD and other leukodystrophies associated with intracellular aggregates.
Reasons for Migration, Post-Migration Sociocultural Characteristics, and Parenting Styles of Chinese American Immigrant Families
Authors: Wang Xinyue , Haft Stephanie L. , Zhou Qing
Published: March 2023

With the growing percentage of Chinese immigrants in the U.S. population, it is crucial to understand how pre-migration factors (such as reasons for migration) are related to the adjustment of families in the host country. The present study examined reasons for migration and their associations with post-migration sociocultural factors and parenting styles in a community-based sample of Chinese American immigrant families (N = 258) living in the San Francisco Bay Area. The parents’ self-reported reasons for migration included family reasons (55.1%, e.g., family reunification), betterment reasons (18.0%, e.g., better education and occupational opportunities), and both family and betterment reasons (26.9%). Those who migrated for betterment reasons reported significantly higher parental education and per capita income than the family reason group (p < 0.001) and significantly higher income than the combined reason group (p = 0.007). No significant group differences emerged in cultural orientations and parenting styles after controlling for socioeconomic factors. The findings suggested that Chinese immigrant families who migrated solely for better education and occupational opportunities had significantly higher post-migration socioeconomic status than other reason groups. These differences have relevance for programs and services for new immigrants, as families might need different types of support (e.g., socioeconomic vs. relational) depending on their motivations for migration and post-migration socioeconomic resources.
Edible Films and Coatings Applied in the Food Industry
Authors: Rossi-Márquez Giovanna , Dávalos-Saucedo Cristian Aarón , Di Pierro Prospero
Published: March 2023

Nowadays, there is a global problem regarding the consumption of petroleum-derived packaging materials because they are consumed in large quantities [...]
Bio-Entities Based on Albumin Nanoparticles and Biomimetic Cell Membranes: Design, Characterization and Biophysical Evaluation
Authors: Barbinta-Patrascu Marcela-Elisabeta , Iftimie Sorina , Cazacu Nicoleta , Stan Diana Lavinia , Costas Andreea , Balan Adriana Elena , Chilom Claudia Gabriela
Published: March 2023

Protein-based particles are one of the most important research topics in nanomedicine, being used especially as drug delivery systems. From the wide variety of proteins, albumins offer several advantages in biomedical applications due to their special properties. Albumin nanoparticles play an important role as carriers in the drug delivery of chemical and biomolecular drugs, such as anticancer drugs; offer many advantages, such as biocompatibility and biodegradability; and are well-tolerated, without any side effects. In this work, various types of bovine serum albumin nanoparticles (BSA NPs), with or without ascorbic acid or glucose, were prepared via different nanoprecipitation methods. The obtained BSA NPs were characterized by UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy. Their size and morphology were studied by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The stability in time of the developed BSA NPs was spectrally monitored. Three types of bio-entities containing BSA NPs and chlorophyll-labeled artificial cell membranes were “green” developed. The designed biohybrids were characterized by UV–Vis absorption and fluorescence emission spectroscopy, and their three-dimensional topography was investigated by AFM. Both the size and shape of the developed bio-entities were monitored through SEM analysis. These results could be exploited in the development of novel drug carrier systems or as bio-coatings to be used in the biomedical field.
Nanomaterials in Cosmetics: An Outlook for European Regulatory Requirements and a Step Forward in Sustainability
Authors: Ferreira Laura , Pires Patrícia C. , Fonseca Mariana , Costa Gustavo , Giram Prabhanjan Shridhar , Mazzola Priscila Gava , Bell Victoria , Mascarenhas-Melo Filipa , Veiga Francisco , Paiva-Santos Ana Cláudia
Published: March 2023

The use of materials and products that improve appearance and provide comfort and well-being goes back to the beginning of civilization. Cosmetics is an evolving market that has increasingly focused on innovative technological approaches. Nanotechnology is one of the most revolutionary and promising fields for the development of novel and enhanced cosmetic products, owing to the remarkable multifunctional characteristics and effects of nanomaterials (NMs). Their application, however, also raises potential safety concerns. Some of these concerns can be addressed by determining the type of NMs used, as well as their stability, potential for skin absorption, route of exposure, and how they are formulated into cosmetic products. To guarantee such safety, cosmetic products containing NMs, must comply with European regulatory provisions, particularly the European Regulation (EC) n.° 1223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council. Hence, this review comprises all the particularities of NMs, their influence on human health, challenges towards environmental sustainability, and strategies to harmonize policies with the aim to normalize their application in cosmetics.
PbWO4 Acoustic Properties Measurement by Laser Ultrasonics with the Aim of Optical Damage Recovery
Authors: Montalto Luigi , Davì Fabrizio , Dormenev Valery , Paone Nicola , Rinaldi Daniele
Published: March 2023

The paper, at first, discusses theoretical aspects of acoustic wave propagation in lead tungstate (PWO). After that, it introduces the application of laser ultrasonics to PWO crystals with the aim of measuring the acoustic properties and the absorbed energy. A specific set-up has been developed to deposit energy in the crystals by means of shock waves generated by a pulsed Nd-YAG laser. We measured the acoustic properties of the PWO crystals along the crystallographic c^ axis and measured the acoustic energy absorption. Calculations confirmed that the majority of the energy has been absorbed in the samples. Since in scintillating crystals the radiation damage leads to a decrease in the optical transmission, the paper formulates the hypothesis that the laser energy absorbed can sustain recovery of the optical transmittance properties. Preliminary tests of light transmittance measurements showed a systematic improvement of optical transmittance after laser treatment in a series of PWO samples. These results are consistent and in agreement with the hypothesis, and they support the feasibility of a laser-based method to recover radiation-damaged crystals.
Sonoelectrochemical Nanoarchitectonics of Crystalline Mesoporous Magnetite @ Manganese Oxide Nanocomposite as an Alternate Anode Material for Energy-Storage Applications
Authors: Kalidass Jayaraman , Anandan Sambandam , Sivasankar Thirugnanasambandam
Published: March 2023

In this report, the synergetic sonoelectrochemical method was utilized to produce magnetite nanoparticles was doped with MnO2 with the assistance of ultrasound to form nanoarchitectonic magnetic crystals with a mesoporous magnetite @ manganese dioxide (m-Fe3O4@MnO2) hybrid nanostructure. The hybrid nanocomposite was rapidly produced based on the nucleation and growth of pure iron-oxide nanocrystals in the electrochemical system. The nanocomposite was pure, highly amorphous, and mesoporous in nature; the magnetite was spherical in shape, with an average diameter of 45 ± 10 nm and a MnO2-plane length of 420 ± 30 nm. The stability of the pure m-Fe3O4 was enhanced from 89.61 to 94.04% with negligible weight loss after adding manganese dioxide and the stable formation of the hybrid nanostructure. Based on the superior results of the material, it was utilized as an anode material in Li-ion batteries. The m-Fe3O4@MnO2 hybrid nanostructure had a highly active surface area, which enhanced the interfacial interaction between the Li-ion and the metal surface; it delivered 1513 mAh g−1 and 1290 mAh g−1 as the first specific discharge and charge capacity, respectively, with 85% coulombic efficiency, and it showed an excellent cyclic reversibility of 660 mAh g−1 with a coulombic efficiency of almost 99% at current density of 1.0 A g−1.
Haplosporidium pinnae Detection from the Faeces of Pinna nobilis: A Quick and Noninvasive Tool to Monitor the Presence of Pathogen in Early-Stage or during Fan Mussel Mass Mortalities
Authors: Manfrin Chiara , Ciriaco Saul , Segarich Marco , Aiello Andrea , Florian Fiorella , Avian Massimo , Terlizzi Antonio , Giulianini Piero , Spoto Maurizio , Pallavicini Alberto
Published: March 2023

Due to the increasing mass mortality of Pinna nobilis, mainly caused by the protozoan Haplosporidium pinnae along the Mediterranean Sea, it is necessary to develop rapid and effective methods to detect the pathogen. The present study describes the development and validation of a species-specific assay based on hydrolysis probe chemistry to detect H. pinnae DNA from faeces and pseudofaeces of P. nobilis. During a study campaign in the Gulf of Trieste (Italy) in the spring and summer of 2022, 18 samples (10 faeces and 8 pseudofaeces) were collected. DNA was isolated from all samples and the presence of H. pinnae was tested by amplifying a small portion of 18S rDNA using qPCR. The newly developed assay detected positive H. pinnae in the faeces of the fan mussel in the spring, while no evidence of an outbreak of H. pinnae was found in the summer. In addition, the method proved to be noninvasive and can be used to monitor suspected H. pinnae infections in the early stages when bivalves are still vital. Furthermore, fecal analysis allows the monitoring of P. nobilis without dissecting tissues. The presented assay can also be used to routinely monitor the progress of mass mortalities caused by H. pinnae and to screen for the pathogen in live fan mussels and other environmental matrices, such as water, sediment, and faeces from other species that can host the protozoan.
Investigation of Electro-Thermal Performance for TreeFET from the Perspective of Structure Parameters
Authors: Liu Weijing , Pan Xinfu , Liu Jiangnan , Li Qinghua
Published: March 2023

In this work, the electro-thermal properties of TreeFET, which combines vertically stacked nanosheet (NS) and fin-shaped interbridge (IB) channels, are investigated in terms of interbridge width (WIB), nanosheet space (SNS) and nanosheet width (WNS) by TCAD simulation. Electrical characteristics such as electron density distributions, on/off-state current (ION, IOFF), subthreshold swing (SS) and self-heating effects (SHE) such as lattice temperature and thermal resistance (Rth) are systematically studied to optimize the performance of TreeFET. The result shows that a smaller WIB mitigates the short-channel effects and increases the electron concentration in NS channels but increases thermal resistance. A larger SNS increases the on-state current while compensating for the gate drive loss and mitigating the thermal coupling effect between NS channels but results in longer conduction paths of carriers and heat, which hinders further improvements. Moreover, a suitable WNS is required to lessen the decline of gate controllability induced by IB channels. Hence, suitable geometry parameters should be selected to achieve a compromise between thermal and electrical performance.
A Method of Sustainable Development for Three Chinese Short-Text Datasets Based on BERT-CAM
Authors: Pan Li , Lim Wei Hong , Gan Yong
Published: March 2023

Considering the low accuracy of current short text classification (TC) methods and the difficulties they have with effective emotion prediction, a sustainable short TC (S-TC) method using deep learning (DL) in big data environments is proposed. First, the text is vectorized by introducing a BERT pre-training model. When processing language tasks, the TC accuracy is improved by removing a word from the text and using the information from previous words and the next words to predict. Then, a convolutional attention mechanism (CAM) model is proposed using a convolutional neural network (CNN) to capture feature interactions in the time dimension and using multiple convolutional kernels to obtain more comprehensive feature information. CAM can improve TC accuracy. Finally, by optimizing and merging bidirectional encoder representation from the transformers (BERT) pre-training model and CAM model, a corresponding BERT-CAM classification model for S-TC is proposed. Through simulation experiments, the proposed S-TC method and the other three methods are compared and analyzed using three datasets. The results show that the accuracy, precision, recall, F1 value, Ma_F and Mi_F are the largest, reaching 94.28%, 86.36%, 84.95%, 85.96%, 86.34% and 86.56, respectively. The algorithm’s performance is better than that of the other three comparison algorithms.
Evaluation of Electric Power Quality in the Ship-Integrated Electrical Power System with a Main DC Bus and Power Semiconductor Electric Drives as Part of the Electric Propulsion Complex
Authors: Zhuk Dmytro , Zhuk Oleksandr , Kozlov Maksym , Stepenko Serhii
Published: March 2023

The relevance of the work is connected to the energy efficiency of specialized vessels of the technical fleet. The purpose of the study was to determine and evaluate the power quality indicators associated with the non-sinusoidal shape of the voltage and current curves in the electrical power system of the marine platform support vessel, which contains powerful semiconductor propulsion electric drives, taking into account the inherent and parasitic parameters of the power three-phase cable lines. A simplified one-line diagram of an electric power system with a DC main bus was the object of the study, which was compiled as a result of the analysis of analog systems typical for the indicated type of vessels. The phenomenon of voltage and current distortion caused by the presence of higher harmonics generated by power semiconductor converters in a three-phase ship network was the subject of the research. For the experimental study of the quality of electric power according to the simplified one-line scheme of the electric power system in MATLAB Simulink, its model was created. Based on the proven methods of calculating the ship’s electrical equipment, a methodology was developed for the reliable determination of model parameters. According to the results of the experiment in MATLAB Simulink, qualitative and quantitative indicators were obtained regarding the non-sinusoidality of the linear voltage and current of the three-phase network (curve shapes, amplitude spectra, distortion coefficients), and their comparative analysis with the current norms and standards was performed. In contrast to the previous ones, the methodology for assessing the quality of electricity in the studied electric power system takes into account its circuit, mode features, and the presence of a parasitic capacitance “phase to ground” of a three-phase network, and it can be used in solving similar non-trivial tasks for various similar structurally modified systems.