bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Essential role of microglia in the fast antidepressant action of ketamine and hypidone hydrochloride (YL-0919)
Authors: Chang Hai-Xia , Dai Wei , Bao Jin-Hao , Li Jin-Feng , Zhang Ji-Guo , Li Yun-Feng
Published: May 2023

Introduction: Intracerebral microglia play a vital role in mediating central immune response, neuronal repair and synaptic pruning, but its precise role and mechanism in fast action of antidepressants have remained unknown. In this study, we identified that the microglia contributed to the rapid action of antidepressants ketamine and YL-0919.

Methods: The depletion of microglia was achieved with the diet containing the colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R) inhibitor PLX5622 in mice. The tail suspension test (TST), forced swimming test (FST) and novelty suppressed feeding test (NSFT) were employed to evaluate the rapid acting antidepressant behavior of ketamine and YL-0919 in the microglia depletion model. The number of microglia in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) was assayed by the immunofluorescence staining. The expressions of synaptic proteins (synapsin-1, PSD-95, GluA1) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the PFC were tested by Western blot.

Results: The immobility duration in FST and the latency to feed in NSFT were shortened 24 h after an intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of ketamine (10 mg/kg). The microglial depletion of PLX3397 blocked the rapid antidepressant-like effect of ketamine in mice. In addition, the immobility time in TST and FST as well as latency to feed in NSFT were reduced 24 h after the intragastric (i.g.) administration of YL-0919 (2.5 mg/kg, administered for 5–6 consecutive days), and the rapid antidepressant effect of YL-0919 was also blocked by the microglial depletion using PLX5622. About 92% of microglia in the prefrontal cortex was depleted in PLX5622 diet-fed mice, while both ketamine and YL-0919 promoted proliferation on the remaining microglia. YL-0919 significantly increased the protein expressions of synapsin-1, PSD-95, GluA1 and BDNF in the PFC, all of which could be blocked by PLX5622.

Conclusion: These results suggested the microglia underlying the rapid antidepressant-like effect of ketamine and YL-0919, and microglia would likely constitute in the rapid enhancing impact of synaptic plasticity in the prefrontal cortex by YL-0919.
Landscape analysis and overview of the literature on oxidative stress and pulmonary diseases
Authors: Liu Xin , Wang Xiaofan , Chang Jing , Zhang Hongmin , Cao Pengxiu
Published: May 2023

Oxidative stress is caused by an imbalance in oxidant/antioxidant processes and is a critical process in pulmonary diseases. As no truly effective therapies exist for lung cancer, lung fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), at present, it is important to comprehensively study the relationship between oxidative stress and pulmonary diseases to identify truly effective therapeutics. Since there is no quantitative and qualitative bibliometric analysis of the literature in this area, this review provides an in-depth analysis of publications related to oxidative stress and pulmonary diseases over four periods, including from 1953 to 2007, 2008 to 2012, 2013 to 2017, and 2018 to 2022. Interest in many pulmonary diseases has increased, and the mechanisms and therapeutic drugs for pulmonary diseases have been well analyzed. Lung injury, lung cancer, asthma, COPD and pneumonia are the 5 most studied pulmonary diseases related to oxidative stress. Inflammation, apoptosis, nuclear factor erythroid 2 like 2 (NRF2), mitochondria, and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) are rapidly becoming the most commonly used top keywords. The top thirty medicines most studied for treating different pulmonary diseases were summarized. Antioxidants, especially those targeting reactive oxygen species (ROS) in specific organelles and certain diseases, may be a substantial and necessary choice in combined therapies rather than acting as a single “magic bullet” for the effective treatment of refractory pulmonary diseases.
Association of oral bisphosphonates with cardioembolic ischemic stroke: a nested case-control study
Authors: Rodríguez-Martín Sara , Barreira-Hernández Diana , Mazzucchelli Ramón , Gil Miguel , García-Lledó Alberto , Izquierdo-Esteban Laura , Pérez-Gómez Ana , Rodríguez-Miguel Antonio , De Abajo Francisco J.
Published: May 2023

Background: Bisphosphonates have been reported to increase the risk of atrial fibrillation. Therefore, it is conceivable that they may increase the risk of cardioembolic ischemic stroke (IS). However, most epidemiological studies carried out thus far have not shown an increased risk of IS, though none separated by the main pathophysiologic IS subtype (cardioembolic and non-cardioembolic) which may be crucial. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the use of oral bisphosphonates increases specifically the risk of cardioembolic IS, and explored the effect of treatment duration, as well as the potential interaction between oral bisphosphonates and calcium supplements and anticoagulants.

Methods: We performed a case-control study nested in a cohort of patients aged 40–99 years, using the Spanish primary healthcare database BIFAP, over the period 2002-2015. Incident cases of IS were identified and classified as cardioembolic or non-cardioembolic. Five controls per case were randomly selected, matched for age, sex, and index date (first recording of IS) using an incidence-density sampling. The association of IS (overall and by subtype) with the use of oral bisphosphonates within the last year before index date was assessed by computing the adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and their 95% CI using a conditional logistic regression. Only initiators of oral bisphosphonates were considered.

Results: A total of 13,781 incident cases of IS and 65,909 controls were included. The mean age was 74.5 (SD ± 12.4) years and 51.6% were male. Among cases, 3.15% were current users of oral bisphosphonates, while among controls they were 2.62%, yielding an AOR of 1.15 (95% CI:1.01–1.30). Of all cases, 4,568 (33.1%) were classified as cardioembolic IS (matched with 21,697 controls) and 9,213 (66.9%) as non-cardioembolic IS (matched with 44,212 controls) yielding an AOR of 1.35 (95% CI:1.10–1.66) and 1.03 (95% CI: 0.88–1.21), respectively. The association with cardioembolic IS was clearly duration-dependent (AOR≤1 year = 1.10; 95% CI:0.82–1.49; AOR>1–3 years = 1.41; 95% CI:1.01–1.97; AOR>3 years = 1.81; 95% CI:1.25–2.62; p for trend = 0.001) and completely blunted by anticoagulants, even in long-term users (AOR>1 year = 0.59; 0.30–1.16). An interaction between oral bisphosphonates and calcium supplements was suggested.

Conclusion: The use of oral bisphosphonates increases specifically the odds of cardioembolic IS, in a duration-dependent manner, while leaves materially unaffected the odds of non-cardioembolic IS.
Synthesis, structure-activity relationships and biological evaluation of benzimidazole derived sulfonylurea analogues as a new class of antagonists of P2Y1 receptor
Authors: Bano Sehrish , Hussain Zahid , Langer Peter , Weisman Gary A. , Iqbal Jamshed
Published: May 2023

The P2Y receptors are responsible for the regulation of various physiological processes including neurotransmission and inflammatory responses. These receptors are also considered as novel potential therapeutic targets for prevention and treatment of thrombosis, neurological disorders, pain, cardiac diseases and cancer. Previously, number of P2Y receptor antagonists has been investigated but they are less potent and non-selective with poor solubility profile. Herein, we present the synthesis of new class of benzimidazole derived sulfonylureas (1a-y) as potent antagonists of P2Y receptors, with the specific aim to explore selective antagonists of P2Y1 receptors. The efficacy and selectivity of the synthesized derivatives 1) against four P2Y receptors i.e., t-P2Y1, h-P2Y2, h-P2Y4, and r-P2Y6Rs was carried out by calcium mobilization assay. The results revealed that except 1b, 1d, 1l, 1m, 1o, 1u, 1v, 1w, and 1y, rest of the synthesized derivatives exhibited moderate to excellent inhibitory potential against P2Y1 receptors. Among the potent antagonists, derivative 1h depicted the maximum inhibition of P2Y1 receptor in calcium signalling assay, with an IC50 value of 0.19 ± 0.04 µM. The potential of inhibition was validated by computational investigations where bonding and non-bonding interactions between ligand and targeted receptor further strengthen the study. The best identified derivative 1h revealed the same binding mechanism as that of already reported selective antagonist of P2Y1 receptor i.e (1-(2- (2-tert-butyl-phenoxy) pyridin-3-yl)-3–4-(trifluoromethoxy) phenylurea but the newly synthesized derivative exhibited better solubility profile. Hence, this derivative can be used as lead candidate for the synthesis of more potential antagonist with much better solubility profile and medicinal importance.
Exploring the relationship of static and dynamic balance with muscle mechanical properties of the lower limbs in healthy young adults
Authors: Hill Mathew W. , Wdowski Maximilian M. , Rosicka Katarzyna , Kay Anthony D. , Muehlbauer Thomas
Published: May 2023

There is emerging evidence that mechanical properties of in vivo muscle tissues are associated with postural sway during quiet standing. However, it is unknown if the observed relationship between mechanical properties with static balance parameters generalise to dynamic balance. Thus, we determined the relationship between static and dynamic balance parameters with muscle mechanical properties of the ankle plantar flexors [lateral gastrocnemius (GL)] and knee extensors [vastus lateralis (VL)] in vivo. Twenty-six participants (men = 16, women = 10; age = 23.3 ± 4.4 years) were assessed for static balance [centre of pressure (COP) movements during quiet standing], dynamic balance (reach distances for the Y-balance test) and mechanical properties (stiffness and tone) of the GL and VL measured in the standing and lying position. Significant (p < .05) small to moderate inverse correlations were observed between the mean COP velocity during quiet standing with stiffness (r = −.40 to −.58, p = .002 to .042) and tone (r = −0.42 to −0.56, p = 0.003 to 0.036) of the GL and VL (lying and standing). Tone and stiffness explained 16%–33% of the variance in the mean COP velocity. Stiffness and tone of the VL measured in the lying (supine) condition were also inversely significantly correlated with Y balance test performance (r = −0.39 to −0.46, p = 0.018 to 0.049). These findings highlight that individuals with low muscle stiffness and tone exhibit faster COP movements during quiet standing, indicative of reduced postural control but also reveal that low VL stiffness and tone are associated with greater reach distances in a lower extremity reaching task, indicative of greater neuromuscular performance.
Psychosocial risks emerged from COVID-19 pandemic and workers’ mental health
Authors: Koren Helena , Milaković Marina , Bubaš Marija , Bekavac Petra , Bekavac Barbara , Bucić Lovro , Čvrljak Jelena , Capak Magdalena , Jeličić Pavle
Published: May 2023

This paper examines the impact of work in a pandemic context on workers’ mental health. Psychosocial risks have always been a challenging aspect of workplace health and safety practices. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected workplaces in all sectors causing unexpected changes in work organization and working conditions, leading to the emergence of new psychosocial risks for health and wellbeing of workers. This mini-review aims to identify the main work stressors during pandemic period and related mental health problems to suggest recommendations and adjust health and safety practices regarding workplace mental health. A literature search has been performed using MEDLINE/PubMed, ResearchGate and Google Scholar databases, selecting articles focusing on work-related stressors and workers’ mental health problems related to the pandemic. Specific psychosocial risks have been identified, including fear of contagion, telework-related risks, isolation and stigmatization, rapid digitalization demands, job insecurity, elevated risk of violence at work or home, and work-life imbalance, among others. All those risks can lead to elevated levels of stress among workers and affect their mental health and wellbeing, especially in terms of psychological distress, anxiety, and depression. As one of the social determinants of health, the workplace has an important and moderating role in workers’ health. Therefore, in the pandemic context more than ever health protection practices at the workplace should be devoted to mental health problems. Recommendations provided in this study are expected to contribute to workplace practices to preserve and promote workers’ mental health.
Supportive care needs and health-related quality of life in cancer patients receiving palliative care
Authors: Schnabel Astrid , Lordick Florian , Oberth Paula , Neuschulz Markus , Lehmann-Laue Antje , Mehnert-Theuerkauf Anja , Hinz Andreas
Published: May 2023

Objective

Cancer patients receiving palliative care experience a variety of impairments in their quality of life (QoL), and have corresponding supportive care needs (SCNs). The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between SCNs, satisfaction with QoL dimensions, and the perceived importance of these dimensions.

Method

A sample of 152 cancer patients receiving palliative care were included in this cross-sectional study. Eight dimensions of QoL were defined and assessed concerning SCNs, satisfaction, and subjective importance using a new assessment instrument with five-point scales (range 1–5) for each dimension.

Results

Among the eight specific domains examined, the greatest SCNs were observed for absence of pain (M = 3.18; SD = 1.29). The patients were least satisfied with their physical functioning (M = 2.60; SD = 0.84), and the dimension social relationships (M = 4.14; SD = 0.72) received the highest perceived importance ratings. The eight dimensions’ SCNs scores were significantly correlated with each other (r between 0.29 and 0.79); the lowest correlations were found for social relationships. The correlations between the satisfaction scores and the SCNs differed from dimension to dimension, with coefficients between −0.32 (absence of pain) and − 0.57 (sleep quality).

Conclusion

The results show that detriments in QoL do not automatically indicate high levels of SCNs in those dimensions. Health care providers should consider both factors, QoL (as measured with QoL questionnaires) and subjectively expressed SCNs, to optimize their patients’ care regimens.
Preliminary perceived intervention changes and engagement in an evidence-based program targeted at behavioral inhibition during early childhood, delivered in-person and online
Authors: Guedes Maryse , Maia Rita , Matos Inês , Antunes Marta , Rolão Teresa , Chronis-Tuscano Andrea , Rubin Kenneth H. , Veríssimo Manuela , Santos António J.
Published: May 2023

Introduction

Behavioral inhibition during early childhood is one of the strongest risk factors for the development of later anxiety disorders. Recently developed in-person interventions that target both young children who are highly inhibited and their parents (e.g., the Turtle Program), have decreased children's anxiety and have increased social participation in the peer group. However, researchers have yet to examine the effects of intervention mode of delivery. In the present study, we compared the pre-to post-intervention changes in child and parenting functioning of families participating in the Turtle Program, delivered in-person and online with those changes made in families allocated to a waiting-list condition; compared session attendance, homework completion and satisfaction with the intervention outcomes of families involved in the Turtle Program, delivered in-person and online; and explored the predictive role of parenting and child factors in session attendance, homework completion and satisfaction with the outcomes of families involved in the Turtle Program, depending on the mode of delivery (in-person vs. online).

Method

Fifty-seven parents of highly inhibited preschoolers (3–5 years), with no diagnosis of selective mutism or developmental disorders, who were randomly allocated to waiting-list (n = 20), Turtle Program delivered in-person (n = 17) and online (n = 20) conditions completed the Portuguese versions of the Behavioral Inhibition Questionnaire, the Preschool Anxiety Scale, the Social Behavior and Competence Scale, the Modified Child-Rearing Practices Questionnaire at pre- and post-intervention assessment. Parents also completed the Preschool Shyness Study Satisfaction Survey at post-intervention assessment.

Results

Independent of intervention mode of delivery, generalized equation estimates revealed a reduction in children's total anxiety symptoms and an improvement in parental nurturing behaviors. Child anxiety and social competence at pre-assessment were the most prominent predictors of session attendance and satisfaction with post-intervention child and parenting outcomes.

Discussion

Overall, this study showed that parents in both intervention conditions perceived comparable positive changes in child functioning from pre- to post-intervention assessment and similar levels of session attendance, homework completion, and satisfaction. Significantly, however, perceived satisfaction with post-intervention child and parenting outcomes was higher, when children were reported to display higher SEL skills at baseline, independent of the intervention mode of delivery.
Chronic alcohol consumption shifts learning strategies and synaptic plasticity from hippocampus to striatum-dependent pathways
Authors: Tochon Léa , Vouimba Rose-Marie , Corio Marc , Henkous Nadia , Béracochéa Daniel , Guillou Jean-Louis , David Vincent
Published: May 2023

Introduction

The hippocampus and striatum have dissociable roles in memory and are necessary for spatial and procedural/cued learning, respectively. Emotionally charged, stressful events promote the use of striatal- over hippocampus-dependent learning through the activation of the amygdala. An emerging hypothesis suggests that chronic consumption of addictive drugs similarly disrupt spatial/declarative memory while facilitating striatum-dependent associative learning. This cognitive imbalance could contribute to maintain addictive behaviors and increase the risk of relapse.

Methods

We first examined, in C57BL/6 J male mice, whether chronic alcohol consumption (CAC) and alcohol withdrawal (AW) might modulate the respective use of spatial vs. single cue-based learning strategies, using a competition protocol in the Barnes maze task. We then performed in vivo electrophysiological studies in freely moving mice to assess learning-induced synaptic plasticity in both the basolateral amygdala (BLA) to dorsal hippocampus (dCA1) and BLA to dorsolateral striatum (DLS) pathways.

Results

We found that both CAC and early AW promote the use of cue-dependent learning strategies, and potentiate plasticity in the BLA → DLS pathway while reducing the use of spatial memory and depressing BLA → dCA1 neurotransmission.

Discussion

These results support the view that CAC disrupt normal hippocampo-striatal interactions, and suggest that targeting this cognitive imbalance through spatial/declarative task training could be of great help to maintain protracted abstinence in alcoholic patients.
Projections of future burden of pharmacologically treated type 2 diabetes and associated life expectancies by income in Finland: a multi-state modeling study
Authors: Guzman-Castillo Maria , Korhonen Kaarina , Murphy Michael , Martikainen Pekka
Published: May 2023

The burden of type 2 diabetes (T2D) differs between socioeconomic groups. The present study combines ongoing and plausible trends in T2D incidence and survival by income to forecast future trends in cases of T2D and life expectancy with and without T2D up to year 2040. Using Finnish total population data for those aged 30 years on T2D medication and mortality in 1995–2018, we developed and validated a multi-state life table model using age-, gender-, income- and calendar year-specific transition probabilities. We present scenarios based on constant and declining T2D incidence and on the effect of increasing and decreasing obesity on T2D incidence and mortality states up to 2040. With constant T2D incidence at 2019-level, the number of people living with T2D would increase by about 26% between 2020 and 2040. The lowest income group could expect more rapid increases in the number with T2D compared to the highest income group (30% vs. 23% respectively). If the incidence of T2D continues the recent declining trend, we predict about 14% fewer cases. However, if obesity increases two-fold, we predict 15% additional T2D cases. Unless, we reduce the obesity-related excess risk, the number of years lived without T2D could decrease up to 6 years for men in the lowest income group. Under all plausible scenarios, the burden of T2D is set to increase and it will be unequally distributed among socioeconomic groups. An increasing proportion of life expectancy will be spent with T2D.
In-vivo evaluation of silk fibroin small-diameter vascular grafts: state of art of preclinical studies and animal models
Authors: Settembrini Alberto , Buongiovanni Gianluca , Settembrini Piergiorgio , Alessandrino Antonio , Freddi Giuliano , Vettor Giulia , Martelli Eugenio
Published: May 2023

Autologous vein and artery remains the first choice for vascular grafting procedures in small-diameter vessels such as coronary and lower limb districts. Unfortunately, these vessels are often found to be unsuitable in atherosclerotic patients due to the presence of calcifications or to insufficient size. Synthetic grafts composed of materials such as expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) are frequently employed as second choice, because of their widespread availability and success in the reconstruction of larger arteries. However, ePTFE grafts with small diameter are plagued by poor patency rates due to surface thrombogenicity and intimal hyperplasia, caused by the bioinertness of the synthetic material and aggravated by low flow conditions. Several bioresorbable and biodegradable polymers have been developed and tested to exploit such issues for their potential stimulation to endothelialization and cell infiltration. Among these, silk fibroin (SF) has shown promising pre-clinical results as material for small-diameter vascular grafts (SDVGs) because of its favorable mechanical and biological properties. A putative advantage in graft infection in comparison with synthetic materials is plausible, although it remains to be demonstrated. Our literature review will focus on the performance of SF-SDVGs in vivo, as evaluated by studies performing vascular anastomosis and interposition procedures, within small and large animal models and different arterial districts. Efficiency under conditions that more accurately mime the human body will provide encouraging evidence towards future clinical applications.
Case reports: a variety of clinical presentations and long-term evolution of Bochdalek hernias
Authors: Frey Sebastien , Chazal Maurice , Sejor Eric , Baque Patrick , Mouroux Jerome
Published: May 2023

Bochdalek hernias are the most common congenital diaphragmatic hernias, followed by Morgagni hernias. The failure of closure of the pleuroperitoneal membrane results in a posterolateral foramen, which can remain silent until adulthood. They remain a rare pathology with nearly a hundred cases published. Its clinical presentation is variable, making its diagnosis challenging for clinicians. Additionally, its symptoms are not necessarily representative of the content of the hernia. Its management is balanced between the abdominal and the thoracic approaches. However, no guidelines or algorithms are available to help surgeons in the decision-making process. We report here four consecutive cases of symptomatic Bochdalek hernias. Each case has a singular presentation, and we share how they were approached at our institution. In particular, this series shows no reoccurrence in 10+ years of follow-up in two cases and 20+ in one case, underlying the importance of surgical management when Bochdalek hernias are symptomatic.
A Hybridization Grey Wolf Optimizer to Identify Parameters of Helical Hydraulic Rotary Actuator
Authors: Zheng Yukun , Sun Ruyue , Liu Yixiang , Wang Yanhong , Song Rui , Li Yibin
Published: May 2023

Based on the grey wolf optimizer (GWO) and differential evolution (DE), a hybridization algorithm (H-GWO) is proposed to avoid the local optimum, improve the diversity of the population, and compromise the exploration and exploitation appropriately. The mutation and crossover principles of the DE algorithm are introduced into the GWO algorithm, and the opposition-based optimization learning technology is combined to update the GWO population to increase the population diversity. The algorithm is then benchmarked against nine typical test functions and compared with other state-of-the-art meta-heuristic algorithms such as particle swarm optimization (PSO), GWO, and DE. The results show that the proposed H-GWO algorithm can provide very competitive results. On this basis, the forgetting factor recursive least squares (FFRLS) method and the proposed H-GWO algorithm are combined to establish a parameter identification algorithm to identify parameters of the helical hydraulic rotary actuator (HHRA) with nonlinearity and uncertainty questions. In addition, the proposed method is verified by practical identification experiments. After comparison with the least squares (LS), recursive least squares (RLS), FFRLS, PSO, and GWO results, it can be concluded that the proposed method (H-GWO) has higher identification accuracy.
Modeling and Disturbance Compensation Sliding Mode Control for Solar Array Drive Assembly System
Authors: Liang Ji , Jia Hongguang , Chen Mao-Sheng , Kong Ling-Bo , Hu Huiying , Guo Lihong
Published: May 2023

In this study, a dynamic model of a solar array drive system that includes a pair of flexible solar arrays with a central rigid shaft and a permanent-magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) was developed, and a disturbance compensation sliding mode control (DCSMC) strategy was proposed to realize the speed smoothing and vibration suppression control of the system. The continuous nonlinear dynamic equation of the system was derived from Hamilton’s principle, and its linearized form was combined with the boundary conditions to obtain its natural frequency and global mode. The design of the DCSMC strategy was based on the solar array drive assembly (SADA) electromechanical dynamics model of the PMSM direct drive. An extended state observer (ESO) was used to estimate any system disturbances, and the signal was fed forward to sliding mode control (SMC) based on the varying gain saturation reaching law (VGSRL). To verify the validity of the model, its results were compared with those obtained using commercial finite element software. The numerical results showed that the SADA system with the DCSMC strategy outperformed the traditional proportional–integral (PI) control and SMC systems.
Changes in the Mineral Content of Soil following the Application of Different Organic Matter Sources
Authors: Frąc Mateusz , Sas-Paszt Lidia , Sitarek Mirosław
Published: May 2023

A study conducted over three consecutive years examined the effects of using biochar, organic fertilizer and microorganisms on soil pH and the concentrations of macro and microelements in the soil. A tendency to increase soil pH was seen where biochar was used. The highest concentration of phosphorus was found in the soil after the application of organic fertilizer with the addition of microorganisms. The most potassium was found in the soil treated with biochar together with organic fertilizer, while the most magnesium was in the soil fertilized with organic fertilizer alone and organic fertilizer together with microorganisms. All the fertilization combinations resulted in an increase in boron and copper levels in the soil. The accumulation of iron in the soil was promoted by organic fertilization alone and organic fertilization together with microorganisms. The highest amount of manganese in the soil was found after fertilization with biochar together with organic fertilizer. In the combination where organic fertilizer was applied, the soil contained the most sodium, while the highest zinc content was found in the soil fertilized with biochar and organic fertilizer. The greatest increase in the carbon content in the soil occurred after the use of biochar together with microorganisms and biochar with organic fertilizer. The same treatments also resulted in the highest amount of organic matter. The study shows that the use of biochar, organic fertilization and the combined use of biochar and organic fertilization improved the quality of the soil.
Prediction of Solid Soluble Content of Green Plum Based on Improved CatBoost
Authors: Zhang Xiao , Zhou Chenxin , Sun Qi , Liu Ying , Yang Yutu , Zhuang Zilong
Published: May 2023

Most green plums need to be processed before consumption, and due to personal subjective factors, manual harvesting and sorting are difficult to achieve using standardized processing. Soluble solid content (SSC) of green plum was taken as the research object in this paper. Visible near-infrared (VIS-NIR) and shortwave near-infrared (SW-NIR) full-spectrum spectral information of green plums were collected, and the spectral data were corrected and pre-processed. Random forest algorithm based on induced random selection (IRS-RF) was proposed to screen four sets of characteristic wavebands. Bayesian optimization CatBoost model (BO-CatBoost) was constructed to predict SSC value of green plums. The experimental results showed that the preprocessing method of multiplicative scatter corrections (MSC) was obviously superior to Savitzky–Golay (S–G), the prediction effect of SSC based on VIS-NIR spectral waveband by partial least squares regression model (PLSR) was obviously superior to SW-NIR spectral waveband, MSC + IRS-RF was obviously superior to corresponding combination of correlation coefficient method (CCM), successive projections algorithm (SPA), competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS), and random forest (RF). With the lowest dimensional selected feature waveband, the lowest VIS-NIR band group was only 53, and the SW-NIR band group was only 100. The model proposed in this paper based on MSC + IRS-RF + BO-CatBoost was superior to PLSR, XGBoost, and CatBoost in predicting SSC, with R2P of 0.957, which was 3.1% higher than the traditional PLSR.
Is Oral Vaccination against Escherichia coli Influenced by Zinc Oxide?
Authors: Ramis Guillermo , Murciano Francisco , Orengo Juan , González-Guijarro Belén , Cuellar-Flores Amanda , Serrano Daniel , Muñoz Luna Antonio , Sánchez-Uribe Pedro , Martínez-Alarcón Laura
Published: May 2023

Background: Although zinc oxide has been banned at therapeutic doses in the EU, its use is still legal in most countries with industrial pig farming. This compound has been shown to be very effective in preventing E. coli-related diseases. However, another strategy used to control this pathogen is vaccination, administered parenterally or orally. Oral vaccines contain live strains, with F4 and F18 binding factors. Since zinc oxide prevents E. coli adhesion, it is hypothesised that its presence at therapeutic doses (2500 ppm) may alter the immune response and the protection of intestinal integrity derived from the vaccination of animals. Methods: A group of piglets were orally vaccinated at weaning and divided into two subgroups; one group was fed a feed containing 2500 ppm zinc oxide (V + ZnO) for the first 15 days post-vaccination (dpv) and the other was not (V). Faeces were sampled from the animals at 6, 8, 11, 13, and 15 dpv. Unvaccinated animals without ZnO in their feed (Neg) were sampled simultaneously and, on day 15 post-vaccination, were also compared with a group of unvaccinated animals with ZnO in their feed (ZnO). Results: Differences were found in E. coli excretion, with less quantification in the V + ZnO group, and a significant increase in secretory IgA in the V group at 8 dpv, which later equalised with that of the V + ZnO group. There was also some difference in IFNα, IFNγ, IL1α, ILβ, and TNFα gene expression when comparing both vaccinated groups (p < 0.05). However, there was no difference in gene expression for the tight junction (TJ) proteins responsible for intestinal integrity. Conclusions: Although some differences in the excretion of the vaccine strain were found when comparing both vaccinated groups, there are no remarkable differences in immune stimulation or soluble IgA production when comparing animals orally vaccinated against E. coli in combination with the presence or absence of ZnO in their feed. We can conclude that the immune response produced is very similar in both groups.
Electromyographic and Kinematic Comparison of the Leading and Trailing Fore- and Hindlimbs of Horses during Canter
Authors: St. George Lindsay B. , Clayton Hilary M. , Sinclair Jonathan K. , Richards Jim , Roy Serge H. , Hobbs Sarah Jane
Published: May 2023

This study compared muscle activity and movement between the leading (Ld) and trailing (Tr) fore- (F) and hindlimbs (H) of horses cantering overground. Three-dimensional kinematic and surface electromyography (sEMG) data were collected from right triceps brachii, biceps femoris, middle gluteal, and splenius from 10 ridden horses during straight left- and right-lead canter. Statistical parametric mapping evaluated between-limb (LdF vs. TrF, LdH vs. TrH) differences in time- and amplitude-normalized sEMG and joint angle–time waveforms over the stride. Linear mixed models evaluated between-limb differences in discrete sEMG activation timings, average rectified values (ARV), and spatio-temporal kinematics. Significantly greater gluteal ARV and activity duration facilitated greater limb retraction, hip extension, and stifle flexion (p < 0.05) in the TrH during stance. Earlier splenius activation during the LdF movement cycle (p < 0.05), reflected bilateral activation during TrF/LdH diagonal stance, contributing to body pitching mechanisms in canter. Limb muscles were generally quiescent during swing, where significantly greater LdF/H protraction was observed through greater elbow and hip flexion (p < 0.05), respectively. Alterations in muscle activation facilitate different timing and movement cycles of the leading and trailing limbs, which justifies equal training on both canter leads to develop symmetry in muscular strength, enhance athletic performance, and mitigate overuse injury risks.
Haemonchus contortus Adopt Isolate-Specific Life History Strategies to Optimize Fitness and Overcome Obstacles in Their Environment: Experimental Evidence
Authors: Chylinski Caroline , Cortet Jacques , Cabaret Jacques , Blanchard Alexandra
Published: May 2023

Gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) use flexible life history strategies to maintain their fitness under environmental challenges. Costs incurred by a challenge to one life trait can be recouped by increasing the expression of subsequent life traits throughout their life cycle. Anticipating how parasites respond to the challenge of control interventions is critical for the long-term sustainability of the practice and to further ensure that the parasites withstand favourable adaptive responses. There is currently limited information on whether distinct populations of a GIN species respond to the same environmental challenge in a consistent manner, with similar alterations to their life history strategies or comparable fitness outcomes. This study compared the life history traits and experimental fitness of three distinct Haemonchus contortus isolates exposed to environmental challenges at both the parasitic (i.e., passage through resistant or susceptible sheep) and free-living (i.e., exposure to diverse climatic conditions) life stages. The key findings show that H. contortus maintain their fitness under challenge with isolate-specific alterations to their life history strategies. Further, partial exploration of the H. contortus isolates transcriptomes using cDNA-AFLP methods confirmed disparate expression profiles between them. These results bring fresh insights into our understanding of the non-genetic adaptive processes of GIN that may hinder the efficacy of parasite control strategies.
Structural Health Monitoring and Management of Cultural Heritage Structures: A State-of-the-Art Review
Authors: Rossi Michela , Bournas Dionysios
Published: May 2023

In recent decades, the urgency to protect and upgrade cultural heritage structures (CHS) has become of primary importance due to their unique value and potential areas of impact (economic, social, cultural, and environmental). Structural health monitoring (SHM) and the management of CHS are emerging as decisive safeguard measures aimed at assessing the actual state of the conservation and integrity of the structure. Moreover, the data collected from SHM are essential to plan cost-effective and sustainable maintenance solutions, in compliance with the basic preservation principles for historic buildings, such as minimum intervention. It is evident that, compared to new buildings, the application of SHM to CHS is even more challenging because of the uniqueness of each monitored structure and the need to respect its architectural and historical value. This paper aims to present a state-of-the-art evaluation of the current traditional and innovative SHM techniques adopted for CHS and to identify future research trends. First, a general introduction regarding the use of monitoring strategies and technologies for CHS is presented. Next, various traditional SHM techniques currently used in CHS are described. Then, attention is focused on the most recent technologies, such as fibre optic sensors and smart-sensing materials. Finally, an overview of innovative methods and tools for managing and analysing SHM data, including IoT-SHM systems and the integration of BIM in heritage structures, is provided.
Incrementally Mining Column Constant Biclusters with FVSFP Tree
Authors: Zhang Jiaxuan , Wang Xueyong , Liu Jie
Published: May 2023

Bicluster mining has been frequently studied in the data mining field. Because column constant biclusters (CCB) can be transformed to be discriminative rules, they have been widely applied in various fields. However, no research on incrementally mining CCB has been reported in the literature. In real situations, due to the limitation of computation resources (such as memory), it is impossible to mine biclusters from very large datasets. Therefore, in this study, we propose an incremental mining CCB method. CCB can be deemed as a special case of frequent pattern (FP). Currently the most frequently used method for incrementally mining frequent patterns is FP tree based method. In this study, we innovatively propose an incremental mining CCB method with modified FP tree data structure. The technical contributions lie in two aspects. The first aspect is that we propose a modified FP tree data structure, namely Feature Value Sorting Frequent Pattern (FVSFP) tree that can be easily maintained. The second aspect is that we innovatively design a method for mining CCB from FVSFP tree. To verify the performance of the proposed method, it is tested on several datasets. Experimental results demonstrated that the proposed method has good performance for incrementally handling a newly added dataset.
Distribution Characteristics of the Geoelectric Field in Waste Dump Slopes during the Evolution of Instability Sources under Rainfall Conditions
Authors: Kang Ensheng , Meng Haidong , Zhao Zexi , Zhao Zihao
Published: May 2023

To study the evolution of geological hazard sources of waste dump slopes under rainfall conditions, a physical model of a rainfall-affected slope was designed. The apparent resistivity of the slope rock and soil mass at different rainfall times was measured via the high-density resistivity method, and the formation process of internal disaster sources of the rainfall-affected slope was obtained. The variation characteristics of the resistivity of the rain-affected slope were analyzed when it had a weak surface and crack development. Based on the three-water model and Maxwell conductivity formula, the evolution process of geological hazard sources of the rainfall-affected slope was summarized. A resistivity response mechanism equation for rainfall-induced slope hazard sources was derived and compared to the Archie formula, verifying the model rationality. The test results showed that the behavior of the rainfall-affected slope conforms to the saturated–unsaturated dynamic cycle process. The apparent resistivity was positively correlated with the development of slope pores and cracks and negatively correlated with the water content in the slope. The apparent resistivity increased during fracture development and decreased during water seepage. In the slope failure and disaster process, the apparent resistivity varies under the coupling effect of crack development and water seepage. During the formation of geological hazard sources, the apparent resistivity abruptly changes and fluctuates. Therefore, according to the abrupt changes and abnormal fluctuations in the apparent resistivity detected, the development of geological hazard sources of slopes can be determined.
Simulation Power vs. Immersive Capabilities: Enhanced Understanding and Interaction with Digital Twin of a Mechatronic System
Authors: Dosoftei Constantin-Catalin
Published: May 2023

Automation Studio, a specialised simulation software, offers virtual commissioning capabilities and robust tools for modelling the behaviour and performance of a pneumatic robot controlled by a PLC. Conversely, Unity is a versatile platform primarily used for creating high-quality 3D games and interactive simulations, providing immersive experiences with DTs through mixed-reality environments. This paper provides a study that compares and contrasts the simulation power of Automation Studio and the immersive capabilities of Unity in the context of developing digital twins for a mechatronic system. This research explores how these complementary approaches enhance the development, validation, understanding, and interaction with digital twins. By examining both platforms in this context, the article provides valuable insights for engineers, developers, and researchers looking to create digital twins for mechatronic systems, but not only. This study demonstrates the potential of leveraging the combined power of simulation and immersive capabilities to improve the interaction between the real robotic arm manipulator cylindrical type and its digital twin in different scenarios, using an OPC approach for mirroring. The combination of Automation Studio and Unity provides a powerful platform for applied science education in the field of the digital twin of mechatronic systems.
Label-Free Detection and Classification of Glaucoma Based on Drop-Coating Deposition Raman Spectroscopy
Authors: Li Yao , Lin Huishan , He Qiming , Zuo Chengguo , Lin Mingkai , Xu Tao
Published: May 2023

Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) are prevailing eye diseases that can lead to blindness. In order to provide a non-invasive diagnostic method for glaucoma, we investigated the feasibility of using drop-coating deposition Raman spectroscopy (DCDRS) to discriminate glaucoma patients from healthy individuals based on tear samples. Tears from 27, 19 and 27 POAG patients, PACG patients and normal individuals, respectively, were collected for Raman measurement. For high-dimension data analysis, principal component analysis–linear discriminant analysis (PCA-LDA) was used to discriminate the features of the Raman spectra, followed by a support vector machine (SVM) used to classify samples into three categories, which is called a PCA-LDA-based SVM. The differences in the characteristic peaks of Raman spectra between glaucoma patients and normal people were related to the different contents of various proteins and lipids. For the PCA-LDA-based SVM, the total accuracy reached 93.2%. With the evaluation of 30% test dataset validation, the classification accuracy of the model was 90.9%. The results of this work reveal that tears can be used for Raman detection and discrimination by combining the process with the PCA-LDA-based SVM, supporting DCDRS being a potential method for the diagnosis of glaucoma in the future.
Improving Healthcare Facilities in Remote Areas Using Cutting-Edge Technologies
Authors: Humayun Mamoona , Almufareh Maram Fahaad , Al-Quayed Fatima , Alateyah Sulaiman Abdullah , Alatiyyah Mohammed
Published: May 2023

Healthcare is a critical field of research and equally important for all nations. Providing secure healthcare facilities to citizens is the primary concern of each nation. However, people living in remote areas do not get timely and sufficient healthcare facilities, even in developed countries. During the recent COVID-19 pandemic, many fatalities occurred due to the inaccessibility of healthcare facilities on time. Therefore, there is a need to propose a solution that may help citizens living in remote areas with proper and secure healthcare facilities without moving to other places. The revolution in ICT technologies, especially IoT, 5G, and cloud computing, has made access to healthcare facilities easy and approachable. There is a need to benefit from these technologies so that everyone can get secure healthcare facilities from anywhere. This research proposes a framework that will ensure 24/7 accessibility of healthcare facilities by anyone from anywhere, especially in rural areas with fewer healthcare facilities. In the proposed approach, the patients will receive doorstep treatment from the remote doctor in rural areas or the nearby local clinic. Healthcare resources (doctor, treatment, patient counseling, diagnosis, etc.) will be shared remotely with people far from these facilities. The proposed approach is tested using mathematical modeling and a case study, and the findings confirm that the proposed approach helps improve healthcare facilities for remote patients.
Portrait Reification with Generative Diffusion Models
Authors: Asperti Andrea , Colasuonno Gabriele , Guerra Antonio
Published: May 2023

An application of Generative Diffusion Techniques for the reification of human portraits in artistic paintings is presented. By reification we intend the transformation of the painter’s figurative abstraction into a real human face. The application exploits a recent embedding technique for Denoising Diffusion Implicit Models (DDIM), inverting the generative process and mapping the visible image into its latent representation. In this way, we can first embed the portrait into the latent space, and then use the reverse diffusion model, trained to generate real human faces, to produce the most likely real approximation of the portrait. The actual deployment of the application involves several additional techniques, mostly aimed to automatically identify, align, and crop the relevant portion of the face, and to postprocess the generated reification in order to enhance its quality and to allow a smooth reinsertion in the original painting.