bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analyzing the Worldwide Wetland Parks Research: A Spectral-Cluster Algorithm Latent Semantic Index Approach
Authors: Zeng Liyun , Li Rita Yi Man , Zeng Huiling
Published: May 2024

This study reviews worldwide wetland park research from 1996 to 2022. A bibliometric analysis is conducted on 591 wetland park studies indexed in the Web of Science and Scopus databases. The study utilizes CiteSpace and VOSviewer tools to visualize and explore influential research focuses, themes, directions, and countries. The citation burst indicates that from 1996 to 2022, research on wetland parks transited from exploring basic community structures to complex ecosystem service assessments and the formulation of management strategies. Furthermore, over the past three years, wetland park research has seen a significant surge in studies investigating water quality, ecosystem services, and spatiotemporal analysis. Notably, the three most frequent keywords in research on wetland parks were China, South Africa, and biodiversity. These keywords reflect regions that enhance biodiversity via wetland parks. The spectral-clustering algorithm identifies carbon sequestration as a research focus, highlighting the vital role of wetlands in the carbon cycle. Most authors work in developed countries’ institutions, but some are from developing countries like China, South Africa, and India. The findings suggest that economic development is crucial in wetland park construction and significantly influences related research. Developed countries may offer more PhD positions to developing countries’ researchers in the field and raise their awareness about wetland conservation. Given the holistic requirements of wetlands, this research recommends that educators should adopt an interdisciplinary approach in the future when nurturing wetland staff. Additionally, the study maps out the primary areas of interest in wetland park research, including environmental science, ecological economics, forestry, wetlands, tourism, and management. New artificial intelligence and digital technologies should be developed for wetland park research. This study fills a research gap: quantitative and visualized knowledge-mapping and bibliometrics on wetland parks are scarce. Additionally, no previous study has explored the relationship between wetland park research and the economic development of countries.
Strong and Hierarchical Ni(OH)2/Ni/rGO Composites as Multifunctional Catalysts for Excellent Water Splitting
Authors: Wang Lixin , Song Ailing , Lu Yue , Duanmu Manman , Ma Zhipeng , Qin Xiujuan , Shao Guangjie
Published: May 2024

The lack of efficient and non-precious metal catalysts poses a challenge for electrochemical water splitting in hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions. Here, we report on the preparation of growing Ni(OH)2 nanosheets in situ on a Ni and graphene hybrid using supergravity electrodeposition and the hydrothermal method. The obtained catalyst displays outstanding performance with small overpotentials of 161.7 and 41 mV to acquire current densities of 100 and 10 mA cm−2 on hydrogen evolution reaction, overpotentials of 407 and 331 mV to afford 100 and 50 mA cm−2 on oxygen evolution reaction, and 10 mA·cm−2 at a cell voltage of 1.43 V for water splitting in 1 M KOH. The electrochemical activity of the catalyst is higher than most of the earth-abundant materials reported to date, which is mainly due to its special hierarchical structure, large surface area, and good electrical conductivity. This study provides new tactics for enhancing the catalytic performance of water electrolysis.
SERPINE1: Role in Cholangiocarcinoma Progression and a Therapeutic Target in the Desmoplastic Microenvironment
Authors: Czekay Ralf-Peter , Higgins Craig E. , Aydin Hasan Basri , Samarakoon Rohan , Subasi Nusret Bekir , Higgins Stephen P. , Lee Hwajeong , Higgins Paul J.
Published: May 2024

A heterogenous population of inflammatory elements, other immune and nonimmune cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are evident in solid malignancies where they coexist with the growing tumor mass. In highly desmoplastic malignancies, CAFs are the prominent mesenchymal cell type in the tumor microenvironment (TME), where their presence and abundance signal a poor prognosis. CAFs play a major role in the progression of various cancers by remodeling the supporting stroma into a dense, fibrotic matrix while secreting factors that promote the maintenance of cancer stem-like characteristics, tumor cell survival, aggressive growth and metastasis and reduced sensitivity to chemotherapeutics. Tumors with high stromal fibrotic signatures are more likely to be associated with drug resistance and eventual relapse. Identifying the molecular underpinnings for such multidirectional crosstalk among the various normal and neoplastic cell types in the TME may provide new targets and novel opportunities for therapeutic intervention. This review highlights recent concepts regarding the complexity of CAF biology in cholangiocarcinoma, a highly desmoplastic cancer. The discussion focuses on CAF heterogeneity, functionality in drug resistance, contributions to a progressively fibrotic tumor stroma, the involved signaling pathways and the participating genes.
Chemiresistive Materials for Alcohol Vapor Sensing at Room Temperature
Authors: Laera Anna Maria , Penza Michele
Published: May 2024

The development of efficient sensors able to detect alcoholic compounds has great relevance in many fields including medicine, pharmaceuticals, food and beverages, safety, and security. In addition, the measurements of alcohols in air are significant for environmental protection because volatile alcohols can have harmful effects on human health not only through ingestion, but also through inhalation or skin absorption. The analysis of alcohols in breath is a further expanding area, being employed for disease diagnoses. The analyses performed by using chromatography, mass-spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, or Raman spectroscopy often require complex sampling and procedures. As a consequence, many research groups have focused their efforts on the development of efficient portable sensors to replace conventional methods and bulky equipment. The ability to operate at room temperature is a key factor in designing portable light devices suitable for in situ real-time monitoring. In the present review, we provide a survey of the recent literature on the most efficient chemiresistive materials for alcohol sensing at room temperature. Remarkable gas-sensing performances have mainly been obtained by using metal oxides semiconductors (MOSs), metal organic frameworks (MOFs), 2D materials, and polymers. Among 2D materials, we mainly consider graphene-based materials, graphitic carbon nitride, transition metal chalcogenides, and MXenes. We discuss scientific advances and innovations published in the span of the last five years, focusing on sensing mechanisms.
Prenatal Vitamin B12 and Children’s Brain Development and Cognitive, Language and Motor Outcomes: A Scoping Review
Authors: Jembere Fasika , Dewey Deborah
Published: May 2024

Adequate maternal nutrient intake of vitamin B12 is critical to fetal brain development and subsequent neurodevelopmental outcomes. We conducted a scoping review to map the current state of knowledge from human epidemiological studies on the associations between maternal vitamin B12 during pregnancy and children’s brain, cognitive, language, and motor development to identify gaps in the literature and suggest directions for future research. PubMed and OVID MEDLINE were searched. Search terms were vitamin B12, prenatal or maternal, neurodevelopment or cognitive development or brain. Animal studies were excluded. In total, 148 publications were identified, of which 19 met our inclusion criteria: (1) maternal vitamin B12 assessed via a measure of status, dietary intake, supplementation, or deficiency; and (2) an outcome related to brain development or cognitive, language, or motor development in children less than 18 years of age was assessed. This scoping review suggests that evidence supporting a relationship between maternal vitamin B12 during pregnancy and children’s neurodevelopmental outcomes is inconclusive. Further longitudinal research is needed to clarify the effects of maternal vitamin B12 supplementation, status, and intake on children’s brain development and neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Developing a Drought Resilience Matrix to Evaluate Water Supply Alternatives
Authors: Okpa Krystal , Farahmandfar Zeinab , Negahban-Azar Masoud
Published: May 2024

Cities around the world are facing increased sensitivity to drought effects. Climate-change-induced drought affects not only the natural hydrology of the broad macroclimate but also those in the urban microclimates. The increasing frequency and duration of droughts are creating challenges for urban water utilities to convey water through distribution systems to customers reliably and consistently. This has led many urban areas like San Francisco, California, to search for unique alternative water supply projects to help bolster the drought resilience of the coupled human and natural water system. This paper focuses on applying the features of resilience (i.e., plan, adapt, absorb, and recover) through a drought resilience matrix to water supply alternatives to analyze how the addition of these projects would increase the overall water system’s drought resilience. San Francisco, California, was used as the case study to test the use of this matrix. Three portfolios (modifying existing supply, recycling, and desalination, as well as local approaches) were created and tested in the matrix. Each portfolio is composed of various alternative water supply projects that the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) is considering for implementation. Results concluded that the local approaches portfolio provided the most drought resilience, with the recycling and desalination portfolio providing the least resilience. The study approach and the presented findings will provide guidance to water utility professionals in supply planning to enhance drought resilience.
Performance Comparison of CFD Microbenchmarks on Diverse HPC Architectures
Authors: Galeazzo Flavio C. C. , Garcia-Gasulla Marta , Boella Elisabetta , Pocurull Josep , Lesnik Sergey , Rusche Henrik , Bnà Simone , Cerminara Matteo , Brogi Federico , Marchetti Filippo , Gregori Daniele , Weiß R. Gregor , Ruopp Andreas
Published: May 2024

OpenFOAM is a CFD software widely used in both industry and academia. The exaFOAM project aims at enhancing the HPC scalability of OpenFOAM, while identifying its current bottlenecks and proposing ways to overcome them. For the assessment of the software components and the code profiling during the code development, lightweight but significant benchmarks should be used. The answer was to develop microbenchmarks, with a small memory footprint and short runtime. The name microbenchmark does not mean that they have been prepared to be the smallest possible test cases, as they have been developed to fit in a compute node, which usually has dozens of compute cores. The microbenchmarks cover a broad band of applications: incompressible and compressible flow, combustion, viscoelastic flow and adjoint optimization. All benchmarks are part of the OpenFOAM HPC Technical Committee repository and are fully accessible. The performance using HPC systems with Intel and AMD processors (x86_64 architecture) and Arm processors (aarch64 architecture) have been benchmarked. For the workloads in this study, the mean performance with the AMD CPU is 62% higher than with Arm and 42% higher than with Intel. The AMD processor seems particularly suited resulting in an overall shorter time-to-solution.
Incidence of Ophthalmological Complications in NF-1 Patients Treated with MEK Inhibitors
Authors: Hummel Lena , Ameri May , Alqahtani Shaikha , Sadighi Zsila , Al-Zubidi Nagham
Published: May 2024

MEK inhibitors (MEKi) represent innovative and promising treatments for managing manifestations of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). To mitigate potential ophthalmic side effects, such as MEKi-associated retinopathy (MEKAR), patients undergoing MEKi therapy routinely receive ophthalmology evaluations. Our study aims to assess the necessity of this regular screening within a predominantly pediatric NF1 population by examining the occurrence of ocular adverse events (OAE). A retrospective study evaluated 45 NF1 patients receiving MEKi. Inclusion criteria included baseline and follow-up examinations following the initiation of MEKi therapy. At each assessment, a comprehensive eye evaluation was performed, comprising a dilated fundus examination, ocular coherence tomography of the macula and nerve fiber layer, and Humphrey visual field testing. Twenty-six patients, with an average age of 13 years (range 2–23 years) and an average follow-up duration of 413 days were included in the analysis. Three different MEKi were used: selumetinib (77%), trametinib (23%), and mirdametinib (4%). None of the patients experienced retinopathy at any point during the study. Some patients had pre-existing optic neuropathies (27%), but no instances of nerve changes occurred after commencing MEKi therapy. Four patients (15%) exhibited symptoms of dry eye, all of which were effectively managed with topical lubrication.
A Description of the New Hybodont Shark Genus, Columnaodus, from the Burlington and Keokuk Limestones (Carboniferous, Mississippian, Osagean) of Illinois and Iowa, USA
Authors: Cicimurri David , Ciampaglio Charles , Hoenig Matthew , Shell Ryan , Fuelling Lauren , Peterman David , Cline Daniel A. , Jacquemin Stephen
Published: May 2024

Bonebeds occurring in exposures of the Burlington and Keokuk Limestones (Mississippian/Osagean) along the Iowa and Illinois border (USA) contain an abundant and diverse collection of chondrichthyan remains that includes teeth, spines, denticles, and coprolites. These remains represent cochliodont, hybodont, petalodont, ctenacanthid, symmoriid, and acanthodian (stem chondrichthyan) taxa. The thickest of these beds, herein referred to as the Burlington–Keokuk bonebed, occurs at the top of the Burlington Limestone and presents a remarkable opportunity to study the assemblage of mid-continent, Middle Mississippian chondrichthyans. Bulk matrix samples of this bonebed were collected from two quarries (Biggsville Quarry, Biggsville, IL, USA, and Nelson Quarry, Mediapolis, IA, USA) and disaggregated. Among the multitude of previously known taxa, several teeth represented a new genus and species of hybodont shark. Herein, we describe these teeth as Columnaodus witzkei (gen. et sp. nov.), a hybodontiform with dental features comparable to unnamed specimens reported from elsewhere.
An Optimized Fault-Ride-Through Control Strategy of Hybrid MMC with Fewer FBSMs
Authors: Chen Yue , Ren Chenglin , Sheng Junyi , Wang Jinyu , Zhou Yuebin , Cao Wanyu , Ding Runtian , Wang Wujun
Published: May 2024

The modular multilevel converter (MMC) has many advantages of low switching losses, good harmonic performance and high modularity structure in state-of-the-art HVDC applications. The full-bridge submodules (FBSMs) of the hybrid MMC can inherently output negative voltage to absorb fault currents, and consequently the hybrid MMC can ride through severe DC faults without blocking. During the DC fault-ride-through process, the submodule capacitor voltage and arm current of the MMC will be temporarily increased. These characteristics limit the proportion of the FBSMs, which should not be too low and thus increase the cost and operating losses of the hybrid MMC. In this paper, an improved sorting algorithm of SM capacitor voltage is established, and a novel virtual damping control strategy is proposed that can effectively suppress the increase in submodule capacitor voltage and arm current of the hybrid MMC during the DC fault-ride-through process. By adopting this optimization control, the proportion of FBSMs can be reduced significantly without deteriorating the fault-ride-through capability or safety of the MMC. The effectiveness of the proposed control is verified by careful theoretical analysis and detailed simulation results.
Ensemble Meta-Learning-Based Robust Chipping Prediction for Wafer Dicing
Authors: Chang Bao Rong , Tsai Hsiu-Fen , Mo Hsiang-Yu
Published: May 2024

Our previous study utilized importance analysis, random forest, and Barnes–Hut t-SNE dimensionality reduction to analyze critical dicing parameters and used bidirectional long short-term memory (BLSTM) to predict wafer chipping occurrence successfully in a single dicing machine. However, each dicing machine of the same type may produce unevenly distributed non-IID dicing signals, which may lead to the undesirable result that a pre-trained model trained by dicing machine #1 could not effectively predict chipping occurrence in dicing machine #2. Therefore, regarding the model robustness, this study introduces an ensemble meta-learning-based model that can evaluate many dicing machines for chipping prediction with high stability and accuracy. This approach constructs several base learners, such as the hidden Markov model (HMM), the variational autoencoder (VAE), and BLSTM, to form an ensemble learning. We use model-agnostic meta-learning (MAML) to train and test the ensemble learning model by several prediction tasks from machine #1. After MAML learning, we call the trained model a meta learner. Then, we successfully apply a retrieved data set from machine #2 to the meta learner for training and testing wafer chipping occurrence in this machine. As a result, our contribution to the robust chipping prediction on cross-machines can improve the yield of wafer dicing with a prediction accuracy of 93.21%, preserve the practical wearing of dicing kerfs, and significantly cut wafer manufacturing costs.
A Differentially Private Framework for the Dynamic Heterogeneous Redundant Architecture System in Cyberspace
Authors: Kang Yilin , Zhang Qiao , Jiang Bingbing , Bu Youjun
Published: May 2024

With the development of information technology, tremendous vulnerabilities and backdoors have evolved, causing inevitable and severe security problems in cyberspace. To fix them, the endogenous safety and security (ESS) theory and one of its practices, the Dynamic Heterogeneous Redundant (DHR) architecture, are proposed. In the DHR architecture, as an instance of the multi-heterogeneous system, a decision module is designed to obtain intermediate results from heterogeneous equivalent functional executors. However, privacy-preserving is not paid attention to in the architecture, which may cause privacy breaches without compromising the ESS theory. In this paper, based on differential privacy (DP), a theoretically rigorous privacy tool, we propose a privacy-preserving DHR framework called DP-DHR. Gaussian random noise is injected into each (online) executor output in DP-DHR to guarantee DP, but it also makes the decision module unable to choose the final result because each executor output is potentially correct even if it is compromised by adversaries. To weaken this disadvantage, we propose the advanced decision strategy and the hypersphere clustering algorithm to classify the perturbed intermediate results into two categories, candidates and outliers, where the former is closer to the correct value than the latter. Finally, the DP-DHR is proven to guarantee DP, and the experimental results also show that the utility is not sacrificed for the enhancement of privacy by much (a ratio of 4–7% on average), even in the condition of some executors (less than one-half) being controlled by adversaries.
Spacecraft Medium Voltage Direct-Current (MVDC) Power and Propulsion System
Authors: Talebzadeh Sarah , Beik Omid
Published: May 2024

This paper introduces a medium voltage direct-current (MVDC) system for large spacecraft megawatt-scale (MW) power and propulsion systems intended for interplanetary transport, including missions to the Moon and Mars. The proposed MVDC system includes: (i) A nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) that powers a permanent magnet (PM) generator whose output is rectified and connected to the MVDC bus. (ii) A solar photovoltaic (PV) source that is interfaced to the MVDC bus using a unidirectional boost DC-DC converter. (iii) A backup battery energy storage system (BESS) that connects to the MVDC bus using a bidirectional DC-DC boost converter. (iv) A dual active bridge (DAB) converter that controls the power to the spacecraft’s electric thruster. The NEP serves as the main power source for the spacecraft’s electric thruster, while the solar PV and BESS are intended to provide power for the payload and spacecraft’s low-voltage power system. The paper will (i) provide a review of the spacecraft MVDC power and prolusion system highlighting state-of-the-art main components, (ii) address the control of boost converters for the PV and BESS sources and the DAB converter for the thruster, and (iii) propose an uncertainty and disturbance estimator (UDE) concept based on current control algorithms to mitigate MVDC instability due to unpredictable factors and external disruptions. The proposed UDE can actively estimate and compensate for the system disturbance and uncertainty in real time, and thus, both the system tracking performance and robustness can be improved. Simulation studies have been conducted to substantiate the efficacy of the proposed schemes.
Comparison of Sentiment Analysis Methods Used to Investigate the Quality of Teaching Aids Based on Virtual Simulators of Embedded Systems
Authors: Radecki Andrzej , Rybicki Tomasz
Published: May 2024

Virtual simulators of embedded systems and analyses of student surveys regarding their use at the early stage of the process of learning embedded systems, are presented in this article. The questionnaires were prepared in the Polish language, and the answers were automatically translated into English using two publicly available translators. The results of users’ experiences and feelings related to the use of virtual simulators are shown on the basis of detected sentiment using three chosen analysis methods: the Flair NLP library, the Pattern library, and the BERT NLP model. The results of the selected sentiment detection methods were compared and related to users reference answers, which gives information about the methods quality of the methods and their possible use in the automated review analysis process. This paper comprises detailed sentiment analysis results with a broader statistical approach for each question. Based on the students feedback and sentiment analysis, a new version of the TMSLAB v.2 virtual simulator was created.
Numerical Study of Fluid Flow in a Gyroid-Shaped Heat Transfer Element
Authors: Beer Martin , Rybár Radim
Published: May 2024

This paper deals with the design of porous geometry of a heat transfer element. The proposed geometry combines a gyroid triply periodic minimal surface with the recursive principle of geometric body creation. The designed geometry is based on an attempt to increase the heat transfer surface while eliminating negative impacts on the fluid characteristics in the form of pressure loss or increase of the friction coefficient. The proposed geometry of the heat transfer element was compared with a pair of geometries based on the basic gyroid shape but with different channel size parameters. A numerical simulation was performed in Ansys Fluent 2020 R1 using the SST k-omega turbulence model for flow velocities in the range of 0.01 m.s−1 to 0.5 m.s−1, which covered a wide range of the Reynolds number and thus also flow forms in terms of the turbulence intensity. The presented results clearly show lower values of pressure loss and friction coefficient of the proposed geometry compared to the evaluated porous structures. Also, at the same time, they describe the factors positively influencing the mixing process of the liquid in the proposed element, which leads to an increase in the efficiency of the heat transfer process.
Development of a New Extraction Method for Pomegranate and Metabolite Profiling by a LC-MS and 1H NMR Combined Approach
Authors: Polcaro Luciana Maria , Samani Marzieh Rahmani , Piacente Sonia , Masullo Milena
Published: May 2024

The pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) market has steadily grown due to the increasing demand of health-conscious consumers of products with health-promoting effects. Recently, a growing interest in developing ecological and environmentally friendly extraction methods has led to investigating extraction procedures to obtain a higher extraction yield using a lower amount of solvents and energy. Herein, a new extraction procedure was developed to obtain an enriched pomegranate food supplement by using the peels of pomegranate, cultivar “Dente di Cavallo” and its juice. The extraction was performed through a non-conventional extraction technique like SLDE-Naviglio using ethanol and pomegranate juice as a solvent, and peels as a matrix. The extract was analysed by a combined approach based on LCESI/QExactive/MS/MS and NMR analysis, and its chemical profile was compared with those of pomegranate juice and of the extract obtained from peels by SLDE-Naviglio by using ethanol:H2O. The LC-MS analysis highlighted the presence of hydrolysable tannins, flavonoids, ellagic acid and phenol glucoside derivatives, while 1H NMR analysis completed the profile by detecting the primary metabolites. The LC-MS and 1H NMR analysis indicated that the extract obtained by SLDE-Naviglio using ethanol and pomegranate juice was enriched in the bioactives as confirmed by the highest phenolic, tannin and flavonoid content.
cor1 Gene: A Suitable Marker for Identification of Opium Poppy (Papaver somniferum L.)
Authors: Čermáková Eliška , Svoboda Pavel , Ovesná Jaroslava , Vašek Jakub , Demnerová Kateřina , Zdeňková Kamila
Published: May 2024

This paper discusses the development of rapid, reliable, and accurate polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays for detecting opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) in food. Endpoint, quantitative, and digital PCRs were compared based on the amplification of a newly developed DNA marker targeting the NADPH-dependent codeinone reductase (COR) gene. Designed assays were shown to be highly specific and sensitive in discriminating opium poppy from other plant species, even in heat-treated and food samples. Digital PCR was the most sensitive, with a detection limit of up to 5 copies, i.e., approximately 14 pg of target DNA per reaction. Quantitative and digital PCR further allowed the quantification of opium poppy in up to 1.5 ng and 42 pg (15 copies) of target DNA in a sample, respectively. In addition, two duplex PCRs have been developed for the simultaneous detection of opium poppy DNA and representatives of (i) the Papaveraceae family or (ii) the Plantae kingdom. Finally, all designed assays were successfully applied for analysis of 15 commercial foodstuffs; two were suspected of being adulterated. The study results have an important impact on addressing food fraud and ensuring the safety and authenticity of food products. Beyond food adulteration, the study may also have significant implications for forensics and law enforcement.
Determination of Microplastics in Omega-3 Oil Supplements
Authors: Kim Moonhae , Kim Juyang , Park Seulah , Kim Dowoon , Jung Jaehak , Cho Dongha
Published: May 2024

Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous in the environment, posing a threat to ecosystems and causing increasing concerns regarding their impacts on the human body through exposure. However, there has been limited research on the presence of MPs in functional foods, despite them being consumed for health improvement. This study aimed to investigate MP occurrence in various omega-3 oils and oil products in the Korean market and its relation to the source of raw material or manufacture. MPs were investigated in omega-3 capsules and raw oil, sourced from both plant-based (PB) and animal-based (AB) sources. We developed a method of direct filtration with acetone washing for collecting and characterizing MPs larger than 5 μm using micro-Raman spectroscopy. The average number of MPs by mass was found to be 1.2 ± 1.7 MPs/g for PB raw oil, 2.2 ± 1.7 MPs/g for AB raw oil, 3.5 ± 3.9 MPs/g for PB capsule oil, and 10.6 ± 8.9 MPs/g for AB capsule oil. Polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate were the major MP species (83–95%) found in omega-3 oil. The proportions based on size range remained consistent across all groups, with a trend of being detected at higher rates as the size decreased. The results reveal that the main reason for the MP contamination of omega-3 oil is not the source of raw material but the manufacturing and packaging process.
Lemna minor: Unlocking the Value of This Duckweed for the Food and Feed Industry
Authors: Sosa Diana , Alves Felipe M. , Prieto Miguel A. , Pedrosa Mariana C. , Heleno Sandrina A. , Barros Lillian , Feliciano Manuel , Carocho Márcio
Published: May 2024

Duckweed (Lemna minor L.) is a small floating aquatic plant that has an important economic impact in several industrial areas. With its high biomass production, reasonable protein content, and resilience to several climates, it has been attracting increasing interest for potential use in animal and human food systems. Historically consumed in southwest Asia, this duckweed is now gaining attention as a potential novel food in Europe. This manuscript explores the contributions of duckweed to various food and feed industries, including aquaculture and livestock, while also pointing out the incipient research carried out for human consumption. Most importantly, it highlights the potential of Lemna minor as a vegetable for future human consumption whether eaten whole or through extraction of its nutrients.
The Role of Coping Strategies in Children’s Repeated Suggestive Interviews
Authors: Vagni Monia , Giostra Valeria
Published: May 2024

Often in the forensic context, child victims and witnesses are interviewed several times, exposing them to suggestive questions and social pressures. The present study had the main purpose of verifying the effect of coping strategies on the levels of immediate suggestibility and on the Resistant Behavioral Responses (RBRs) of children subjected to repeated suggestive interviews. A sample of 90 children, aged between 11 and 14, were administered the two parallel Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scales (GSS2 and GSS1) a few months apart and the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) to detect their coping strategies. The results showed that the avoidance coping increased suggestive vulnerability and reduced resistant responses. Task-oriented coping favored responses with greater source monitoring, which allow for the rejection of misleading information. Coping strategies did not show direct effects on the management of the socioemotional aspects involved in the suggestive interaction. After the negative feedback that invites children to be more accurate, a smaller effect of the avoidance strategy was recorded, indicating how actively requesting greater source monitoring can lead children to better recognize misleading information.
Alterations in Peripheral Lymphocyte Subsets under Immunochemotherapy in Stage IV SCLC Patients: Th17 Cells as Potential Early Predictive Biomarker for Response
Authors: Schmälter Ann-Kristin , Löhr Phillip , Konrad Maik , Waidhauser Johanna , Arndt Tim Tobias , Schiele Stefan , Thoma Alicia , Hackanson Björn , Rank Andreas
Published: May 2024

UICC stage IV small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a highly aggressive malignancy without curative treatment options. Several randomized trials have demonstrated improved survival rates through the addition of checkpoint inhibitors to first-line platin-based chemotherapy. Consequently, a combination of chemo- and immunotherapy has become standard palliative treatment. However, no reliable predictive biomarkers for treatment response exist. Neither PD-L1 expression nor tumor mutational burden have proven to be effective predictive biomarkers. In this study, we compared the cellular immune statuses of SCLC patients to a healthy control cohort and investigated changes in peripheral blood B, T, and NK lymphocytes, as well as several of their respective subsets, during treatment with immunochemotherapy (ICT) using flow cytometry. Our findings revealed a significant decrease in B cells, while T cells showed a trend to increase throughout ICT. Notably, high levels of exhausted CD4+ and CD8+ cells, alongside NK subsets, increased significantly during treatment. Furthermore, we correlated decreases/increases in subsets after two cycles of ICT with survival. Specifically, a decrease in Th17 cells indicated a better overall survival. Based on these findings, we suggest conducting further investigation into Th17 cells as a potential early predictive biomarkers for response in patients receiving palliative ICT for stage IV SCLC.
NGAL in the Development of Acute Kidney Injury in a Murine Model of Remote Ischaemic Preconditioning and Liver Ischaemia Reperfusion
Authors: Platt Esther , Robertson Francis , Al-Rashed Ali , Klootwijk Riko , Hall Andrew , Quaglia Alberto , Salama Alan , Heptinstall Lauren , Davidson Brian
Published: May 2024

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common following liver transplantation and is associated with liver ischeamia reperfusion (IR) injury. The purpose of this study was to use a mouse model of liver IR injury and AKI to study the role of Neutrophil Gelatinase Associated Lipocalin (NGAL), a biomarker of AKI, in liver IR injury and AKI. We demonstrate an adapted, reproducible model of liver IR injury and AKI in which remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) by repeated episodes of hindleg ischemia prior to liver IR reduced the severity of the IR injury. In this model, serum NGAL at 2 h post reperfusion correlated with AKI development early following IR injury. This early rise in serum NGAL was associated with hepatic but not renal upregulation of NGAL mRNA, suggesting NGAL production in the liver but not the kidney in the early phase post liver IR injury.
A Humanized and Viable Animal Model for Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia–CYP21A2-R484Q Mutant Mouse
Authors: Thirumalasetty Shamini Ramkumar , Schubert Tina , Naumann Ronald , Reichardt Ilka , Rohm Marie-Luise , Landgraf Dana , Gembardt Florian , Peitzsch Mirko , Hartmann Michaela F. , Sarov Mihail , Wudy Stefan A. , Reisch Nicole , Huebner Angela , Koehler Katrin
Published: May 2024

Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) is an autosomal recessive disorder impairing cortisol synthesis due to reduced enzymatic activity. This leads to persistent adrenocortical overstimulation and the accumulation of precursors before the blocked enzymatic step. The predominant form of CAH arises from mutations in CYP21A2, causing 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD). Despite emerging treatment options for CAH, it is not always possible to physiologically replace cortisol levels and counteract hyperandrogenism. Moreover, there is a notable absence of an effective in vivo model for pre-clinical testing. In this work, we developed an animal model for CAH with the clinically relevant point mutation p.R484Q in the previously humanized CYP21A2 mouse strain. Mutant mice showed hyperplastic adrenals and exhibited reduced levels of corticosterone and 11-deoxycorticosterone and an increase in progesterone. Female mutants presented with higher aldosterone concentrations, but blood pressure remained similar between wildtype and mutant mice in both sexes. Male mutant mice have normal fertility with a typical testicular appearance, whereas female mutants are infertile, exhibit an abnormal ovarian structure, and remain in a consistent diestrus phase. Conclusively, we show that the animal model has the potential to contribute to testing new treatment options and to prevent comorbidities that result from hormone-related derangements and treatment-related side effects in CAH patients.
Melatonin Mitigates Lead-Induced Oxidative Stress and Modifies Phospholipid Profile in Tobacco BY-2 Suspension Cells
Authors: Kobylińska Agnieszka , Bernat Przemysław , Posmyk Małgorzata Maria
Published: May 2024

Many studies have shown that melatonin (an indoleamine) is an important molecule in plant physiology. It is known that this indoleamine is crucial during plant stress responses, especially by counteracting secondary oxidative stress (efficient direct and indirect antioxidant) and switching on different defense plant strategies. In this report, we present exogenous melatonin’s potential to protect lipid profile modification and membrane integrity in Nicotiana tabacum L. line Bright Yellow 2 (BY-2) cell culture exposed to lead. There are some reports of the positive effect of melatonin on animal cell membranes; ours is the first to report changes in the lipid profile in plant cells. The experiments were performed in the following variants: LS: cells cultured on unmodified LS medium—control; (ii) MEL: BY-2 cells cultured on LS medium with melatonin added from the beginning of culture; (iii) Pb: BY-2 cells cultured on LS medium with Pb2+ added on the 4th day of culture; (iv) MEL+Pb: BY-2 cells cultured on LS medium with melatonin added from the start of culture and stressed with Pb2+ added on the 4th day of culture. Lipidomic analysis of BY-2 cells revealed the presence of 40 different phospholipids. Exposing cells to lead led to the overproduction of ROS, altered fatty acid composition and increased PLD activity and subsequently elevated the level of phosphatidic acid at the cost of dropping the phosphatidylcholine. In the presence of lead, double-bond index elevation, mainly by higher quantities of linoleic (C18:2) and linolenic (C18:3) acids in the log phase of growth, was observed. In contrast, cells exposed to heavy metal but primed with melatonin showed more similarities with the control. Surprisingly, the overproduction of ROS caused of lipid peroxidation only in the stationary phase of growth, although considerable changes in lipid profiles were observed in the log phase of growth—just 4 h after lead administration. Our results indicate that the pretreatment of BY-2 with exogenous melatonin protected tobacco cells against membrane dysfunctions caused by oxidative stress (lipid oxidation), but also findings on a molecular level suggest the possible role of this indoleamine in the safeguarding of the membrane lipid composition that limited lead-provoked cell death. The presented research indicates a new mechanism of the defense strategy of plant cells generated by melatonin.
The Cellular Response Is Determined by a Combination of Different ELF-EMF Exposure Parameters: A Scope Review
Authors: López de Mingo Isabel , Rivera González Marco-Xavier , Maestú Unturbe Ceferino
Published: May 2024

Since the establishment of regulations for exposure to extremely low-frequency (0–300) Hz electromagnetic fields, scientific opinion has prioritised the hypothesis that the most important parameter determining cellular behaviour has been intensity, ignoring the other exposure parameters (frequency, time, mode, waveform). This has been reflected in the methodologies of the in vitro articles published and the reviews in which they are included. A scope review was carried out, grouping a total of 79 articles that met the proposed inclusion criteria and studying the effects of the different experiments on viability, proliferation, apoptosis, oxidative stress and the cell cycle. These results have been divided and classified by frequency, intensity, exposure time and exposure mode (continuous/intermittent). The results obtained for each of the processes according to the exposure parameter used are shown graphically to highlight the importance of a good methodology in experimental development and the search for mechanisms of action that explain the experimental results, considering not only the criterion of intensity. The consequence of this is a more than necessary revision of current exposure protection regulations for the general population based on the reductionist criterion of intensity.
Advances in the Modulation of Potato Tuber Dormancy and Sprouting
Authors: Di Xueni , Wang Qiang , Zhang Feng , Feng Haojie , Wang Xiyao , Cai Chengcheng
Published: May 2024

The post-harvest phase of potato tuber dormancy and sprouting are essential in determining the economic value. The intricate transition from dormancy to active growth is influenced by multiple factors, including environmental factors, carbohydrate metabolism, and hormonal regulation. Well-established environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and light play pivotal roles in these processes. However, recent research has expanded our understanding to encompass other novel influences such as magnetic fields, cold plasma treatment, and UV-C irradiation. Hormones like abscisic acid (ABA), gibberellic acid (GA), cytokinins (CK), auxin, and ethylene (ETH) act as crucial messengers, while brassinosteroids (BRs) have emerged as key modulators of potato tuber sprouting. In addition, jasmonates (JAs), strigolactones (SLs), and salicylic acid (SA) also regulate potato dormancy and sprouting. This review article delves into the intricate study of potato dormancy and sprouting, emphasizing the impact of environmental conditions, carbohydrate metabolism, and hormonal regulation. It explores how various environmental factors affect dormancy and sprouting processes. Additionally, it highlights the role of carbohydrates in potato tuber sprouting and the intricate hormonal interplay, particularly the role of BRs. This review underscores the complexity of these interactions and their importance in optimizing potato dormancy and sprouting for agricultural practices.
Monocytic Differentiation of Human Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells: A Proteomic and Phosphoproteomic Comparison of FAB-M4/M5 Patients with and without Nucleophosmin 1 Mutations
Authors: Selheim Frode , Aasebø Elise , Reikvam Håkon , Bruserud Øystein , Hernandez-Valladares Maria
Published: May 2024

Even though morphological signs of differentiation have a minimal impact on survival after intensive cytotoxic therapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), monocytic AML cell differentiation (i.e., classified as French/American/British (FAB) subtypes M4/M5) is associated with a different responsiveness both to Bcl-2 inhibition (decreased responsiveness) and possibly also bromodomain inhibition (increased responsiveness). FAB-M4/M5 patients are heterogeneous with regard to genetic abnormalities, even though monocytic differentiation is common for patients with Nucleophosmin 1 (NPM1) insertions/mutations; to further study the heterogeneity of FAB-M4/M5 patients we did a proteomic and phosphoproteomic comparison of FAB-M4/M5 patients with (n = 13) and without (n = 12) NPM1 mutations. The proteomic profile of NPM1-mutated FAB-M4/M5 patients was characterized by increased levels of proteins involved in the regulation of endocytosis/vesicle trafficking/organellar communication. In contrast, AML cells without NPM1 mutations were characterized by increased levels of several proteins involved in the regulation of cytoplasmic translation, including a large number of ribosomal proteins. The phosphoproteomic differences between the two groups were less extensive but reflected similar differences. To conclude, even though FAB classification/monocytic differentiation are associated with differences in responsiveness to new targeted therapies (e.g., Bcl-2 inhibition), our results shows that FAB-M4/M5 patients are heterogeneous with regard to important biological characteristics of the leukemic cells.
Chronic Stress-Induced Neuroinflammation: Relevance of Rodent Models to Human Disease
Authors: White Abigail G. , Elias Elias , Orozco Andrea , Robinson Shivon A. , Manners Melissa T.
Published: May 2024

The brain is the central organ of adaptation to stress because it perceives and determines threats that induce behavioral, physiological, and molecular responses. In humans, chronic stress manifests as an enduring consistent feeling of pressure and being overwhelmed for an extended duration. This can result in a persistent proinflammatory response in the peripheral and central nervous system (CNS), resulting in cellular, physiological, and behavioral effects. Compounding stressors may increase the risk of chronic-stress-induced inflammation, which can yield serious health consequences, including mental health disorders. This review summarizes the current knowledge surrounding the neuroinflammatory response in rodent models of chronic stress—a relationship that is continually being defined. Many studies investigating the effects of chronic stress on neuroinflammation in rodent models have identified significant changes in inflammatory modulators, including nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and toll-like receptors (TLRs), and cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6. This suggests that these are key inflammatory factors in the chronic stress response, which may contribute to the establishment of anxiety and depression-like symptoms. The behavioral and neurological effects of modulating inflammatory factors through gene knockdown (KD) and knockout (KO), and conventional and alternative medicine approaches, are discussed.
Nonribosomal Peptide Synthetase Specific Genome Amplification Using Rolling Circle Amplification for Targeted Gene Sequencing
Authors: Okamura Yoshiko , Suemitsu Masahiro , Ishikawa Takato , Takahashi Hirokazu
Published: May 2024

Next-generation sequencing has transformed the acquisition of vast amounts of genomic information, including the rapid identification of target gene sequences in metagenomic databases. However, dominant species can sometimes hinder the detection of rare bacterial species. Therefore, a highly sensitive amplification technique that can selectively amplify bacterial genomes containing target genes of interest was developed in this study. The rolling circle amplification (RCA) method can initiate amplification from a single locus using a specific single primer to amplify a specific whole genome. A mixed cell suspension was prepared using Pseudomonas fluorescens ATCC17400 (targeting nonribosomal peptide synthetase [NRPS]) and Escherichia coli (non-target), and a specific primer designed for the NRPS was used for the RCA reaction. The resulting RCA product (RCP) amplified only the Pseudomonas genome. The NRPS was successfully amplified using RCP as a template from even five cells, indicating that the single-priming RCA technique can specifically enrich the target genome using gene-specific primers. Ultimately, this specific genome RCA technique was applied to metagenomes extracted from sponge-associated bacteria, and NRPS sequences were successfully obtained from an unknown sponge-associated bacterium. Therefore, this method could be effective for accessing species-specific sequences of NRPS in unknown bacteria, including viable but non-culturable bacteria.