bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cognitive Performance on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Test and Retinal Structural and Functional Measures in Glaucoma
Authors: Bastani Viarsagh Solmaz , Zhang Min Er , Shariflou Sahar , Agar Ashish , Golzan S. Mojtaba
Published: August 2022

Background: Glaucoma, the leading cause of irreversible blindness, is classified as a neurodegenerative disease, and its incidence increases with age. Pathophysiological changes, such as the deposition of amyloid-beta plaques in the retinal ganglion cell layer, as well as neuropsychological changes, including cognitive decline, have been reported in glaucoma. However, the association between cognitive ability and retinal functional and structural measures in glaucoma, particularly glaucoma subtypes, has not been studied. We studied the association between cognitive ability and the visual field reliability indices as well as the retinal ganglion cell (RGC) count estimates in a cohort of glaucoma patients. Methods: A total of 95 eyes from 61 glaucoma patients were included. From these, 20 were normal-tension glaucoma (NTG), 25 were primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), and 16 were glaucoma suspects. All the participants had a computerised Humphrey visual field (HVF) assessment and optical coherence tomography (OCT) scan and were administered the written Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test. RGC count estimates were derived based on established formulas using the HVF and OCT results. A MoCA cut-off score of 25 and less was designated as cognitive impairment. Student’s t-test was used to assess differences between the groups. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to assess the association between MoCA scores and retinal structural and functional measures. Results: Significant associations were found between MoCA scores and the false-negative and pattern standard deviation indices recorded on the HVF (r = −0.19, r = −0.22, p < 0.05). The mean IOP was significantly lower in the cognitively impaired group (i.e., MOCA ≤ 25) (13.7 ± 3.6 vs. 15.7 ± 4.5, p < 0.05). No significant association was found between RGC count estimates and MoCA scores. Analysis of these parameters in individual glaucoma subtypes did not reveal any group-specific significant associations either.
The Efficacy of Early Interventions for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Daniolou Sofia , Pandis Nikolaos , Znoj Hansjörg
Published: August 2022

The superiority of early interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) compared to treatment as usual (TAU) has recently been questioned. This study was aimed to investigate the efficacy of early interventions in improving the cognitive ability, language, and adaptive behavior of pre-school children with ASDs through a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). In total, 33 RCTs were included in the meta-analysis using the random effects model. The total sample consisted of 2581 children (age range: 12–132 months). Early interventions led to positive outcomes for cognitive ability (g = 0.32; 95% CI: 0.05, 0.58; p = 0.02), daily living skills (g = 0.35; 95% CI: 0.08, 0.63; p = 0.01), and motor skills (g = 0.39; 95% CI: 0.16, 0.62; p = 0.001), while no positive outcomes were found for the remaining variables. However, when studies without the blinding of outcome assessment were excluded, positive outcomes of early interventions only remained for daily living skills (g = 0.28; 95% CI: 0.04, 0.52; p = 0.02) and motor skills (g = 0.40; 95% CI: 0.11, 0.69; p = 0.007). Although early intervention might not have positive impacts on children with ASDs for several outcomes compared to controls, these results should be interpreted with caution considering the great variability in participant and intervention characteristics.
Retinal Vascular Occlusion after COVID-19 Vaccination: More Coincidence than Causal Relationship? Data from a Retrospective Multicentre Study
Authors: Feltgen Nicolas , Ach Thomas , Ziemssen Focke , Quante Carolin Sophie , Gross Oliver , Abdin Alaa Din , Aisenbrey Sabine , Bartram Martin C. , Blum Marcus , Brockmann Claudia , Dithmar Stefan , Friedrichs Wilko , Guthoff Rainer , Hattenbach Lars-Olof , Herrlinger Klaus R. , Kaskel-Paul Susanne , Khoramnia Ramin , Klaas Julian E. , Krohne Tim U. , Lommatzsch Albrecht , Lueken Sabine , Maier Mathias , Nassri Lina , Nguyen-Dang Thien A. , Radeck Viola , Rau Saskia , Roider Johann , Sandner Dirk , Schmalenberger Laura , Schmidtmann Irene , Schubert Florian , Siegel Helena , Spitzer Martin S. , Stahl Andreas , Stingl Julia V. , Treumer Felix , Viestenz Arne , Wachtlin Joachim , Wolf Armin , Zimmermann Julian , Schargus Marc , Schuster Alexander K.
Published: August 2022

Background: To investigate whether vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 is associated with the onset of retinal vascular occlusive disease (RVOD). Methods: In this multicentre study, data from patients with central and branch retinal vein occlusion (CRVO and BRVO), central and branch retinal artery occlusion (CRAO and BRAO), and anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (AION) were retrospectively collected during a 2-month index period (1 June–31 July 2021) according to a defined protocol. The relation to any previous vaccination was documented for the consecutive case series. Numbers of RVOD and COVID-19 vaccination were investigated in a case-by-case analysis. A case–control study using age- and sex-matched controls from the general population (study participants from the Gutenberg Health Study) and an adjusted conditional logistic regression analysis was conducted. Results: Four hundred and twenty-one subjects presenting during the index period (61 days) were enrolled: one hundred and twenty-one patients with CRVO, seventy-five with BRVO, fifty-six with CRAO, sixty-five with BRAO, and one hundred and four with AION. Three hundred and thirty-two (78.9%) patients had been vaccinated before the onset of RVOD. The vaccines given were BNT162b2/BioNTech/Pfizer (n = 221), followed by ChadOx1/AstraZeneca (n = 57), mRNA-1273/Moderna (n = 21), and Ad26.COV2.S/Johnson & Johnson (n = 11; unknown n = 22). Our case–control analysis integrating population-based data from the GHS yielded no evidence of an increased risk after COVID-19 vaccination (OR = 0.93; 95% CI: 0.60–1.45, p = 0.75) in connection with a vaccination within a 4-week window. Conclusions: To date, there has been no evidence of any association between SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and a higher RVOD risk.
Measuring T-Cell Responses against SARS-CoV-2 Is of Utility for Disease and Vaccination Management
Authors: Safont Guillem , Latorre Irene , Villar-Hernández Raquel , Stojanovic Zoran , Marín Alicia , Pérez-Cano Cristina , Lacoma Alicia , Molina-Moya Bárbara , Solis Alan Jhunior , Arméstar Fernando , Matllo Joan , Díaz-Fernández Sergio , Cendón Arnau , Sokalchuk Liliya , Tolosa Guillermo , Casas Irma , Rosell Antoni , Domínguez José
Published: August 2022

The measurement of specific T-cell responses can be a useful tool for COVID-19 diagnostics and clinical management. In this study, we evaluated the IFN-γ T-cell response against the main SARS-CoV-2 antigens (spike, nucleocapsid and membrane) in acute and convalescent individuals classified according to severity, and in vaccinated and unvaccinated controls. IgG against spike and nucleocapsid were also measured. Spike antigen triggered the highest number of T-cell responses. Acute patients showed a low percentage of positive responses when compared to convalescent (71.6% vs. 91.7%, respectively), but increased during hospitalization and with severity. Some convalescent patients showed an IFN-γ T-cell response more than 200 days after diagnosis. Only half of the vaccinated individuals displayed an IFN-γ T-cell response after the second dose. IgG response was found in a higher percentage of individuals compared to IFN-γ T-cell responses, and moderate correlations between both responses were seen. However, in some acute COVID-19 patients specific T-cell response was detected, but not IgG production. We found that the chances of an IFN-γ T-cell response against SARS-CoV-2 is low during acute phase, but may increase over time, and that only half of the vaccinated individuals had an IFN-γ T-cell response after the second dose.
Comprehensive Cardiac Magnetic Resonance to Detect Subacute Myocarditis
Authors: Brendel Jan M. , Klingel Karin , Kübler Jens , Müller Karin A. L. , Hagen Florian , Gawaz Meinrad , Nikolaou Konstantin , Greulich Simon , Krumm Patrick
Published: August 2022

(1) Background: Compared to acute myocarditis in the initial phase, detection of subacute myocarditis with cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) parameters can be challenging due to a lower degree of myocardial inflammation compared to the acute phase. (2) Objectives: To systematically evaluate non-invasive CMR imaging parameters in acute and subacute myocarditis. (3) Methods: 48 patients (age 37 (IQR 28–55) years; 52% female) with clinically suspected myocarditis were consecutively included. Patients with onset of symptoms ≤2 weeks prior to 1.5T CMR were assigned to the acute group (n = 25, 52%), patients with symptom duration >2 to 6 weeks were assigned to the subacute group (n = 23, 48%). CMR protocol comprised morphology, function, 3D-strain, late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) imaging and mapping (T1, ECV, T2). (4) Results: Highest diagnostic performance in the detection of subacute myocarditis was achieved by ECV evaluation either as single parameter or in combination with T1 mapping (applying a segmental or global increase of native T1 > 1015 ms and ECV > 28%), sensitivity 96% and accuracy 91%. Compared to subacute myocarditis, acute myocarditis demonstrated higher prevalence and extent of LGE (AUC 0.76) and increased T2 (AUC 0.66). (5) Conclusions: A comprehensive CMR approach allows reliable diagnosis of clinically suspected subacute myocarditis. Thereby, ECV alone or in combination with native T1 mapping indicated the best performance for diagnosing subacute myocarditis. Acute vs. subacute myocarditis is difficult to discriminate by CMR alone, due to chronological connection and overlap of pathologic findings.
Management of Complex Arrythmias: Optimal Timing of Catheter Ablation for Ventricular Tachycardia
Authors: Huntrakul Anurut , Liang Jackson J.
Published: August 2022

The field of invasive cardiac electrophysiology has been rapidly advancing over the past several years [...]
Liver Machine Perfusion—When Physiopathology Matters
Authors: Furtado Ruelan , Weinberg Laurence , Perini Marcos
Published: August 2022

Liver transplantation (LT) has become a victim of its own success [...]
Protein Succinylation and Malonylation as Potential Biomarkers in Schizophrenia
Authors: Smith Bradley Joseph , Brandão-Teles Caroline , Zuccoli Giuliana S. , Reis-de-Oliveira Guilherme , Fioramonte Mariana , Saia-Cereda Verônica M. , Martins-de-Souza Daniel
Published: August 2022

Two protein post-translational modifications, lysine succinylation and malonylation, are implicated in protein regulation, glycolysis, and energy metabolism. The precursors of these modifications, succinyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA, are key players in central metabolic processes. Both modification profiles have been proven to be responsive to metabolic stimuli, such as hypoxia. As mitochondrial dysfunction and metabolic dysregulation are implicated in schizophrenia and other psychiatric illnesses, these modification profiles have the potential to reveal yet another layer of protein regulation and can furthermore represent targets for biomarkers that are indicative of disease as well as its progression and treatment. In this work, data from shotgun mass spectrometry-based quantitative proteomics were compiled and analyzed to probe the succinylome and malonylome of postmortem brain tissue from patients with schizophrenia against controls and the human oligodendrocyte precursor cell line MO3.13 with the dizocilpine chemical model for schizophrenia, three antipsychotics, and co-treatments. Several changes in the succinylome and malonylome were seen in these comparisons, revealing these modifications to be a largely under-studied yet important form of protein regulation with broad potential applications.
A Pilot Study Assessing a Closed-Loop System for Goal-Directed Fluid Therapy in Abdominal Surgery Patients
Authors: Gricourt Yann , Prin Derre Camille , Demattei Christophe , Bertran Sébastien , Louart Benjamin , Muller Laurent , Simon Natacha , Lefrant Jean-Yves , Cuvillon Philippe , Jaber Samir , Roger Claire
Published: August 2022

Background: This prospective multicentre pilot study of patients scheduled for elective major abdominal surgery aimed to validate the fluid challenge (FC) proposed by the closed-loop (CL) system via anaesthesiologist assessment. Methods: This was a phase II trial consisting of two inclusion stages (SIMON method). Each FC (250 mL saline solution for 10 min) proposed by the CL was systematically validated by the anaesthesiologist who could either confirm or refuse the FC or give FC without the CL system. A ≥ 95% agreement between the CL and the anaesthesiologist was considered acceptable. Results: The study was interrupted after interim analysis of the first 19 patients (10 men, median age = 61 years, median body mass index = 26 kg/m2). The anaesthesiologists accepted 165/205 (80%) of fluid boluses proposed by the CL. Median cardiac index (CI) was 2.9 (interquartile: IQ (2.7; 3.4) L/min/m2) and the median coefficient of variation (CV) for CI was 13% (10; 17). Fifteen out of nineteen patients (79%) had a mean CI > 2.5 L/min/m2 or spent > 85% surgery time with pulse pressure variation < 13%. No adverse events related to the CL were reported. Conclusion: In this study of patients scheduled for elective major abdominal surgery, the agreement between CL and anaesthesiologist for giving fluid challenge was 80%, suggesting that CL cannot replace the physician but could help in decision making.
Regenerative Medicine to Improve Outcomes of Ventral Hernia Reconstruction (REPAIR Study) Phase 1: Find the Best Decellularization Protocol for the Human Dermis
Authors: Altomare Michele , Ferrario Luca , Benuzzi Laura , Tosca Marta , Gipponi Marta , Khodri Imam , Sesana Giovanni , Cimbanassi Stefania , Cioffi Stefano , Spota Andrea , Bini Roberto , Chiara Osvaldo , Mingoli Andrea
Published: August 2022

Background: Tissue regeneration is a complex process that allows wounds to heal. Many options are currently available to help human skin repair and to reduce the recurrence of hernias. The aim of this study is to analyze the best decellularization protocol for allogenic human dermal tissues. Methods: Dermal flaps from donors were used and compared with a control group. Each flap was subjected to seven different decellularization protocols and washed with a sequence of five solutions. The samples were then subjected to four control tests (such as Nile Red), and long-term contacts were analyzed to assess whether the decellularized dermis samples could support the growth of human fibroblasts. Results: All the samples had an average residual viability of 60%. Except for one sample, the decellularization treatments were able to reduce cell viability significantly. The Nile Red test showed a significant reduction in phospholipid content (mean 90%, p-value < 0.05) in all treatments. The cell growth increased in a linear manner. As described in the literature, sodium-dodecyl-sulfate (SDS) caused an interference between the test and the detergent. Conclusions: This paper shows the first step to finding the best decellularization protocol for allografting human dermal tissues. Further biocompatibility tests and DNA quantification are necessary.
Gender and Psychosocial Differences in Psychological Resilience among a Community of Older Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Sardella Alberto , Lenzo Vittorio , Basile Giorgio , Musetti Alessandro , Franceschini Christian , Quattropani Maria C.
Published: August 2022

The study aimed at exploring gender and additional sociodemographic differences in psychological resilience, as well as the association between resilience and psychological distress in older adults, during the first lockdown in Italy, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants attended an online survey during the first lockdown in May 2020. Psychological distress was assessed through the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21, the Resilience Scale (RS) was administered to evaluate psychological resilience, and sociodemographic variables were also collected. The study involved 108 community older adults (mean age 70.02 ± 3.5 years). Comparisons revealed that women reported significantly lower total scores of RS (p = 0.027), as well as lower levels of resilience-related domains, namely Meaningfulness (p = 0.049), Self-Reliance (p = 0.011), Perseverance (p = 0.035), and Existential Aloneness (p = 0.014), compared to men. Significantly higher RS scores were found in older adults being involved in a relationship, compared to those not involved in relationships (p = 0.026), and in older adults with children (p = 0.015), compared to those without offspring, suggesting the importance for older adults of not dealing alone with such a dramatic and stressful event, such as the pandemic. Negative correlations were found between psychological resilience and stress, depression, and anxiety. Linear regressions revealed that lower RS total scores, as well as lower scores in the majority of the RS scales, were associated with greater levels of stress, greater levels of anxiety, and greater levels of depressive symptoms. This study suggested that older women might appear more vulnerable in facing the pandemic, compared to men; having not lived alone through the lockdown period might also be considered as a factor of resilience for older adults.
PathoLive—Real-Time Pathogen Identification from Metagenomic Illumina Datasets
Authors: Tausch Simon H. , Loka Tobias P. , Schulze Jakob M. , Andrusch Andreas , Klenner Jeanette , Dabrowski Piotr Wojciech , Lindner Martin S. , Nitsche Andreas , Renard Bernhard Y.
Published: August 2022

Over the past years, NGS has become a crucial workhorse for open-view pathogen diagnostics. Yet, long turnaround times result from using massively parallel high-throughput technologies as the analysis can only be performed after sequencing has finished. The interpretation of results can further be challenged by contaminations, clinically irrelevant sequences, and the sheer amount and complexity of the data. We implemented PathoLive, a real-time diagnostics pipeline for the detection of pathogens from clinical samples hours before sequencing has finished. Based on real-time alignment with HiLive2, mappings are scored with respect to common contaminations, low-entropy areas, and sequences of widespread, non-pathogenic organisms. The results are visualized using an interactive taxonomic tree that provides an easily interpretable overview of the relevance of hits. For a human plasma sample that was spiked in vitro with six pathogenic viruses, all agents were clearly detected after only 40 of 200 sequencing cycles. For a real-world sample from Sudan, the results correctly indicated the presence of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus. In a second real-world dataset from the 2019 SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in Wuhan, we found the presence of a SARS coronavirus as the most relevant hit without the novel virus reference genome being included in the database. For all samples, clinically irrelevant hits were correctly de-emphasized. Our approach is valuable to obtain fast and accurate NGS-based pathogen identifications and correctly prioritize and visualize them based on their clinical significance: PathoLive is open source and available on GitLab and BioConda.
Valorization of Brewery Waste through Polyhydroxyalkanoates Production Supported by a Metabolic Specialized Microbiome
Authors: Carvalheira Mónica , Amorim Catarina L. , Oliveira Ana Catarina , Guarda Eliana C. , Costa Eunice , Ribau Teixeira Margarida , Castro Paula M. L. , Duque Anouk F. , Reis Maria A. M.
Published: August 2022

Raw brewers’ spent grain (BSG), a by-product of beer production and produced at a large scale, presents a composition that has been shown to have potential as feedstock for several biological processes, such as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) production. Although the high interest in the PHA production from waste, the bioconversion of BSG into PHA using microbial mixed cultures (MMC) has not yet been explored. This study explored the feasibility to produce PHA from BSG through the enrichment of a mixed microbial culture in PHA-storing organisms. The increase in organic loading rate (OLR) was shown to have only a slight influence on the process performance, although a high selectivity in PHA-storing microorganisms accumulation was reached. The culture was enriched on various PHA-storing microorganisms, such as bacteria belonging to the Meganema, Carnobacterium, Leucobacter, and Paracocccus genera. The enrichment process led to specialization of the microbiome, but the high diversity in PHA-storing microorganisms could have contributed to the process stability and efficiency, allowing for achieving a maximum PHA content of 35.2 ± 5.5 wt.% (VSS basis) and a yield of 0.61 ± 0.09 CmmolPHA/CmmolVFA in the accumulation assays. Overall, the production of PHA from fermented BSG is a feasible process confirming the valorization potential of the feedstock through the production of added-value products.
Orientation Modeling Using Quaternions and Rational Trigonometry
Authors: Martínez Rogelio , Zamora Erik , Sossa Humberto , Arce Fernando , Soriano Luis Arturo
Published: August 2022

In recent years, the recreational and commercial use of flight and driving simulators has become more popular. All these applications require the calculation of orientation in either two or three dimensions. Besides the Euler angles notation, other alternatives to represent rigid body rotations include axis-angle notation, homogeneous transformation matrices, and quaternions. All these methods involve transcendental functions in their calculations, which represents a disadvantage when these algorithms are implemented in hardware. The use of transcendental functions in software-based algorithms may not represent a significant disadvantage, but in hardware-based algorithms, the potential of rational models stands out. Generally, to calculate transcendental functions in hardware, it is necessary to utilize algorithms based on the CORDIC algorithm, which requires a significant amount of hardware resources (parallel) or the design of a more complex control unit (pipelined). This research presents a new procedure for model orientation using rational trigonometry and quaternion notation, avoiding trigonometric functions for calculations. We describe the orientation of a gimbal mechanism presented in many applications, from autonomous vehicles such as cars or drones to industrial manipulators. This research aims to compare the efficiency of a rational implementation to classical modeling using the techniques mentioned above. Furthermore, we simulate the models with software tools and propose a hardware architecture to implement our algorithms.
Parametric Optimization of FDM Process for Improving Mechanical Strengths Using Taguchi Method and Response Surface Method: A Comparative Investigation
Authors: Gao Ge , Xu Fan , Xu Jiangmin
Published: August 2022

In the present study, a comparison of two widely used optimization approaches for fused deposition modeling (FDM), that is, Taguchi method in contrast with response surface method (RSM), was investigated. Four operating parameters, namely extrusion temperature, layer thickness, raster width, print speed, and their interaction terms, were identified as control variables with three levels, while tensile strength and compressive strength were selected responses. L27 orthogonal array and face-centered central composite design (FCCCD) were used for the experimental approach for Taguchi and RSM, respectively. The signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were employed to find the optimal FDM parameter combination as well as the main factor that affect the performance of the PLA samples. Based on experimental results, it was observed that conclusions about significant ranking of parameters on FDM process from these two methods were different. However, both the Taguchi method and RSM succeed in predicting better results compared with the original groups. In addition, the optimum combinations for tensile strength and compressive strength obtained from the RSM were 2.11% and 8.15% higher than Taguchi method, respectively.
A Multi-Scale Model for Cholera Outbreaks
Authors: Musundi Beryl , Müller Johannes , Feng Zhilan
Published: August 2022

Cholera, caused by the pathogenic Vibrio cholerae bacteria, remains a severe public health threat. Although a lot of emphasis has been placed on the population-level spread of the disease, the infection itself starts within the body. As such, we formulated a multi-scale model that explicitly connects the within-host and between-host dynamics of the disease. To model the within-host dynamics, we assigned each susceptible individual with a pathogen load that increases through the uptake of contaminated food and water (booster event). We introduced minimal and maximal times when the booster events happen and defined a time since the last booster event. We then scaled the within-host dynamics to the population where we structured the susceptible population using the two variables (pathogen load and time since the last booster event). We analyzed the pathogen load’s invariant distribution and utilized the results and time scale assumptions to reduce the dimension of the multi-scale model. The resulting model is an SIR model whose incidence function has terms derived from the multi-scale model. We finally conducted numerical simulations to investigate the long-term behavior of the SIR model. The simulations revealed parameter regions where either no cholera cases happen, where cholera is present at a low prevalence, and where a full-blown cholera epidemic takes off.
Peripheral Groups of Dicationic Pyrazinoporphyrins Regulate Lipid Membrane Binding
Authors: Polivanovskaia Daria A. , Konstantinova Anna N. , Birin Kirill P. , Sokolov Valerij S. , Batishchev Oleg V. , Gorbunova Yulia G.
Published: August 2022

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a widely used technique for skin cancer treatment and antimicrobial therapy. An improvement in PDT efficiency requires not only an increase in quantum yield of photosensitizer (PS) molecules but also their applicability for biological systems. Recently, we demonstrated that the activity of porphyrin-based PSs in the lipid membrane environment depends on the nature of the cation in the macrocycle due to its interactions with the lipid phosphate moiety, as well as the orientation of the PS molecules inside the membrane. Here, we report the synthesis, membrane binding properties and photodynamic efficiency of novel dicationic free-base, Ni(II) and Zn(II) pyrazinoporphyrins with terminal tetraalkylammonium units (2H-1, Ni-1 and Zn-1), to show the possibility to enhance the membrane binding of PS molecules, regardless of the central cation. All of these substances adsorb at the lipid membrane, while free-base and Zn(II) porphyrins actively generate singlet oxygen (SO) in the membranes. Thus, this study reveals a new way to tune the PDT activity of PSs in biological membranes through designing the structure of the peripheral groups in the macrocyclic photosensitizer.
Application of Vibrating Reverse Osmosis Technology for Nutrient Recovery from Pig Slurry in a Circular Economy Model
Authors: Vega Esther , Paredes Lidia , Marks Evan A. N. , Singla Berta , Castaño-Sánchez Omar , Casas Carme , Vilaplana Rosa , Mora Mabel , Ponsá Sergio , Llenas Laia
Published: August 2022

The rapid growth of the livestock sector in some areas of Europe has caused an imbalance between the generation of livestock manure and the availability of agricultural soil for its direct application as a fertilizer. Since the transport of pig slurry to other areas with nutrient-deficient soils is costly from an economic point of view due to its high water content, the application of new technologies for the concentration of this waste is considered key for reducing management costs. Consequently, the main objective of this study was to demonstrate the potential of vibratory shear enhanced processing (VSEP) operated with reverse osmosis membranes to recover nutrients from the liquid fractions of pig slurry (LF-pig slurry) and digestate (LF-digestate) and obtain concentrated fertilizing products. Use of the VSEP unit permitted reductions in the water contents of the LF-pig slurry and LF-digestate, around 77% and 67%, respectively. Both VSEP concentrates were characterized by their significant nutrient contents and showed a nitrogen fertilizer replacement value similar to that of mineral fertilizer as demonstrated in a barley crop pot-test, although the salinity of the digestate concentrate was identified as a key limitation, negatively impacting the agronomic yield of the test crop.
Influence of Chromium Atoms on the Shear-Coupled Motion of [110] Symmetric Tilt Grain Boundary in α-Iron: Atomic Simulation
Authors: Bai Zhiwen , Yan Xiaohan , Yin Jian , Hou Huaiyu
Published: August 2022

Shear-coupled grain boundary motion (SCGBM) is an important mechanism of plastic deformation, especially in the cases of ultrafine-grained or nanocrystalline materials at low temperatures. Much research work has been focused on the geometric rules of coupling, the grain boundary migration mechanisms, or the temperature effect of SCGBM, but the effect of the alloy atoms is seldom involved. In this work, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were carried out to examine the SCGBM of the Σ17[110](223) and Σ9[110](221) grain boundaries (GBs) in iron-chromium alloys containing from 1 at.% to 9 at.% Cr. A constant shear velocity corresponding to 10 m/s parallel to the boundary plane was applied to the models. Our simulation results indicate that the critical stress of GB migration reduces due to the addition of Cr atoms for the Σ17(223) GB. As for the Σ9(221) GB, sliding occurs simultaneously with coupling in the shear process when the atomic amount of Cr reaches 3%. This phenomenon was also observed in the Σ9(221) GB in pure Fe when the temperature was elevated to 300 K, which was studied in our previous simulation work. The existence of new structural units was demonstrated to be responsible for the sliding of the grain boundary.
Controlled Cooling Temperature Prediction of Hot-Rolled Steel Plate Based on Multi-Scale Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Hu Xiao , Zhang Daheng , Tan Ruijun , Xie Qian
Published: August 2022

Controlled cooling technology is widely used in hot-rolled steel plate production lines. The final cooling temperature directly affects the microstructure and properties of steel plates, but cooling and heat transfer constitutes a nonlinear process, which is difficult to be accurately described using a mathematical model. In order to improve the accuracy of the controlled cooling temperature, a multi-scale convolutional neural network is used to predict the final cooling temperature. Convolution kernels with different sizes are introduced in the layer of a multi-scale convolutional neural network. This structure can simultaneously extract the feature information of different sizes and improve the perceptual power of the network model. The measured steel plate thickness, speed, header flow, and other variables are taken as input. The final cooling temperature is taken as the output and predicted using a multi-scale convolutional neural network. The results show that the multi-scale convolution neural network prediction model has strong generalization and nonlinear fitting ability. Compared with the traditionally structured BP neural network and convolution neural network (CNN), the mean square error (MSE) of the multi-scale convolutional neural network decreased by 24.7% and 12.2%, the mean absolute error (MAE) decreased by 19.6% and 7.97%, and the coefficient of determination (R2) improved by 4.26% and 2.65%, respectively. The final cooling temperature traditional structure by the multi-scale CNN agreed with the actual temperature within ±10% error bands. As the prediction accuracy improved, the multi-scale CNN can be effectively applied to hot-rolled steel plate production.
Research on the Jet Characteristics and Dephosphorization Efficiency of Converter Oxygen Lance Blowing CO2-O2 Mixed Gas
Authors: Wei Guoli , Zhou Changli , Hu Shaoyan , Tian Jun , Zhu Rong , Wang Deyong , Zhu Qingde
Published: August 2022

Utilization of CO2 in steelmaking process has attracted extensive attention in recent years, not only because of its social benefits, but also its better metallurgical performance. Mixing CO2 with O2 blown by converter oxygen lance is gradually being adopted by steelmaking plants, due to its potential of reducing consumption and improving steel quality. In the present research, effect of mixing CO2 on the jet characteristics of a four-nozzle oxygen lance was studied in detail by numerical simulation, taking the combustion behavior between supersonic jets and ambient atmosphere into consideration innovatively. The simulated results showed that the combustion flame is mainly distributed in the region between multiple jets, and the high temperature flame has a noticeable influence on the low-velocity region of the jet. Due to the dilution effect of CO2, mixing CO2 into the oxygen jets will reduce the maximum temperature of the flame and slow down the combustion rate. With the increase of CO2 mixing ratio, the high-temperature zone of combustion flame moves away from the lance tip significantly. At the same distance from the nozzle, although mixing CO2 can hardly increase the velocity magnitude of the jet, but it can achieve higher dynamic pressure, indicating stronger impacting power. Then the industrial experiment of top blowing O2-CO2 was carried out in a 120-ton converter. During the blowing time of 120~300 s, the mixing ratio of CO2 was 15 vol.% for better dephosphorization, and no CO2 was mixed in the rest time of blowing. Due to the stronger stirring and better thermodynamics, the average [P] content in the final molten steel was decreased from 0.0155 wt.% to 0.0129 wt.%, achieving higher dephosphorization efficiency.
Insights into the Genomic Potential of a Methylocystis sp. from Amazonian Floodplain Sediments
Authors: Gontijo Júlia B. , Paula Fabiana S. , Venturini Andressa M. , Mandro Jéssica A. , Bodelier Paul L. E. , Tsai Siu M.
Published: August 2022

Although floodplains are recognized as important sources of methane (CH4) in the Amazon basin, little is known about the role of methanotrophs in mitigating CH4 emissions in these ecosystems. Our previous data reported the genus Methylocystis as one of the most abundant methanotrophs in these floodplain sediments. However, information on the functional potential and life strategies of these organisms living under seasonal flooding is still missing. Here, we described the first metagenome-assembled genome (MAG) of a Methylocystis sp. recovered from Amazonian floodplains sediments, and we explored its functional potential and ecological traits through phylogenomic, functional annotation, and pan-genomic approaches. Both phylogenomics and pan-genomics identified the closest placement of the bin.170_fp as Methylocystis parvus. As expected for Type II methanotrophs, the Core cluster from the pan-genome comprised genes for CH4 oxidation and formaldehyde assimilation through the serine pathway. Furthermore, the complete set of genes related to nitrogen fixation is also present in the Core. Interestingly, the MAG singleton cluster revealed the presence of unique genes related to nitrogen metabolism and cell motility. The study sheds light on the genomic characteristics of a dominant, but as yet unexplored methanotroph from the Amazonian floodplains. By exploring the genomic potential related to resource utilization and motility capability, we expanded our knowledge on the niche breadth of these dominant methanotrophs in the Amazonian floodplains.
Simultaneous Metabarcoding and Quantification of Neocallimastigomycetes from Environmental Samples: Insights into Community Composition and Novel Lineages
Authors: Young Diana , Joshi Akshay , Huang Liren , Munk Bernhard , Wurzbacher Christian , Youssef Noha H. , Elshahed Mostafa S. , Moon Christina D. , Ochsenreither Katrin , Griffith Gareth W. , Callaghan Tony M. , Sczyrba Alexander , Lebuhn Michael , Flad Veronika
Published: August 2022

Anaerobic fungi from the herbivore digestive tract (Neocallimastigomycetes) are primary lignocellulose modifiers and hold promise for biotechnological applications. Their molecular detection is currently difficult due to the non-specificity of published primer pairs, which impairs evolutionary and ecological research with environmental samples. We developed and validated a Neocallimastigomycetes-specific PCR primer pair targeting the D2 region of the ribosomal large subunit suitable for screening, quantifying, and sequencing. We evaluated this primer pair in silico on sequences from all known genera, in vitro with pure cultures covering 16 of the 20 known genera, and on environmental samples with highly diverse microbiomes. The amplified region allowed phylogenetic differentiation of all known genera and most species. The amplicon is about 350 bp long, suitable for short-read high-throughput sequencing as well as qPCR assays. Sequencing of herbivore fecal samples verified the specificity of the primer pair and recovered highly diverse and so far unknown anaerobic gut fungal taxa. As the chosen barcoding region can be easily aligned and is taxonomically informative, the sequences can be used for classification and phylogenetic inferences. Several new Neocallimastigomycetes clades were obtained, some of which represent putative novel lineages such as a clade from feces of the rodent Dolichotis patagonum (mara).
Acaricidal Activity and Field Efficacy Analysis of the Potential Biocontrol Agent Bacillus vallismortis NBIF-001 against Spider Mites
Authors: Zhu Lei , Chen Ling , Min Yong , Liu Fang , Liao Xianqing , Rao Ben , Qiu Yimin , Chen Wei , Wang Kaimei , Yang Ziwen , Zhou Ronghua , Gong Yan , Liu Xiaoyan
Published: August 2022

In recent years, spider mites have caused considerable economic losses to global agriculture. However, currently available management strategies are limited because of the rapid development of resistance. In this study, Bacillus vallismortis NBIF-001 was isolated and evaluated for its acaricidal activity. NBIF-001 exhibited a significant lethal effect on spider mites within 48 h. The median lethal concentration (LC50) of the culture powders (3.2 × 1010 CFU/g) was 50.2 µg/mL for Tetranychus urticae (red form), 18.0 µg/mL for T. urticae (green form), and 15.7 µg/mL for Panonychus citri (McGregor). Cultivation optimisation experiments showed that when the number of spores increased, fermentation toxicity also increased. Moreover, field experiments demonstrated that NBIF-001 performed well in the biocontrol of P. citri, which showed a similar corrected field efficacy with the chemical control (67.1 ± 7.9% and 71.1 ± 6.4% after 14 days). Genomics analysis showed that NBIF-001 contains 231 factors and seven gene clusters of metabolites that may be involved in its acaricidal activity. Further bioassays of the fermentation supernatants showed that 50× dilution treatments killed 72.5 ± 5.4% of the mites in 48 h, which was similar with those of the broth. Bioassays of the supernatant proteins confirmed that various proteins exhibited acaricidal activity. Five candidate proteins were expressed and purified successfully. The bioassays showed that the small protein BVP8 exhibited significant acaricidal activity with an LC50 of 12.4 μg/mL (T. urticae). Overall, these findings suggest that B. vallismortis NBIF-001 is a potential biocontrol agent for spider mite management.
The Biological Significance of Pyruvate Sensing and Uptake in Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium
Authors: Paulini Stephanie , Fabiani Florian D. , Weiss Anna S. , Moldoveanu Ana Laura , Helaine Sophie , Stecher Bärbel , Jung Kirsten
Published: August 2022

Pyruvate (CH3COCOOH) is the simplest of the alpha-keto acids and is at the interface of several metabolic pathways both in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. In an amino acid-rich environment, fast-growing bacteria excrete pyruvate instead of completely metabolizing it. The role of pyruvate uptake in pathological conditions is still unclear. In this study, we identified two pyruvate-specific transporters, BtsT and CstA, in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium). Expression of btsT is induced by the histidine kinase/response regulator system BtsS/BtsR upon sensing extracellular pyruvate, whereas expression of cstA is maximal in the stationary phase. Both pyruvate transporters were found to be important for the uptake of this compound, but also for chemotaxis to pyruvate, survival under oxidative and nitrosative stress, and persistence of S. Typhimurium in response to gentamicin. Compared with the wild-type cells, the ΔbtsTΔcstA mutant has disadvantages in antibiotic persistence in macrophages, as well as in colonization and systemic infection in gnotobiotic mice. These data demonstrate the surprising complexity of the two pyruvate uptake systems in S. Typhimurium.
Investigation of Dealumination in Phosphate-Based Geopolymer Formation Process: Factor Screening and Optimization
Authors: Zribi Marwa , Samet Basma , Baklouti Samir
Published: August 2022

In this study, phosphate-based geopolymers obtained from two aluminosilicate precursors with different mineralogical compositions were investigated. The used experimental methods were X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, atomic absorption measurements and experimental designs. Nine factors influencing the dealumination process during geopolymer formation were screened based on a Plackett–Burman design. The results show that the control factors are the P/Al molar ratio, curing temperature and curing time. These significant parameters were selected for further optimization using a central composite design. It was found that regardless of the used P/Al molar ratio, curing temperature and curing time increases generate an increase in the response. However, the P/Al molar ratio variation strongly affects Al removal only at low curing temperatures (between 22 and 50 °C) and with short curing times (between 0.2 and 3 h). The curing time parameter is the most significant factor. In addition, the same percentage of liberated Al can be achieved either by increasing the curing temperature in the earliest steps of geopolymer formation or by prolonging the curing time, even at low curing temperatures. Finally, the optimal conditions allowing maximum aluminum release are P/Al molar ratio = 2.0, curing temperature ≈ 70 °C and curing time = 4.76 h.
Low-Temperature Hydrothermal Synthesis of Chromian Spinel from Fe-Cr Hydroxides Using a Flow-Through Reactor
Authors: Ohtomo Yoko , Yang Jeehyun , Nishikata Miu , Kawamoto Daisuke , Kimura Yuki , Otake Tsubasa , Sato Tsutomu
Published: August 2022

Recent studies have suggested that a chromian spinel can be formed under natural hydrothermal conditions; however, the required conditions, process, and associated redistribution of Cr are still poorly understood. Here, chromian spinel formation was performed by Fe-Cr hydroxides alteration with an Fe2+(aq) supply at 150, 170, and 200 °C and 5 MPa simulating the diagenetic process. The flow-through system enabled the Fe2+(aq) supply to be leached from the magnetite by an acidic solution to synthesize Fe-Cr hydroxides as the starting material with two reaction cells, flow lines, heaters, and a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) pump. The accuracy of the temperature measurement was confirmed based on the amorphous silica solubility. Mineralogical analysis of solid samples recovered from the reaction cell indicated that the chromian spinel was formed between 150 and 170 °C from Fe-Cr hydroxides through goethite with a simultaneous hematite formation, while Mössbauer spectra showed that a large quantity of Fe-Cr ferrihydrites still remained after the experiments probably because of the Cr addition to the stability of ferrihydrites. The Cr/Fe ratio of the chromian spinel was smaller than that of the bulk of the Fe-Cr ferrihydrites and equivalent to Cr-rich magnetite, suggesting a redistribution of Cr during the transformation from goethite to synthesized spinel under the hydrothermal conditions.
Crystal Structure of Human CD47 in Complex with Engineered SIRPα.D1(N80A)
Authors: Yu Jifeng , Li Song , Chen Dianze , Liu Dandan , Guo Huiqin , Yang Chunmei , Zhang Wei , Zhang Li , Zhao Gui , Tu Xiaoping , Peng Liang , Liu Sijin , Bai Xing , Song Yongping , Jiang Zhongxing , Zhang Ruliang , Tian Wenzhi
Published: August 2022

Background: Targeting the CD47/SIRPα signaling pathway represents a novel approach to enhance anti-tumor immunity. However, the crystal structure of the CD47/SIRPα has not been fully studied. This study aims to analyze the structure interface of the complex of CD47 and IMM01, a novel recombinant SIRPα-Fc fusion protein. Methods: IMM01-Fab/CD47 complex was crystalized, and diffraction images were collected. The complex structure was determined by molecular replacement using the program PHASER with the CD47-SIRPαv2 structure (PDB code 2JJT) as a search model. The model was manually built using the COOT program and refined using TLS parameters in REFMAC from the CCP4 program suite. Results: Crystallization and structure determination analysis of the interface of IMM01/CD47 structure demonstrated CD47 surface buried by IMM01. Comparison with the literature structure (PDB ID 2JJT) showed that the interactions of IMM01/CD47 structure are the same. All the hydrogen bonds that appear in the literature structure are also present in the IMM01/CD47 structure. These common hydrogen bonds are stable under different crystal packing styles, suggesting that these hydrogen bonds are important for protein binding. In the structure of human CD47 in complex with human SIRPα, except SER66, the amino acids that form hydrogen bonds are all conserved. Furthermore, comparing with the structure of PDB ID 2JJT, the salt bridge interaction from IMM01/CD47 structure are very similar, except the salt bridge bond between LYS53 in IMM01 and GLU106 in CD47, which only occurs between the B and D chains. However, as the side chain conformation of LYS53 in chain A is slightly different, the salt bridge bond is absent between the A and C chains. At this site between chain A and chain C, there are a salt bridge bond between LYS53 (A) and GLU104 (C) and a salt bridge bond between HIS56 (A) and GLU106 (C) instead. According to the sequence alignment results of SIRPα, SIRPβ and SIRPγ in the literature of PDB ID 2JJT, except ASP100, the amino acids that form common salt bridge bonds are all conserved. Conclusion: Our data demonstrated crystal structure of the IMM01/CD47 complex and provides a structural basis for the structural binding interface and future clinical applications.