bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Design and Experimental Assessment of a Vibration Control System Driven by Low Inertia Hydrostatic Magnetorheological Actuators for Heavy Equipment
Authors: Mallette Gabrielle , Gauthier Charles-Étienne , Hemmatian Masoud , Denis Jeff , Plante Jean-Sébastien
Published: October 2023

Active suspension systems for automotive vehicles were developed in the past using hydrostatic, electric, magnetic and magnetorheological (MR) technologies to control road vibrations and vehicle dynamics and thus improve ride comfort and vehicle performance. However, no such systems were developed for heavy equipment, trucks and off-highway vehicles. For instance, agricultural tractors are still equipped with minimal suspension systems causing discomfort and health problems to drivers. The high suspension loads due to the massive weight of these vehicles are a challenge since high forces are needed to achieve efficient active suspension control. This paper presents an experimentally validated feasibility study of a hydrostatic, MR clutch-driven system of actuators. The scope of this paper is to evaluate the preliminary performance of the actuator for future vibration control. The hydraulic system allows the actuators to be remotely located from the wheels or cabin of the heavy vehicle and conveniently placed on the vehicle’s suspended frame. The design includes two MR clutches driven in an antagonistic configuration to push and pull on the end effector. Experiments on a laboratory prototype show that the low-inertia characteristics of the clutches allow a high blocked-output force bandwidth of 20 Hz with peak output forces exceeding 15 kN.
A Lunar-Orbiting Satellite Constellation for Wireless Energy Supply
Authors: Lopez Francesco , Mauro Anna , Mauro Stefano , Monteleone Giuseppe , Sfasciamuro Domenico Edoardo , Villa Andrea
Published: October 2023

The goal of this research is to define a lunar-orbiting system that provides power to the lunar surface through wireless power transmission. To meet the power demand of a lunar base, a constellation of satellites placed in stable orbits is used. Each satellite of this constellation consists of solar arrays and batteries that supply a power transmission system. This system is composed of a laser that transmits power to receivers on the lunar surface. The receivers are photonic power converters, photovoltaic cells optimized for the laser’s monochromatic light. The outputs of this work will cover the architecture of the system by studying different orbits, specifically analyzing some subsystems such as the laser, the battery pack and the receiver placed on the lunar ground. The study is conducted considering two different energy demands and thus two different receivers location: first, at the strategic location of the Artemis missions’ landing site, the Shackleton Crater near the lunar south pole; second, on the lunar equator, in anticipation of future and new explorations. The goal is to evaluate the possible configurations to satisfy the power required for a lunar base, estimated at approximately 100 kW. To do this, several cases were analyzed: three different orbits, one polar, one frozen and one equatorial (Earth–Moon distant retrograde orbit) with different numbers of satellites and different angles of the receiver’s cone of transmission. The main objective of this paper is to perform a comprehensive feasibility study of the aforementioned system, with specific emphasis placed on selected subsystems. While thermal control, laser targeting, and attitude control subsystems are briefly introduced and discussed, further investigation is required to delve deeper into these areas and gain a more comprehensive understanding of their implementation and performance within the system.
Learning to Predict 3D Rotational Dynamics from Images of a Rigid Body with Unknown Mass Distribution
Authors: Mason Justice J. , Allen-Blanchette Christine , Zolman Nicholas , Davison Elizabeth , Leonard Naomi Ehrich
Published: October 2023

In many real-world settings, image observations of freely rotating 3D rigid bodies may be available when low-dimensional measurements are not. However, the high-dimensionality of image data precludes the use of classical estimation techniques to learn the dynamics. The usefulness of standard deep learning methods is also limited, because an image of a rigid body reveals nothing about the distribution of mass inside the body, which, together with initial angular velocity, is what determines how the body will rotate. We present a physics-based neural network model to estimate and predict 3D rotational dynamics from image sequences. We achieve this using a multi-stage prediction pipeline that maps individual images to a latent representation homeomorphic to SO(3), computes angular velocities from latent pairs, and predicts future latent states using the Hamiltonian equations of motion. We demonstrate the efficacy of our approach on new rotating rigid-body datasets of sequences of synthetic images of rotating objects, including cubes, prisms and satellites, with unknown uniform and non-uniform mass distributions. Our model outperforms competing baselines on our datasets, producing better qualitative predictions and reducing the error observed for the state-of-the-art Hamiltonian Generative Network by a factor of 2.
Design and Experimental Analysis of Straw Suction Unit on Straw Cover Weight Detection Machine
Authors: Li Rongrong , Li Hongwen , Lu Caiyun , Wang Chao , Wu Zhengyang , Tong Zhenwei , Liu Di , Jiang Shan
Published: October 2023

In response to the issues of high cost, limited detection accuracy, and significant measurement errors inherent in conventional manual techniques used to measure straw cover weight under the conservation tillage method, a dedicated straw cover weight detection machine was developed in the current study. This machine included a critical straw suction device that utilizes negative pressure to collect straw within a defined area. The efficiency of straw collection is affected by suction chamber structural parameters and transport pressure. With crushed corn straw as the research subject, the theoretical calculation of straw suspension velocity was used to determine the wind duct diameter, perform the initial design of the suction chamber structure, and select the appropriate fan. After conducting preliminary experiments, single-factor optimization tests, and orthogonal rotation experiments, we analyzed the flow field distribution patterns and identified the critical parameters for the straw cover weight suction unit. We found that the fan should operate at a speed of 2900 r/min, the diameter of the straw outlet should be 200 mm, the vertical height of the suction chamber should be 536 mm, and the bottom diameter of the suction chamber should be 800 mm. The optimization results were validated through simulation tests and bench tests, yielding an average near-ground airflow velocity of vj = 9.03 m/s and an average outlet airflow velocity of vo = 34.27 m/s, meeting the basic requirements of the suction unit. This study could provide a new approach and technical support for the automated detection of straw cover weight in conservation tillage areas.
Cropping System Stability Drives SOC Sequestration and Increases Saturation Deficit in Hot Arid Durum Wheat Cropping Systems
Authors: Sarno Mauro , Gristina Luciano , Marceddu Roberto , Carrubba Alessandra
Published: October 2023

Stability analysis has been extensively employed in evaluating the genotype x environment interaction, but it can also be conveniently applied to cropping systems. This study applied stability analysis to a long-term experiment (1998–2016) conducted in an experimental farm in southern Italy. The experiment involved two standard semi-arid cropping systems (WW—durum wheat monocropping and WP—durum wheat–field pea rotation), with two nitrogen fertilization levels (60 kg ha−1—N60 and 120 kg ha−1—N120), along with an unfertilized control (N0). Soil organic carbon (SOC) was estimated in all treatments at the end of the experiment to investigate the potential for SOC sequestration and soil C saturation by analyzing the stability of all investigated cropping conditions in relation to SOC sequestration. The study also investigated the relationship between C input and SOC sequestration. SOC sequestration per year was higher in WW than in WP, confirming that including legumes in the rotation did not enhance the SOC content. Similarly, the positive impact of nitrogen application on biomass yield did not affect SOC accumulation. The stability analysis revealed that over the long term, WW exhibited greater stability than WP, suggesting that, in semi-arid environments, a more stable cropping system can enhance soil carbon sequestration, with nitrogen fertilization exerting a scarce influence. Segmented regression analysis identified two distinct patterns of SOC accumulation based on C input, separated by a definite threshold of C input (breakpoint) quantified at 14.7 Mg ha−1. It was found that the steady-state C level, achieved after the accumulation of this C input, was reached much faster in WW than in WP, in which it could only be inferred at 23 years. In conclusion, this study underscores the role of cropping system stability in driving SOC sequestration. Furthermore, it emphasizes the potential of stability analysis in assisting stakeholders in refining their strategies for different cropping conditions in dry and rainy environments.
Protective Role of Mycosynthesized Bimetallic ZnO-CuO Nanoparticles as Therapeutic Nutrients to Enhance the Resistance of Vicia faba against Fusarium Wilt Disease
Authors: Attia Mohamed S. , El-Sayyad Gharieb S. , Abdelaziz Amer M. , Gaber Sherif E. , Khalil Ahmed Mohamed Aly , Saleh Ahmed Mahmoud , Al zoubi Omar Mahmoud , Hashem Amr H.
Published: October 2023

The exacerbation of climatic changes helped to increase the risk of plant diseases in the world. The novelty of this study lies in the manufacture of therapeutic nutrients using nanotechnology with strong effectiveness against plant disease. Based on this concept, we mycosynthesized bimetallic ZnO-CuO nanoparticles (NPs), alternatives to reduce the spread of Vicia faba Fusarium wilt disease, which is one of the world’s most imperative cultivated crops. The article’s uniqueness comes in the utilization of ZnO-CuO nanoparticles to carry out two crucial tasks: therapeutic nutrients and managing Fusarium disease. To evaluate the resistance of infected plants, disease index (DI), photosynthetic pigments, osmolytes, oxidative stress and yield parameters were assessed. NPs of ZnO, CuO, and ZnO-CuO were mycosynthesized using a biomass filtrate of Aspergillus fumigatus OQ519856. DI reached 87.5%, due to Fusarium infection, and, as a result, a severe decrease in growth characters, photosynthetic pigments, total soluble carbohydrates, and proteins as well as yield parameters was observed. Infected plants produced more of the studied metabolites and antioxidants. On the other hand, the treatment with CuO-ZnO NPs led to a great decline in the DI by 22.5% and increased the protection by 74.28%. A clear improvement in growth characters, photosynthetic pigments and a high content of carbohydrates and proteins was also observed in both healthy and infected plants as a result of CuO-ZnO NPs treatment. Remarkably, CuO-ZnO NPs significantly increased the yield parameters, i.e., pods/plant and pod weight, by 146.1% and 228.8%, respectively. It could be suggested that foliar application of NPs of ZnO, CuO, and ZnO-CuO could be commercially used as antifusarial agents and strong elicitors of induced systemic resistance.
The Soils of Natural (In Situ) Coenopopulations of Taraxacum kok-saghyz L.E. Rodin in Kazakhstan
Authors: Uteulin Kairat , Suleimenov Beibut , Pachikin Konstantin
Published: October 2023

This article studies the morphological and physicochemical properties of soils in the natural habitat of dandelion kok-saghyz (Taraxacum kok-saghyz L.E. Rodin) (TKS)—a source of high-quality rubber. The purpose of the work is to study the natural soil habitat of dandelion TKS in comparison with the nearby area where TKS is absent. The methods of soil research are comparative, geographical, morphological, and analytical. Soil sections were laid down and georeferenced, and relief, vegetation, and morphological structures of soil profiles by genetic horizons were described. A database of the physical and chemical properties of soils by horizon was created. Landscapes and soil conditions of in situ populations have been studied in the Kegen District of the Almaty region in the territory of the Kegen River floodplain, in the areas of the Jalauly and Kegen villages, and in the zone of groundwater inclination north of Saryzhas village. The natural soil habitat of TKS was studied. It was found that TKS grows in conditions of moisture floodplains of intermountain valleys on saline floodplain meadowy soils of a sulfate–sodium composition with a high content of total humus and nutrient elements in an alkaline environment.
BIChromET: A Chromogenic Culture Medium for Detection of Piperacillin/Tazobactam and Cefepime Resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Ortiz de la Rosa José Manuel , Rodríguez-Villodres Ángel , Martín-Gutiérrez Guillermo , Cintora Mairal Carmen , García Escobar José Luis , Gálvez-Benítez Lydia , Cisneros José Miguel , Lepe José Antonio
Published: October 2023

Objectives: The BIChromET selective medium for detecting piperacillin-tazobactam (TZP) and cefepime (FEP) resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa was developed. Methods: The performance of this medium was first evaluated using a collection of 100 P. aeruginosa clinical strains (70 TZP-susceptible, 30 TZP-resistant, 58 FEP-susceptible, and 42 FEP-resistant). Then, we performed clinical validation by testing 173 respiratory clinical samples. Results: The BIChromET medium showed excellent sensitivity (TZP (avg. 96.7%); FEP (avg. 92.7%)) and specificity (TZP (avg. 98.9%); FEP (avg. 98%)) in distinguishing the detection limit ranging from 104 to 108 CFU/mL. Then, testing the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and tracheobronchial aspirate (TBA) clinical specimens (N = 173) revealed the excellent performance of the medium with P. aeruginosa, showing 100% and 92.6% of categorical agreements with the results obtained via the broth microdilution methods (BMD) for TZP and FEP, respectively. Conclusion: This medium allows for easy and accurate detection of TZP/FEP-resistant isolates regardless of their resistance mechanisms.
Special Issue on Technological Advances in Seismic Data Processing and Imaging
Authors: Liu Guofeng
Published: October 2023

Seismic exploration is a geophysical method with deeper exploration capabilities and higher resolution than potential geophysical methods [...]
An Artificial Intelligence-Based Model for Knowledge Evaluation and Integration in Public Organizations
Authors: García-González María S. , Paniagua-Arís Enrique , Martínez-Béjar Rodrigo , López-Caballero Juan A. , Gasparetto Alessandro
Published: October 2023

In the construction of knowledge bases, it is very important to evaluate the quality of the knowledge entered into them. This is exacerbated in public administrations, where knowledge should be oriented towards public services. In this study, an artificial intelligence-based method for the evaluation of knowledge is described. This method takes advantage of the structure and contents of the knowledge representation schemas (representing the knowledge of the corresponding experts) to carry out knowledge evaluation. More precisely, the method allows the various comparisons between the schemas to be integrated and the overall schema to evaluate the contribution of each schema.
A Prediction-to-Prediction Remote Sensing Image Super-Resolution Network under a Multi-Level Supervision Paradigm
Authors: Guo Jian , Li Mingkai , Zhao Qingjie , Xu Qizhi
Published: October 2023

Super-resolution enhances the spatial resolution of remote sensing images, yielding clearer data for diverse satellite applications. However, existing methods often lose true detail and produce pseudo-detail in reconstructed images due to an insufficient number of ground truth images for supervision. To address this issue, a prediction-to-prediction super-resolution (P2P-SR) network under a multi-level supervision paradigm was proposed. First, a multi-level supervision network structure was proposed to increase the number of supervisions by introducing more ground truth images, which made the network always predict the next level based on the super-resolution reconstruction results of the previous level. Second, a super-resolution component combining a convolutional neural network and Transformer was designed with a flexible super-resolution scale factor to facilitate the construction of multi-level supervision networks. Finally, a method of dividing the super-resolution overall scale factor was proposed, enabling an investigation into the impact of diverse numbers of components and different scale factors of components on the performance of the multi-level supervision network. Additionally, a new remote sensing dataset containing worldwide scenes was also constructed for the super-resolution task in this paper. The experiment results on three datasets demonstrated that our P2P-SR network outperformed the state-of-the-art (SOTA) methods.
Find You: Multi-View-Based Location Inference for Twitter Users
Authors: Wu Huixin , Li Jiahui , Li Shuqing , Li Hanbing , Ma Jiangtao , Qiao Yaqiong
Published: October 2023

Location information on Twitter plays a critical role in emergency detection, event recommendation, and disaster warning. However, only a limited amount of Twitter data are geotagged. Previous research has presented various models for inferring location based on text, social relations, and contextual data, yielding highly promising results. Nonetheless, these existing methods have certain limitations that need to be addressed. Firstly, most of the existing methods overlook the role of local celebrities (well-known users in the local community) as indicators of location within the social network. Secondly, they fail to consider the associations between words in tweets, resulting in insufficiently rich features extracted from the tweets. We propose a multi-view-based location inference model called MVGeo to overcome these limitations. In the network view, our approach employs the Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) to identify and retain local celebrities, thereby strengthening user location associations. In the tweet view, we construct a heterogeneous graph based on the co-occurrence relationship between words in tweets and the user’s mentioned relationship with the words. This allows us to fully leverage the local correlation between words and the global correlation to extract tweet features more comprehensively. Finally, we employ a modified multi-layer graph convolutional network, called Gate-GCN, to fuse the network and tweet information. This expansion of the feature space enables us to extract sample features from multiple perspectives. To demonstrate the effectiveness of MVGeo, we conduct exhaustive experimental evaluations on a publicly available dataset and compare its performance against several state-of-the-art benchmark models. The results confirm the superior performance of the proposed model.
Competition between Two Species of the Genus Sitophilus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) on Wheat and Barley
Authors: Sakka Maria K. , Terzis George , Athanassiou Christos G.
Published: October 2023

Species can coexist and infest stored products at different population densities. We evaluated the population growth of Sitophilus oryzae (L.) and Sitophilus granarius (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) on wheat and barley in laboratory conditions. Ten adults of each species were placed in vials containing wheat or barley alone or in combination, and the number of adults was counted after 65 and 120 days. These tests were performed at 25 and 30 °C. Moreover, the number of damaged grain kernels and the weight of frass produced were also recorded. In general, the simultaneous presence of both species had a negative effect on the population growth of either S. oryzae or S. granarius. Nevertheless, no significant differences were noted regarding the number of damaged kernels and the weight of frass in most of the combinations tested. Moreover, the temperature seems to have a negative effect if both species were combined, especially at 30 °C. Our results showed that there was competition in the progeny production capacity when both species were together, but this competition was temperature and commodity-mediated.
PMG—Pyramidal Multi-Granular Matching for Text-Based Person Re-Identification
Authors: Liu Chao , Xue Jingyi , Wang Zijie , Zhu Aichun
Published: October 2023

Given a textual query, text-based person re-identification is supposed to search for the targeted pedestrian images from a large-scale visual database. Due to the inherent heterogeneity between different modalities, it is challenging to measure the cross-modal affinity between visual and textual data. Existing works typically employ single-granular methods to extract local features and align image regions with relevant words/phrases. Nevertheless, the limited robustness of single-granular methods cannot adapt to the imprecision and variances of visual and textual features, which are usually influenced by the background clutter, position transformation, posture diversity, and occlusion in surveillance videos, thereby leading to the deterioration of cross-modal matching accuracy. In this paper, we propose a Pyramidal Multi-Granular matching network (PMG) that incorporates a gradual transition process between the coarsest global information and the finest local information by a coarse-to-fine pyramidal method for multi-granular cross-modal features extraction and affinities learning. For each body part of a pedestrian, PMG is adequate in ensuring the integrity of local information while minimizing the surrounding interference signals at a certain scale and can adapt to capture discriminative signals of different body parts and achieve semantically alignment between image strips with relevant textual descriptions, thus suppressing the variances of feature extraction and improving the robustness of feature matching. Comprehensive experiments are conducted on the CUHK-PEDES and RSTPReid datasets to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method and results show that PMG outperforms state-of-the-art (SOTA) methods significantly and yields competitive accuracy of cross-modal retrieval.
Numerical and Analytical Determination of Rockburst Characteristics: Case Study from Polish Deep Copper Mine
Authors: Pytel Witold , Fuławka Krzysztof , Pałac-Walko Bogumiła , Mertuszka Piotr
Published: October 2023

A simplified analytical method useful for ductile ground support design in underground mine workings is presented. This approach allows for maintaining the stability of sidewalls in rectangular openings extracted in competent and homogeneous rocks, especially in high-pressure conditions, favoring rockburst event occurrence. The proposed design procedure involves the typical assumptions governing the limit equilibrium method (LEM) with respect to a triangular rock block expelled from a sidewall of a long mine excavation subjected to normal stresses of the values determined based on the Maugis’s analytical solution concerned with stress distribution around the elliptical opening extracted within the homogeneous infinite elastic space. This stage of the local assessment of rock susceptibility to ejection from the walls of the excavation allowed for determining the geometry of the block whose ejection is most likely in a given geological and mining situation. Having extensive information about the geometry of the excavations and the properties of the surrounding rocks, it was possible to make an exemplary map of the risk from rockburst hazard, developed as the 2D contours of safety indexes’ values, for special-purpose excavations such as heavy machinery chambers, main excavations, etc. in conditions of selected mining panel of the deep copper mine at Legnica-Głogów Copper Basin, Poland. Another important element of the obtained results is the calculated values of the horizontal forces potentially pushing out the predetermined rock blocks. These forces are the surplus over the potential of frictional resistance and cohesion on the surfaces of previously identified discontinuities or on new cracks appearing as a result of overloading of the sidewalls. Finally, the presented algorithm allows us to perform quantitative tracking of rockburst phenomena as a function of time by determination of acceleration, velocity, and displacement of expelled rocks. Such information may be useful at the stage of designing the support for underground workings.
A Comprehensive Review on Music Transcription
Authors: Bhattarai Bhuwan , Lee Joonwhoan
Published: October 2023

Music transcription is the process of transforming recorded sound of musical performances into symbolic representations such as sheet music or MIDI files. Extensive research and development have been carried out in the field of music transcription and technology. This comprehensive review paper surveys the diverse methodologies, techniques, and advancements that have shaped the landscape of music transcription. The paper outlines the significance of music transcription in preserving, analyzing, and disseminating musical compositions across various genres and cultures. It also provides a historical perspective by tracing the evolution of music transcription from traditional manual methods to modern automated approaches. It also highlights the challenges in transcription posed by complex singing techniques, variations in instrumentation, ambiguity in pitch, tempo changes, rhythm, and dynamics. The review also categorizes four different types of transcription techniques, frame-level, note-level, stream-level, and notation-level, discussing their strengths and limitations. It also encompasses the various research domains of music transcription from general melody extraction to vocal melody, note-level monophonic to polyphonic vocal transcription, single-instrument to multi-instrument transcription, and multi-pitch estimation. The survey further covers a broad spectrum of music transcription applications in music production and creation. It also reviews state-of-the-art open-source as well as commercial music transcription tools for pitch estimation, onset and offset detection, general melody detection, and vocal melody detection. In addition, it also encompasses the currently available python libraries that can be used for music transcription. Furthermore, the review highlights the various open-source benchmark datasets for different areas of music transcription. It also provides a wide range of references supporting the historical context, theoretical frameworks, and foundational concepts to help readers understand the background of music transcription and the context of our paper.
Proof-of-Principle of Absolute Dosimetry Using an Absorbed Dose Portable Calorimeter with Laser-Driven Proton Beams
Authors: McCallum Sean , Lee Nigel , Milluzzo Giuliana , McIlvenny Aodhan , Borghesi Marco , Subiel Anna , Romano Francesco
Published: October 2023

Charged particle beams driven to ultra-high dose rates (UHDRs) have been shown to offer potential benefits for future clinical applications, particularly in the reduction of normal-tissue toxicity. Studies of the so-called FLASH effect have shown promise, generating huge interest in high dose rate radiation studies. With laser-driven proton beams, where the duration of the proton burst delivered to a sample can be as short as hundreds of picoseconds, the instantaneous dose rates are several orders of magnitude higher than those used for conventional radiotherapy. The dosimetry of these beam modalities is not trivial, with conventional active detectors, such as ionisation chambers, experiencing saturation effects making them unusable at the extremely high dose rates. Calorimeters, measuring the radiation-induced temperature rise in an absorber, offer an ideal candidate for the dosimetry of UHDR beams. However, their application in the measurement of laser-driven UHDR beams has so far not been trialled, and their effective suitability to work with the quasi-instantaneous and inhomogeneous dose deposition patterns and the harsh environment of a laser-plasma experiment has not been tested. The measurement of the absorbed dose of laser-driven proton beams was conducted in a first-of-its-kind investigation, employing the VULCAN-PW laser system of the Central Laser Facility (CLF) at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL), using a small-body portable graphite calorimeter (SPGC) developed at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and radiochromic films. A small number of shots were recorded, with the corresponding absorbed dose measurements resulting from the induced temperature rise. The effect of the electromagnetic pulse (EMP) generated during laser–target interaction was assessed on the system, showing no significant effects on the derived signal-to-noise ratio. These proof-of-principle tests highlight the ability of calorimetry techniques to measure the absorbed dose for laser-driven proton beams.
Stable Isotopes Unveil Dietary Trends in the Samnite and Peligni Communities of Opi Val Fondillo and Sulmona S. Lucia (V–VI Centuries BCE, Abruzzo, Central Italy)
Authors: Icaro Iuri , Alemán Inmaculada , Viciano Joan
Published: October 2023

The purpose of this study is to gain insights into the subsistence activities and nutrition of the Samnite and Peligni populations who lived in the Abruzzo region (Italy) during the Iron Age. The samples under investigation are from Opi Val Fondillo (AQ) and Sulmona S. Lucia (AQ), dating between the Vth and VIth centuries BCE. Carbon and nitrogen isotopes were utilized to characterize the diet of the inhabitants in this region. The study involved analyzing carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in 84 available samples and comparing them with isotopic values from animals found in the nearby sites of Loreto Aprutino, Gabii, and La Sassa’s Cave. The results of this study revealed statistically significant differences between sexes in δ15N values. Additionally, significant statistical variations were observed when comparing different populations.
Genista tridentata Phytochemical Characterization and Biological Activities: A Systematic Review
Authors: Laranjeira Inês Martins , Dias Alberto Carlos Pires , Pinto-Ribeiro Filipa Lacerda
Published: October 2023

Genista tridentata (L.) Willk., known as “prickled broom”, is a Leguminosae (Fabaceae) species native to the Iberian Peninsula, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. It is used in folk medicine as an anti-inflammatory, for gastrointestinal and respiratory disorders, rheumatism, and headaches, to lower blood pressure, against hypercholesterolemia and hyperglycemia. This study aimed to systematically review the literature on the bioactivities and phytochemical profile of Genista tridentata to understand its pharmacological potential. For this, four electronic databases (PubMed, GoogleScholar, Repositórios Cientificos de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (RCCAP), and ScienceDirect) were searched from inception up to 31 December 2022. From a total of 264 potentially eligible studies considered for screening, 34 papers were considered eligible for this systematic review. The sampling included 71 extracts, collected mainly in Portugal. Genista tridentata extracts present a high level of flavonoids and phenolic compounds. The flowers and aerial parts of the plant were the most studied, and aqueous extracts were the most used. The results predict a high potential for the application of Genista tridentata as a new source of natural antioxidants and preservatives for the food industry with subsequent health benefits, such as the production of nutraceuticals. Moreover, the results indicate that the plant can be collected at all seasons of the year, which represents a benefit for the industry.
Efficacy and Safety of Platelet-Rich Plasma Injections for the Treatment of Female Sexual Dysfunction and Stress Urinary Incontinence: A Systematic Review
Authors: Dankova Irina , Pyrgidis Nikolaos , Tishukov Maksim , Georgiadou Efstratia , Nigdelis Meletios P. , Solomayer Erich-Franz , Marcon Julian , Stief Christian G. , Hatzichristou Dimitrios
Published: October 2023

Introduction: There is no clear evidence in the literature that platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections improve female sexual dysfunction (FSD) and female stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Objectives: A systematic review was performed to study the efficacy and safety of PRP injections in women with the above pathologies, as well as to explore the optimal dosing, frequency and area of injections, and duration of treatment. Methods: A systematic search on PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library database was performed, as well as sources of grey literature from the date of database or source creation to January 2023. After title/abstract and full-text screening, clinical studies on humans evaluating the efficacy of PRP in gynecological disorders using standardized tools were included. Risk of bias was undertaken with RoB-2 for randomized-controlled trials (RCT) and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) for observational studies. Results: Four prospective and one retrospective study explored FSD, while six prospective and one RCT evaluated female SUI. A total of 327 women with a mean age of 51 ± 12 years were included. For FSD, PRP significantly improved the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), the Vaginal Health Index (VHI) and the Female Sexual Distress score (FSDS). For SUI, PRP led to a significant improvement in the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire—Short Form (ICIQ-SF) and the Urogenital Distress Inventory (UDI-6). The identified RCT reported a significantly higher mean score of ICIQ-SF (p < 0.05) and UDI-6 (p < 0.01) in the midurethral sling group compared to the PRP injections group. Regarding the risk of bias, the RCT was characterized by high risk, whereas the observational studies were of moderate risk. The protocol for PRP injections for FSD is the injection of 2 mL of PRP into the distal anterior vaginal wall once a month for 3 months. For female SUI, 5–6 mL of PRP should be injected into the periurethral area once a month for 3 months. Conclusions: Despite the promising initial results of PRP injections, the level of current evidence is low due to methodological issues in the available studies. It becomes clear that there is an emerging need for high-quality research examining PRP injections for the treatment of FSD and female SUI.
Circulating Total Extracellular Vesicles Cargo Are Associated with Age-Related Oxidative Stress and Susceptibility to Cardiovascular Diseases: Exploratory Results from Microarray Data
Authors: Cechinel Laura Reck , Batabyal Rachael Ann , Blume Corssac Giana , Goldberg Madeleine , Harmon Brennan , Vallejos Virgínia Mendes Russo , Bruch Gisele E. , Massensini André Ricardo , Belló-Klein Adriane , Araujo Alex Sander da Rosa , Freishtat Robert J. , Siqueira Ionara Rodrigues
Published: October 2023

Aging is a risk factor for many non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Extracellular vesicles and particles (EVP) carry microRNAs that may play a role in age-related diseases and may induce oxidative stress. We hypothesized that aging could impact EVP miRNA and impair redox homeostasis, contributing to chronic age-related diseases. Our aims were to investigate the microRNA profiles of circulating total EVPs from aged and young adult animals and to evaluate the pro- and antioxidant machinery in circulating total EVPs. Plasma from 3- and 21-month-old male Wistar rats were collected, and total EVPs were isolated. MicroRNA isolation and microarray expression analysis were performed on EVPs to determine the predicted regulation of targeted mRNAs. Thirty-one mature microRNAs in circulating EVPs were impacted by age and were predicted to target molecules in canonical pathways directly related to cardiovascular diseases and oxidative status. Circulating total EVPs from aged rats had significantly higher NADPH oxidase levels and myeloperoxidase activity, whereas catalase activity was significantly reduced in EVPs from aged animals. Our data shows that circulating total EVP cargo—specifically microRNAs and oxidative enzymes—are involved in redox imbalance in the aging process and can potentially drive cardiovascular aging and, consequently, cardiac disease.
Oxidative Stress in Health and Disease
Authors: Reddy V. Prakash
Published: October 2023

Oxidative stress, resulting from the excessive intracellular accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), reactive nitrogen species (RNS), and other free radical species, contributes to the onset and progression of various diseases, including diabetes, obesity, diabetic nephropathy, diabetic neuropathy, and neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Parkinson’s disease (PD). Oxidative stress is also implicated in cardiovascular disease and cancer. Exacerbated oxidative stress leads to the accelerated formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), a complex mixture of crosslinked proteins and protein modifications. Relatively high levels of AGEs are generated in diabetes, obesity, AD, and other I neurological diseases. AGEs such as Ne-carboxymethyllysine (CML) serve as markers for disease progression. AGEs, through interaction with receptors for advanced glycation end products (RAGE), initiate a cascade of deleterious signaling events to form inflammatory cytokines, and thereby further exacerbate oxidative stress in a vicious cycle. AGE inhibitors, AGE breakers, and RAGE inhibitors are therefore potential therapeutic agents for multiple diseases, including diabetes and AD. The complexity of the AGEs and the lack of well-established mechanisms for AGE formation are largely responsible for the lack of effective therapeutics targeting oxidative stress and AGE-related diseases. This review addresses the role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of AGE-related chronic diseases, including diabetes and neurological disorders, and recent progress in the development of therapeutics based on antioxidants, AGE breakers and RAGE inhibitors. Furthermore, this review outlines therapeutic strategies based on single-atom nanozymes that attenuate oxidative stress through the sequestering of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS).
The Negative Impact of Insulin Resistance/Hyperinsulinemia on Chronic Heart Failure and the Potential Benefits of Its Screening and Treatment
Authors: Fazio Serafino , Mercurio Valentina , Affuso Flora , Bellavite Paolo
Published: October 2023

This opinion article highlights the potential alterations caused by insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia on the cardiovascular system and their negative impact on heart failure (HF), and describes the potential benefits of an early screening with consequent prompt treatment. HF is the final event of several different cardiovascular diseases. Its incidence has been increasing over the last decades because of increased survival from ischemic heart disease thanks to improvements in its treatment (including myocardial revascularization interventions) and the increase in life span. In particular, incidence of HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is significantly increasing, and patients with HFpEF often are also affected by diabetes mellitus and insulin resistance (IR), with a prevalence > 45%. Concentric left ventricular (LV) remodeling and diastolic dysfunction are the main structural abnormalities that characterize HFpEF. It is well documented in the literature that IR with chronic hyperinsulinemia, besides causing type 2 diabetes mellitus, can cause numerous cardiovascular alterations, including endothelial dysfunction and increased wall thicknesses of the left ventricle with concentric remodeling and diastolic dysfunction. Therefore, it is conceivable that IR might play a major role in the pathophysiology and the progressive worsening of HF. To date, several substances have been shown to reduce IR/hyperinsulinemia and have beneficial clinical effects in patients with HF, including SGLT2 inhibitors, metformin, and berberine. For this reason, an early screening of IR could be advisable in subjects at risk and in patients with heart failure, to promptly intervene with appropriate therapy. Future studies aimed at comparing the efficacy of the substances used both alone and in association are needed.
Hydrodynamic and Hemodynamic Interactions in Chronic Hydrocephalus
Authors: Capel Cyrille , Owashi Kimi , Peltier Johann , Balédent Olivier
Published: October 2023

Background: During a cardiac cycle, intracranial pressure is related to arterial entry into the cranium and its interaction with intracranial compliance. The arterial inflow is compensated by intracranial compliance and, initially, the flushing of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) into the cervical subarachnoid spaces. Our objective is to analyze the interactions between intracranial arteriovenous exchange and cerebrospinal fluid oscillations. Method: A total of 23 patients (73 ± 8 years) with suspected chronic hydrocephalus (CH) underwent an infusion test and phase-contrast MRI. Rout is an important factor in the diagnosis of CH. Patients were divided into 2 populations: probableCH (Rout: resistance to CSF outflow) (Rout > 12 mmHg/mL/min, 13 patients) and unlikelyCH (Rout < 12 mmHg/mL/min, 10 patients). We measured the intracranial vascular volume (arteriovenous stroke volume: SVvasc) and CSF (CSF stroke volume at upper cervical level: SVCSF) volume variations during the cardiac cycle. Results: In the whole population, we observed a significant correlation between SVvasc and SVCSF (R2 = 0.43; p = 0.0007). In the population unlikelyCH, this correlation was significant (R2 = 0.76; p = 0.001). In the population probableCH, this correlation was not significant (R2 = 0.17, p = 0.16). Conclusions: These results show that the link between the compliance of the oscillating CSF and the abrupt arterial inflow seems to be altered in CH. CSF oscillations between intracranial and cervical fluid spaces limit the impact of the abrupt arterial inflow.
Comparison of Efficacy and Safety of Anti-Programmed Cell Death-1 Antibody Plus Lenvatinib and Chemotherapy as First-Line Therapy for Patients with Stage IV Gallbladder Cancer: A Real-World Study in a Chinese Population
Authors: Wu Tiantian , Pu Changsheng , Wang Qiang , Zhang Keming
Published: October 2023

Background: The present study aimed to evaluate and compare the efficacy and safety of anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (anti-PD-1) antibody plus lenvatinib (tyrosine kinase inhibitor) therapy and chemotherapy as the first-line treatment to unresectable stage IV gallbladder cancer (GBC). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of patients with stage IV GBC who received chemotherapy or anti-PD-1 antibody combined with lenvatinib therapy at our hospital from March 2018 to October 2022. Patients with previous antitumor treatment were excluded. The overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and adverse events (AEs) were assessed. Results: A total of 64 patients were enrolled, of which 33 patients received chemotherapy (gemcitabine + cisplatin) in the chemotherapy group, and 31 patients received anti-PD-1antibody (camrelizumab) combined with lenvatinib therapy in the combined therapy group. The median OS was 12.00 months in the combined therapy group and 10.00 months in the chemotherapy group (hazard ratio (HR), 0.57; 95% CI: 0.32–1.03; p < 0.05). The median PFS was 9.00 months in the combined therapy group and 6.00 months in the chemotherapy group (HR, 0.46; 95% CI: 0.25–0.84; p < 0.01). The ORR was 54.84% and 39.39% in the combined therapy and chemotherapy groups, respectively, and the difference was not significant (p = 0.22). The DCR was 80.65% and 72.72% in the combined therapy and chemotherapy groups, respectively (p = 0.46). One patient successfully underwent radical surgery after 8 months of combined therapy and achieved a pathological complete response. Furthermore, no patients experienced AEs of hematologic toxic effects in the combined therapy group compared with the chemotherapy group, demonstrating the advantage of the combined therapy. Conclusions: Anti-PD-1 antibody combined with lenvatinib may be a potentially effective and tolerable first-line treatment for unresectable stage IV GBC.
Enrichment of Deleterious Mutated Genes Involved in Ciliary Function and Histone Modification in Brain Cancer Patient-Derived Xenograft Models
Authors: Jeong Hyeongsun , Moon Hyo Eun , Yun Seongmin , Cho Seung Woo , Park Hye Ran , Park Sung-Hye , Myung Kyungjae , Kwon Taejoon , Paek Sun Ha
Published: October 2023

Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models, which can retain the characteristics of original tumors in an in vivo-mimicking environment, have been developed to identify better treatment options. However, although original tumors and xenograft tissues mostly share oncogenic mutations and global gene expression patterns, their detailed mutation profiles occasionally do not overlap, indicating that selection occurs in the xenograft environment. To understand this mutational alteration in xenografts, we established 13 PDX models derived from 11 brain tumor patients and confirmed their histopathological similarity. Surprisingly, only a limited number of somatic mutations were shared between the original tumor and xenograft tissue. By analyzing deleteriously mutated genes in tumors and xenografts, we found that previously reported brain tumor-related genes were enriched in PDX samples, demonstrating that xenografts are a valuable platform for studying brain tumors. Furthermore, mutated genes involved in cilium movement, microtubule depolymerization, and histone methylation were enriched in PDX samples compared with the original tumors. Even with the limitations of the heterogeneity of clinical lesions with a heterotropic model, our study demonstrates that PDX models can provide more information in genetic analysis using samples with high heterogeneity, such as brain tumors.
A Pilot Study Examining the Dielectric Response of Human Forearm Tissues
Authors: Yu Yang , Kalra Anubha Manju , Anand Gautam , Lowe Andrew
Published: October 2023

This work aims to describe the dielectric behaviors of four main tissues in the human forearm using mathematical modelling, including fat, muscle, blood and bone. Multi-frequency bioimpedance analysis (MF-BIA) was initially performed using the finite element method (FEM) with a 3D forearm model to estimate impedance spectra from 10 kHz to 1 MHz, followed by a pilot study involving two healthy subjects to characterize the response of actual forearm tissues from 1 kHz to 349 kHz. Both the simulation and experimental results were fitted to a single-dispersion Cole model (SDCM) and a multi-dispersion Cole model (MDCM) to determine the Cole parameters for each tissue. Cole-type responses of both simulated and actual human forearms were observed. A paired t-test based on the root mean squared error (RMSE) values indicated that both Cole models performed comparably in fitting both simulated and measured bioimpedance data. However, MDCM exhibited higher accuracy, with a correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.99 and 0.89, RMSE of 0.22 Ω and 0.56 Ω, mean difference (mean ± standard deviation) of 0.00 ± 0.23 Ω and −0.28 ± 0.23 Ω, and mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.0007 Ω and 0.2789 Ω for the real part and imaginary part of impedance, respectively. Determining the electrical response of multi-tissues can be helpful in developing physiological monitoring of an organ or a section of the human body through MF-BIA and hemodynamic monitoring by filtering out the impedance contributions from the surrounding tissues to blood-flow-induced impedance variations.