bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The San Giovanni Baptistery in Florence (Italy): Assessment of the State of Conservation of Surfaces and Characterization of Stone Materials
Authors: Calandra Sara , Cantisani Emma , Vettori Silvia , Ricci Marilena , Agostini Beatrice , Garzonio Carlo Alberto
Published: April 2022

During the last restoration campaign of the Baptistery of San Giovanni in Florence (Italy), the assessment of the state of conservation of external surfaces was performed, with a multi-analytical approach, in order to support the conservation and restoration treatments. Black crusts, red staining, sulphation, and organic patinas were identified. Moreover, a complete characterization of marble cladding, bricks, and mortars was carried out. A geochemical and minero-petrographic approach was used in order to classify and assess the provenance of marbles, and define raw materials and technologies of the production for bricks and mortars. Provenances from Italy (Carrara and Lasa marbles) and from Greece (Hymettus and Pentelicum marbles) were identified and attributed to different construction phases, restoration interventions, and re-use of ancient materials. For mortars, the obtained data suggested the use of local materials and traditional technologies for the production. Overall, two different minero-petrographic typologies were identified for the analyzed bricks.
Anaerobic Digestate from Biogas Plants—Nuisance Waste or Valuable Product?
Authors: Szymańska Magdalena , Ahrends Hella Ellen , Srivastava Amit Kumar , Sosulski Tomasz
Published: April 2022

Biogas production in waste-to-energy plants will support the decarbonization of the energy sector and enhance the EU’s energy transformation efforts. Digestates (DG) formed during the anaerobic digestion of organic wastes contain large amounts of nutrients. Their use for plant fertilization allows for diversifying and increasing the economic efficiency of farming activities. However, to avoid regional production surpluses, processing technologies allowing the acquisition of products that can be transported over long distances are required. This study therefore aimed at determining the effect of applied methods of DG treatment on the chemical composition of the resulting products and their effect on the yields and chemical composition of plants. The following digestate-based products (DGBPs) were tested: two different digestates (DGs), their liquid (LF) and solid fractions (SF) and pellets from DGs (PDG), and pellets form SFs (PSF). Results from the experiment show that during SF/LF separation of DGs, >80% of nitrogen and 87% of potassium flows to LFs, whereas >60% of phosphorus and 70% of magnesium flows to SFs. The highest yields were obtained using untreated DGs and LFs. The application of DGs and LFs was not associated with a leaching of nutrients to the environment (apparent nutrients recovery from these products exceeded 100%). Pelletized DG and SF forms can be used as slow-release fertilizer, although their production leads to significant nitrogen losses (>95%) by ammonia volatilization.
A Survey of Artificial Intelligence Challenges: Analyzing the Definitions, Relationships, and Evolutions
Authors: Saghiri Ali Mohammad , Vahidipour S. Mehdi , Jabbarpour Mohammad Reza , Sookhak Mehdi , Forestiero Agostino
Published: April 2022

In recent years, artificial intelligence has had a tremendous impact on every field, and several definitions of its different types have been provided. In the literature, most articles focus on the extraordinary capabilities of artificial intelligence. Recently, some challenges such as security, safety, fairness, robustness, and energy consumption have been reported during the development of intelligent systems. As the usage of intelligent systems increases, the number of new challenges increases. Obviously, during the evolution of artificial narrow intelligence to artificial super intelligence, the viewpoint on the challenges such as security will be changed. In addition, the recent development of human-level intelligence cannot appropriately happen without considering whole challenges in designing intelligent systems. Considering the mentioned situation, no study in the literature summarizes the challenges in designing artificial intelligence. In this paper, a review of the challenges is presented. Then, some important research questions about the future dynamism of challenges and their relationships are answered.
A Wavelet Multiscale Mathematical Model for Quality of Life Index Measuring
Authors: Balalaa Majed S. , Ben Mabrouk Anouar
Published: April 2022

The present paper is concerned with the study of the quality of life index. Such an index has become an important index for measuring the well-being of individuals. However, the quality of life index is always subjective, intangible, and often hard to quantify with precision due to the lack of quantitative models. The main goal of the present paper is thus to propose a mathematical, quantitative model for the measurement of a quality of life index. The main novelty is firstly the construction of a wavelet dynamic multiscale model to quantify and investigate the effect of time scale on the quality of life index measuring. The proposed procedure is acted empirically on a sample corresponding to Saudi Arabia as a case study during the period from 2003 to 2020 as part of the 2030 vision plan. Saudi Arabia has implemented the so-called 2030 vision plan where quality of life improvement is one of the main goals. The findings show that wavelets are capable of localizing the time-wise behavior of the index contrarily to classical studies, which estimate a global view of the index. Moreover, the study shows the link between the quality of life behavior and many other indices.
A Few Shot Classification Methods Based on Multiscale Relational Networks
Authors: Zheng Wenfeng , Tian Xia , Yang Bo , Liu Shan , Ding Yueming , Tian Jiawei , Yin Lirong
Published: April 2022

Learning information from a single or a few samples is called few-shot learning. This learning method will solve deep learning’s dependence on a large sample. Deep learning achieves few-shot learning through meta-learning: “how to learn by using previous experience”. Therefore, this paper considers how the deep learning method uses meta-learning to learn and generalize from a small sample size in image classification. The main contents are as follows. Practicing learning in a wide range of tasks enables deep learning methods to use previous empirical knowledge. However, this method is subject to the quality of feature extraction and the selection of measurement methods supports set and the target set. Therefore, this paper designs a multi-scale relational network (MSRN) aiming at the above problems. The experimental results show that the simple design of the MSRN can achieve higher performance. Furthermore, it improves the accuracy of the datasets within fewer samples and alleviates the overfitting situation. However, to ensure that uniform measurement applies to all tasks, the few-shot classification based on metric learning must ensure the task set’s homologous distribution.
Malaysian Virgin Soil Extracts as Natural Growth Enhancer for Targeted Green Microalgae Species
Authors: Nallapan Maniyam Maegala , Abdullah Hasdianty , Ahmad Mohd Fadzli , Hashim Emi Fazlina , Sjahrir Fridelina , Komatsu Kazuhiro , Kuwahara Victor S. , Yaacob Nor Suhaila
Published: April 2022

The microalgae-based industries are trending upwards, particularly as the feed ingredient for aquaculture. Therefore, a sustainable and reasonably priced source of nutrients to support the mass cultivation of microalgae is in great demand. The present study explored the feasibility of using extracts from virgin soil as natural growth-promoting nutrients for the cultivation of Nannochloropsis oculata, Nannochloropsis oceanica, and Chlorella sorokiniana. The extracts were obtained from Bera Lake Forest using five different treatment methods. The greatest retrieval of dissolved organic carbon, total dissolved nitrogen, and total dissolved phosphorus were observed with the autoclave treatment method at 121 °C twice, yielding a respective concentration of 336.56 mg/L, 13.40 mg/L, and 0.14 mg/L, respectively. The highest growth was recorded with Nannochloropsis oculata resulting in an optical density of 0.488 ± 0.009 (×103 cell mL−1), exhibiting 43% and 44% enhanced growth in comparison to Nannochloropsis oceanica and Chlorella sorokiniana, respectively. The specific growth rate (0.114 a ± 0.007 d−1) was the highest for Nannochloropsis oculata when the 24 h-extraction method was used, whereas the utilization of the autoclave 121 °C twice treatment method contributed to the highest specific growth of Nannochloropsis ocenica (0.069 a ± 0.003 d−1) and Chlorella sorokiniana (0.080 a ± 0.001 d−1). Collectively, these findings suggested that the addition of soil extracts which is sustainable and inexpensive promoted the growth of microalgae compared to the control system. A further study investigating the optimum culture conditions for enhanced microalgae growth will be carried out for the mass production of microalgae biomass.
Amodal Segmentation Just Like Doing a Jigsaw
Authors: Zeng Xunli , Liu Xiaoli , Yin Jianqin
Published: April 2022

Amodal segmentation is a new direction of instance segmentation while considering the segmentation of the visible and occluded parts of the instance. The existing state-of-the-art method uses multi-task branches to predict the amodal part and the visible part separately and subtract the visible part from the amodal part to obtain the occluded part. However, the amodal part contains visible information. Therefore, the separated prediction method will generate duplicate information. Different from this method, we propose a method of amodal segmentation based on the idea of the jigsaw. The method uses multi-task branches to predict the two naturally decoupled parts of visible and occluded, which is like getting two matching jigsaw pieces. Then put the two jigsaw pieces together to get the amodal part. This makes each branch focus on the modeling of the object. And we believe that there are certain rules in the occlusion relationship in the real world. This is a kind of occlusion context information. This jigsaw method can better model the occlusion relationship and use the occlusion context information, which is important for amodal segmentation. Experiments on two widely used amodally annotated datasets prove that our method exceeds existing state-of-the-art methods. In particular, on the amodal mask metric, our method outperforms the baseline by 5 percentage points on the COCOA cls dataset and 2 percentage points on the KINS dataset. The source code of this work will be made public soon.
Towards Intelligent, Programmable, and Open Railway Networks
Authors: Pencheva Evelina , Atanasov Ivaylo , Trifonov Ventsislav
Published: April 2022

The virtualization and automation of network functions will be key features of future high-speed railway networks, which have to provide dependable, safe, and secure services. The virtualization of railway network functions will enable functions such as train control, train integrity protection, shunting control, and trackside monitoring and maintenance to be virtualized and to be run on general-purpose hardware. Network function virtualization combined with edge computing can deliver dynamic, low-latency, and reliable services. The automation of railway operations can be achieved by embedding intelligence into the network to optimize the railway operation performance and to enhance the passenger experience. This paper presents an innovative railway network architecture that features distributed intelligence, function cloudification and virtualization, openness, and programmability. The focus is on time-tolerant and time-sensitive intelligent services designed to follow the principles of service-oriented architecture. The interaction between identified logical identities is illustrated by use cases. The paper provides some details of the design of the interface between distributed intelligent services and presents the results of an emulation of the interface performance.
Diurnal Variations of Isoprene, Monoterpenes, and Toluene Oxidation Products in Aerosols at a Rural Site of Guanzhong Plain, Northwest China
Authors: Wang Xiaoqing , Guo Xiao , Dai Wenting , Liu Suixin , Shen Minxia , Liu Yali , Zhang Yifan , Cao Yue , Qi Weining , Li Lu , Cao Junji , Li Jianjun
Published: April 2022

In this study, the characteristics and formation mechanism of summertime isoprene, monoterpene, and toluene-derived secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) were investigated in a rural area of Guanzhong Plain, Northwest China. The variations in key indicators of primary sources indicated a significant influence of biomass burning on PM2.5 during the observation period. The concentrations of total measured SOA tracers from isoprene, monoterpene, and toluene were 40.85 ± 17.31, 24.27 ± 7.50, and 10.61 ± 0.33 ng/m3, respectively. The average ratio of cis-pinonic and pinic acids to 3-Methyl-1,2,3-butanetricarboxylic acid (MBTCA)(P/M) were 0.45 and 0.85 by day and by night, respectively. The low ratio in the daytime was mainly due to the stronger photo-degradation and particle-to-gas distribution of semi-volatile cis-pinonic and pinic acids. The monoterpene SOA tracers were significantly correlated with levoglucosan at night (R2 = 0.51, p < 0.01), as were toluene SOA tracers and levoglucosan (R2 > 0.67, p < 0.01), indicating the significant contribution of biomass combustion to these SOAs. The mass concentration of isoprene-, monoterpenes-, and toluene-derived SOC was estimated by using the tracer yield method. The total calculated SOCs by day and by night were 0.25–0.71 (average: 0.46) and 0.26–0.78 (average: 0.42) µgC/m3, accounting for 3.35–10.58% and 3.87–13.51% of OC by day and by night, respectively.
Lexicon-Enhanced Multi-Task Convolutional Neural Network for Emotion Distribution Learning
Authors: Dong Yuchang , Zeng Xueqiang
Published: April 2022

Emotion distribution learning (EDL) handles emotion fuzziness by means of the emotion distribution, which is an emotion vector that quantitatively represents a set of emotion categories with their intensity of a given instance. Despite successful applications of EDL in many practical emotion analysis tasks, existing EDL methods have seldom considered the linguistic prior knowledge of affective words specific to the text mining task. To address the problem, this paper proposes a text emotion distribution learning model based on a lexicon-enhanced multi-task convolutional neural network (LMT-CNN) to jointly solve the tasks of text emotion distribution prediction and emotion label classification. The LMT-CNN model designs an end-to-end multi-module deep neural network to utilize both semantic information and linguistic knowledge. Specifically, the architecture of the LMT-CNN model consists of a semantic information module, an emotion knowledge module based on affective words, and a multi-task prediction module to predict emotion distributions and labels. Extensive comparative experiments on nine commonly used emotional text datasets showed that the proposed LMT-CNN model is superior to the compared EDL methods for both emotion distribution prediction and emotion recognition tasks.
Early Application of Ipsilateral Cathodal-tDCS in a Mouse Model of Brain Ischemia Results in Functional Improvement and Perilesional Microglia Modulation
Authors: Cherchi Laura , Anni Daniela , Buffelli Mario , Cambiaghi Marco
Published: April 2022

Early stroke therapeutic approaches rely on limited options, further characterized by a narrow therapeutic time window. In this context, the application of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in the acute phases after brain ischemia is emerging as a promising non-invasive tool. Despite the wide clinical application of tDCS, the cellular mechanisms underlying its positive effects are still poorly understood. Here, we explored the effects of cathodal tDCS (C-tDCS) 6 h after focal forelimb M1 ischemia in Cx3CR1GFP/+ mice. C-tDCS improved motor functionality of the affected forelimb, as assessed by the cylinder and foot-fault tests at 48 h, though not changing the ischemic volume. In parallel, histological analysis showed that motor recovery is associated with decreased microglial cell density in the area surrounding the ischemic core, while astrocytes were not affected. Deeper analysis of microglia morphology within the perilesional area revealed a shift toward a more ramified healthier state, with increased processes’ complexity and a less phagocytic anti-inflammatory activity. Taken together, our findings suggest a positive role for early C-tDCS after ischemia, which is able to modulate microglia phenotype and morphology in parallel to motor recovery.
Rapid Assay for the Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Edoxaban
Authors: Rashid Md Abdur , Muneer Saiqa , Alhamhoom Yahya , Islam Nazrul
Published: April 2022

Edoxaban is a direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) that has been recently indicated for the treatment of pulmonary embolism (PE) in SARS-CoV-2 infections. Due to its pharmacokinetic variability and a narrow therapeutic index, the safe administration of the drug requires its therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) in patients receiving the treatment. In this work, we present a label-free method for the TDM of edoxaban by surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). The new method utilises the thiol chemistry of the drug to chemisorb its molecules onto a highly sensitive SERS substrate. This leads to the formation of efficient hotspots and a strong signal enhancement of the drug Raman bands, thus negating the need for a Raman reporter for its SERS quantification. The standard samples were run with a concentration range of 1.4 × 10−4 M to 10−12 M using a mobile phase comprising of methanol/acetonitrile (85:15 v/v) at 291 nm followed by the good linearity of R2 = 0.997. The lowest limit of quantification (LOQ) by the SERS method was experimentally determined to be 10−12 M, whereas LOQ for HPLC-UV was 4.5 × 10−7 M, respectively. The new method was used directly and in a simple HPLC-SERS assembly to detect the drug in aqueous solutions and in spiked human blood plasma down to 1 pM. Therefore, the SERS method has strong potential for the rapid screening of the drug at pathology labs and points of care.
The Role of the Adipokine Resistin in the Pathogenesis and Progression of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Parafiniuk Klaudia , Skiba Wiktoria , Pawłowska Anna , Suszczyk Dorota , Maciejczyk Aleksandra , Wertel Iwona
Published: April 2022

Obesity is a civilization disease associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and some malignancies. The results concerning the relationship between obesity and epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) are inconclusive. The higher incidence of neoplasms in obese subjects has led to the development of the adipokine hypothesis. Omental adipocyte cells interact with cancer cells, promoting their migration and metastasis via the secretion of adipokines, growth factors, and hormones. One of the adipokines is resistin. It was shown in vitro that resistin stimulates the growth and differentiation of ovarian cancer cells. Moreover, it increases the level of angiogenesis factors, e.g., matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) and vascular epithelial growth factor (VEGF). Additionally, resistin induces epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and stemness in EOC cell lines. A positive correlation has been shown between a higher level of resistin expression and the stage of histological differentiation of EOC or the occurrence of lymph node metastases. In addition, the overexpression of resistin has been found to act as an independent factor determining disease-free survival as well as overall survival in EOC patients. Growing evidence supports the finding that resistin plays an important role in some mechanisms leading to the progression of EOC, though this issue still requires further research.
Molecular Mechanisms in Lysosomal Storage Diseases: From Pathogenesis to Therapeutic Strategies
Authors: De Pasquale Valeria , Scarcella Melania , Pavone Luigi Michele
Published: April 2022

Lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs) are a group of metabolic diseases caused by inborn mutations of lysosomal enzymes, which lead to lysosome substrate accumulation in various cell types [...]
A Review of Biomimetic Topographies and Their Role in Promoting Bone Formation and Osseointegration: Implications for Clinical Use
Authors: Berger Michael B. , Slosar Paul , Schwartz Zvi , Cohen David J. , Goodman Stuart B. , Anderson Paul A. , Boyan Barbara D.
Published: April 2022

The use of metallic and polymeric materials for implants has been increasing over the past decade. This trend can be attributed to a variety of factors including a significant increase in basic science research focused on implant material characteristics and how various surface modifications may stimulate osseointegration and, ultimately, fusion. There are many interbody fusion devices and dental implants commercially available; however, detailed information about their surface properties, and the effects that various materials and surface modifications may have on osteogenesis, is lacking in the literature. While the concept of bone-implant osseointegration is a relatively recent addition to the spine fusion literature, there is a comparatively large body of literature related to dental implants. The purpose of this article is to summarize the science of surface modified bone-facing implants, focusing on biomimetic material chemistry and topography of titanium implants, to promote a better understanding of how these characteristics may impact bone formation and osseointegration. This manuscript has the following aspects: highlights the role of titanium and its alloys as potent osteoconductive bioactive materials; explores the importance of biomimetic surface topography at the macro-, micro- and nano-scale; summarizes how material surface design can influence osteogenesis and immune responses in vitro; focuses on the kinds of surface modifications that play a role in the process. Biomimetic surface modifications can be varied across many clinically available biomaterials, and the literature supports the hypothesis that those biomaterial surfaces that exhibit physical properties of bone resorption pits, such as roughness and complex hierarchical structures at the submicron and nanoscale, are more effective in supporting osteoblast differentiation in vitro and osteogenesis in vivo.
Nanomaterial-Based Label-Free Electrochemical Aptasensors for the Detection of Thrombin
Authors: Yousef Hibba , Liu Yang , Zheng Lianxi
Published: April 2022

Thrombin plays a central role in hemostasis and its imbalances in coagulation can lead to various pathologies. It is of clinical significance to develop a fast and accurate method for the quantitative detection of thrombin. Electrochemical aptasensors have the capability of combining the specific selectivity from aptamers with the extraordinary sensitivity from electrochemical techniques and thus have attracted considerable attention for the trace-level detection of thrombin. Nanomaterials and nanostructures can further enhance the performance of thrombin aptasensors to achieve high sensitivity, selectivity, and antifouling functions. In highlighting these material merits and their impacts on sensor performance, this paper reviews the most recent advances in label-free electrochemical aptasensors for thrombin detection, with an emphasis on nanomaterials and nanostructures utilized in sensor design and fabrication. The performance, advantages, and limitations of those aptasensors are summarized and compared according to their material structures and compositions.
Learning by Exposure in the Visual System
Authors: Iliescu Bogdan
Published: April 2022

It is increasingly being understood that perceptual learning involves different types of plasticity. Thus, whereas the practice-based improvement in the ability to perform specific tasks is believed to rely on top-down plasticity, the capacity of sensory systems to passively adapt to the stimuli they are exposed to is believed to rely on bottom-up plasticity. However, top-down and bottom-up plasticity have never been investigated concurrently, and hence their relationship is not well understood. To examine whether passive exposure influences perceptual performance, we asked subjects to test their orientation discrimination performance around and orthogonal to the exposed orientation axes, at an exposed and an unexposed location while oriented sine-wave gratings were presented in a fixed position. Here we report that repetitive passive exposure to oriented sequences that are not linked to a specific task induces a persistent, bottom-up form of learning that is stronger than top-down practice learning and generalizes across complex stimulus dimensions. Importantly, orientation-specific exposure learning led to a robust improvement in the discrimination of complex stimuli (shapes and natural scenes). Our results indicate that long-term sensory adaptation by passive exposure should be viewed as a form of perceptual learning that is complementary to practice learning in that it reduces constraints on speed and generalization.
Influence of Weight Loss on Cognitive Functions: A Pilot Study of a Multidisciplinary Intervention Program for Obesity Treatment
Authors: Chávez-Manzanera Emma , Ramírez-Flores Maura , Duran Michelle , Torres Mariana , Ramírez Mariana , Kaufer-Horwitz Martha , Stephano Sylvana , Quiroz-Casian Lizette , Cantú-Brito Carlos , Chiquete Erwin
Published: April 2022

There is a relationship between obesity and cognitive functioning. Our aim was to assess weight loss influence on global cognition and executive functioning (EF) in adults with obesity under a multidisciplinary weight loss program. In this six-month longitudinal study, we assessed 81 adults (age < 50 years) with body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30. EF and global cognitive performance were evaluated with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Neuropsychological Battery of Executive Functions (BANFE-2) and Trail Making Test-Part B (TMT-B). Median age was 40.0 years (IQR: 31.5–47, 61% women), and the median BMI was 41.4 (IQR: 36.7–45.9). At a six-month follow-up, the mean weight loss was 2.67% (29.6% of patients achieved ≥5% weight loss). There was an improvement in EF evaluated with BANFE (p = 0.0024) and global cognition with MoCA (p = 0.0024). Women experienced more remarkable change, especially in EF. Weight loss did not correlate with cognitive performance, except for TMT-B (r-0.258, p = 0.026). In the regression analysis, only years of education predicted the MoCA score. This study showed that patients improved cognitive performance during the follow-up; nevertheless, the magnitude of weight loss did not correlate with cognitive improvement. Future studies are warranted to demonstrate if patients achieving ≥5% weight loss can improve cognition, secondary to weight loss.
Advances in the Diagnosis and Therapeutic Management of Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Neoplasms (GEP-NENs)
Authors: Kaliszewski Krzysztof , Ludwig Maksymilian , Greniuk Maria , Mikuła Agnieszka , Zagórski Karol , Rudnicki Jerzy
Published: April 2022

Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) are an increasingly common cause of neoplastic diseases. One of the largest groups of NENs are neoplasms localized to the gastroenteropancreatic system, which are known as gastroenteropancreatic NENs (GEP-NENs). Because of nonspecific clinical symptoms, GEP-NEN patient diagnosis and, consequently, their treatment, might be difficult and delayed. This situation has forced researchers all over the world to continue progress in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with GEP-NENs. Our review is designed to present the latest reports on the laboratory diagnostic techniques, imaging tests and surgical and nonsurgical treatment strategies used for patients with these rare neoplasms. We paid particular attention to the nuclear approach, the use of which has been applied to GEP-NEN patient diagnosis, and to nonsurgical and radionuclide treatment strategies. Recent publications were reviewed in search of reports on new strategies for effective disease management. Attention was also paid to those studies still in progress, but with successful results. A total of 248 papers were analyzed, from which 141 papers most relevant to the aim of the study were selected. Using these papers, we highlight the progress in the development of diagnostic and treatment strategies for patients with GEP-NENs.
Diagnostic Performance of 18F-Choline Positron Emission Tomography/Contrast-Enhanced Computed Tomography in Adenoma Detection in Primary Hyperparathyroidism after Inconclusive Imaging: A Retrospective Study of 215 Patients
Authors: Benjamin Johan , Maillard Laure , Morelec Isabelle , Got Philippe , Borson-Chazot Françoise , Lifante Jean-Christophe
Published: April 2022

This large, retrospective, single-centre study evaluated the diagnostic performance of 18F-choline positron emission tomography/contrast-enhanced computed tomography (PET/ceCT) in preoperative parathyroid adenoma detection in primary hyperparathyroidism cases after negative/inconclusive ultrasound or other imaging findings. We included patients who underwent surgery and 18F-choline PET/ceCT for inconclusive imaging results between 2015 and 2020. We compared the 18F-choline PET/ceCT results with surgical and histopathological findings and identified the variables influencing the correlation between 18F-choline PET/ceCT and surgical findings. Of 215 enrolled patients, 269 glands (mean lesion size, 10.9 ± 8.0 mm) were analysed. There were 165 unilocular and 50 multilocular lesions; the mean preoperative calcium level was 2.18 ± 0.19 mmol/L. Among 860 estimated lesions, 219 were classified as true positive, 21 as false positive, and 28 as false negative. The per-lesion sensitivity was 88.66%; specificity, 96.57%; positive predictive value, 91.40%; and negative predictive value, 95.39%. The detection and cure rates were 82.0% and 95.0%, respectively. On univariate and multivariate analyses, the maximum standardised uptake value (SUVmax), lesion size, and unilocularity correlated with the pathologic findings of hyperfunctioning glands. 18F-choline PET/ceCT presents favourable diagnostic performance as a second-line imaging method, with SUVmax, lesion size, and unilocularity predicting a high correlation between the 18F-choline PET/ceCT and surgical findings.
Proline Metabolism in Malignant Gliomas: A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Sawicka Magdalena M. , Sawicki Karol , Łysoń Tomasz , Polityńska Barbara , Miltyk Wojciech
Published: April 2022

Background: Proline has attracted growing interest because of its diverse influence on tumor metabolism and the discovery of the regulatory mechanisms that appear to be involved. In contrast to general oncology, data on proline metabolism in central nervous system malignancies are limited. Materials and Methods: We performed a systematic literature review of the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases according to PRISMA guidelines, searching for articles concerning proline metabolism in malignant glial tumors. From 815 search results, we identified 14 studies pertaining to this topic. Results: The role of the proline cycle in maintaining redox balance in IDH-mutated gliomas has been convincingly demonstrated. Proline is involved in restoring levels of glutamate, the main glial excitatory neurotransmitter. Proline oxidase influences two major signaling pathways: p53 and NF- κB. In metabolomics studies, the metabolism of proline and its link to the urea cycle was found to be a prognostic factor for survival and a marker of malignancy. Data on the prolidase concentration in the serum of glioblastoma patients are contradictory. Conclusions: Despite a paucity of studies in the literature, the available data are interesting enough to encourage further research, especially in terms of extrapolating what we have learned of proline functions from other neoplasms to malignant gliomas.
Organismal and Cellular Stress Responses upon Disruption of Mitochondrial Lonp1 Protease
Authors: Taouktsi Eirini , Kyriakou Eleni , Smyrniotis Stefanos , Borbolis Fivos , Bondi Labrina , Avgeris Socratis , Trigazis Efstathios , Rigas Stamatis , Voutsinas Gerassimos E. , Syntichaki Popi
Published: April 2022

Cells engage complex surveillance mechanisms to maintain mitochondrial function and protein homeostasis. LonP1 protease is a key component of mitochondrial quality control and has been implicated in human malignancies and other pathological disorders. Here, we employed two experimental systems, the worm Caenorhabditis elegans and human cancer cells, to investigate and compare the effects of LONP-1/LonP1 deficiency at the molecular, cellular, and organismal levels. Deletion of the lonp-1 gene in worms disturbed mitochondrial function, provoked reactive oxygen species accumulation, and impaired normal processes, such as growth, behavior, and lifespan. The viability of lonp-1 mutants was dependent on the activity of the ATFS-1 transcription factor, and loss of LONP-1 evoked retrograde signaling that involved both the mitochondrial and cytoplasmic unfolded protein response (UPRmt and UPRcyt) pathways and ensuing diverse organismal stress responses. Exposure of worms to triterpenoid CDDO-Me, an inhibitor of human LonP1, stimulated only UPRcyt responses. In cancer cells, CDDO-Me induced key components of the integrated stress response (ISR), the UPRmt and UPRcyt pathways, and the redox machinery. However, genetic knockdown of LonP1 revealed a genotype-specific cellular response and induced apoptosis similar to CDDO-Me treatment. Overall, the mitochondrial dysfunction ensued by disruption of LonP1 elicits adaptive cytoprotective mechanisms that can inhibit cancer cell survival but diversely modulate organismal stress response and aging.
Blood-Based Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnosis and Progression: An Overview
Authors: Varesi Angelica , Carrara Adelaide , Pires Vitor Gomes , Floris Valentina , Pierella Elisa , Savioli Gabriele , Prasad Sakshi , Esposito Ciro , Ricevuti Giovanni , Chirumbolo Salvatore , Pascale Alessia
Published: April 2022

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by amyloid-β (Aβ) plaque deposition and neurofibrillary tangle accumulation in the brain. Although several studies have been conducted to unravel the complex and interconnected pathophysiology of AD, clinical trial failure rates have been high, and no disease-modifying therapies are presently available. Fluid biomarker discovery for AD is a rapidly expanding field of research aimed at anticipating disease diagnosis and following disease progression over time. Currently, Aβ1–42, phosphorylated tau, and total tau levels in the cerebrospinal fluid are the best-studied fluid biomarkers for AD, but the need for novel, cheap, less-invasive, easily detectable, and more-accessible markers has recently led to the search for new blood-based molecules. However, despite considerable research activity, a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the main blood-based biomarker candidates is still lacking. In this narrative review, we discuss the role of proteins, lipids, metabolites, oxidative-stress-related molecules, and cytokines as possible disease biomarkers. Furthermore, we highlight the potential of the emerging miRNAs and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) as diagnostic tools, and we briefly present the role of vitamins and gut-microbiome-related molecules as novel candidates for AD detection and monitoring, thus offering new insights into the diagnosis and progression of this devastating disease.
Chromosome Territories in Hematological Malignancies
Authors: Lima Matheus Fabiao de , Lisboa Mateus de Oliveira , Terceiro Lucas E. L. , Rangel-Pozzo Aline , Mai Sabine
Published: April 2022

Chromosomes are organized in distinct nuclear areas designated as chromosome territories (CT). The structural formation of CT is a consequence of chromatin packaging and organization that ultimately affects cell function. Chromosome positioning can identify structural signatures of genomic organization, especially for diseases where changes in gene expression contribute to a given phenotype. The study of CT in hematological diseases revealed chromosome position as an important factor for specific chromosome translocations. In this review, we highlight the history of CT theory, current knowledge on possible clinical applications of CT analysis, and the impact of CT in the development of hematological neoplasia such as multiple myeloma, leukemia, and lymphomas. Accumulating data on nuclear architecture in cancer allow one to propose the three-dimensional nuclear genomic landscape as a novel cancer biomarker for the future.
Motivators and Barriers to Physical Activity among Youth with Sickle Cell Disease: Brief Review
Authors: Olorunyomi Olalekan Olatokunbo , Liem Robert Ie , Hsu Lewis Li-yen
Published: April 2022

Purpose: Health disparities for minority groups include a low rate of physical activity and underserved urban minority youth with chronic disease are among the least active population segments, as exemplified by sickle cell disease (SCD). “Exercise prescriptions” for youth with chronic diseases need to be evidence based and align with psychologic motivators and barriers. This scoping review sought evidence for psychosocial motivators or barriers to physical activity (PA) in youth with SCD and other chronic disease that could be relevant to SCD. Methods: Five databases were searched for studies on urban minority youth published between 2009 and 2022. Results: Keyword searching yielded no papers on SCD and PA motivation and barriers. Adding health-related quality of life (HRQL) in SCD found eleven relevant papers. Widening the search to chronic disease in minority youth resulted in a total of 49 papers. Three thematic categories and seven sub-themes emerged. PA barriers added by chronic disease include fear of triggering disease complications, negative relationships due to disease limitations on performance in sports, and lack of suitable environment for PA that accommodates the chronic disease. PA motivators are similar for youth without chronic disease: self-efficacy, autonomy, positive relationships with peers and parents and coach/teacher. Conclusion: Direct descriptions of PA motivations and barriers to PA in SCD are limited to fatigue and fear of sickle vaso-occlusive pain. The PA barriers and motivators found for urban youth with chronic disease overlap with themes in healthy adolescents from underserved minorities. Community-based interventions could strengthen PA motivators (self-efficacy, autonomy, positive relationships with peers and parents and coach/teacher) but need disease accommodations to overcome the barriers (fear of triggering disease complications, environmental limitations, and negative relationships). Evidence-based exercise prescriptions might incorporate educational modules to overcome disease stigma and misconceptions. Prospective studies of PA motivators and barriers could improve HRQL in SCD.
Congenital Hypertrophic Pyloric Stenosis in a Preterm Dizygotic Female Twin Infant: Case Report
Authors: Beqo Besiana P. , Basharkhah Alireza , Haxhija Emir Q.
Published: April 2022

Infants with hypertrophic pyloric stenosis are usually diagnosed at about 3 to 8 weeks of age. The clinical onset of symptoms in preterm babies is observed normally at a later age than in term or post-term newborns. This report describes a rare case of a 2-day old preterm twin girl presenting with drinking laziness and recurrent vomiting. Five days after the beginning of symptoms and after several studies, including an upper gastrointestinal contrast study, the diagnosis of hypertrophic pyloric stenosis was made and confirmed at surgery. The postoperative course was uneventful. Interestingly, the mother of the child herself had a history of postnatal surgery on her fifth day of life due to congenital hypertrophic pyloric stenosis. To our best knowledge, this is the first report in the literature describing congenital hypertrophic pyloric stenosis in a mother and her child.
Large Two-Magnon Raman Hysteresis Observed in a Magnetically Uncompensated Hematite Coating across the Morin Transition
Authors: López-Sánchez Jesús , del Campo Adolfo , Román-Sánchez Sara , Rodríguez de la Fuente Óscar , Carmona Noemí , Serrano Aída
Published: April 2022

A temperature-dependent Raman experiment between 80 and 600 K was performed in a nanoparticulated coating of single-phase hematite grown on a silica substrate. In that range, a thermal Raman shift hysteresis was identified in the vibrational modes that accompanies the Morin transition, observing large effects in the two-magnon Raman frequency position and in its relative intensity. Interestingly, no decrease in coercivity occurs when the hematite crosses the Morin transition below 230 K. The spin-flop processes produced in the coating leads to a strong decompensation of the surface spins, generating a ferromagnetic component over the whole temperature range studied. Such unusual effects might be promoted by a certain degree of structural disorder and the stresses produced by the nanoparticulation growth approach of the hematite coating. As a result, a high stability of the two-magnon excitation is obtained over a wide temperature range and considerable advances are made for the development of spintronic devices based on semiconductor antiferromagnetic materials.
The First Century of Successful Applications of Pinacyanol: Some Noteworthy Results
Authors: Shapovalov Serghey A.
Published: April 2022

The most important results obtained during the first century of pinacyanol (PIN) application in fundamental and applied research are summarized. The main usages of PIN during the century are described. The structural, protolytic, and thermodynamic properties of the dye in different systems (aqueous and aqueous–organic solutions, premicellar and micellar surfactant systems, and salt-containing solutions) have been analyzed. Quantitative characteristics of intermolecular interactions are considered. Self-association and dissimilar association of PIN with the participation of other dyes, organic ions and molecules, and metal complex compounds under 5 × 10−7–8 × 10−5 mol/L concentrations of PIN are discussed. The analyzed data indicate that at present, as before, the scientific interest in this dye is very high.
Time-Resolved Crystallography
Authors: Darmanin Connie
Published: April 2022

This Special Issue on ‘Time-Resolved Crystallography’ is a collection of eight original articles providing interesting results that give insight into the processes involved in generating and analysing time-resolved data [...]
Effect of Heat Treatment on Mechanical Properties and Fracture Behavior of Al-7.0Si-0.3Mg Alloy at Low Temperature
Authors: Ma Guanghui , Yang Mengmeng , Geng Zhe , Ding Yunpeng , Liu Hai , Jin Yujing
Published: April 2022

In order to investigate the effect of heat treatment on the mechanical properties of the Al-7.0Si-0.3Mg alloy at 20–60 °C under different heat treatment processes, the tensile mechanical properties of Al-7.0Si-0.3Mg at low temperature after heat treatment were explored. The microstructure of Al-7.0Si-0.3Mg was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy. The results show that the resistance of the dislocation movement in α-Al increased in the low-temperature condition, which is beneficial for the number of Si phase fractures that increase to enhance the tensile strength and weaken the elongation of the Al-7.0Si-0.3Mg alloy. After the solution treatment, the particle size of the Si phase reduced, while the morphology became rounded. In the early stage of aging, a GP region is generated inside the α-Al. With the prolonging of aging time, the acicular β″ phase is formed and then grows into rod-shaped β′. In the overaging stage, β′ eventually grows into flaky β. Due to the different linear expansion coefficients of the α-Al and the Mg2Si phase in the Al-7.0Si-0.3Mg alloy, the α-Al is squeezed by the Mg2Si phase under the effect of low-temperature shrinkage.
Use of a Feed-Forward Back Propagation Network for the Prediction of Small for Gestational Age Newborns in a Cohort of Pregnant Patients with Thrombophilia
Authors: Vicoveanu Petronela , Vasilache Ingrid Andrada , Scripcariu Ioana Sadiye , Nemescu Dragos , Carauleanu Alexandru , Vicoveanu Dragos , Covali Ana Roxana , Filip Catalina , Socolov Demetra
Published: April 2022

(1) Background: Fetal growth restriction is a relatively common disorder in pregnant patients with thrombophilia. New artificial intelligence algorithms are a promising option for the prediction of adverse obstetrical outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive performance of a Feed-Forward Back Propagation Network (FFBPN) for the prediction of small for gestational age (SGA) newborns in a cohort of pregnant patients with thrombophilia. (2) Methods: This observational retrospective study included all pregnancies in women with thrombophilia who attended two tertiary maternity hospitals in Romania between January 2013 and December 2020. Bivariate associations of SGA and each predictor variable were evaluated. Clinical and paraclinical predictors were further included in a FFBPN, and its predictive performance was assessed. (3) Results: The model had an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.95, with a true positive rate of 86.7%, and a false discovery rate of 10.5%. The overall accuracy of our model was 90%. (4) Conclusion: This is the first study in the literature that evaluated the performance of a FFBPN for the prediction of pregnant patients with thrombophilia at a high risk of giving birth to SGA newborns, and its promising results could lead to a tailored prenatal management.
Faecal Immunochemical Test Impact on Prognosis of Colorectal Cancer Detected in Symptomatic Patients
Authors: Fernández de Castro Jesús Daniel , Baiocchi Ureta Franco , Fernández González Raquel , Pin Vieito Noel , Cubiella Fernández Joaquín
Published: April 2022

The use of the faecal immunochemical test (FIT) to stratify the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) in symptomatic patients in primary healthcare enables improved referrals to colonoscopy. However, its effect on diagnostic delays or the prognosis of patients has been poorly evaluated in this setting. We performed a retrospective cohort study that included symptomatic patients with outpatient CRC diagnosis between 2009 and 2017. We identified whether FIT had been analysed between initial healthcare contact and diagnostic confirmation. We included 589 patients (male = 65%, 71.7 ± 11.6 years, TNM IV = 17.1%) in the analysis. FIT was performed in 411 (69.8%) patients with a positive result (≥10 µg/g of faeces) in 96.4% of the evaluated patients. The use of FIT was associated with increased diagnostic delay (yes = 159 ± 277 days, no = 111 ± 172 days; p = 0.01). At five years follow up, 193 (32.8%) patients died (151 due to CRC). Mean survival was not modified by the use of FIT or its result (not performed = 46.8 ± 1.5 months, FIT+ = 48.9 ± 1 months, FIT− = 45.6 ± 5.5 months; p = 0.5) in Kaplan–Meier analysis, and was confirmed later in multivariate Cox regression analysis. In conclusion, FIT determination in symptomatic patients in primary healthcare did not modify CRC prognosis.