bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Release of Microplastics from Reusable Kitchen Plasticware and Generation of Thermal Potential Toxic Degradation Products in the Oven
Authors: Jander Juri , Hummel Darius , Stürmer Sophie , Monteleone Adrian , Neumaier Tizian , Broghammer Felix , Lewin-Kretzschmar Uta , Brock Thomas , Knoll Martin , Fath Andreas Siegbert
Published: March 2022

Plastics are one of the most important technical materials at present, yet they are associated with a whole series of environmental problems such as micro-and nanoplastics or their plasticizers, which have become increasingly relevant in recent years. While there are many studies that focus on microplastics (MPs) introduced into the human body through commercially produced food, there are nearly none that consider the MPs we ingest through homemade food made with plastic kitchen utensils such as mixing bowls. To investigate this, samples were obtained by exposing different plastic bowls made of acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS), polypropylene (PP), melamine, polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), and styrene–acrylonitrile (SAN), to mechanical stress and then analyzed via infrared spectroscopy. This not only raises the question of whether microplastics are incorporated into foods but also the extent to which the degradation products produced by thermal stress in an oven could play a toxicological role. Degradation products were generated by pyrolysis and analyzed afterwards using gas chromatography mass spectrometry. There were differences in the number of microplastic particles abraded by the different types of plastic, with the most consisting of melamine (898 particles) and the least consisting of low-density polyethylene (331 particles). There were also differences in the number and relevance of the thermal degradation products for the different plastics, so that a human toxicological assessment would have to be evaluated in further work.
Repairing Damage Caused by Burrowing Animals in Embankments: A Sustainable Proposal
Authors: Nocilla Alessandra , Bontempi Elza , Borgese Laura , Zimbardo Margherita , Rosso Alessandro , Bassi Agnese
Published: March 2022

Animal burrowing along riverbanks has a negative impact on the hydraulic performance, and can have severe consequences on the structural integrity, of levees. Hence, as soon as burrows are detected during monitoring activities, it is strongly recommended that interventions are taken within the shortest possible time to mitigate disaster risk. The two most common engineering interventions used to repair the embankments (i.e., the excavation of the area with the following backfill or the injection of a low pressure flowable grout) may cause disadvantages and the weakening of the embankment because of the backfill soil lower compaction—which involves also the uncertainty of the complete filling—or piping and interface problems that may be encouraged by discontinuities of mechanical and hydraulic characteristics after injections of the low pressure grout. In this preliminary study, the possibility of injections of lime treated soil was investigated as a sustainable compromise proposal between the two mentioned interventions; oedometer tests on lime treated specimens of soils from the Po River embankment were carried out in order to study the effects of lime on the compressibility of less compacted soil compared to more compacted raw ones.
Smartphone Sensor-Based Human Locomotion Surveillance System Using Multilayer Perceptron
Authors: Azmat Usman , Ghadi Yazeed Yasin , Shloul Tamara al , Alsuhibany Suliman A. , Jalal Ahmad , Park Jeongmin
Published: March 2022

Applied sensing technology has made it possible for human beings to experience a revolutionary aspect of the science and technology world. Along with many other fields in which this technology is working wonders, human locomotion activity recognition, which finds applications in healthcare, smart homes, life-logging, and many other fields, is also proving to be a landmark. The purpose of this study is to develop a novel model that can robustly handle divergent data that are acquired remotely from various sensors and make an accurate classification of human locomotion activities. The biggest support for remotely sensed human locomotion activity recognition (RS-HLAR) is provided by modern smartphones. In this paper, we propose a robust model for an RS-HLAR that is trained and tested on remotely extracted data from smartphone-embedded sensors. Initially, the system denoises the input data and then performs windowing and segmentation. Then, this preprocessed data goes to the feature extraction module where Parseval’s energy, skewness, kurtosis, Shannon entropy, and statistical features from the time domain and the frequency domain are extracted from it. Advancing further, by using Luca-measure fuzzy entropy (LFE) and Lukasiewicz similarity measure (LS)–based feature selection, the system drops the least-informative features and shrinks the feature set by 25%. In the next step, the Yeo–Johnson power transform is applied, which is a maximum-likelihood-based feature optimization algorithm. The optimized feature set is then forwarded to the multilayer perceptron (MLP) classifier that performs the classification. MLP uses the cross-validation technique for training and testing to generate reliable results. We designed our system while experimenting on three benchmark datasets namely, MobiAct_v2.0, Real-World HAR, and Real-Life HAR. The proposed model outperforms the existing state-of-the-art models by scoring a mean accuracy of 84.49% on MobiAct_v2.0, 94.16% on Real-World HAR, and 95.89% on Real-Life HAR. Although our system can accurately differentiate among similar activities, excessive noise in data and complex activities have shown an inverse effect on its performance.
WELDMAP: A Photogrammetric Suite Applied to the Inspection of Welds
Authors: Oña Esteban Ruiz de , Rodríguez-Martin Manuel , Rodríguez-Gonzálvez Pablo , Mora Rocio , González-Aguilera Diego
Published: March 2022

This paper presents a new tool for external quality control in welds using close-range photogrammetry. The main contribution of the developed approach is the automatic assessment of welds based on 3D photogrammetric models, enabling objective and accurate analyses through an in-house tool that was developed, WELDMAP. As a result, inspectors can perform external quality control of welds in a simple and efficient way without requiring visual inspections or external tools, and thus avoiding the subjectivity and imprecisions of the classical protocol. The tool was validated with a large dataset in laboratory tests as well as in real scenarios.
Detection Criterion for Progressive Faults in Photovoltaic Modules Based on Differential Voltage Measurements
Authors: Murillo-Soto Luis Diego , Meza Carlos
Published: March 2022

PV modules may experience degradation conditions that affect their power efficiency and affect the rest of the PV array. Based on the literature review, this paper links the parameter variation on a PV module with the six most common degradation faults, namely, series resistance degradation, optical homogeneous degradation, optical heterogeneous degradation, potential induced degradation, micro-cracks, and light-induced degradation. A Monte Carlo-based numerical simulation was used to study the effect of the faults mentioned above in the voltage of the modules in a PV array with one faulty module. A simple expression to identify faults was derived based on the obtained results. The simplicity of this expression allows integrating the fault detection technique in low-cost electronic circuits embedded in a PV module, optimizer, or microinverter.
The Application of Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Imagery (HRSI) for Weed Detection Analysis in Rice Fields: A Review
Authors: Sulaiman Nursyazyla , Che’Ya Nik Norasma , Mohd Roslim Muhammad Huzaifah , Juraimi Abdul Shukor , Mohd Noor Nisfariza , Fazlil Ilahi Wan Fazilah
Published: March 2022

Weeds are found on every cropland across the world. Weeds compete for light, water, and nutrients with attractive plants, introduce illnesses or viruses, and attract harmful insects and pests, resulting in yield loss. New weed detection technologies have been developed in recent years to increase weed detection speed and accuracy, resolving the contradiction between the goals of enhancing soil health and achieving sufficient weed control for profitable farming. In recent years, a variety of platforms, such as satellites, airplanes, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and close-range platforms, have become more commonly available for gathering hyperspectral images with varying spatial, temporal, and spectral resolutions. Plants must be divided into crops and weeds based on their species for successful weed detection. Therefore, hyperspectral image categorization also has become popular since the development of hyperspectral image technology. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) hyperspectral imaging techniques have recently emerged as a valuable tool in agricultural remote sensing, with tremendous promise for weed detection and species separation. Hence, this paper will review the weeds problem in rice fields in Malaysia and focus on the application of hyperspectral remote sensing imagery (HRSI) for weed detection with algorithms and modelling employed for weeds discrimination analysis.
Mid-Latitude Detection of High Schmidt-Number Turbulent Echoes, and Comparison to PMSE and Geomagnetic Variations
Authors: Hocking Wayne K. , Pinnegar Victoria L.
Published: March 2022

Unexpected observations of strong radiowave scatter at a ~85–90 km altitude with very high frequency radars were explained in the early 1990s, when it was demonstrated that these were due to special turbulent and small-scale scatterers with high Schmidt number. Studies of these phenomena have primarily been concentrated in polar regions, and the events seem most prominent in regions of very cold air (below 140 K). Such radar echoes are referred to as polar mesosphere summer echoes (PMSE), and are rare at lower latitudes. In this paper we report observations of similar scatterers at sites below 50° latitude. The nature of these scatterers is discussed and results are compared to observations at the polar site of Eureka, Canada. Mid-latitude observations at frequencies of 48.92 and 45.47 MHz were made, respectively, at Abitibi Canyon (49.9° N latitude) and Markstay (46.5° N latitude) in Ontario, Canada. In particular, we look at the relationship of these scatterers to geophysical parameters, especially the Ap index. Our results suggest that mesospheric air with temperatures less than 140 K now exists below 50° latitude. This may be an indication of an equator-ward creep of global mesospheric cooling (which is associated with the well-known tropospheric global warming), but the scatterers at lower latitudes also demonstrate correlation with the Ap index. On the other hand, the polar scatterers at Eureka demonstrated no correlation of any significance with Ap. The importance of these results in regard to the global distribution of mesospheric temperatures is discussed, and comparisons to other measurements are made.
Carbon Dioxide Capture through Physical and Chemical Adsorption Using Porous Carbon Materials: A Review
Authors: Gunawardene Oneesha H. P. , Gunathilake Chamila A. , Vikrant Kumar , Amaraweera Sumedha M.
Published: March 2022

Due to rapid industrialization and urban development across the globe, the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) has been significantly increased, resulting in adverse effects on the climate and ecosystems. In this regard, carbon capture and storage (CCS) is considered to be a promising technology in reducing atmospheric CO2 concentration. Among the CO2 capture technologies, adsorption has grabbed significant attention owing to its advantageous characteristics discovered in recent years. Porous carbon-based materials have emerged as one of the most versatile CO2 adsorbents. Numerous research activities have been conducted by synthesizing carbon-based adsorbents using different precursors to investigate their performances towards CCS. Additionally, amine-functionalized carbon-based adsorbents have exhibited remarkable potential for selective capturing of CO2 in the presence of other gases and humidity conditions. The present review describes the CO2 emission sources, health, and environmental impacts of CO2 towards the human beings, options for CCS, and different CO2 separation technologies. Apart from the above, different synthesis routes of carbon-based adsorbents using various precursors have been elucidated. The CO2 adsorption selectivity, capacity, and reusability of the current and applied carbon materials have also been summarized. Furthermore, the critical factors controlling the adsorption performance (e.g., the effect of textural and functional properties) are comprehensively discussed. Finally, the current challenges and future research directions have also been summarized.
Spatial-Temporal Mode Analysis and Prediction of Outgoing Longwave Radiation over China in 2002–2021 Based on Atmospheric Infrared Sounder Data
Authors: Tang Chaoli , Liu Dong , Wei Yuanyuan , Tian Xiaomin , Zhao Fengmei , Wu Xin
Published: March 2022

Outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) is a key factor to study the radiation balance of the earth–atmosphere system. It is of great significance to explore the temporal and spatial variation characteristics over the OLR value in China region and to predict its future variation trend. We investigate the characteristic distribution of OLR value over China and predict its results in time series using the seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) and long short-term memory (LSTM) methods based on the OLR data by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS). The Mann–Kendall (MK) mutation test was used to analyze the annual average of OLR values in China and the mutation points in the four seasons. The empirical orthogonal function (EOF) is used to decompose the spatial characteristics and temporal variation of OLR values in China. The MK mutation test is used to obtain the mutation points in the three seasons of spring, summer and autumn. The cumulative variance contribution of the four modes obtained by EOF decomposition exceeds 70%, and the variance contribution of the first mode exceeds 50%. The prediction accuracy with SARIMA model is 99% and LSTM algorithm is 97%. The results of spatiotemporal analysis show that the OLR value near the equator is significantly higher than that of the north and south poles and decreases with the increase of latitude; the OLR value in spring, summer and autumn is higher than that in winter. The results of the MK test show that there are many mutation points in autumn, and the location of the mutation points cannot be determined. The mutation points in spring and summer meet the confidence interval; the first mode of EOF decomposition has a meridional structure, and the OLR value is dropped within 18 years as a whole. The spatial characteristics of modes 1 and 3 have obvious changes in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Northeast China. The prediction results show that the prediction accuracy of SARIMA is higher than that of LSTM. Therefore, the results predicted by SARIMA may provide a reference for the study of the radiation balance of the earth–atmosphere system in China.
Evaluation of Extinction Effect of PM2.5 and Its Chemical Components during Heating Period in an Urban Area in Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region
Authors: Zhang Qi , Qin Long , Zhou Yang , Jia Shiguo , Yao Liying , Zhang Zhiyang , Zhang Lina
Published: March 2022

PM2.5 pollution and visibility impairment has attracted wild public attention in urban China during the past decade. Field observation was carried out in Tianjin, China, during heating (HP) and non-heating periods (NHP). The IMPROVE (Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments) method was localized to better understand the quantitative impact of PM2.5 composition on extinction coefficient (Bext). Bext of organic mass (OM) was classified into that of primary organic aerosol (POA) and secondary organic aerosol (SOA). Bext of Rayleigh scattering was calculated based on observation data directly, instead of a fixed value in the original IMPROVE method. The mass extinction efficiency (MEE) of EC was also updated based on literature research. The estimation bias of reconstructed Bext was reduced from 4.8 Mm−1 to 0.8 Mm−1 with the localized algorithm. It was found that the secondary components contribute more than 40% of Bext, and ammonium sulfate (AS) and ammonium nitrate (AN) are the dominant components. The different formation pathway leads to significant difference in secondary inorganic components during HP and NHP. Based on the positive matrix factorization (PMF) model and localized IMPROVE method, secondary aerosols were identified as the main source contributing to both PM2.5 concentration (48.2%) and Bext (44.3%) during HP, followed by vehicular emission and coal combustion, biomass burning with municipal incinerators, fugitive dust, and steel processing.
RainPredRNN: A New Approach for Precipitation Nowcasting with Weather Radar Echo Images Based on Deep Learning
Authors: Tuyen Do Ngoc , Tuan Tran Manh , Le Xuan-Hien , Tung Nguyen Thanh , Chau Tran Kim , Van Hai Pham , Gerogiannis Vassilis C. , Son Le Hoang
Published: March 2022

Precipitation nowcasting is one of the main tasks of weather forecasting that aims to predict rainfall events accurately, even in low-rainfall regions. It has been observed that few studies have been devoted to predicting future radar echo images in a reasonable time using the deep learning approach. In this paper, we propose a novel approach, RainPredRNN, which is the combination of the UNet segmentation model and the PredRNN_v2 deep learning model for precipitation nowcasting with weather radar echo images. By leveraging the abilities of the contracting-expansive path of the UNet model, the number of calculated operations of the RainPredRNN model is significantly reduced. This result consequently offers the benefit of reducing the processing time of the overall model while maintaining reasonable errors in the predicted images. In order to validate the proposed model, we performed experiments on real reflectivity fields collected from the Phadin weather radar station, located at Dien Bien province in Vietnam. Some credible quality metrics, such as the mean absolute error (MAE), the structural similarity index measure (SSIM), and the critical success index (CSI), were used for analyzing the performance of the model. It has been certified that the proposed model has produced improved performance, about 0.43, 0.95, and 0.94 of MAE, SSIM, and CSI, respectively, with only 30% of training time compared to the other methods.
Diabetes Mellitus: A Path to Amnesia, Personality, and Behavior Change
Authors: Ahmad Rahnuma , Chowdhury Kona , Kumar Santosh , Irfan Mohammed , Reddy Govindool , Akter Farhana , Jahan Dilshad , Haque Mainul
Published: March 2022

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is increasingly being associated with cognition dysfunction. Dementia, including vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease, is being recognized as comorbidities of this metabolic disorder. The progressive hallmarks of this cognitive dysfunction include mild impairment of cognition and cognitive decline. Dementia and mild impairment of cognition appear primarily in older patients. Studies on risk factors, neuropathology, and brain imaging have provided important suggestions for mechanisms that lie behind the development of dementia. It is a significant challenge to understand the disease processes related to diabetes that affect the brain and lead to dementia development. The connection between diabetes mellitus and dysfunction of cognition has been observed in many human and animal studies that have noted that mechanisms related to diabetes mellitus are possibly responsible for aggravating cognitive dysfunction. This article attempts to narrate the possible association between Type 2 diabetes and dementia, reviewing studies that have noted this association in vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease and helping to explain the potential mechanisms behind the disease process. A Google search for “Diabetes Mellitus and Dementia” was carried out. Search was also done for “Diabetes Mellitus”, “Vascular Dementia”, and “Alzheimer’s Disease”. The literature search was done using Google Scholar, Pubmed, Embase, ScienceDirect, and MEDLINE. Keeping in mind the increasing rate of Diabetes Mellitus, it is important to establish the Type 2 diabetes’ effect on the brain and diseases of neurodegeneration. This narrative review aims to build awareness regarding the different types of dementia and their relationship with diabetes.
In Silico Exploration of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Metabolic Networks Shows Host-Associated Convergent Fluxomic Phenotypes
Authors: Santamaria Guillem , Ruiz-Rodriguez Paula , Renau-Mínguez Chantal , Pinto Francisco R. , Coscollá Mireia
Published: March 2022

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis, is composed of several lineages characterized by a genome identity higher than 99%. Although the majority of the lineages are associated with humans, at least four lineages are adapted to other mammals, including different M. tuberculosis ecotypes. Host specificity is associated with higher virulence in its preferred host in ecotypes such as M. bovis. Deciphering what determines the preference of the host can reveal host-specific virulence patterns. However, it is not clear which genomic determinants might be influencing host specificity. In this study, we apply a combination of unsupervised and supervised classification methods on genomic data of ~27,000 M. tuberculosis clinical isolates to decipher host-specific genomic determinants. Host-specific genomic signatures are scarce beyond known lineage-specific mutations. Therefore, we integrated lineage-specific mutations into the iEK1011 2.0 genome-scale metabolic model to obtain lineage-specific versions of it. Flux distributions sampled from the solution spaces of these models can be accurately separated according to host association. This separation correlated with differences in cell wall processes, lipid, amino acid and carbon metabolic subsystems. These differences were observable when more than 95% of the samples had a specific growth rate significantly lower than the maximum achievable by the models. This suggests that these differences might manifest at low growth rate settings, such as the restrictive conditions M. tuberculosis suffers during macrophage infection.
Intracellular Ca2+-Mediated Mechanisms for the Pacemaker Depolarization of the Mouse and Guinea Pig Sinus Node Tissue
Authors: Namekata Iyuki , Jitsukata Kento , Fukuda Ayumi , Odaka Ryosuke , Hamaguchi Shogo , Tanaka Hikaru
Published: March 2022

Intracellular Ca2+-mediated mechanisms for pacemaker depolarization were studied in sinus node tissue preparations from mice and guinea pigs. Microelectrode recordings revealed that the sinus node of the mouse, which had a higher beating rate, had a steeper slope of the pacemaker depolarization than that of the guinea pig. BAPTA and ryanodine, agents that interfere with intracellular Ca2+, significantly decreased the slope of the pacemaker depolarization in both species. In contrast, SEA0400, a specific inhibitor of the Na+-Ca2+ exchanger (NCX), as well as change to low Na+ extracellular solution, significantly decreased the slope in the mouse, but not in the guinea pig. Niflumic acid, a blocker of the Ca2+ activated Cl− channel, decreased the slope in both species. Confocal microscopy revealed the presence of spontaneous Ca2+ oscillations during the interval between Ca2+ transients; such phenomenon was more pronounced in the mouse than in the guinea pig. Thus, although intracellular Ca2+-mediated mechanisms were involved in the pacemaker depolarization of the sinus node in both species, the NCX current was involved in the mouse but not in the guinea pig.
Links between Insulin Resistance and Periodontal Bacteria: Insights on Molecular Players and Therapeutic Potential of Polyphenols
Authors: Thouvenot Katy , Turpin Teva , Taïlé Janice , Clément Karine , Meilhac Olivier , Gonthier Marie-Paule
Published: March 2022

Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disease mainly associated with insulin resistance during obesity and constitutes a major public health problem worldwide. A strong link has been established between type 2 diabetes and periodontitis, an infectious dental disease characterized by chronic inflammation and destruction of the tooth-supporting tissue or periodontium. However, the molecular mechanisms linking periodontal bacteria and insulin resistance remain poorly elucidated. This study aims to summarize the mechanisms possibly involved based on in vivo and in vitro studies and targets them for innovative therapies. Indeed, during periodontitis, inflammatory lesions of the periodontal tissue may allow periodontal bacteria to disseminate into the bloodstream and reach tissues, including adipose tissue and skeletal muscles that store glucose in response to insulin. Locally, periodontal bacteria and their components, such as lipopolysaccharides and gingipains, may deregulate inflammatory pathways, altering the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines/chemokines. Moreover, periodontal bacteria may promote ROS overproduction via downregulation of the enzymatic antioxidant defense system, leading to oxidative stress. Crosstalk between players of inflammation and oxidative stress contributes to disruption of the insulin signaling pathway and promotes insulin resistance. In parallel, periodontal bacteria alter glucose and lipid metabolism in the liver and deregulate insulin production by pancreatic β-cells, contributing to hyperglycemia. Interestingly, therapeutic management of periodontitis reduces systemic inflammation markers and ameliorates insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetic patients. Of note, plant polyphenols exert anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities as well as insulin-sensitizing and anti-bacterial actions. Thus, polyphenol-based therapies are of high interest for helping to counteract the deleterious effects of periodontal bacteria and improve insulin resistance.
Characterization of Mitochondrial Proteome and Function in Luminal A and Basal-like Breast Cancer Subtypes Reveals Alteration in Mitochondrial Dynamics and Bioenergetics Relevant to Their Diagnosis
Authors: Ortega-Lozano Ariadna Jazmín , Gómez-Caudillo Leopoldo , Briones-Herrera Alfredo , Aparicio-Trejo Omar Emiliano , Pedraza-Chaverri José
Published: March 2022

Breast cancer (BC) is the most prevalent cancer and the one with the highest mortality among women worldwide. Although the molecular classification of BC has been a helpful tool for diagnosing and predicting the treatment of BC, developments are still being made to improve the diagnosis and find new therapeutic targets. Mitochondrial dysfunction is a crucial feature of cancer, which can be associated with cancer aggressiveness. Although the importance of mitochondrial dynamics in cancer is well recognized, its involvement in the mitochondrial function and bioenergetics context in BC molecular subtypes has been scantly explored. In this study, we combined mitochondrial function and bioenergetics experiments in MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines with statistical and bioinformatics analyses of the mitochondrial proteome of luminal A and basal-like tumors. We demonstrate that basal-like tumors exhibit a vicious cycle between mitochondrial fusion and fission; impaired but not completely inactive mitochondrial function; and the Warburg effect, associated with decreased oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) complexes I and III. Together with the results obtained in the cell lines and the mitochondrial proteome analysis, two mitochondrial signatures were proposed: one signature reflecting alterations in mitochondrial functions and a second signature exclusively of OXPHOS, which allow us to distinguish between luminal A and basal-like tumors.
The Role of Membrane Lipids in Light-Activation of Drosophila TRP Channels
Authors: Gutorov Rita , Katz Ben , Rhodes-Mordov Elisheva , Zaguri Rachel , Brandwine-Shemmer Tal , Minke Baruch
Published: March 2022

Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) channels constitute a large superfamily of polymodal channel proteins with diverse roles in many physiological and sensory systems that function both as ionotropic and metabotropic receptors. From the early days of TRP channel discovery, membrane lipids were suggested to play a fundamental role in channel activation and regulation. A prominent example is the Drosophila TRP and TRP-like (TRPL) channels, which are predominantly expressed in the visual system of Drosophila. Light activation of the TRP and TRPL channels, the founding members of the TRP channel superfamily, requires activation of phospholipase Cβ (PLC), which hydrolyzes phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) into Diacylglycerol (DAG) and Inositol 1, 4,5-trisphosphate (IP3). However, the events required for channel gating downstream of PLC activation are still under debate and led to several hypotheses regarding the mechanisms by which lipids gate the channels. Despite many efforts, compelling evidence of the involvement of DAG accumulation, PIP2 depletion or IP3-mediated Ca2+ release in light activation of the TRP/TRPL channels are still lacking. Exogeneous application of poly unsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), a product of DAG hydrolysis was demonstrated as an efficient way to activate the Drosophila TRP/TRPL channels. However, compelling evidence for the involvement of PUFAs in physiological light-activation of the TRP/TRPL channels is still lacking. Light-induced mechanical force generation was measured in photoreceptor cells prior to channel opening. This mechanical force depends on PLC activity, suggesting that the enzymatic activity of PLC converting PIP2 into DAG generates membrane tension, leading to mechanical gating of the channels. In this review, we will present the roles of membrane lipids in light activation of Drosophila TRP channels and present the many advantages of this model system in the exploration of TRP channel activation under physiological conditions.
TLR4 Expression in Ex-Lichenoid Lesions—Oral Squamous Cell Carcinomas and Its Surrounding Epithelium: The Role of Tumor Inflammatory Microenvironment
Authors: Visioli Fernanda , Nunes Julia Silveira , Pedicillo Maria Carmela , Leonardi Rosalia , Santoro Angela , Zannoni Gian Franco , Aquino Gabriella , Cerrone Margherita , Cantile Monica , Losito Nunzia Simona , Rodolico Vito , Campisi Giuseppina , Colella Giuseppe , De Stefano Ilenia Sara , Ramunno Maria Antonietta , Pizzulli Cristina , Visconti Marco , Lo Muzio Lorenzo , Pannone Giuseppe
Published: March 2022

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) regulate innate and adaptive immune responses. Moreover, TLRs can induce a pro-survival and pro-proliferation response in tumor cells. This study aims to investigate the expression of TLR4 in the epithelium surrounding oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) in relation to its inflammatory microenvironment. This study included 150 human samples: 30 normal oral control (NOC), 38 non-lichenoid epithelium surrounding OSCC (NLE-OSCC), 28 lichenoid epithelium surrounding OSCC (LE-OSCC), 30 OSCC ex-non oral lichenoid lesion (OSCC Ex-NOLL), and 24 OSCC ex-oral lichenoid lesion (OSCC Ex-OLL). TLR4 expression was investigated by immunohistochemistry and the percentage of positive cells was quantified. In addition, a semiquantitative analysis of staining intensity was performed. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that TLR4 is strongly upregulated in LE-OSCC as compared to normal control epithelium and NLE-OSCC. TLR4 expression was associated with the inflammatory environment, since the percentage of positive cells increases from NOC and NLE-OSCC to LE-OSCC, reaching the highest value in OSCC Ex–OLL. TLR4 was detected in the basal third of the epithelium in NLE-OSCC, while in LE-OSCC, TLR4 expression reached the intermediate layer. These results demonstrated that an inflammatory microenvironment can upregulate TLR4, which may boost tumor development.
Molecular Mechanisms of Anti-Neoplastic and Immune Stimulatory Properties of Oncolytic Newcastle Disease Virus
Authors: Schirrmacher Volker
Published: March 2022

Oncolytic viruses represent interesting anti-cancer agents with high tumor selectivity and immune stimulatory potential. The present review provides an update of the molecular mechanisms of the anti-neoplastic and immune stimulatory properties of the avian paramyxovirus, Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV). The anti-neoplastic activities of NDV include (i) the endocytic targeting of the GTPase Rac1 in Ras-transformed human tumorigenic cells; (ii) the switch from cellular protein to viral protein synthesis and the induction of autophagy mediated by viral nucleoprotein NP; (iii) the virus replication mediated by viral RNA polymerase (large protein (L), associated with phosphoprotein (P)); (iv) the facilitation of NDV spread in tumors via the membrane budding of the virus progeny with the help of matrix protein (M) and fusion protein (F); and (v) the oncolysis via apoptosis, necroptosis, pyroptosis, or ferroptosis associated with immunogenic cell death. A special property of this oncolytic virus consists of its potential for breaking therapy resistance in human cancer cells. Eight examples of this important property are presented and explained. In healthy human cells, NDV infection activates the RIG-MAVs immune signaling pathway and establishes an anti-viral state based on a strong and uninhibited interferon α,ß response. The review also describes the molecular determinants and mechanisms of the NDV-mediated immune stimulatory effects, in which the viral hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) protein plays a prominent role. The six viral proteins provide oncolytic NDV with a special profile in the treatment of cancer.
Mechanisms of Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis in Glioblastoma
Authors: Gousias Konstantinos , Theocharous Theocharis , Simon Matthias
Published: March 2022

Cells of glioblastoma, the most frequent primary malignant brain tumor, are characterized by their rapid growth and infiltration of adjacent healthy brain parenchyma, which reflects their aggressive biological behavior. In order to maintain their excessive proliferation and invasion, glioblastomas exploit the innate biological capacities of the patients suffering from this tumor. The pathways involved in cell cycle regulation and apoptosis are the mechanisms most commonly affected. The following work reviews the regulatory pathways of cell growth in general as well as the dysregulated cell cycle and apoptosis relevant mechanisms observed in glioblastomas. We then describe the molecular targeting of the current established adjuvant therapy and present ongoing trials or completed studies on specific promising therapeutic agents that induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of glioblastoma cells.
Use of the Shock Wave Therapy in Basic Research and Clinical Applications—From Bench to Bedsite
Authors: Rola Piotr , Włodarczak Adrian , Barycki Mateusz , Doroszko Adrian
Published: March 2022

Shock Waves (SW) are acoustic disturbances that propagate through a medium carrying the energy. These specific sonic pulses are composed of two phases—high positive pressure, a rise time < 10 ns, and a tensile wave. Originally Shock Waves were introduced to clinical practice as a part of the lithotripsy therapy focused on disrupting calcific deposits in the body. Since that time, shock wave therapy (SWT) has gone far beyond the original application related to the destruction of kidney stones. In this narrative Review, we present basic clinical applications of the SWT along with the potential therapeutic application in clinical practice.
Current Status and Future Directions of Immunotherapies in Soft Tissue Sarcomas
Authors: Kerrison William G. J. , Lee Alexander T. J. , Thway Khin , Jones Robin L. , Huang Paul H.
Published: March 2022

Immunotherapy in soft tissue sarcoma (STS) has experienced a surge of interest in the past decade, contributing to an expanding number of therapeutic options for this extremely heterogenous group of rare malignancies. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs) targeting the PD-1 and CTLA-4 axes have demonstrated promising responses in a select number of STS subtypes, including rarer subtypes, such as alveolar soft part sarcoma, SWI/SNF-deficient sarcomas, clear cell sarcoma, and angiosarcoma. Multiple pan-subtype sarcoma trials have facilitated the study of possible predictive biomarkers of the CPI response. It has also become apparent that certain therapies, when combined with CPIs, can enhance response rates, although the specific mechanisms of this possible synergy remain unconfirmed in STS. In addition to CPIs, several other immune targeting agents, including anti-tumour-associated macrophage and antigen-directed therapies, are now under assessment in STS with promising efficacy in some subtypes. In this article, we review the state of the art in immunotherapy in STS, highlighting the pre-clinical and clinical data available for this promising therapeutic strategy.
Placental Insulin Receptor Transiently Regulates Glucose Homeostasis in the Adult Mouse Offspring of Multiparous Dams
Authors: Chung Grace , Mohan Ramkumar , Beetch Megan , Jo Seokwon , Alejandro Emilyn Uy
Published: March 2022

In pregnancies complicated by maternal obesity and gestational diabetes mellitus, there is strong evidence to suggest that the insulin signaling pathway in the placenta may be impaired. This may have potential effects on the programming of the metabolic health in the offspring; however, a direct link between the placental insulin signaling pathway and the offspring health remains unknown. Here, we aimed to understand whether specific placental loss of the insulin receptor (InsR) has a lasting effect on the offspring health in mice. Obesity and glucose homeostasis were assessed in the adult mouse offspring on a normal chow diet (NCD) followed by a high-fat diet (HFD) challenge. Compared to their littermate controls, InsR KOplacenta offspring were born with normal body weight and pancreatic β-cell mass. Adult InsR KOplacenta mice exhibited normal glucose homeostasis on an NCD. Interestingly, under a HFD challenge, adult male InsR KOplacenta offspring demonstrated lower body weight and a mildly improved glucose homeostasis associated with parity. Together, our data show that placenta-specific insulin receptor deletion does not adversely affect offspring glucose homeostasis during adulthood. Rather, there may potentially be a mild and transient protective effect in the mouse offspring of multiparous dams under the condition of a diet-induced obesogenic challenge.
Label-Free LSPR-Vertical Microcavity Biosensor for On-Site SARS-CoV-2 Detection
Authors: Zheng Yuqiao , Bian Sumin , Sun Jiacheng , Wen Liaoyong , Rong Guoguang , Sawan Mohamad
Published: March 2022

Cost-effective, rapid, and sensitive detection of SARS-CoV-2, in high-throughput, is crucial in controlling the COVID-19 epidemic. In this study, we proposed a vertical microcavity and localized surface plasmon resonance hybrid biosensor for SARS-CoV-2 detection in artificial saliva and assessed its efficacy. The proposed biosensor monitors the valley shifts in the reflectance spectrum, as induced by changes in the refractive index within the proximity of the sensor surface. A low-cost and fast method was developed to form nanoporous gold (NPG) with different surface morphologies on the vertical microcavity wafer, followed by immobilization with the SARS-CoV-2 antibody for capturing the virus. Modeling and simulation were conducted to optimize the microcavity structure and the NPG parameters. Simulation results revealed that NPG-deposited sensors performed better in resonance quality and in sensitivity compared to gold-deposited and pure microcavity sensors. The experiment confirmed the effect of NPG surface morphology on the biosensor sensitivity as demonstrated by simulation. Pre-clinical validation revealed that 40% porosity led to the highest sensitivity for SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus at 319 copies/mL in artificial saliva. The proposed automatic biosensing system delivered the results of 100 samples within 30 min, demonstrating its potential for on-site coronavirus detection with sufficient sensitivity.
PD-L1/miR-155 Interplay in Pediatric High-Grade Glioma
Authors: Litak Jakub , Grajkowska Wiesława , Bogucki Jacek , Kowalczyk Paweł , Petniak Alicja , Podkowiński Arkadiusz , Szumiło Justyna , Kocki Janusz , Roliński Jacek , Rahnama-Hezavah Mansur , Roszkowski Marcin , Grochowski Cezary
Published: March 2022

High-grade pediatric glioma (p-HGG—WHO 2021, formerly GBM—WHO 2016), as a common, aggressive, and highly lethal primary brain malignancy in adults, accounts for only 3–15% of primary brain tumors in pediatric patients. After leukemia, brain malignancies are the second most common in the pediatric population and first in incidences concerning solid tumors. This study was designed on the basis of 14 pediatric patients hospitalized at Children’s Memorial Health Institute in Warsaw, Poland, due to p-HGG treatment. All the patients had a histopathological diagnosis performed by an experienced neuropathologist according to WHO guidelines (WHO 2016 Grade IV Glioblastoma). A significant correlation was found between the miR-155 concentration and the level of PD-L1 expression in p-HGG tumor tissue. Very few reports have indicated PD-L1 expression in pediatric patients.
Synapsin II Directly Suppresses Epileptic Seizures In Vivo
Authors: Schwark Ryan , Andrade Rodrigo , Bykhovskaia Maria
Published: March 2022

The synapsin family offers a strong linkage between synaptic mechanisms and the epileptic phenotype. Synapsins are phosphoproteins reversibly associated with synaptic vesicles. Synapsin deficiency can cause epilepsy in humans, and synapsin II (SynII) in knockout (KO) mice causes generalized epileptic seizures. To differentiate between the direct effect of SynII versus its secondary adaptations, we used neonatal intracerebroventricular injections of the adeno-associated virus (AAV) expressing SynII. We found that SynII reintroduction diminished the enhanced synaptic activity in Syn2 KO hippocampal slices. Next, we employed the epileptogenic agent 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) and found that SynII reintroduction completely rescued the epileptiform activity observed in Syn2 KO slices upon 4-AP application. Finally, we developed a protocol to provoke behavioral seizures in young Syn2 KO animals and found that SynII reintroduction balances the behavioral seizures. To elucidate the mechanisms through which SynII suppresses hyperexcitability, we injected the phospho-incompetent version of Syn2 that had the mutated protein kinase A (PKA) phosphorylation site. The introduction of the phospho-incompetent SynII mutant suppressed the epileptiform and seizure activity in Syn2 KO mice, but not to the extent observed upon the reintroduction of native SynII. These findings show that SynII can directly suppress seizure activity and that PKA phosphorylation contributes to this function.
Naturalistic Study of Depression Associated with Parkinson’s Disease in a National Public Neurological Referral Center in Mexico
Authors: Janssen-Aguilar Reinhard , Rojas Patricia , Ruiz-Sánchez Elizabeth , Rodriguez-Violante Mayela , Alcántara-Flores Yessica M. , Crail-Meléndez Daniel , Cervantes-Arriaga Amin , Sánchez-Escandón Óscar , Ruiz-Chow Ángel A.
Published: March 2022

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a major health problem in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients. We described the clinical and sociodemographic factors of MDD among patients with PD at a national neurological referral center in Mexico. One hundred patients with PD + MDD were included in the study. All the patients were evaluated during the “ON” treatment phase of PD. Clinical scales for cognition (MMSE and MoCA) and MDD (MADRS) were applied. The mean age was 58.49 ± 11.02 years, and 57% of the sample was male. The most frequent symptom of PD was tremor (67%), and onset was more frequent on the right side (57%). Additionally, 49% of the patients with PD had moderate to severe (M/S) MDD. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors were the most frequent antidepressant treatment (69%). The scores of the scales were MADRS 21.33 ± 5.49, MoCA 21.06 ± 4.65, and MMSE 26.67 ± 1.20. The females had lower MMSE scores compared to the males (p = 0.043). The patients with M/S MDD had more rigidity at the beginning of PD (p = 0.005), fewer march alterations (p = 0.023), and a greater prevalence of left-side initial disease (p = 0.037). Rigidity was associated with M/S MDD (OR 3.75 p = 0.013). MDD was slightly more frequent in the males than in the females. The MDD symptoms and cognitive impairment were worse in the female population.
Entropy Metrics Correlating with Higher Residual Functioning in Patients with Chronic Disorders of Consciousness
Authors: Visani Elisa , Luria Gianvittorio , Sattin Davide , Rossi Sebastiano Davide , Ferraro Stefania , Panzica Ferruccio , Leonardi Matilde , Franceschetti Silvana
Published: March 2022

To test the ability of different entropy measures to classify patients with different conditions of chronic disorder of consciousness, we applied the Lempel–Ziv complexity, the amplitude coalition entropy (ACE), and the synchrony coalition entropy (SCE) to the EEG signals recorded in 32 patients, clinically evaluated using the coma recovery scale revised (CRS-R). All the entropy measures indicated that differences found in the theta and alpha bands can distinguish patients in a minimal consciousness state (MCS) with respect to those in a vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness state (VS/UWS). These differences were significant comparing the entropy measure performed on the anterior region of the left hemisphere and midline region. The values of theta-alpha entropy positively correlated with those of the CRS-R scores. Among the entropy measures, ACE most often highlighted significant differences. The higher values found in MCS were for the less impaired patients, according to their CRS-R, suggest that the preservation of signal entropy on the anterior region of the dominant hemisphere correlates with better preservation of consciousness, even in chronic conditions.
Development of the Mental Number Line Representation of Numbers 0–10 and Its Relationship to Mental Arithmetic
Authors: Feldman Anat , Berger Andrea
Published: March 2022

The internal representation of numbers on the mental number line (MNL) was demonstrated by performing the computerized version of the number-to-position (CNP) task on a touchscreen while restricting response time. We found that the estimation pattern is best fit by a sigmoid function, further denoted as the “sigmoidal model”. Two developmental leaps occurring during elementary school were recognized: (1) the division of the number line into two segments and (2) consistent use of different anchor points on the number line—the left endpoint in first grade, the right endpoint in second grade, and finally the midpoint in third grade. Additionally, when examining the differences between the breakpoints, we found that first graders demonstrated a breakpoint close to 6, which linearly decreased over the years until stabilizing close to 5. The relation between the ability to place individual numbers on a number line and performance of mental arithmetic showed that the consistent use of anchor points correlated significantly with faster responses in mental arithmetic.