bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Involvement of Mitophagy and Peroxisome in the Resistance to QoIs in Corynespora cassiicola
Authors: Sun Bingxue , Zhou Rongjia , Zhu Guangxue , Xie Xuewen , Chai Ali , Li Lei , Fan Tengfei , Li Baoju , Shi Yanxia
Published: November 2023

Quinone outside inhibitor fungicides (QoIs) are crucial fungicides for controlling plant diseases, but resistance, mainly caused by G143A, has been widely reported with the high and widespread use of QoIs. However, two phenotypes of Corynespora casiicola (RI and RII) with the same G143A showed significantly different resistance to QoIs in our previous study, which did not match the reported mechanisms. Therefore, transcriptome analysis of RI and RII strains after trifloxystrobin treatment was used to explore the new resistance mechanism in this study. The results show that 332 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were significantly up-regulated and 448 DEGs were significantly down-regulated. The results of GO and KEGG enrichment showed that DEGs were most enriched in ribosomes, while also having enrichment in peroxide, endocytosis, the lysosome, autophagy, and mitophagy. In particular, mitophagy and peroxisome have been reported in medicine as the main mechanisms of reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging, while the lysosome and endocytosis are an important organelle and physiological process, respectively, that assist mitophagy. The oxidative stress experiments showed that the oxidative stress resistance of the RII strains was significantly higher than that of the RI strains: specifically, it was more than 1.8-fold higher at a concentration of 0.12% H2O2. This indicates that there is indeed a significant difference in the scavenging capacity of ROS between the two phenotypic strains. Therefore, we suggest that QoIs’ action caused a high production of ROS, and that scavenging mechanisms such as mitophagy and peroxisomes functioned in RII strains to prevent oxidative stress, whereas RI strains were less capable of resisting oxidative stress, resulting in different resistance to QoIs. In this study, it was first revealed that mitophagy and peroxisome mechanisms available for ROS scavenging are involved in the resistance of pathogens to fungicides.
Terpenoids from the Roots of Stellera chamaejasme (L.) and Their Bioactivities
Authors: Wu Juan , Ye Zhujun , Liao Caicen , Li Rongtao , Chen Xuanqin
Published: November 2023

An undescribed diterpene, stellerterpenoid A (1), and two undescribed sesquiterpenoids, stellerterpenoids B and C (2–3), together with six known compounds, prostratin (4) stelleraguaianone B (5), chamaejasnoid A (6), auranticanol L (7), wikstronone C (8), and oleodaphnone (9), were isolated from the roots of Stellera chamaejasme L. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic data (1D, 2D NMR, IR, UV, and HR-ESI-MS). The absolute configuration of 1–3 was elucidated based on ECD calculation. Among them, stellerterpenoid A was a rare 13, 14-seco nortigliane diterpenoid and stellerterpenoid B was a guaiacane-type sesquiterpenoid with an unusual 1, 2-diketone moiety. The known stelleraguaianone B (5) exhibited moderate activity for suppressing NO production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated RAW 264.7 macrophages cells with an IC50 value of 24.76 ± 0.4 μM. None of the compounds showed anti-influenza virus or anti-tumor activity in vitro.
Adherence to Healthy Dietary Patterns and Glioma: A Matched Case-Control Study
Authors: Zhang Weichunbai , He Yongqi , Wang Ce , Chen Feng , Jiang Bo , Li Wenbin
Published: November 2023

Recent studies have revealed a putative relationship between diet and glioma development and prognosis, but few studies have examined the association between overall diet and glioma risk. This study, conducted in China, employed a hospital-based case-control approach. The researchers utilized an a priori method based on dietary data to evaluate compliance scores for five healthy dietary patterns (the Mediterranean diet, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, the Mediterranean-DASH diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet, the Paleolithic diet, and the Planetary Health Diet) in 1012 participants. At the same time, data-driven methods were used to explore the association between dietary patterns and glioma via principal component analysis (PCA). In the multivariate model, adhering to the Mediterranean diet (odds ratio (OR) = 0.29; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 0.17–0.52), the DASH diet (OR = 0.09; 95% CI: 0.04–0.18), the MIND diet (OR = 0.25; 95% CI: 0.14–0.44), and the Paleolithic diet (OR = 0.13; 95% CI: 0.06–0.25) was associated with a reduced glioma risk. The results of PCA suggested that increasing the intake of plant-based foods and fish and limiting foods rich in carbohydrates, fats, and salts were associated with a reduced glioma risk. There was a substantial nonlinear dose–response association between glioma and the Mediterranean diet score. However, the DASH diet score, the MIND diet score, and the Paleolithic diet score exhibited linear dose–response relationships. Therefore, this study finds that dietary patterns may be an influencing factor for glioma risk.
Co-Administration of Roxadustat and Zinc Stabilizes Both Serum Copper and Zinc Concentrations in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis
Authors: Takahashi Akira
Published: November 2023

Patients undergoing hemodialysis often require zinc supplementation owing to hypozincemia, which may reduce serum copper concentrations. However, hypoxia-inducible factor–prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors (HIF-PHIs), which are used to treat renal anemia, have been reported to increase serum copper. Therefore, this study investigates the effectiveness of a combination of HIF-PHIs and zinc for the stabilization of serum copper and zinc concentrations during zinc supplementation for patients undergoing hemodialysis with renal anemia and hypozincemia. The serum zinc and copper concentrations were retrospectively compared over an 8-month period in 20 patients being administered roxadustat (an HIF-PHI) and 20 controls. The changes in concentrations were tracked in participants taking roxadustat who initiated or increased zinc supplementation. The serum zinc concentrations of the participants were significantly higher (p < 0.001) during zinc supplementation, regardless of roxadustat administration. Post-roxadustat, the serum copper concentrations were significantly higher than those pre-roxadustat or in non-roxadustat-treated participants, irrespective of zinc supplementation (p < 0.005). Even post-roxadustat, the serum copper concentrations were significantly lower, with no increase during zinc supplementation (p < 0.040). When zinc supplementation was initiated or increased in participants taking roxadustat, copper and zinc concentrations were normalized. Thus, combining zinc supplementation with roxadustat prevents both an excessive increase in serum copper and a decrease in serum zinc.
Lower Adherence to a Mediterranean Diet Is Associated with High Adiposity in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Results from the Longevity Check-Up (Lookup) 7+ Project
Authors: Cacciatore Stefano , Gava Giordana , Calvani Riccardo , Marzetti Emanuele , Coelho-Júnior Hélio José , Picca Anna , Esposito Ilaria , Ciciarello Francesca , Salini Sara , Russo Andrea , Tosato Matteo , Landi Francesco
Published: November 2023

High adiposity impacts health and quality of life in old age, owing to its association with multimorbidity, decreased physical performance, and frailty. Whether a high adherence to a Mediterranean diet (Medi-Diet) is associated with reduced body adiposity in older adults is unclear. The present study was conducted to assess the prevalence of high adiposity in a large sample of community-dwelling older adults. We also explored the relationship between whole-body adiposity estimated through relative fat mass (RFM) and Medi-Diet adherence. Data were obtained from the Longevity Check-up 7+ (Lookup7+) project database. RFM was estimated from anthropometric and personal parameters using a validated equation. RFM was categorized as high if ≥40% in women and ≥30% in men. Information on diet was collected using a food frequency questionnaire, while Medi-Diet adherence was assessed through a modified version of the Medi-Lite scoring system. Analyses were conducted in 2092 participants (mean age 73.1 ± 5.9 years; 53.4% women). Mean RFM was 39.6 ± 5.14% in women and 29.0 ± 3.6% in men. High adiposity was found in 971 (46.4%) participants and was more frequent in those with a low (54.2%) or moderate (46.4%) Medi-Diet adherence compared with the high-adherence group (39.7%, p < 0.001). Logistic regression indicated that older adults with high Medi-Diet adherence were less likely to have a high RFM. Other factors associated with a greater risk of having high adiposity were older age, female sex, and physical inactivity. Our findings support an association between healthy lifestyles, including a greater adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet, and lower body adiposity in older adults.
Can Pre-Pregnancy Body Mass Index and Maternal Exercise Affect Birth and Neonatal Outcomes—A Cross Sectional Study
Authors: Szablewska Anna Weronika , Wierzba Jolanta , Santos-Rocha Rita , Szumilewicz Anna
Published: November 2023

There has been a dramatic worldwide increase in the prevalence of obesity or overweight and physical inactivity in women of reproductive age. Growing evidence suggests that pre-pregnancy maternal abnormal body mass index (BMI) and lower physical activity level are associated with poor maternal health and perinatal outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess how self-perceived exercise and pre-pregnancy BMI are associated with preterm birth, low birth weight, and type of birth. We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study of 394 Polish women in the postpartum period. We used a questionnaire with the structure of the medical interview. To analyze factors related to birth outcomes, we used the Pearson’s Chi-squared test of independence and odds ratio (OR), with a corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI), followed by a multiple logistic regression. Women who reported being physically active before pregnancy (p = 0.00) and during pregnancy (p = 0.03) were more likely to give birth on time and had a lower incidence of very-premature and extremely premature births compared to inactive women. Importantly, they were more likely to have vaginal birth (p = 0.03). Pre-pregnancy BMI influenced the week of delivery, i.e., inadequate, too-high BMI contributed to an increase in the percentage of premature births [OR (95% CI) = 1.19 (1.06; 1.34)]. The findings indicate that promoting physical activity and weight management remains a priority in public health policy, and women of childbearing age should be encouraged to adopt or maintain an active and healthy lifestyle during pregnancy in order to avoid sedentary- and obesity-associated risks affecting birth and newborns’ health.
Plasma Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Risk for Incident Dementia in the UK Biobank Study: A Closer Look
Authors: Sala-Vila Aleix , Tintle Nathan , Westra Jason , Harris William S.
Published: November 2023

Dietary omega-3 fatty acids are promising nutrients in dementia. Several prospective cohort studies have examined the relationships between circulating omega-3 (an objective biomarker of dietary intake) and incident dementia, the largest to date being a report from the UK Biobank (n = 102,722). Given the recent release of new metabolomics data from baseline samples from the UK Biobank, we re-examined the association in a much larger sample (n = 267,312) and also focused on associations with total omega-3, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and non-DHA omega-3. Using Cox regression models, we observed that the total omega-3 status was inversely related to the risk of Alzheimer’s (Q5 vs. Q1, hazard ratio [95% confidence interval] = 0.87 [0.76; 1.00]) and all-cause dementia (Q5 vs. Q1, 0.79 [0.72; 0.87]). The strongest associations were observed for total omega-3 (and non-DHA omega-3) and all-cause dementia. In prespecified strata, we found stronger associations in men, and in those aged ≥60 years at baseline (vs. those aged 50–59). Thus, in the largest study to date on this topic, we confirmed the favorable relationships between DHA and risk for dementia, and we also found evidence that non-DHA omega-3 may be beneficial. Finally, we have better defined the populations most likely to benefit from omega-3-based interventions.
A Review of Healthy Dietary Choices for Cardiovascular Disease: From Individual Nutrients and Foods to Dietary Patterns
Authors: Chen Wenjing , Zhang Shuqing , Hu Xiaosong , Chen Fang , Li Daotong
Published: November 2023

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the first cause of mortality globally. Diet plays a fundamental role in cardiovascular health and is closely linked to the development of CVD. Numerous human studies have provided evidence on the relationship between diet and CVD. By discussing the available findings on the dietary components that potentially influence CVD progression and prevention, this review attempted to provide the current state of evidence on healthy dietary choices for CVD. We focus on the effects of individual macronutrients, whole food products, and dietary patterns on the risks of CVD, and the data from population-based trials, observational studies, and meta-analyses are summarized. Unhealthy dietary habits, such as high intake of saturated fatty acids, sugar-sweetened beverages, red meat, and processed meat as well as high salt intake are associated with the increased risk of CVD. Conversely, increased consumption of plant-based components such as dietary fiber, nuts, fruits, and vegetables is shown to be effective in reducing CVD risk factors. The Mediterranean diet appears to be one of the most evidence-based dietary patterns beneficial for CVD prevention. However, there is still great debate regarding whether the supplementation of vitamins and minerals confers cardioprotective benefits. This review provides new insights into the role of dietary factors that are harmful or protective in CVD, which can be adopted for improved cardiovascular health.
Analysis of Fish-Consumption Benefits and Safety Knowledge in a Population-Based Sample of Polish Adolescents
Authors: Utri-Khodadady Zofia , Głąbska Dominika
Published: November 2023

Inadequate fish consumption is common and may result from multiple reasons, especially in adolescents who are a population at particular risk of the negative consequences of not consuming the recommended amounts of fish. The aim of the study was to analyze the knowledge about fish-consumption benefits and safety in a population-based sample of Polish adolescents. The stratified random sampling was conducted within two stages: sampling of counties from all voivodeships in Poland (being the basic administrative units of Poland) and inviting secondary schools from the drawn counties to obtain a sample representative of all regions of Poland. The Computer-Assisted Web Interview (CAWI) method was applied to gather the data within the study, and a questionnaire concerning knowledge about fish-consumption benefits and safety with 20 true–false statements was applied. Among 1289 participants, the statement with the highest share of correct answers concerned fish being a source of protein (78.9%) and fish-derived fats being health promoting (77.0%). The statement receiving the least correct answers concerned the type of fatty acids found in fish (7.6%) and the risk of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in fish (20.5%). Participants who were female, older than 18, underweight, living in an urban environment, from a region far away from the sea and from comprehensive schools provided a higher share of correct answers than other subgroups (p < 0.05). Knowledge concerning fish-consumption benefits and safety among Polish adolescents is in many cases inadequate; thus, nutritional education is needed, especially among younger adolescents, those attending vocational schools, males and those living in a rural environment.
Pyrrole-Doped Polydopamine-Pyrrole (PDA-nPY) Nanoparticles with Tunable Size and Improved NIR Absorption for Photothermal Therapy
Authors: He Yuan , Li Ziyang , Su Huiling , Sun Yanan , Shi Wei , Yi Yunfeng , Ge Dongtao , Fan Zhongxiong
Published: November 2023

Polydopamine (PDA) as a melanin-like biomimetic material with excellent biocompatibility, full spectrum light absorption capacity and antioxidation property has been extensively applied in the biomedical field. Based on the high reactivity of dopamine (DA), exploiting new strategies to fabricate novel PDA-based nano-biomaterials with controllable size and improved performance is valuable and desirable. Herein, we reported a facile way to synthesize pyrrole-doped polydopamine-pyrrole nanoparticles (PDA-nPY NPs) with tunable size and enhanced near-infrared (NIR) absorption capacity through self-oxidative polymerization of DA with PY in an alkaline ethanol/H2O/NH4OH solution. The PDA-nPY NPs maintain excellent biocompatibility and surface reactivity as PDA. By regulating the volume of added PY, PDA-150PY NPs with a smaller size (<100 nm) and four-fold higher absorption intensity at 808 nm than that of PDA can be successfully fabricated. In vitro and in vivo experiments effectively further demonstrate that PDA-150PY NPs can effectively inhibit tumor growth and completely thermally ablate a tumor. It is believed that these PY doped PDA-nPY NPs can be a potential photothermal (PT) agent in biomedical application.
Nanostructured Lipid Carriers as Robust Systems for Lupeol Delivery in the Treatment of Experimental Visceral Leishmaniasis
Authors: Jesus Jéssica Adriana , da Silva Thays Nicolli Fragoso , Sousa Ilza Maria Oliveira , Ferreira Aurea Favero , Laurenti Márcia Dalastra , da Costa Paulo Cardoso , de Carvalho Ferreira Domingos , Passero Luiz Felipe Domingues
Published: November 2023

Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease that affects millions of people around the world. Available therapy causes severe side effects, has unacceptable prices for some specific formulations, and the existence of drug-resistant parasites limits the use of the currently available arsenal of antiparasitic drugs. Therefore, natural products serve as one of the main sources to develop new and effective alternative drugs against leishmaniasis. In this sense, the present study evaluated the potential of the triterpene Lupeol (Lu) entrapped in nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) for the treatment of experimental visceral leishmaniasis. The therapeutic efficacy of Lu or Lu entrapped in NLC (Lu-NLC) was investigated in golden hamsters infected with Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum. Lu-NLC presented a mean particle size of 265.3 ± 4.6 nm, a polydispersity index of <0.25 and a zeta potential of −37.2 ± 0.84 mV; the efficacy of encapsulation was 84.04 ± 0.57%. Studies on hamsters showed that Lu-NLC (5 mg/kg) administered intraperitoneally for 10 consecutive days caused a reduction of 99.9% in the number of parasites in the spleen and liver compared to the untreated infected control. On the contrary, Lu-treated animals (5 mg/kg) had 94.4 and 90.2% less parasites in the spleen and liver, respectively, than the infected group. Additionally, a significant preservation of splenic and hepatic tissues was observed in animals treated with Lu-NLC or Lu. Furthermore, Lu-NLC-treated animals produced high levels of anti-Leishmania IgG2 isotype. These data indicate that NLC potentialized Lu efficacy in experimental visceral leishmaniasis. This work suggests that Lu and nanoformulations carrying this compound may be considered as an important tool to be included in the alternative therapy of leishmaniasis.
Ligand-Based Drug Design of Genipin Derivatives with Cytotoxic Activity against HeLa Cell Line: A Structural and Theoretical Study
Authors: López-López Diana , Razo-Hernández Rodrigo Said , Millán-Pacheco César , Leyva-Peralta Mario Alberto , Peña-Morán Omar Aristeo , Sánchez-Carranza Jessica Nayelli , Rodríguez-López Verónica
Published: November 2023

Cervical cancer is a malignant neoplastic disease, mainly associated to HPV infection, with high mortality rates. Among natural products, iridoids have shown different biological activities, including cytotoxic and antitumor effects, in different cancer cell types. Geniposide and its aglycone Genipin have been assessed against different types of cancer. In this work, both iridoids were evaluated against HeLa and three different cervical cancer cell lines. Furthermore, we performed a SAR analysis incorporating 13 iridoids with a high structural similarity to Geniposide and Genipin, also tested in the HeLa cell line and at the same treatment time. Derived from this analysis, we found that the dipole moment (magnitude and direction) is key for their cytotoxic activity in the HeLa cell line. Then, we proceeded to the ligand-based design of new Genipin derivatives through a QSAR model (R2 = 87.95 and Q2 = 62.33) that incorporates different quantum mechanic molecular descriptor types (ρ, ΔPSA, ∆Polarizability2, and logS). Derived from the ligand-based design, we observed that the presence of an aldehyde or a hydroxymethyl in C4, hydroxyls in C1, C6, and C8, and the lack of the double bond in C7–C8 increased the predicted biological activity of the iridoids. Finally, ten simple iridoids (D9, D107, D35, D36, D55, D56, D58, D60, D61, and D62) are proposed as potential cytotoxic agents against the HeLa cell line based on their predicted IC50 value and electrostatic features.
99mTc-Labeled Cyclic Peptide Targeting PD-L1 as a Novel Nuclear Imaging Probe
Authors: Ferro-Flores Guillermina , Ocampo-García Blanca , Cruz-Nova Pedro , Luna-Gutiérrez Myrna , Bravo-Villegas Gerardo , Azorín-Vega Erika , Jiménez-Mancilla Nallely , Michel-Sánchez Emiliano , García-Pérez Osvaldo , Lara-Almazán Nancy , Santos-Cuevas Clara
Published: November 2023

Recent cancer therapies have focused on reducing immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment to prevent cancer progression and metastasis. PD-1 is a checkpoint protein that stops the immune response and is expressed on immune T cells. Cancer cells express a PD-1 ligand (PD-L1) to bind to the T-cell surface and activate immunosuppressive pathways. This study aimed to design, synthesize, and evaluate a 99mTc-labeled PD-L1-targeting cyclic peptide inhibitor (99mTc-iPD-L1) as a novel SPECT radiopharmaceutical for PD-L1 expression imaging. AutoDock software (version 1.5) was used to perform molecular docking for affinity calculations. The chemical synthesis was based on the coupling reaction of 6-hydrazinylpyridine-3-carboxylic acid with a 14-amino-acid cyclic peptide. iPD-L1 was prepared for 99mTc labeling. Radio-HPLC was used to verify radiochemical purity. The stability of the radiopeptide in human serum was evaluated by HPLC. iPD-L1 specificity was assessed by SDS-PAGE. [99mTc]Tc-iPD-L1 cellular uptake in PD-L1-positive cancer cells (HCC827 and HCT116) and biodistribution in mice with induced tumors were also performed. One patient with advanced plantar malignant melanoma received [99mTc]Tc-iPD-L1. The iPD-L1 ligand (AutoDock affinity: −6.7 kcal/mol), characterized by UPLC mass, FT-IR, and UV–Vis spectroscopy, was obtained with a chemical purity of 97%. The [99mTc]Tc-iPD-L1 was prepared with a radiochemical purity of >90%. In vitro and in vivo analyses demonstrated [99mTc]Tc-iPD-L1 stability (>90% at 24 h) in human serum, specific recognition for PD-L1, high uptake by the tumor (6.98 ± 0.89% ID/g at 1 h), and rapid hepatobiliary and kidney elimination. [99mTc]Tc-iPD-L1 successfully detected PD-L1-positive lesions in a patient with plantar malignant melanoma. The results obtained in this study warrant further dosimetric and clinical studies to determine the sensitivity and specificity of [99mTc]Tc-iPD-L1/SPECT for PD-L1 expression imaging.
Abiotic Stress in Rice: Visiting the Physiological Response and Its Tolerance Mechanisms
Authors: Sarma Bhaskar , Kashtoh Hamdy , Lama Tamang Tensangmu , Bhattacharyya Pranaba Nanda , Mohanta Yugal Kishore , Baek Kwang-Hyun
Published: November 2023

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most significant staple foods worldwide. Carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, and minerals are just a few of the many nutrients found in domesticated rice. Ensuring high and constant rice production is vital to facilitating human food supplies, as over three billion people around the globe rely on rice as their primary source of dietary intake. However, the world’s rice production and grain quality have drastically declined in recent years due to the challenges posed by global climate change and abiotic stress-related aspects, especially drought, heat, cold, salt, submergence, and heavy metal toxicity. Rice’s reduced photosynthetic efficiency results from insufficient stomatal conductance and natural damage to thylakoids and chloroplasts brought on by abiotic stressor-induced chlorosis and leaf wilting. Abiotic stress in rice farming can also cause complications with redox homeostasis, membrane peroxidation, lower seed germination, a drop in fresh and dry weight, necrosis, and tissue damage. Frequent stomatal movements, leaf rolling, generation of reactive oxygen radicals (RORs), antioxidant enzymes, induction of stress-responsive enzymes and protein-repair mechanisms, production of osmolytes, development of ion transporters, detoxifications, etc., are recorded as potent morphological, biochemical and physiological responses of rice plants under adverse abiotic stress. To develop cultivars that can withstand multiple abiotic challenges, it is necessary to understand the molecular and physiological mechanisms that contribute to the deterioration of rice quality under multiple abiotic stresses. The present review highlights the strategic defense mechanisms rice plants adopt to combat abiotic stressors that substantially affect the fundamental morphological, biochemical, and physiological mechanisms.
Dextran-Based Injectable Hydrogel Composites for Bone Regeneration
Authors: Alves Patrícia , Simão Ana Filipa , Graça Mariana F. P. , Mariz Marcos J. , Correia Ilídio J. , Ferreira Paula
Published: November 2023

Currently, bone infections caused by diseases or injuries are a major health issue. In addition, the conventional therapeutic approaches used to treat bone diseases or injuries present several drawbacks. In the area of tissue engineering, researchers have been developing new alternative therapeutic approaches, such as scaffolds, to promote the regeneration of injured tissues. Despite the advantages of these materials, most of them require an invasive surgical procedure. To overcome these problems, the main focus of this work was to develop scaffolds for bone regeneration, which can be applied using injectable hydrogels that circumvent the use of invasive procedures, while allowing for bone regeneration. Throughout this work, injectable hydrogels were developed based on a natural polymer, dextran, along with the use of two inorganic compounds, calcium β-triphosphate and nanohydroxyapatite, that aimed to reinforce the mechanical properties of the 3D mesh. The materials were chemically characterized considering the requirements for the intended application: the swelling capacity was evaluated, the degradation rate in a simulated physiological environment was assessed, and compression tests were performed. Furthermore, vancomycin was incorporated into the polymeric matrices to obtain scaffolds with antibacterial performance, and their drug release profile was assessed. The cytotoxic profile of the hydrogels was assessed by an MTS assay, using osteoblasts as model cells. The data obtained demonstrated that dextran-based hydrogels were successfully synthesized, with a drug release profile with an initial burst between 50 and 80% of the drug. The hydrogels possess fair biocompatibility. The swelling capacity showed that the stability of the samples and their degradation profile is compatible with the average time period required for bone regeneration (usually about one month) and have a favorable Young’s modulus (200–300 kPa). The obtained hydrogels are well-suited for bone regeneration applications such as infections that occur during implantation or bone graft substitutes with antibiotics.
Synthesis of Poly(ethylene furanoate) Based Nanocomposites by In Situ Polymerization with Enhanced Antibacterial Properties for Food Packaging Applications
Authors: Stanley Johan , Xanthopoulou Eleftheria , Finšgar Matjaž , Zemljič Lidija Fras , Klonos Panagiotis A. , Kyritsis Apostolos , Koltsakidis Savvas , Tzetzis Dimitrios , Lambropoulou Dimitra A. , Baciu Diana , Steriotis Theodore A. , Charalambopoulou Georgia , Bikiaris Dimitrios N.
Published: November 2023

Poly(ethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) (PEF)-based nanocomposites containing Ce–bioglass, ZnO, and ZrO2 nanoparticles were synthesized via in situ polymerization, targeting food packaging applications. The nanocomposites were thoroughly characterized, combining a range of techniques. The successful polymerization was confirmed using attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, and the molecular weight values were determined indirectly by applying intrinsic viscosity measurements. The nanocomposites’ structure was investigated by depth profiling using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), while color measurements showed a low-to-moderate increase in the color concentration of all the nanocomposites compared to neat PEF. The thermal properties and crystallinity behavior of the synthesized materials were also examined. The neat PEF and PEF-based nanocomposites show a crystalline fraction of 0–5%, and annealed samples of both PEF and PEF-based nanocomposites exhibit a crystallinity above 20%. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs revealed that active agent nanoparticles are well dispersed in the PEF matrix. Contact angle measurements showed that incorporating nanoparticles into the PEF matrix significantly reduces the wetting angle due to increased roughness and introduction of the polar -OH groups. Antimicrobial studies indicated a significant increase in inhibition of bacterial strains of about 9–22% for Gram-positive bacterial strains and 5–16% for Gram-negative bacterial strains in PEF nanocomposite films, respectively. Finally, nanoindentation tests showed that the ZnO-based nanocomposite exhibits improved hardness and elastic modulus values compared to neat PEF.
A Comparison of Failure Loads for Polycrystalline Zirconia Ceramics with Varying Amounts of Yttria, Glass-Ceramics and Polymers in Two Different Test Conditions
Authors: Alghazzawi Tariq F.
Published: November 2023

It is unclear how zirconia dental crowns with different yttria compositions will perform clinically, and how they will compare with crowns made of glass-ceramics and polymers. The present objective was to determine failure loads of crowns and discs made of glass ceramics or polymers as compared to yttria-partially stabilized zirconia (Y-PSZ) crowns and discs with varying yttria concentrations. Crowns of zirconia (Cercon XT, Katana UTML, BruxZir Anterior), glass ceramic (Celtra press, IPS e.max press, Lisi press), and polymeric materials (Trilor, Juvora, Pekkton) were fabricated and cemented to epoxy abutments. The total number of specimens was 135 for crowns and 135 for discs (n = 15 specimens per material type and design). A universal testing machine was used to perform compressive loading of crowns/discs to failure with a steel piston along the longitudinal axis of the abutments. Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) was used to identify the yttria concentration for each zirconia brand. The data were analyzed using generalized linear models and regression analyses. The results revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) in mean failure loads for different crown materials: Trilor (6811 ± 960 N) > Juvora (5215 ± 151 N) > Cercon (4260 ± 520 N) = BruxZir (4186 ± 269 N) = e.max (3981 ± 384 N) > Katana (3195 ± 350 N) = Lisi (3173 ± 234 N) = Pekkton (3105 ± 398 N) > Celtra (2696 ± 393 N). The general linear model revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) in mean failure loads when comparing the different materials for the discs, i.e., Trilor (5456 ± 1748 N) > Juvora (4274 ± 869 N) > Pekkton (3771 ± 294 N) > Katana (2859 ± 527 N) > Cercon (2319 ± 342 N) = BuxZir (2250 ± 515 N) = e.max (2303 ± 721 N) = Lisi (2333 ± 535 N) > Celtra (1965 ± 659 N). EDS showed that the zirconia materials contained yttria at different concentrations (BruxZir = 5Y-PSZ, Cercon = 4Y-PSZ, Katana = 3Y-PSZ). The yttria concentration had a significant effect on the failure load of the Katana (3Y-PSZ) crowns, which revealed lower failure loads than the Cercon (4Y-PSZ) and BruxZir (5Y-PSZ) crowns, whose failure loads were comparable or higher than e.max glass ceramic. The failure load of the trilayer disc specimens did not correlate with the failure load of the respective crown specimens for the zirconia, glass-ceramic and polymeric materials.
Implicit Shape Model Trees: Recognition of 3-D Indoor Scenes and Prediction of Object Poses for Mobile Robots
Authors: Meißner Pascal , Dillmann Rüdiger
Published: November 2023

This article describes an approach for mobile robots to identify scenes in configurations of objects spread across dense environments. This identification is enabled by intertwining the robotic object search and the scene recognition on already detected objects. We proposed “Implicit Shape Model (ISM) trees” as a scene model to solve these two tasks together. This article presents novel algorithms for ISM trees to recognize scenes and predict object poses. For us, scenes are sets of objects, some of which are interrelated by 3D spatial relations. Yet, many false positives may occur when using single ISMs to recognize scenes. We developed ISM trees, which is a hierarchical model of multiple interconnected ISMs, to remedy this. In this article, we contribute a recognition algorithm that allows the use of these trees for recognizing scenes. ISM trees should be generated from human demonstrations of object configurations. Since a suitable algorithm was unavailable, we created an algorithm for generating ISM trees. In previous work, we integrated the object search and scene recognition into an active vision approach that we called “Active Scene Recognition”. An efficient algorithm was unavailable to make their integration using predicted object poses effective. Physical experiments in this article show that the new algorithm we have contributed overcomes this problem.
Minimum Energy Utilization Strategy for Fleet of Autonomous Robots in Urban Waste Management
Authors: Justo Valeria Bladinieres , Gupta Abhishek , Umland Tobias Fritz , Göhlich Dietmar
Published: November 2023

Many service robots have to operate in a variety of different Service Event Areas (SEAs). In the case of the waste collection robot MARBLE (Mobile Autonomous Robot for Litter Emptying) every SEA has characteristics like varying area and number of litter bins, with different distances between litter bins and uncertain filling levels of litter bins. Global positions of litter bins and garbage drop-off positions from MARBLEs after reaching their maximum capacity are defined as task-performing waypoints. We provide boundary delimitation for characteristics that describe the SEA. The boundaries interpolate synergy between individual SEAs and the developed algorithms. This helps in determining which algorithm best suits an SEA, dependent on the characteristics. The developed route-planning methodologies are based on vehicle routing with simulated annealing (VRPSA) and knapsack problems (KSPs). VRPSA uses specific weighting based on route permutation operators, initial temperature, and the nearest neighbor approach. The KSP optimizes a route’s given capacity, in this case using smart litter bins (SLBs) information. The game-theory KSP algorithm with SLBs information and the KSP algorithm without SLBs information performs better on SEAs lower than 0.5 km2, and with fewer than 50 litter bins. When the standard deviation of the fill rate of litter bins is ≈10%, the KSP without SLB is preferred, and if the standard deviation is between 25 and 40%, then the game-theory KSP is selected. Finally, the vehicle routing problem outperforms in SEAs with an area of 0.5≤5 km2, 50–450 litter bins, and a fill rate of 10–40%.
Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar Image Classification Based on Double-Channel Convolution Network and Edge-Preserving Markov Random Field
Authors: Shi Junfei , Nie Mengmeng , Ji Shanshan , Shi Cheng , Liu Hongying , Jin Haiyan
Published: November 2023

Deep learning methods have gained significant popularity in the field of polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR) image classification. These methods aim to extract high-level semantic features from the original PolSAR data to learn the polarimetric information. However, using only original data, these methods cannot learn multiple scattering features and complex structures for extremely heterogeneous terrain objects. In addition, deep learning methods always cause edge confusion due to the high-level features. To overcome these limitations, we propose a novel approach that combines a new double-channel convolutional neural network (CNN) with an edge-preserving Markov random field (MRF) model for PolSAR image classification, abbreviated to “DCCNN-MRF”. Firstly, a double-channel convolution network (DCCNN) is developed to combine complex matrix data and multiple scattering features. The DCCNN consists of two subnetworks: a Wishart-based complex matrix network and a multi-feature network. The Wishart-based complex matrix network focuses on learning the statistical characteristics and channel correlation, and the multi-feature network is designed to learn high-level semantic features well. Then, a unified network framework is designed to fuse two kinds of weighted features in order to enhance advantageous features and reduce redundant ones. Finally, an edge-preserving MRF model is integrated with the DCCNN network. In the MRF model, a sketch map-based edge energy function is designed by defining an adaptive weighted neighborhood for edge pixels. Experiments were conducted on four real PolSAR datasets with different sensors and bands. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed DCCNN-MRF method.
A Grid-Based Gradient Descent Extended Target Clustering Method and Ship Target Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar Imaging for UHF Radar
Authors: Zhang Lizun , Zhou Hao , Bai Liyun , Tian Yingwei
Published: November 2023

Inland shipping is of great significance in economic development, and ship surveillance and classification are of great importance for ship management and dispatch. For river ship detection, ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) radar is an effective equipment owing to its wide coverage and easy deployment. The extension in range, Doppler, and azimuth and target recognition are two main problems in UHF ship detection. Clustering is a necessary step to get the center of an extended target. However, it is difficult to distinguish between different target echoes when they overlap each other in range, Doppler, and azimuth and so far practical methods for extended target recognition with UHF radar have been rarely discussed. In this study, a two-stage target classification method is proposed for UHF radar ship detection. In the first stage, grid-based gradient descent (GBGD) clustering is proposed to distinguish targets with three-dimensional (3D) information. Then in the second stage, the inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) imaging algorithm is employed to differentiate ships of different types. The simulation results show that the proposed method achieves a 20% higher clustering accuracy than other methods when the targets have close 3D information. The feasibility of ISAR imaging for target classification using UHF radar is also validated via simulation. Some experimental results are also given to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Insights into Very Early Afterslip Associated with the 2021 M 8.2 Chignik, Alaska Earthquake Using Subdaily GNSS Solutions
Authors: Xiang Yunfei , Bian Yankai , Liu Jie , Xing Yin
Published: November 2023

Based on subdaily kinematic GNSS solutions, the fault slip properties during the very early postseismic phase after the 2021 M 8.2 Chignik earthquake are investigated in this paper. The very early postseismic deformations captured by near-field GNSS sites can be well depicted by the power model. The comparison of afterslip determined by daily and subdaily GNSS solutions suggests that neglecting very early afterslip can result in the underestimation of postseismic slip. Compared with coseismic slip, the cumulative afterslip of the first 24 h is mainly focused in the southeast of the hypocenter, and the shallow updip afterslip appears after this earthquake. The spatio-temporal evolution of the afterslip reveals that the patch of afterslip is immediately generated after the earthquake, and then the postseismic slip gradually grows along the afterslip patch. The magnitude of the afterslip patch varies remarkably within the 24 h following the earthquake, especially in the first several hours. Meanwhile, the spatio-temporal patterns of aftershocks and afterslip exhibit strong similarity during the first 24 h, suggesting that very early afterslip may be a possible driving factor of aftershocks. Moreover, most of the afterslip patches and aftershocks occurring immediately after this earthquake are situated in the area covered by positive Coulomb Stress Change (CSC), which implies that the immediate afterslip and aftershock activities can be influenced by the coseismic CSC. The following afterslip process further releases coseismic CSC and then influences the spatio-temporal variations of aftershock activities. Thus, the afterslip may be a possible triggering mechanism of very early aftershocks for this earthquake, alongside the effects of the CSC generated by coseismic rupture.
Radar Characteristics and Causal Analysis of Two Consecutive Tornado Events Associated with Heavy Precipitation during the Mei-Yu Season
Authors: Cao Shuya , Wang Yi , He Guangxin , Shen Peifeng , He Yan , Wu Yue
Published: November 2023

This paper comprehensively analyzed two consecutive tornado events associated with heavy precipitation during the Mei-yu season (a period of continuous rainy weather that occurs in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China from mid-June to mid-July each year) and detailed the formation and development process of the tornadoes using Doppler weather radar, wind profiler radar, ERA5 reanalysis data, ground automatic station data and other multi-source data. The results showed that: (1) Small-scale vortices were triggered and developed during the eastward movement of the low vortex, forming two tornadoes successively on the eastern section of the Mei-yu front. (2) The presence of a gap on the front side of the reflectivity factor profile indicated that strong incoming airflow entered the updraft. Mesocyclones were detected with decreasing heights and increasing shear strengths. The bottom height of the tornado vortex signature (TVS) dropped to 0.7 km, and the shear value increased to 55.4 × 10−3 s−1. Tornado debris signatures (TDSs) could be seen with a low cross-correlation coefficient (CC) value area of 0.85–0.9 in the mesocyclone. The difference between the lowest-level difference velocity (LLDV) and the maximum difference velocity (MXDV) reached the largest value when a tornado occurred. (3) The continuously enhanced low-level jet propagated downward to form a super-low-level jet, and the strong wind direction and wind speed convergence in the boundary layer created a warm, moist and unstable atmosphere in Suzhou. With the entrainment of dry air, the northwest dry jet and the southeast moist jet stimulated the formation of a miniature supercell. (4) The low-level vertical wind shear of 0–1 km increased significantly upon tornado occurrence, which was more conducive to the formation and intensification of horizontal vorticity tubes. Encountering updrafts and downdrafts, the vorticity tubes might have been stretched and intensified. The first lightning jumps appeared 15 min and 66 min earlier than the Kunshan Bacheng tornado and the Taicang Liuhe tornado. The Liuhe tornado occurred during the stage when the lightning frequency reached its peak and then fell back.
Critical Disaster Indicators (CDIs): Deriving the Duration, Damage Degree, and Recovery Level from Nighttime Light Image Time Series
Authors: Lin Weiying , Deng Chengbin , Güneralp Burak , Zou Lei
Published: November 2023

Deriving timely natural disaster information is critical in emergency risk management and disaster recovery efforts. Due to the limitation of data availability, such information is difficult to obtain in a timely manner. In this research, VIIRS nighttime light (NTL) image time series from January 2014 to July 2019 were employed to reflect key changes between pre- and post-disasters. The Automated Valley Detection (AVD) model was proposed and applied to derive critical disaster indicators in the 2017 Hurricane Maria event in Puerto Rico. Critical disaster indicators include outage duration, damage degree, and recovery level. Two major findings can be concluded. First, the AVD model is a robust and useful approach to detecting sudden changes in NTL in terms of their location and duration at the census tract level. Second, the AVD-estimated disaster metrics are able to capture disaster information successfully and match with two types of reference data. These findings will be valuable for emergency planning and the energy industry to monitor and restore power outages in future natural disasters.
A Novel Hybrid Method for Urban Green Space Segmentation from High-Resolution Remote Sensing Images
Authors: Wang Wei , Cheng Yong , Ren Zhoupeng , He Jiaxin , Zhao Yingfen , Wang Jun , Zhang Wenjie
Published: November 2023

The comprehensive use of high-resolution remote sensing (HRS) images and deep learning (DL) methods can be used to further accurate urban green space (UGS) mapping. However, in the process of UGS segmentation, most of the current DL methods focus on the improvement of the model structure and ignore the spectral information of HRS images. In this paper, a multiscale attention feature aggregation network (MAFANet) incorporating feature engineering was proposed to achieve segmentation of UGS from HRS images (GaoFen-2, GF-2). By constructing a new decoder block, a bilateral feature extraction module, and a multiscale pooling attention module, MAFANet enhanced the edge feature extraction of UGS and improved segmentation accuracy. By incorporating feature engineering, including false color image and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), MAFANet further distinguished UGS boundaries. The UGS labeled datasets, i.e., UGS-1 and UGS-2, were built using GF-2. Meanwhile, comparison experiments with other DL methods are conducted on UGS-1 and UGS-2 to test the robustness of the MAFANet network. We found the mean Intersection over Union (MIOU) of the MAFANet network on the UGS-1 and UGS-2 datasets was 72.15% and 74.64%, respectively; outperforming other existing DL methods. In addition, by incorporating false color image in UGS-1, the MIOU of MAFANet was improved from 72.15% to 74.64%; by incorporating vegetation index (NDVI) in UGS-1, the MIOU of MAFANet was improved from 72.15% to 74.09%; and by incorporating false color image and the vegetation index (NDVI) in UGS-1, the MIOU of MAFANet was improved from 72.15% to 74.73%. Our experimental results demonstrated that the proposed MAFANet incorporating feature engineering (false color image and NDVI) outperforms the state-of-the-art (SOTA) methods in UGS segmentation, and the false color image feature is better than the vegetation index (NDVI) for enhancing green space information representation. This study provided a practical solution for UGS segmentation and promoted UGS mapping.