bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Molecular cloning, characterization and 3D modelling of spotted snakehead fbn1 C-terminal region encoding asprosin and expression analysis of fbn1
Authors: Sathoria Priyanka , Chuphal Bhawna , Rai Umesh , Roy Brototi
Published: March 2023

The FBN1 gene encodes profibrillin protein that is cleaved by the enzyme furin to release fibrillin-1 and a glucogenic hormone, asprosin. Asprosin is implicated in diverse metabolic functions as well as pathological conditions in mammals. However, till date, there are no studies on asprosin in any non-mammalian vertebrate. In this study, we have retrieved the spotted snakehead Channa punctata fbn1 gene (ss fbn1) from the testicular transcriptome data and validated it. The transcript is predicted to encode 2817 amino acid long putative profibrillin protein. Amino acid sequence alignment of deduced ss profibrillin with human profibrillin revealed that the furin cleavage site in profibrillin is well conserved in C. punctata. Further, differential expression of ss fbn1 was observed in various tissues with the highest expression in gonads. Prominent expression of furin was also observed in the gonads suggesting the possibility of proteolytic cleavage of profibrillin protein and secretion of asprosin in C. punctata. In addition, the C-terminal of the fbn1 gene of C. punctata that codes for asprosin protein has been cloned. Using in silico approach, physicochemical properties of the putative ss asprosin were characterized and post-translational changes were predicted. The putative ss asprosin protein sequence is predicted to consist of 142 amino acid residues, with conserved glycosylation sites. Further, the 3D model of ss asprosin was predicted followed by MD (molecular dynamics) simulation for energy minimization. Thus, the current study, for the first time in non-mammalian vertebrates, predicts and characterizes the novel protein asprosin using in silico approach.
Multi-semantic feature fusion attention network for binary code similarity detection
Authors: Li Bangling , Zhang Yuting , Peng Huaxi , Fan Qiguang , He Shen , Zhang Yan , Shi Songquan , Zhang Yang , Ma Ailiang
Published: March 2023

Binary code similarity detection (BCSD) plays a big role in the process of binary application security test. It can be applied in several fields, such as software plagiarism detection, malware analysis, vulnerability detection. Most research is based on recurrent neural networks, which is difficult to get the overall or long-distance semantic information of functions. Besides, exiting works simply extract high-level semantic features, lacking in-depth investigations on the potential mechanisms for fusing low-level and high-level semantic features. In this paper we propose a multi-semantic feature fusion attention network (MFFA-Net) for BCSD. MFFA-Net contains two critical modules: semantic feature fusion (SFF) and attention feature fusion (AFF). The SFF module concatenates multiple semantic features to represent the semantics of the function, which helps to obtain the overall semantic information of the function. The AFF module is designed to find useful information from various features, which assigns an attention matrix to research the relationship between features. In order to evaluate the proposed method, we made extensive experiments on two datasets. MFFA-Net can achieve a high degree of AUC at 99.6% and 98.3% respectively on the two datasets. The experimental results show that MFFA-Net has better performance for BCSD.
Comparison of methanol fixation versus cryopreservation of the placenta for metabolomics analysis
Authors: Straughen Jennifer K. , Sitarik Alexandra R. , Jones A. Daniel , Li Jia , Allo Ghassan , Salafia Carolyn , Cassidy-Bushrow Andrea E. , Paneth Nigel
Published: March 2023

Methods for collection of placental tissue at room temperature for metabolic profiling are described. Specimens were excised from the maternal side of the placenta and immediately flash frozen or fixed and stored for 1, 6, 12, 24, or 48 h in 80% methanol. Untargeted metabolic profiling was performed on both the methanol-fixed tissue and the methanol extract. Data were analyzed using Gaussian generalized estimating equations, two sample t-tests with false discovery rate (FDR) corrections, and principal components analysis. Methanol-fixed tissue samples and methanol extracts had a similar number of metabolites (p = 0.45, p = 0.21 in positive vs. negative ion mode). In positive ion mode, when compared to flash frozen tissue, both the methanol extract and methanol-fixed tissue (6 h) had a higher number of metabolites detected (146 additional metabolites, pFDR = 0.020; 149 additional metabolites, pFDR = 0.017; respectively), but these associations were not found in negative ion mode (all pFDR ≥ 0.05). Principle components analysis demonstrated separation of the metabolite features in the methanol extract, but similarity between methanol-fixed tissue and flash frozen tissue. These results show that placental tissue samples collected in 80% methanol at room temperature can yield similar metabolic data to flash frozen specimens.
Vestibular modulation of the tail of the rat striatum
Authors: Sabzevar Faezeh Tashakori- , Vautrelle Nico , Zheng Yiwen , Smith Paul F.
Published: March 2023

Fragmented and piecemeal evidence from animal and human studies suggests that vestibular information is transmitted to the striatum, a part of the basal ganglia that degenerates in Parkinson’s Disease. Nonetheless, surprisingly little is known about the precise effects of activation of the vestibular system on the striatum. Electrophysiological studies have yielded inconsistent results, with many studies reporting only sparse responses to vestibular stimulation in the dorsomedial striatum. In this study, we sought to elucidate the effects of electrical stimulation of the peripheral vestibular system on electrophysiological responses in the tail of the rat striatum, a newly discovered region for sensory input. Rats were anaesthetised with urethane and a bipolar stimulating electrode was placed in the round window in order to activate the peripheral vestibular system. A recording electrode was positioned in the tail of the striatum. Local field potentials (LFPs) were recorded ipsilaterally and contralaterally to the stimulation using a range of current parameters. In order to confirm that the vestibular system was activated, video-oculography was used to monitor vestibular nystagmus. At current amplitudes that evoked vestibular nystagmus, clear triphasic LFPs were evoked in the bilateral tail of the striatum, with the first phase of the waveform exhibiting latencies of less than 22 ms. The LFP amplitude increased with increasing current amplitude (P ≤ 0.0001). In order to exclude the possibility that the LFPs were evoked by the activation of the auditory system, the cochlea was surgically lesioned in some animals. In these animals the LFPs persisted despite the cochlear lesions, which were verified histologically. Overall, the results obtained suggest that there are vestibular projections to the tail of the striatum, which could possibly arise from projections via the vestibular nucleus or cerebellum and the parafasicular nucleus of the thalamus.
Design, implementation and performance evaluation of multi-function boost converter
Authors: Osheba Marwa S. , Lashine Azza E. , Mansour Arafa S.
Published: March 2023

This paper introduces a single-phase multi-function converter (MFC) circuit that can perform the power electronics functions of a DC–DC, a DC–AC, an AC–AC, and an AC–DC boost converter. The power circuit of the proposed converter contains only four bi-directional switches, which is sufficient side by side with a switched logic-based control system to execute converter functions. The proposed converter can implement the boosting converter function, which is a drawback of the conventional single-phase matrix converter, which is limited to performing the buck converter functions. The mathematical analysis of each converter function is presented. A state space averaging technique is employed to obtain the time-invariant state space model for a better understanding of the converter characteristics. The frequency response approach is used to demonstrate the effect of circuit parameters on converter stability using the time-invariant state-space model. Moreover, the performance analysis of the system is checked through the building of a simulation model of the proposed converter via MATLAB/Simulink and MATLAB/Simscape toolbox integration. Additionally, the actual performance of the proposed converter is verified through a laboratory prototype experimental study. The experimental results confirm those obtained by computer simulation, clearly demonstrating the successful operation of the proposed circuit as a multi-function converter with acceptable levels of total harmonic distortion (THD).
Deep learning pose estimation for multi-cattle lameness detection
Authors: Barney Shaun , Dlay Satnam , Crowe Andrew , Kyriazakis Ilias , Leach Matthew
Published: March 2023

The objective of this study was to develop a fully automated multiple-cow real-time lameness detection system using a deep learning approach for cattle detection and pose estimation that could be deployed across dairy farms. Utilising computer vision and deep learning, the system can analyse simultaneously both the posture and gait of each cow within a camera field of view to a very high degree of accuracy (94–100%). Twenty-five video sequences containing 250 cows in varying degrees of lameness were recorded and independently scored by three accredited Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) mobility scorers using the AHDB dairy mobility scoring system to provide ground truth lameness data. These observers showed significant inter-observer reliability. Video sequences were broken down into their constituent frames and with a further 500 images downloaded from google, annotated with 15 anatomical points for each animal. A modified Mask-RCNN estimated the pose of each cow to output 5 key-points to determine back arching and 2 key-points to determine head position. Using the SORT (simple, online, and real-time tracking) algorithm, cows were tracked as they move through frames of the video sequence (i.e., in moving animals). All the features were combined using the CatBoost gradient boosting algorithm with accuracy being determined using threefold cross-validation including recursive feature elimination. Precision was assessed using Cohen’s kappa coefficient and assessments of precision and recall. This methodology was applied to cows with varying degrees of lameness (according to accredited scoring, n = 3) and demonstrated that some characteristics directly associated with lameness could be monitored simultaneously. By combining the algorithm results over time, more robust evaluation of individual cow lameness was obtained. The model showed high performance for predicting and matching the ground truth lameness data with the outputs of the algorithm. Overall, threefold lameness detection accuracy of 100% and a lameness severity classification accuracy of 94% respectively was achieved with a high degree of precision (Cohen’s kappa = 0.8782, precision = 0.8650 and recall = 0.9209).
Investigation of the clinical utility of adhesion molecules in the management of thyroid nodules
Authors: Rabi Larissa Teodoro , Peres Karina Colombera , Nascimento Matheus , de Souza Teixeira Elisangela , de Freitas Leandro Luiz Lopes , Barreto Icléia Siqueira , Geraldo Murilo Vieira , Assumpção Lígia Vera Montalli , Máximo Valdemar , Tincani Alfio José , Bufalo Natassia Elena , Ward Laura Sterian
Published: March 2023

To better understand the relationship among cell adhesion molecules (CAM) and investigate the clinical diagnostic and prognostic application of ICAM-1 (ICAM1), LFA-1 (ITGAL), and L-selectin (SELL) proteins and mRNA corresponding expression in thyroid cancer. Gene expression was evaluated by RT–qPCR, and protein expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. We evaluated 275 patients (218 women, 57 men, 48.4 ± 14.5 years old), including 102 benign and 173 malignant nodules. The 143 papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and 30 follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) patients were managed according to current guidelines and followed-up for 78.7 ± 54.2 months. Malignant and benign nodules differed concerning mRNA (p = 0.0027) and protein (p = 0.0020 for nuclear) expression of L-selectin and ICAM-1 (mRNA: p = 0.0001 and protein: p = 0.0014) and protein expression of LFA-1 (p = 0.0168), but not mRNA expression of LFA-1 (p = 0.2131). SELL expression was more intense in malignant tumors (p = 0.0027). ICAM1 (p = 0.0064) and ITGAL (p = 0.0244) mRNA expression was higher in tumors with lymphocyte infiltrate. ICAM-1 expression correlated with younger age at diagnosis (p = 0.0312) and smaller tumor size (p = 0.0443). Also, LFA-1 expression correlated with higher age at diagnosis (p = 0.0376) and was more intense at stage III and IV (p = 0.0077). In general, the protein expression of the 3 CAM decreased as the process of cellular dedifferentiation occurred. We suggest that the SELL and ICAM1 genes and L-selectin and LFA-1 protein expression may help confirm malignancy and assist in the histological characterization of follicular patterned lesions, but we were unable to correlate these CAMs with patient outcomes.
Critical contribution of moisture to the air quality deterioration in a warm and humid weather
Authors: Choi Woosuk , Ho Chang-Hoi , Kim Ka-Young
Published: March 2023

The deterioration of air quality that threatens human health is recognized as focal compound hazard. Here, decisive thermodynamic conditions for activation of secondary aerosol formation have been investigated focused on Korea. In a dry environment with relative humidity < 60%, gas phase reaction to form fine particles depended largely on surface temperature. In a wet environment (relative humidity ≥ 60%), however, aqueous phase reaction of secondary inorganic aerosols, which are sulfate, nitrate, and ammonium, accounting for 67% of the total aerosol mass, was more activated. Thus, humidity is as important as temperature in the secondary production of aerosol; air quality often worsened when a low-pressure system was predominant over the Korean Peninsula. It is rather different from the general synoptic conditions of high concentrations of particulate matters characterized by high pressure and atmospheric stagnation. This study suggests additional favorable condition and responsible mechanism of air quality hazards that may be frequent in future.
Face masks are less effective than sunglasses in masking face identity
Authors: Or Charles C.-F. , Ng Kester Y. J. , Chia Yiik , Koh Jing Han , Lim Denise Y. , Lee Alan L. F.
Published: March 2023

The effect of covering faces on face identification is recently garnering interest amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, we investigated how face identification performance was affected by two types of face disguise: sunglasses and face masks. Observers studied a series of faces; then judged whether a series of test faces, comprising studied and novel faces, had been studied before or not. Face stimuli were presented either without coverings (full faces), wearing sunglasses covering the upper region (eyes, eyebrows), or wearing surgical masks covering the lower region (nose, mouth, chin). We found that sunglasses led to larger reductions in sensitivity (d’) to face identity than face masks did, while both disguises increased the tendency to report faces as studied before, a bias that was absent for full faces. In addition, faces disguised during either study or test only (i.e. study disguised faces, test with full faces; and vice versa) led to further reductions in sensitivity from both studying and testing with disguised faces, suggesting that congruence between study and test is crucial for memory retrieval. These findings implied that the upper region of the face, including the eye-region features, is more diagnostic for holistic face-identity processing than the lower face region.
Mycophenolic acid directly protects podocytes by preserving the actin cytoskeleton and increasing cell survival
Authors: Abo Zed Seif El Din , Hackl Agnes , Bohl Katrin , Ebert Lena , Kieckhöfer Emilia , Müller Carsten , Becker Kerstin , Fink Gregor , Nüsken Kai-Dietrich , Nüsken Eva , Müller Roman-Ulrich , Schermer Bernhard , Weber Lutz T.
Published: March 2023

Mycophenolate Mofetil (MMF) has an established role as a therapeutic agent in childhood nephrotic syndrome. While other immunosuppressants have been shown to positively affect podocytes, direct effects of MMF on podocytes remain largely unknown. The present study examines the effects of MMF’s active component Mycophenolic Acid (MPA) on the transcriptome of podocytes and investigates its biological significance. We performed transcriptomics in cultured murine podocytes exposed to MPA to generate hypotheses on podocyte-specific effects of MPA. Accordingly, we further analyzed biological MPA effects on actin cytoskeleton morphology after treatment with bovine serum albumin (BSA) by immunofluorescence staining, as well as on cell survival following exposure to TNF-α and cycloheximide by neutral red assay. MPA treatment significantly (adjusted p < 0.05) affected expression of 351 genes in podocytes. Gene Ontology term enrichment analysis particularly clustered terms related to actin and inflammation-related cell death. Indeed, quantification of the actin cytoskeleton of BSA treated podocytes revealed a significant increase of thickness and number of actin filaments after treatment with MPA. Further, MPA significantly reduced TNFα and cycloheximide induced cell death. MPA has a substantial effect on the transcriptome of podocytes in vitro, particularly including functional clusters related to non-immune cell dependent mechanisms. This may provide a molecular basis for direct beneficial effects of MPA on the structural integrity and survival of podocytes under pro-inflammatory conditions.
A longer wood growing season does not lead to higher carbon sequestration
Authors: Silvestro Roberto , Zeng Qiao , Buttò Valentina , Sylvain Jean-Daniel , Drolet Guillaume , Mencuccini Maurizio , Thiffault Nelson , Yuan Shaoxiong , Rossi Sergio
Published: March 2023

A reliable assessment of forest carbon sequestration depends on our understanding of wood ecophysiology. Within a forest, trees exhibit different timings and rates of growth during wood formation. However, their relationships with wood anatomical traits remain partially unresolved. This study evaluated the intra-annual individual variability in growth traits in balsam fir [Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.]. We collected wood microcores weekly from April to October 2018 from 27 individuals in Quebec (Canada) and prepared anatomical sections to assess wood formation dynamics and their relationships with the anatomical traits of the wood cells. Xylem developed in a time window ranging from 44 to 118 days, producing between 8 and 79 cells. Trees with larger cell production experienced a longer growing season, with an earlier onset and later ending of wood formation. On average, each additional xylem cell lengthened the growing season by 1 day. Earlywood production explained 95% of the variability in xylem production. More productive individuals generated a higher proportion of earlywood and cells with larger sizes. Trees with a longer growing season produced more cells but not more biomass in the wood. Lengthening the growing season driven by climate change may not lead to enhanced carbon sequestration from wood production.
The mediating effects of personality traits on the relationship of youth conduct problems and mood disorders with adulthood suicidality
Authors: Wang Tsung-Yang , Chen Hsi-Chung , Hsu Cheng-Dien , Chen I-Ming , Liao Shih-Cheng , Chang Chiao-Erh , Chen Ying-Yeh , Chan Jen-Hui , Kuo Po-Hsiu
Published: March 2023

Identifying the relevant factors for suicidality in individuals with conduct problems is a public health concern, especially if they were under the influence of mood disorders later in life. This study investigates the relationship between youth conduct problems and mood disorders and adulthood suicidality, and to further explore the mediating effects of personality on this relationship. A retrospective cohort study was administered to 308 individuals aged 20–65 years, with or without mood disorders diagnosed by psychiatrists. The Composite International Diagnosis Interview was used to evaluate conduct problems in youth and suicidality (i.e., suicide plan and suicide attempt) in the past year. Personality traits were assessed using Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised for extraversion and neuroticism. Multiple-mediator analysis was used to investigate the mediation effects of personality traits on the relationship between conduct problems and suicidality. The average age of enrolled participants was 31.6 years, and 42.5% of them were female. 39.2% reported suicidality and 43.2% reported conduct problems in youth. Participants who were diagnosed with mood disorders (p < 0.001) and reported having conduct problems (p = 0.004) were associated with high suicidality. Multiple-mediator analysis showed that conduct problems in youth increased the risk of adulthood suicidality through the indirect effects of higher neuroticism (suicide plan: OR = 1.30, BCA 95% CI = 1.04–1.83; suicide attempt: OR = 1.27, BCA 95% CI = 1.05–1.66). Neuroticism mediates the association between youth conduct problems and adulthood suicidality. This finding raises our attention to assess personality traits in individuals with youth conduct problems for designing proper intervention strategies to reduce the risk of suicide.
Time-dependent impact of co-matured manure with elemental sulfur and biochar on the soil agro-ecological properties and plant biomass
Authors: Holatko Jiri , Hammerschmiedt Tereza , Mustafa Adnan , Kintl Antonin , Skarpa Petr , Ryant Pavel , Baltazar Tivadar , Malicek Ondrej , Latal Oldrich , Brtnicky Martin
Published: March 2023

Farmyard manure is the most common type of organic fertilizer, and its properties depend mainly on the type of livestock, bedding material and the conditions of fermentation. Co-maturing of manure with other amendments to modify its final properties has been seen as a win–win strategy recently. This study aimed to evaluate the differences in the effect of unenriched manure and manures co-matured with biochar, elemental sulfur or both amendments on the soil physico-chemical and biological properties, and plant (barley, maize) biomass production. For this purpose a pot experiment was carried out in a time-dependent way. Samples were taken from 12 week-lasting (test crop barley) and 24 week-lasting (test crop maize) pot cultivation carried out in a growth chamber. Co-matured manure with biochar showed the highest rate of maturation expressed as humic to fulvic acid ratio, its amendment to soil significantly increased the dry aboveground biomass weight in the half-time (12 weeks) of experiment. However, the effect vanished after 24 weeks. We received for this variant highest long-term (24 weeks) contents of total carbon and nitrogen in soil. Contrarily, co-matured manure with biochar and elemental sulfur led to short-term carbon sequestration (the highest total carbon in 12 weeks) due to presumed retardation of microbial-mediated transformation of nutrients. We conclude that the prolonged pot experiment with biochar or elemental sulfur enriched manure led to the increased recalcitrancy of soil organic matter and retardation of soil nutrient transformation to the plant-available form.
Mediating role of depressive symptoms on the relationship between sleep duration and cognitive function
Authors: Wang Liqun , He Shulan , Yan Ning , Pan Ruiping , Niu Yang , Li Jiangping
Published: March 2023

Although some studies have shown the association between sleep duration and cognitive impairment is positive, the mechanism explaining how sleep duration is linked to cognition remains poor understood. The current study aims to explore it among Chinese population. A cross-sectional study of 12,589 participants aged 45 or over was conducted, cognition was assessed by three measures to capture mental intactness, episodic memory, and visuospatial abilities. The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale 10 (CES-D10) was administered during the face-to-face survey to assess depressive status. Sleep duration was reported by the participants themselves. Partial correlation and linear regression were used to explore the association between sleep duration, cognition, and depression. The Bootstrap methods PROCESS program was used to detect the mediation effect of depression. Sleep duration was positively correlated with cognition and negatively with depression (p < 0.01). The CES-D10 score (r = − 0.13, p < 0.01) was negatively correlated with cognitive function. Linear regression analysis showed sleep duration was positively associated with cognition (p = 0.001). When depressive symptoms were considered, the association between sleep duration and cognition lost significance (p = 0.468). Depressive symptoms have mediated the relationship between sleep duration and cognitive function. The findings revealed that the relationship between sleep duration and cognition is mainly explained by depressive symptoms and may provide new ideas for interventions for cognitive dysfunction.
srdA mutations suppress the rseA/cpsA deletion mutant conidiation defect in Aspergillus nidulans
Authors: Ogawa Masahiro , Fukuda Ryouichi , Iwama Ryo , Koyama Yasuji , Horiuchi Hiroyuki
Published: March 2023

Conidiation is an important reproductive process in Aspergillus. We previously reported, in A. nidulans, that the deletion of a putative glycosyltransferase gene, rseA/cpsA, causes an increase in the production of extracellular hydrolases and a severe reduction in conidiation. The aim of this study was to obtain novel genetic factors involved in the repression of conidiation in the rseA deletion mutant. We isolated mutants in which the rseA deletion mutant conidiation defect is suppressed and performed a comparative genomic analysis of these mutants. A gene encoding a putative transcription factor was identified as the associated candidate causative gene. The candidate gene was designated as srdA (suppressor gene for the conidiation defect of the rseAdeletion mutant). The conidiation efficiency of the rseAsrdA double-deletion mutant was increased. Introduction of wild-type srdA into the suppressor mutants caused a conidiation defect similar to that of the rseA deletion mutant. Notably, the conidiation efficiencies of the rseAsrdA double-deletion and srdA single-deletion mutants were higher than that of the wild-type strain. These results indicate that srdA is a novel genetic factor that strongly represses conidiation of the rseA deletion mutant, and a putative transcriptional regulator, SrdA is a negative regulator of conidiation in A. nidulans.
Benchmarking machine learning robustness in Covid-19 genome sequence classification
Authors: Ali Sarwan , Sahoo Bikram , Zelikovsky Alexander , Chen Pin-Yu , Patterson Murray
Published: March 2023

The rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an unprecedented amount of sequence data of the SARS-CoV-2 genome—millions of sequences and counting. This amount of data, while being orders of magnitude beyond the capacity of traditional approaches to understanding the diversity, dynamics, and evolution of viruses, is nonetheless a rich resource for machine learning (ML) approaches as alternatives for extracting such important information from these data. It is of hence utmost importance to design a framework for testing and benchmarking the robustness of these ML models. This paper makes the first effort (to our knowledge) to benchmark the robustness of ML models by simulating biological sequences with errors. In this paper, we introduce several ways to perturb SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences to mimic the error profiles of common sequencing platforms such as Illumina and PacBio. We show from experiments on a wide array of ML models that some simulation-based approaches with different perturbation budgets are more robust (and accurate) than others for specific embedding methods to certain noise simulations on the input sequences. Our benchmarking framework may assist researchers in properly assessing different ML models and help them understand the behavior of the SARS-CoV-2 virus or avoid possible future pandemics.
Influence of gamma irradiation on rosin properties and its antimicrobial activity
Authors: Badr Magd M. , Awadallah-F Ahmed , Azzam Ahmed M. , Mady A. H.
Published: March 2023

The main component of rosin natural gum is abietic acid, which has an interesting chemical structure to be studied with the influence of gamma-ray and the antimicrobial activity on the properties of a cheap abundant solid state natural material of rosin. Rosin is exposed to a wide scale of gamma-ray ranges from 0 to 100 kGy. The changes in the properties are tracked by various techniques of FTIR, XRD, TGA, GPC, and SEM. The molecular weight of rosin changes from 370 g/mol to higher and the morphological properties were investigated. The irradiated rosin acid (IRA) at different irradiation doses exploited antimicrobial effect versus Gram-positive and Gram-negative as well. The inhibition zone enhanced from 15 to 33, 14 to 28, 14 to 20, and 9 to 14 mm for Gram-positive and Gram-negative, respectively. Moreover, bioactive behavior for irradiated rosin of 40 kGy recorded the highest antibacterial activity against both types of bacteria. The outcome data of antimicrobial activity are good and confirm that there is a significant effect of irradiation dose on the biocidal activity of rosin.
Elamipretide mitigates ischemia-reperfusion injury in a swine model of hemorrhagic shock
Authors: Patel N. , Johnson M. A. , Vapniarsky N. , Van Brocklin M. W. , Williams T. K. , Youngquist S. T. , Ford R. , Ewer N. , Neff L. P. , Hoareau G. L.
Published: March 2023

ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) after hemorrhage is potentiated by aortic occlusion or resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA). Given the central role of mitochondrial injury in shock, we hypothesized that Elamipretide, a peptide that protects mitochondria, would mitigate IRI after hemorrhagic shock and REBOA. Twelve pigs were subjected to hemorrhagic shock and 45 min of REBOA. After 25 min of REBOA, animals received either saline or Elamipretide. Animals were transfused with autologous blood during balloon deflation, and pigs were resuscitated with isotonic crystalloids and norepinephrine for 4.25 h. Elamipretide-treated animals required less crystalloids than the controls (62.5 [50–90] and 25 [5–30] mL/kg, respectively), but similar amounts of norepinephrine (24.7 [8.6–39.3] and 9.7 [2.1–12.5] mcg/kg, respectively). Treatment animals had a significant reduction in serum creatinine (control: 2.7 [2.6–2.8]; Elamipretide: 2.4 [2.4–2.5] mg/dL; p = 0.04), troponin (control: 3.20 [2.14–5.47] ng/mL, Elamipretide: 0.22 [0.1–1.91] ng/mL; p = 0.03), and interleukin-6 concentrations at the end of the study. There were no differences in final plasma lactate concentration. Elamipretide reduced fluid requirements and protected the kidney and heart after profound IRI. Further understanding the subcellular consequences of REBOA and mitochondrial rescue will open new therapeutic avenues for patients suffering from IRI after hemorrhage.
Preparation and characterization of low-cost adsorbents for the efficient removal of malachite green using response surface modeling and reusability studies
Authors: Moustafa Mohammed Taha
Published: March 2023

Malachite green used in textile and dyeing industries is a common persistent pollutant in wastewater and the environment causing major hazards to human health and aquatic organisms. In this study, the response surface methodology was applied to optimize the adsorptive removal of malachite green using nano-bentonite, MgO-impregnated clay, and Mucor sp. composites. The nano materials and Mucor sp. composite were characterized by FTIR, SEM and X-ray diffractometry. According to the obtained results, nano-bentonite exhibits a maximum MG adsorption efficiency of 98.6% at 35 °C, pH 7.0, 60 min contact time, 1.0 g/L adsorbent dosage, and 50 mg/L initial MG concentration. On the other hand, the maximum efficiency for MG adsorption on MgO-impregnated clay of 97.04% is observed at pH 9.0, 60 min contact time, 0.7 g/L adsorbent dosage, and 50 mg/L initial MG concentration. The Malachite green (MG) adsorption isotherm on MgO-impregnated clay corresponded with the Freundlich isotherm, with a correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.982. However, the Langmuir adsorption isotherm was a superior fit for nano-bentonite (R2 = 0.992). The adsorption activities of nano-bentonite and MgO-impregnated clay were fitted into a pseudo-second-order kinetic model with R2 of 0.996 and 0.995, respectively. Additionally, despite being recycled numerous times, the adsorbent maintained its high structural stability and removal effectiveness for nano-bentonite (94.5–86%) and MgO-impregnated clay (92–83%).
Isotherm and kinetic studies of acid yellow 11 dye adsorption from wastewater using Pisum Sativum peels microporous activated carbon
Authors: El-Nemr Mohamed A. , Yılmaz Murat , Ragab Safaa , Hassaan Mohamed A. , El Nemr Ahmed
Published: March 2023

In this study, Pea Peels-Activated Carbon (PPAC), a novel biochar, was created from leftover pea peels (Pisum sativum) by wet impregnation with ZnCl2and subsequent heating to 600, 700, and 800 °C in a CO2atmosphere. Investigated how the newly acquired biochar affected the capacity to extract the AY11 dye from the aqueous solution. Through the use of FTIR, XRD, SEM, BJH, BET, DSC, EDX, and TGA studies, the prepared PPAC was identified. It was found that a pH of 2 is optimum for the AY11 dye elimination. The highest removal percentage of AY11 dye was 99.10% using a beginning AY11 dye concentration of 100 mg/L and a 1.0 g/L dose of PPAC. The highest adsorption capacity (Qm) of the PPAC was 515.46 mg/g. Freundlich (FIM), Halsey (HIM), Langmuir (LIM), Tempkin (TIM), and Gineralize (GIM) isotherm models were useful in examining the adsorption results. A variety of error functions, including the average percent errors (APE), root mean square errors (RMS), Marquardt's percent standard deviation (MPSD), hybrid error function (HYBRID), Chi-square error (X2) and a sum of absolute errors (EABS) equations, were also applied to test the isotherm models data. The PPAC experimental data were best suited by the HIM and FIM isotherm models. Elovich (EM), Pseudo-first-order (PFOM), Intraparticle diffusion (IPDM), Pseudo-second-order (PSOM), and Film diffusion (FDM) models were applied to study the kinetic adsorption results. The PSOM had a strong correlation coefficient (R2 > 0.99), and it was principally responsible for controlling the adsorption rate. Anions are typically absorbed during the adsorption mechanism of AY11 dye by PPAC owing to attractive electrostatic forces created with an increase in positively charged areas at acidic pH levels. The regenerated PPAC was used in six successive adsorption/desorption cycles. This study's outcomes show that PPAC successfully removes the AY11 dye from the aqueous solution; as a result, PPAC can be used repeatedly without experiencing considerable loss in effectiveness.
Pandemic related changes in social interaction are associated with changes in automatic approach-avoidance behaviour
Authors: Henwood Amanda , Rinck Mike , Krpan Dario
Published: March 2023

People’s natural tendencies to either approach or avoid different stimuli in their environment are considered fundamental motivators of human behaviour. There is a wealth of research exploring how changes in approach and avoidance motivational orientations impact behaviour with consequences for wellbeing. However, research has seldom explored this relationship in reverse. The COVID-19 pandemic offered a unique opportunity to explore whether widespread changes in social behaviour are associated with changes in automatic approach-avoidance tendencies over time. We gathered online survey data on people’s adherence to 7 of the prescribed social restrictions set out by the UK government and people’s automatic approach-avoidance tendencies in response to different stimuli (sad/happy faces and social scenes) at three time points during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reduced-overall-interaction (digital and in person) was found to be significantly associated with faster avoidance relative to approach of sad faces. The results suggest that automatic approach-avoidance tendencies may function to protect people against the typically negative experience of reduced social interaction, with important implications for understanding public resilience during times of crisis, and beyond.
MDM2 inhibitors, nutlin-3a and navtemadelin, retain efficacy in human and mouse cancer cells cultured in hypoxia
Authors: Lerma Clavero Ada , Boqvist Paula Lafqvist , Ingelshed Katrine , Bosdotter Cecilia , Sedimbi Saikiran , Jiang Long , Wermeling Fredrik , Vojtesek Borivoj , Lane David P. , Kannan Pavitra
Published: March 2023

Activation of p53 by small molecule MDM2 inhibitors can induce cell cycle arrest or death in p53 wildtype cancer cells. However, cancer cells exposed to hypoxia can develop resistance to other small molecules, such as chemotherapies, that activate p53. Here, we evaluated whether hypoxia could render cancer cells insensitive to two MDM2 inhibitors with different potencies, nutlin-3a and navtemadlin. Inhibitor efficacy and potency were evaluated under short-term hypoxic conditions in human and mouse cancer cells expressing different p53 genotypes (wild-type, mutant, or null). Treatment of wild-type p53 cancer cells with MDM2 inhibitors reduced cell growth by > 75% in hypoxia through activation of the p53–p21 signaling pathway; no inhibitor-induced growth reduction was observed in hypoxic mutant or null p53 cells except at very high concentrations. The concentration of inhibitors needed to induce the maximal p53 response was not significantly different in hypoxia compared to normoxia. However, inhibitor efficacy varied by species and by cell line, with stronger effects at lower concentrations observed in human cell lines than in mouse cell lines grown as 2D and 3D cultures. Together, these results indicate that MDM2 inhibitors retain efficacy in hypoxia, suggesting they could be useful for targeting acutely hypoxic cancer cells.
Thermography and rasterstereography as a combined infrared method to assess the posture of healthy individuals
Authors: Roggio Federico , Petrigna Luca , Trovato Bruno , Zanghì Marta , Sortino Martina , Vitale Ermanno , Rapisarda Lucia , Testa Gianluca , Pavone Vito , Pavone Piero , Vecchio Michele , Musumeci Giuseppe
Published: March 2023

The demand for noninvasive methods to assess postural defections is increasing because back alterations are more common among the healthy population. We propose a combined infrared method of rasterstereography and thermography to assess the back without harmful effects. This study aims to provide reference data on rasterstereography and thermography to evaluate the back of a healthy population and to further study the correlation between these two methods. This cross-sectional research involved 175 healthy individuals (85 males and 90 females) aged 22 to 35 years. There is a large Cohen’s d effect size in the cervical depth (males = 43.77 ± 10.96 mm vs. females = 34.29 ± 7.04 mm, d = 1.03), and in the lumbar lordosis angle (males = 37.69 ± 8.89° vs. females = 46.49 ± 8.25°, d = − 1.03). The back temperature was different for gender in the cervical area (males = 33.83 ± 0.63 °C vs. females = 34.26 ± 0.84 °C, d = − 0.58) and dorsal area (males = 33.13 ± 0.71 °C vs. females = 33.59 ± 0.97 °C, d = − 0.55). Furthermore, in the female group there was a moderate correlation of lumbar temperature with lumbar lordosis angle (r = − 0.50) and dorsal temperature with shoulders torsion (r = 0.43). Males showed a moderate correlation for vertebral surface rotation RMS with cervical (r = − 0.46), dorsal (r = − 0.60), and lumbar (r = − 0.50) areas and cervical temperature with shoulders obliquity (r = 0.58). These results highlight a possible correlation between rasterstereography and thermography, which may elucidate the underlying mechanics of spinal alterations and thermal muscle response. Our findings may represent reference data for other studies using noninvasive methods to assess postural alterations.
Impacts of Mg doping on the structural properties and degradation mechanisms of a Li and Mn rich layered oxide cathode for lithium-ion batteries
Authors: Kaewmala Songyoot , Kamma Natthapong , Buakeaw Sunisa , Limphirat Wanwisa , Nash Jeffrey , Srilomsak Sutham , Limthongkul Pimpa , Meethong Nonglak
Published: March 2023

The Li- and Mn-rich layered oxide cathode material class is a promising cathode material type for high energy density lithium-ion batteries. However, this cathode material type suffers from layer to spinel structural transition during electrochemical cycling, resulting in energy density losses during repeated cycling. Thus, improving structural stability is an essential key for developing this cathode material family. Elemental doping is a useful strategy to improve the structural properties of cathode materials. This work examines the influences of Mg doping on the structural characteristics and degradation mechanisms of a Li1.2Mn0.4Co0.4O2 cathode material. The results reveal that the prepared cathode materials are a composite, exhibiting phase separation of the Li2MnO3 and LiCoO2 components. Li2MnO3 and LiCoO2 domain sizes decreased as Mg content increased, altering the electrochemical mechanisms of the cathode materials. Moreover, Mg doping can retard phase transition, resulting in reduced structural degradation. Li1.2Mn0.36Mg0.04Co0.4O2 with optimal Mg doping demonstrated improved electrochemical performance. The current work provides deeper understanding about the roles of Mg doping on the structural characteristics and degradation mechanisms of Li-and Mn-rich layered oxide cathode materials, which is an insightful guideline for the future development of high energy density cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries.
Coenzyme Q10 supplementation improves the motor function of middle-aged mice by restoring the neuronal activity of the motor cortex
Authors: Inoue Ritsuko , Miura Masami , Yanai Shuichi , Nishimune Hiroshi
Published: March 2023

Physiological aging causes motor function decline and anatomical and biochemical changes in the motor cortex. We confirmed that middle-aged mice at 15–18 months old show motor function decline, which can be restored to the young adult level by supplementing with mitochondrial electron transporter coenzyme Q10(CoQ10) as a water-soluble nanoformula by drinking water for 1 week. CoQ10supplementation concurrently improved brain mitochondrial respiration but not muscle strength. Notably, we identified an age-related decline in field excitatory postsynaptic potential (fEPSP) amplitude in the pathway from layers II/III to V of the primary motor area of middle-aged mice, which was restored to the young adult level by supplementing with CoQ10for 1 week but not by administering CoQ10acutely to brain slices. Interestingly, CoQ10with high-frequency stimulation induced NMDA receptor-dependent long-term potentiation (LTP) in layer V of the primary motor cortex of middle-aged mice. Importantly, the fEPSP amplitude showed a larger input‒output relationship after CoQ10-dependent LTP expression. These data suggest that CoQ10restores the motor function of middle-aged mice by improving brain mitochondrial function and the basal fEPSP level of the motor cortex, potentially by enhancing synaptic plasticity efficacy. Thus, CoQ10supplementation may ameliorate the age-related decline in motor function in humans.
Effects of short-term PM2.5 exposure on blood lipids among 197,957 people in eastern China
Authors: Liu Qiao , Wang Zhan , Lu Junjie , Li Zhongqi , Martinez Leonardo , Tao Bilin , Wang Chunlai , Zhu Limei , Lu Wei , Zhu Baoli , Pei Xiaohua , Mao Xuhua
Published: March 2023

Globally, air pollution is amongst the most significant causes of premature death. Nevertheless, studies on the relationship between fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure and blood lipids have typically not been population-based. In a large, community-based sample of residents in Yixing city, we assessed the relationship between short-term outdoor PM2.5 exposure and blood lipid concentrations. Participants who attended the physical examination were enrolled from Yixing People’s hospital from 2015 to 2020. We collected general characteristics of participants, including gender and age, as well as test results of indicators of blood lipids. Data on daily meteorological factors were collected from the National Meteorological Data Sharing Center (http://data.cma.cn/) and air pollutant concentrations were collected from the China Air Quality Online Monitoring and Analysis Platform (https://www.aqistudy.cn/) during this period. We applied generalized additive models to estimate short-term effects of ambient PM2.5 exposure on each measured blood lipid-related indicators and converted these indicators into dichotomous variables (non- hyperlipidemia and hyperlipidemia) to calculate risks of hyperlipidemia associated with PM2.5 exposure. A total of 197,957 participants were included in the analysis with mean age 47.90 years (± SD, 14.28). The increase in PM2.5 was significantly associated with hyperlipidemia (odds ratio (OR) 1.003, 95% CI 1.001–1.004), and it was still significant in subgroups of males and age < 60 years. For every 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5, triglyceride levels decreased by 0.5447% (95% CI − 0.7873, − 0.3015), the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration increased by 0.0127 mmol/L (95% CI 0.0099, 0.0156), the total cholesterol concentration increased by 0.0095 mmol/L (95% CI 0.0053, 0.0136), and no significant association was observed between PM2.5 and the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration. After excluding people with abnormal blood lipid concentrations, the associations remained significant except for the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration. PM2.5 was positively correlated with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and total cholesterol, and negatively correlated with triglyceride, indicating PM2.5 can potentially affect health through blood lipid levels.
Prediction of essential oil content in spearmint (Mentha spicata) via near-infrared hyperspectral imaging and chemometrics
Authors: Van Haute Sam , Nikkhah Amin , Malavi Derick , Kiani Sajad
Published: March 2023

Spearmint (Mentha spicataL.) is grown for its essential oil (EO), which find use in food, beverage, fragrance and other industries. The current study explores the ability of near infrared hyperspectral imaging (HSI) (935 to 1720 nm) to predict, in a rapid, nondestructive manner, the essential oil content of dried spearmint (0.2 to 2.6% EO). Spectral values of spearmint samples varied considerably with spatial coordinates, and so the use of averaging the spectral values of a surface scan was warranted. Data preprocessing was done with Multiplicative Scatter Correction (MSC) or Standard Normal Variate (SNV). Selection of spectral input variables was done with Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO), Principal Component Analysis (PCA) or Partial Least Squares (PLS). Regression was executed with linear regression (LASSO, PLS regression, PCA regression), Support Vector Machine (SVM) regression, and Multilayer Perceptron (MLP). The best prediction of EO concentration was achieved with the combination of MSC or SNV preprocessing, PLS dimension reduction, and MLP regression (1 hidden layer with 6 nodes), achieving a good prediction with a ratio of performance to deviation (RPD) of 2.84 ± 0.07, an R2of prediction of 0.863 ± 0.008, and a RMSE of prediction of 0.219 ± 0.005% EO. These results show that NIR-HSI is a viable method for rapid, nondestructive analysis of EO concentration. Future work should explore the use of NIR in the visible spectrum, the use of HSI for determining EO in other plant materials and the potential of HSI to determine individual compounds in these solid plant/food matrices.