bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Copper Phyllosilicates-Derived Catalysts in the Production of Alcohols from Hydrogenation of Carboxylates, Carboxylic Acids, Carbonates, Formyls, and CO2: A Review
Authors: To Dien-Thien , Lin Yu-Chuan
Published: February 2021

Copper phyllosilicates-derived catalysts (CuPS-cats) have been intensively explored in the past two decades due to their promising activity in carbonyls hydrogenation. However, CuPS-cats have not been completely reviewed. This paper focuses on the aspects concerning CuPS-cats from synthesis methods, effects of preparation conditions, and dopant to catalytic applications of CuPS-cats. The applications of CuPS-cats include the hydrogenation of carboxylates, carboxylic acids, carbonates, formyls, and CO2 to their respective alcohols. Besides, important factors such as the Cu dispersion, Cu+ and Cu0 surface areas, particles size, interaction between Cu and supports and dopants, morphologies, and spatial effect on catalytic performance of CuPS-cats are discussed. The deactivation and remedial actions to improve the stability of CuPS-cats are summarized. It ends up with the challenges and prospective by using this type of catalyst.
Catalytic Production of Glycolic Acid from Glycerol Oxidation: An Optimization Using Response Surface Methodology
Authors: Tavera Ruiz Claudia Patricia , Dumeignil Franck , Capron Mickaël
Published: February 2021

This study aimed at optimizing the production of glycolic acid from glycerol catalytic oxidation over a silver catalyst supported on a mixed cerium-zirconium oxide, to progress towards the industrialization of a derived process. Optimization of the operating conditions was performed using the response surface methodology. We concluded that the production of glycolic acid depends mainly of glycerol concentration, NaOH/glycerol ratio, catalyst/glycerol ratio, and O2/glycerol ratio. The optimal conditions we found were a temperature of 60 °C, a NaOH/glycerol molar ratio of 2, an O2/glycerol molar ratio of 0.23, and a catalyst/glycerol mass ratio of 0.07. With these optimal conditions, it was possible to increase the glycerol concentration from 0.3 M to 2 M, obtaining an increase in the concentration of glycolic acid in the liquid fraction, from 0.27 mol/L of glycolic acid (with initial glycerol solution 0.3 M) to 0.88 mol/L (with initial solution 2 M), while keeping a 100% glycerol conversion.
Precursor Effect on Mn-Fe-Ce/TiO2 Catalysts for Selective Catalytic Reduction of NO with NH3 at Low Temperatures
Authors: Putluru Siva Sankar Reddy , Schill Leonhard , Jensen Anker Degn , Siret Bernard , Tabaries Frank , Fehrmann Rasmus
Published: February 2021

Preparation of Mn/TiO2, Mn-Fe/TiO2, and Mn-Fe-Ce/TiO2 by the deposition-precipitation (DP) method can afford very active catalysts for low-temperature NH3-SCR (selective catalytic reduction of NO with NH3). The effect of precursor choice (nitrate vs. acetate) of Mn, Fe, and Ce on the physiochemical properties including thermal stability and the resulting SCR activity were investigated. The resulting materials were characterized by N2-Physisorption, XRD (Powder X-ray diffraction), XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy), H2-TPR (temperature-programmed reduction with hydrogen), and the oxidation of NO to NO2 measured at 300 °C. Among all the prepared catalysts 5MnAce/Ti, 25Mn0.75AceFe0.25Nit/Ti, and 25Mn0.75AceFe0.20NitCe0.05Ace/Ti showed superior SCR activity at low temperature. The superior activity of the latter two materials is likely attributable to the presence of amorphous active metal oxide phases (manganese-, iron- and cerium-oxide) and the ease of the reduction of metal oxides on TiO2. Enhanced ability to convert NO to NO2, which can promote fast-SCR like pathways, could be another reason. Cerium was found to stabilize amorphous manganese oxide phases when exposed to high temperatures.
Gut Microbiome Profiles and Associated Metabolic Pathways in HIV-Infected Treatment-Naïve Patients
Authors: do Nascimento Wellinton M. , Machiavelli Aline , Ferreira Luiz G. E. , Cruz Silveira Luisa , de Azevedo Suwellen S. D. , Bello Gonzalo , Smith Daniel P. , Mezzari Melissa P. , Petrosino Joseph F. , Delgado Duarte Rubens Tadeu , Zárate-Bladés Carlos R. , Pinto Aguinaldo R.
Published: February 2021

The normal composition of the intestinal microbiota is a key factor for maintaining healthy homeostasis, and accordingly, dysbiosis is well known to be present in HIV-1 patients. This article investigates the gut microbiota profile of antiretroviral therapy-naive HIV-1 patients and healthy donors living in Latin America in a cohort of 13 HIV positive patients (six elite controllers, EC, and seven non-controllers, NC) and nine healthy donors (HD). Microbiota compositions in stool samples were determined by sequencing the V3-V4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA, and functional prediction was inferred using PICRUSt. Several taxa were enriched in EC compared to NC or HD groups, including Acidaminococcus, Clostridium methylpentosum, Barnesiella, Eubacterium coprostanoligenes, and Lachnospiraceae UCG-004. In addition, our data indicate that the route of infection is an important factor associated with changes in gut microbiome composition, and we extend these results by identifying several metabolic pathways associated with each route of infection. Importantly, we observed several bacterial taxa that might be associated with different viral subtypes, such as Succinivibrio, which were more abundant in patients infected by HIV subtype B, and Streptococcus enrichment in patients infected by subtype C. In conclusion, our data brings a significant contribution to the understanding of dysbiosis-associated changes in HIV infection and describes, for the first time, differences in microbiota composition according to HIV subtypes. These results warrant further confirmation in a larger cohort of patients.
Genetically Raised Circulating Bilirubin Levels and Risk of Ten Cancers: A Mendelian Randomization Study
Authors: Seyed Khoei Nazlisadat Seyed , Carreras-Torres Robert , Murphy Neil , Gunter Marc J. , Brennan Paul , Smith-Byrne Karl , Mariosa Daniela , Mckay James , O’Mara Tracy , Jarrett Ruth , Hjalgrim Henrik , Smedby Karin E. , Cozen Wendy , Onel Kenan , Diepstra Arjan , Wagner Karl-Heinz , Freisling Heinz
Published: February 2021

Bilirubin, an endogenous antioxidant, may play a protective role in cancer development. We applied two-sample Mendelian randomization to investigate whether genetically raised bilirubin levels are causally associated with the risk of ten cancers (pancreas, kidney, endometrium, ovary, breast, prostate, lung, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, melanoma, and neuroblastoma). The number of cases and their matched controls of European descent ranged from 122,977 and 105,974 for breast cancer to 1200 and 6417 for Hodgkin’s lymphoma, respectively. A total of 115 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated (p < 5 × 10−8) with circulating total bilirubin, extracted from a genome-wide association study in the UK Biobank, were used as instrumental variables. One SNP (rs6431625) in the promoter region of the uridine-diphosphoglucuronate glucuronosyltransferase1A1 (UGT1A1) gene explained 16.9% and the remaining 114 SNPs (non-UGT1A1 SNPs) explained 3.1% of phenotypic variance in circulating bilirubin levels. A one-standarddeviation increment in circulating bilirubin (≈ 4.4 µmol/L), predicted by non-UGT1A1 SNPs, was inversely associated with risk of squamous cell lung cancer and Hodgkin’s lymphoma (odds ratio (OR) 0.85, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.73–0.99, P 0.04 and OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.42–0.99, p 0.04, respectively), which was confirmed after removing potential pleiotropic SNPs. In contrast, a positive association was observed with the risk of breast cancer after removing potential pleiotropic SNPs (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.04–1.20, p 0.002). There was little evidence for robust associations with the other seven cancers investigated. Genetically raised bilirubin levels were inversely associated with risk of squamous cell lung cancer as well as Hodgkin’s lymphoma and positively associated with risk of breast cancer. Further studies are required to investigate the utility of bilirubin as a low-cost clinical marker to improve risk prediction for certain cancers.
Immune-Mediated Retinal Vasculitis in Posterior Uveitis and Experimental Models: The Leukotriene (LT)B4-VEGF Axis
Authors: Eskandarpour Malihe , Nunn Miles A. , Weston-Davies Wynne , Calder Virginia L.
Published: February 2021

Retinal vascular diseases have distinct, complex and multifactorial pathogeneses yet share several key pathophysiological aspects including inflammation, vascular permeability and neovascularisation. In non-infectious posterior uveitis (NIU), retinal vasculitis involves vessel leakage leading to retinal enlargement, exudation, and macular oedema. Neovascularisation is not a common feature in NIU, however, detection of the major angiogenic factor—vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A)—in intraocular fluids in animal models of uveitis may be an indication for a role for this cytokine in a highly inflammatory condition. Suppression of VEGF-A by directly targeting the leukotriene B4 (LTB4) receptor (BLT1) pathway indicates a connection between leukotrienes (LTs), which have prominent roles in initiating and propagating inflammatory responses, and VEGF-A in retinal inflammatory diseases. Further research is needed to understand how LTs interact with intraocular cytokines in retinal inflammatory diseases to guide the development of novel therapeutic approaches targeting both inflammatory mediator pathways.
DVDeconv: An Open-Source MATLAB Toolbox for Depth-Variant Asymmetric Deconvolution of Fluorescence Micrographs
Authors: Kim Boyoung
Published: February 2021

To investigate the cellular structure, biomedical researchers often obtain three-dimensional images by combining two-dimensional images taken along the z axis. However, these images are blurry in all directions due to diffraction limitations. This blur becomes more severe when focusing further inside the specimen as photons in deeper focus must traverse a longer distance within the specimen. This type of blur is called depth-variance. Moreover, due to lens imperfection, the blur has asymmetric shape. Most deconvolution solutions for removing blur assume depth-invariant or x-y symmetric blur, and presently, there is no open-source for depth-variant asymmetric deconvolution. In addition, existing datasets for deconvolution microscopy also assume invariant or x-y symmetric blur, which are insufficient to reflect actual imaging conditions. DVDeconv, that is a set of MATLAB functions with a user-friendly graphical interface, has been developed to address depth-variant asymmetric blur. DVDeconv includes dataset, depth-variant asymmetric point spread function generator, and deconvolution algorithms. Experimental results using DVDeconv reveal that depth-variant asymmetric deconvolution using DVDeconv removes blurs accurately. Furthermore, the dataset in DVDeconv constructed can be used to evaluate the performance of microscopy deconvolution to be developed in the future.
Nicotine Dependence among Adolescents Single and Dual Cigarette Users
Authors: Mohd Radzi Nawwal Alwani , Saub Roslan , Mohd Yusof Zamros Yuzadi , Dahlui Maznah , Sujak Sharol Lail
Published: February 2021

The prevalence of concurrent use of combustible and electronic cigarettes (dual-use) is on the rise among Malaysian adolescents. This study compares nicotine dependence among exclusive cigarette users, e-cigarette users, and dual adolescent users. A total of 227 adolescent smokers completed a self-administrated questionnaire with items based on Hooked on Nicotine Checklist (HONC) incorporated. Endorsement of at least one HONC item indicates nicotine dependence. Exhaled carbon monoxide readings and salivary cotinine data were also collected. Over half (52.9%) of the participants were exclusive e-cigarette users (EC). The prevalence of exclusive conventional cigarette smokers (CC) and dual users was 11.9% and 35.2%, respectively. Adolescents who have mothers with secondary school education were more likely to become addicted to nicotine (Adjusted Odd Ratio (aOR) = 2.72; 95% CI = 1.17–6.32). Adolescents’ “mother’s education” level predicted nicotine dependence. This highlighted the need to target families within the identified demography with a more supportive anti-tobacco program.
Hypothesis on the Influence of the Magnetic Behaviour of Hydrogen Doped Zinc Oxide during Its Plasma Sputtering Process
Authors: Salimian Ali , Hasnath Abul , Aminishahsavarani Arjang , Upadhyaya Hari
Published: February 2021

We investigate the complexity of the reactive sputtering of highly conductive zinc oxide thin films in the presence of hydrogen at room temperature. We report on the importance of precise geometric positioning of the substrate with respect to the magnetron to achieve maximum conductivity. We examine the electrical properties of the deposited thins films based on their position on the substrate holder relative to the magnetron. By considering early reports by other researchers on the angular dependency of plasma parameters and the effect of hydrogen doping on electric and magnetic properties of hydrogen-doped zinc oxide, we propose a hypothesis on the possibility of such properties resulting in the observations presented in this report pending further tests to verify this hypothesis. Overall, in this report we present the guide by which highly conductive zinc oxide thin film coatings can be prepared via RF sputtering with hydrogen presence along with argon as the sputtering gas.
COVID: A New Peer-Reviewed Journal on Coronaviruses and Coronaviruses-Diseases
Authors: Lin Shu-Kun , Vazquez Franck
Published: February 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous effect on people around the world [...]
Synthesis, Cytotoxic Activity, Crystal Structure, DFT Studies and Molecular Docking of 3-Amino-1-(2,5-dichlorophenyl)-8-methoxy-1H-benzo[f]chromene-2-carbonitrile
Authors: El Gaafary Menna , Syrovets Tatiana , M. Mohamed Hany , A. Elhenawy Ahmed , M. El-Agrody Ahmed , El-Galil E. Amr Abd , Ghabbour Hazem A. , Almehizia Abdulrahman A.
Published: February 2021

The target compound 3-amino-1-(2,5-d ichlorophenyl)-8-methoxy-1H-benzo[f]-chromene-2-carbonitrile (4) was synthesized via a reaction of 6-methoxynaphthalen-2-ol (1), 2,5-dichlorobenzaldehyde (2), and malononitrile (3) in ethanolic piperidine solution under microwave irradiation. The newly synthesized β-enaminonitrile was characterized by FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, mass spectroscopy, elemental analysis and X-ray diffraction data. Its cytotoxic activity was evaluated against three different human cancer cell lines MDA-MB-231, A549, and MIA PaCa-2 in comparison to the positive controls etoposide and camptothecin employing the XTT cell viability assay. The analysis of the Hirshfeld surface was utilized to visualize the reliability of the crystal package. The obtained results confirmed that the tested molecule revealed promising cytotoxic activities against the three cancer cell lines. Furthermore, theoretical calculations (DFT) were carried out with the Becke3-Lee-Yang-parr (B3LYP) level using 6-311++G(d,p) basis. The optimization geometry for molecular structures was in agreement with the X-ray structure data. The HOMO-LUMO energy gap of the studied system was discussed. The intermolecular-interactions were studied through analysis of the topological-electron-density(r) using the QTAIM and NCI methods. The novel compound exhibited favorable ADMET properties and its molecular modeling analysis showed strong interaction with DNA methyltransferase 1.
Heteroleptic [Cu(P^P)(N^N)][PF6] Complexes: Effects of Isomer Switching from 2,2′-biquinoline to 1,1′-biisoquinoline
Authors: Arnosti Nina , Meyer Marco , Prescimone Alessandro , Constable Edwin , Housecroft Catherine
Published: February 2021

The preparation and characterization of [Cu(POP)(biq)][PF6] and [Cu(xantphos)(biq)][PF6] are reported (biq = 1,1′-biisoquinoline, POP = bis(2-(diphenylphosphanyl)phenyl)ether, and xantphos = (9,9-dimethyl-9H-xanthene-4,5-diyl)bis(diphenylphosphane). The single crystal structure of [Cu(POP)(biq)][PF6] 0.5Et2O was determined and compared to that in three salts of [Cu(POP)(bq)]+ in which bq = 2,2′-biquinoline. The P–C–P angle is 114.456(19)o in [Cu(POP)(biq)]+ compared to a range of 118.29(3)–119.60(3)o [Cu(POP)(bq)]+. There is a change from an intra-POP PPh2-phenyl/(C6H4)2O-arene π-stacking in [Cu(POP)(biq)]+ to a π-stacking contact between the POP and bq ligands in [Cu(POP)(bq)]+. In solution and at ambient temperatures, the [Cu(POP)(biq)][PF6]+ and [Cu(xantphos)(biq)]+ cations undergo several concurrent dynamic processes, as evidenced in their multinuclear NMR spectra. The photophysical and electrochemical behaviors of the heteroleptic copper (I) complexes were investigated, and the effects of changing from bq to biq are described. Short Cu···O distances within the [Cu(POP)(biq)]+ and [Cu(xantphos)(biq)]+ cations may contribute to their very low photoluminescent quantum yields.
Preparation, Sintering Behavior and Consolidation Mechanism of Vanadium-Titanium Magnetite Pellets
Authors: Chen Weibin , Dong Zhaoqi , Jiao Yang , Liu Lili , Wang Xidong
Published: February 2021

High-quality oxidized pellets are the basis to achieve high-efficiency utilization of vanadium–titanium magnetite (VTM) ores. Bentonite was used as a binder of VTM. The main phase composition of VTM is titanomagnetite and ilmenite. When the amount of bentonite is 1%, the compressive strength and dropping strength of VTM pellets can meet the requirements. To improve metallurgical properties, the pellets need to be roasted. The best conditions for roasting are as follows: calcination temperature of 1523 K and a calcination time of 20 min. The consolidation mechanism, phase transformation, and crystal structure transformation of VTM in the process of oxidation roasting are also explained.
Very Delayed Acute Hepatitis after Pembrolizumab Therapy for Advanced Malignancy: How Long Should We Watch?
Authors: Phan Timothy , Patwala Kurvi , Lipton Lara , Knight Virginia , Aga Ahmad , Pianko Stephen
Published: February 2021

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have led to major therapeutic advances in the management of malignancy. Despite promising outcomes for some cancers, ICIs are linked to unique side-effects known as immune-related adverse events (IrAEs). These may affect a wide array of organ systems. In particular, ICI-induced hepatitis is diagnostically challenging given its variable natural history and clinical manifestations. The onset of ICI-induced hepatitis often occurs between 6 and 14 weeks after treatment initiation and rarely exhibits delayed presentations or manifests after treatment cessation. We present a case of very delayed-onset ICI-induced hepatitis, stressing the importance of long-term surveillance for immune-indued hepatitis in patients initiated on ICIs even long after treatment cessation.
Orchid Extinction over the Last 150 Years in the Czech Republic
Authors: Štípková Zuzana , Kindlmann Pavel
Published: February 2021

Understanding temporal changes in the distribution and abundance of various species is one of the key goals of conservation biology. During recent decades, the abundance and distribution of many species of plants and animals have declined dramatically, mainly because of habitat loss and fragmentation. The purpose of this study is to analyze the rate of extinction of orchids at various sites in different 20-year time intervals over the last 150 years, determined according to changes in society. Using the dataset of the orchid records of the Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic, we determined the disappearance rate of orchids from sites using a grid of 1 × 1 km. We found that the vast majority of orchids disappeared from many of their historical localities in all time intervals analyzed. The number of sites suitable for Czech orchids declined by 8–92%, depending on the species. The most threatened orchid species in the Czech Republic are Spiranthes spiralis, Anacamptis palustris, Epipogium aphyllum and Goodyera repens. This all seems to be closely related with changes in agricultural practices in the open as well as in forest habitats. Preserving suitable orchid habitats seems to be the key for keeping Czech orchid flora alive.
Indoor Thermal Environment and Occupant’s Living Pattern of Traditional Timber Houses in Tropics
Authors: Islam Rezuana , Ahmed Khandaker Shabbir
Published: February 2021

Traditional timber houses in tropics have specific environmental characteristics that evolved considering material constraints, local construction technology and climate. To provide occupants with the necessary comfort, these naturally ventilated houses adopted several passive design strategies. Moreover, occupants have unique living patterns which may have contributed towards achieving indoor thermal comfort. However, scientific knowledge regarding these issues is still limited. Therefore, considering traditional timber houses of Bangladesh as sample cases, this study aims to investigate existing relationship between an indoor thermal environment and an occupant’s living pattern within these tropical houses. Physical measurement of thermal parameters and questionnaire surveys followed by personal observations were conducted. Findings show that indoor air temperature (AT °C) fluctuates readily with that outdoors without a timelag resulting in daytime overheating. The occupant’s daytime thermal sensation is mostly slightly warm to hot. Semi-open and outdoor shaded spaces become a way to cope with the daytime overheating period. Occupants frequently use indoor spaces during the night when thermal sensation ranges between neutral to slightly cool. Finally, from the findings an interpretational graph has been developed relating indoor thermal environment with occupant’s living pattern within a traditional timber house. Findings will contribute to professionals and policy-makers developing architectural design strategies that may impact the occupant’s well-being in future.
Assessment of FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System Implementation in Real Life Clinical Setting: A Prospective Observational Study
Authors: Canecki Varzic Silvija , Steiner Kristina , Gradinjan Centner Maja , Grgurevic Mladen , Cigrovski Berkovic Maja , Klobucar Majanovic Sanja , Radman Maja , Milicevic Tanja , Rahelic Dario , Bilic Curcic Ines
Published: February 2021

Background: In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring (FGM) implementation in a real life clinical setting with the emphasis on the effect of initial education on the use of the FGM system. Methods: This prospective observational study included 425 diabetes type 1 subjects followed up for 3 to 12 months (320 were followed up to 3 months, 267 up to 6 months and 147 up to period of one year). An FGM sensor was placed at study entry and all participants were educated through a period of 5 days on sensor usage and self-management of glycemia with follow up visits every 3 months. Results: HbA1c values significantly decreased from baseline (T0) to 3 months (T3) (p < 0.001), with a drop from 7.48% ± 0.1% to 7.30 ± 0.1%. There was no change in time spent in hypoglycemia from T3 to T12, although there was a decreasing trend present. The change in HbA1c values in the entire cohort was driven by change in the subgroup of patients with HbA1c ≥7% with a drop from 8.22% ± 1.14% to 7.68% ± 1.26% (p < 0.0001) in the first 3 months. Also, in individuals performing SMBG less than 5 times per day, there was a steady decrease in HbA1c levels up to 6 months (p < 0.05 and p < 0.001, respectively) as opposed to those who performed SMBG ≥5 times per day. Conclusions: The improvement in HbA1c was mainly driven by the increase in the number of scans per day. The subjects with poorer glycemic control and those who seldom performed SMBG benefited the most.
Diaphragmatic Hernia after Radiofrequency Ablation
Authors: Morishita Asahiro , Tani Joji , Masaki Tsutomu
Published: February 2021

Diaphragmatic hernia (DH) is a defect, which can be congenital or can develop later in life. Moreover, chromosomal and genetic abnormalities, environmental exposures, and nutritional deficiencies may be related to the development of congenital DH. In contrast, the risk factors of acquired DH include traumas, such as blunt injuries due to traffic accidents and surgical procedures. We report the case of a 71-year-old man admitted to our gastroenterology department for the treatment of esophageal varices. Four days after the endoscopic treatment, the patient vomited severely and reported severe right upper abdominal pain. He was diagnosed with DH, and surgical fixation was performed. The diaphragmatic injury lesion was located on the estimated needle track of percutaneous radiofrequency ablation, which was performed through the thoracic diaphragm with artificial pleural effusion for hepatocellular carcinoma.
The Role of Percutaneous Ablation in the Management of Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastatic Disease
Authors: Filippiadis Dimitrios K. , Velonakis Georgios , Kelekis Alexis , Sofocleous Constantinos T.
Published: February 2021

Approximately 50% of colorectal cancer patients will develop metastases during the course of the disease. Local or locoregional therapies for the treatment of liver metastases are used in the management of oligometastatic colorectal liver disease, especially in nonsurgical candidates. Thermal ablation (TA) is recommended in the treatment of limited liver metastases as free-standing therapy or in combination with surgery as long as all visible disease can be eradicated. Percutaneous TA has been proven as a safe and efficacious therapy offering sustained local tumor control and improved patient survival. Continuous technological advances in diagnostic imaging and guidance tools, the evolution of devices allowing for optimization of ablation parameters, as well as the ability to perform margin assessment have improved the efficacy of ablation. This allows resectable small volume diseases to be cured with percutaneous ablation. The ongoing detailed information and increasing understanding of tumor biology, genetics, and tissue biomarkers that impact oncologic outcomes as well as their implications on the results of ablation have further allowed for treatment customization and improved oncologic outcomes even in those with more aggressive tumor biology. The purpose of this review is to present the most common indications for image-guided percutaneous ablation in colorectal cancer liver metastases, to describe technical considerations, and to discuss relevant peer-reviewed evidence on this topic. The growing role of imaging and image-guidance as well as controversies regarding several devices are addressed.
Histiocytic Sarcoma: Challenging Course, Dismal Outcome
Authors: Andersen Kim Francis , Sjö Lene Dissing , Kampmann Peter , Pedersen Torben Bridstrup
Published: February 2021

Histiocytic sarcoma (HS) is a rare hematopoietic neoplasm derived from non-Langerhans histiocytic cells of the monocyte/macrophage system. With an incidence of 0.17/million individuals and a slight male preference, HS presents with a wide age distribution. Most commonly, it occurs as a primary malignancy. In approximately 25% of the cases a presumed transdifferentiation of a preexisting hematolymphoid disorder can be demonstrated. The clinical presentation varies from a localized solitary mass to severe disseminated disease often with extranodal involvement including skin, soft tissue, the gastrointestinal tract and the hematopoietic system. Systemic symptoms in terms of weight loss, fever and night sweats often occur. The diagnostic work-up of HS is extremely challenging due to the rarity of the disease as well as a wide differential diagnosis in terms of a histologic overlap with diverse mimics. No standardized treatment for HS exists and especially in a disseminated disease the clinical course is overly aggressive with a dismal outcome. The median overall survival from the time of diagnosis is approximately six months. We report a 43-year-old previously healthy Caucasian male admitted to our hospitals with abdominal pain and a feeling of fatigue. We demonstrate both the challenges of a correct diagnosis and an effective treatment as well as the aggressive nature of histiocytic sarcoma.
Comparison of Cytomegalovirus-Specific Immune Cell Response to Proteins versus Peptides Using an IFN-γ ELISpot Assay after Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
Authors: Wagner-Drouet Eva , Teschner Daniel , Wolschke Christine , Schäfer-Eckart Kerstin , Gärtner Johannes , Mielke Stephan , Schreder Martin , Kobbe Guido , Hilgendorf Inken , Klein Stefan , Verbeek Mareike , Ditschkowski Markus , Koch Martina , Lindemann Monika , Schmidt Traudel , Rascle Anne , Barabas Sascha , Deml Ludwig , Wagner Ralf , Wolff Daniel
Published: February 2021

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a major cause of morbidity and mortality following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Measuring CMV-specific cellular immunity may improve the risk stratification and management of patients. IFN-γ ELISpot assays, based on the stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells with CMV pp65 and IE-1 proteins or peptides, have been validated in clinical settings. However, it remains unclear to which extend the T-cell response to synthetic peptides reflect that mediated by full-length proteins processed by antigen-presenting cells. We compared the stimulating ability of pp65 and IE-1 proteins and corresponding overlapping peptides in 16 HSCT recipients using a standardized IFN-γ ELISpot assay. Paired qualitative test results showed an overall 74.4% concordance. Discordant results were mainly due to low-response tests, with one exception. One patient with early CMV reactivation and graft-versus-host disease, sustained CMV DNAemia and high CD8+ counts showed successive negative protein-based ELISpot results but a high and sustained response to IE-1 peptides. Our results suggest that the response to exogenous proteins, which involves their uptake and processing by antigen-presenting cells, more closely reflects the physiological response to CMV infection, while the response to exogenous peptides may lead to artificial in vitro T-cell responses, especially in strongly immunosuppressed patients.
A Qualitative Study on the Intercultural Educational Sensitivity of the Professors at the University of Malaga (Spain)
Authors: Pareja de Vicente Dolores , Alcalá del Olmo-Fernández María José , Santos-Villalba María Jesús , Leiva-Olivencia Juan José
Published: February 2021

This paper deals with the intercultural sensitivity of professors of Educational Sciences at the University of Malaga (Spain). The methodological approach of the study was qualitative, and the research techniques for data collection were in-depth interviews. The main technique for analyzing the information was content analysis. The results of the study show that the majority of university teachers identify interculturality as a value and a pedagogical proposal of great importance. Thus, there is a need to promote intercultural competences and a critical view of culture. In conclusion, the study highlights the existence of difficulties in developing interculturality, which requires a change towards comprehensive training and education in values in the university context.
Children’s Astronomy. Development of the Shape of the Earth Concept in Polish Children between 5 and 10 Years of Age
Authors: Jelinek Jan Amos
Published: February 2021

The Earth’s shape concept develops as consecutive cognitive problems (e.g., the location of people and trees on the spherical Earth) are gradually resolved. Establishing the order of problem solving may be important for the organisation of teaching situations. This study attempted to determine the sequence of problems to be resolved based on tasks included in the EARTH2 test. The study covered a group of 444 children between 5 and 10 years of age. It captured the order in which children solve cognitive problems on the way to constructing a science-like concept. The test results were compared with previous studies. The importance of cultural influences connected to significant differences (24%) in test results was emphasised. Attention was drawn to the problem of the consistency of the mental model approach highlighted in the literature. The analysis of the individual sets of answers provided a high level of consistency of indications referring to the same model (36%), emphasising the importance of the concept of mental models.
Assessing Intervention Effects in the Presence of Missing Scores
Authors: Peng Chao-Ying Joanne , Chen Li-Ting
Published: February 2021

Due to repeated observations of an outcome behavior in N-of-1 or single-case design (SCD) intervention studies, the occurrence of missing scores is inevitable in such studies. Approximately 21% of SCD articles published in five reputable journals between 2015 and 2019 exhibited evidence of missing scores. Missing rates varied by designs, with the highest rate (24%) found in multiple baseline/probe designs. Missing scores cause difficulties in data analysis. And inappropriate treatments of missing scores lead to consequences that threaten internal validity and weaken generalizability of intervention effects reported in SCD research. In this paper, we comprehensively review nine methods for treating missing SCD data: the available data method, six single imputations, and two model-based methods. The strengths, weaknesses, assumptions, and examples of these methods are summarized. The available data method and three single imputation methods are further demonstrated in assessing an intervention effect at the class and students’ levels. Assessment results are interpreted in terms of effect sizes, statistical significances, and visual analysis of data. Differences in results among the four methods are noted and discussed. The extensive review of problems caused by missing scores and possible treatments should empower researchers and practitioners to account for missing scores effectively and to support evidence-based interventions vigorously. The paper concludes with a discussion of contingencies for implementing the nine methods and practical strategies for managing missing scores in single-case intervention studies.
Rapid Prototyping of Virtual Reality Cognitive Exercises in a Tele-Rehabilitation Context
Authors: Perri Damiano , Fortunelli Martina , Simonetti Marco , Magni Riccardo , Carloni Jessica , Gervasi Osvaldo
Published: February 2021

In recent years, the need to contain healthcare costs due to the growing public debt of many countries, combined with the need to reduce costly travel by patients unable to move autonomously, have captured the attention of public administrators towards tele-rehabilitation. This trend has been consolidated overwhelmingly following the Covid-19 pandemic, which has made it precarious, difficult and even dangerous for patients to access hospital facilities. We present an approach based on the rapid prototyping of virtual reality, cognitive tele-rehabilitation exercises, which reinforce the group of exercises available in the Nu!reha platform. Patients who experienced injury or pathology need to practice continuous training in order to recover functional abilities, and the therapist needs to monitor the outcomes of such practices. The group of new exercises based on the rapid prototyping approach, become crucial especially in this pandemic period. The Virtual Reality exercises are designed on Unity 3D to empower the therapist to set up personalized exercises in an easy way, enabling the patient to receive personalized stimuli, which are essential for a positive outcome in the practice. Furthermore, the reaction speed of the system is of fundamental importance, as the temporal evolution of the scene must proceed parallel to the patient’s movements, to ensure an effective and efficient therapeutic response. So, we optimized the virtual reality application in order to make the loading phase and the startup phase as fast as possible and we have tested the results obtained with many devices: in particular computers and smartphones with different operating systems and hardware. The implemented method powers up the Nu!Reha system®, a collection of tele-rehabilitation services that helps patients to recover cognitive and functional capabilities.
Optimized Authentication System with High Security and Privacy
Authors: Sharma Uttam , Tomar Pradeep , Ali Syed Sadaf , Saxena Neetesh , Bhadoria Robin Singh
Published: February 2021

Authentication and privacy play an important role in the present electronic world. Biometrics and especially fingerprint-based authentication are extremely useful for unlocking doors, mobile phones, etc. Fingerprint biometrics usually store the attributes of the minutia point of a fingerprint directly in the database as a user template. Existing research works have shown that from such insecure user templates, original fingerprints can be constructed. If the database gets compromised, the attacker may construct the fingerprint of a user, which is a serious security and privacy issue. Security of original fingerprints is therefore extremely important. Ali et al. have designed a system for secure fingerprint biometrics; however, their technique has various limitations and is not optimized. In this paper, first we have proposed a secure technique which is highly robust, optimized, and fast. Secondly, unlike most of the fingerprint biometrics apart from the minutiae point location and orientation, we have used the quality of minutiae points as well to construct an optimized template. Third, the template constructed is in 3D shell shape. We have rigorously evaluated the technique on nine different fingerprint databases. The obtained results from the experiments are highly promising and show the effectiveness of the technique.
Portable Knee Health Monitoring System by Impedance Spectroscopy Based on Audio-Board
Authors: Scandurra Graziella , Cardillo Emanuele , Giusi Gino , Ciofi Carmine , Alonso Eduardo , Giannetti Romano
Published: February 2021

Knee injuries are among the most common health problems in the world. They not only affect people who practice sports, but also those who lead a rather sedentary life. Factors such as age, weight, working and leisure activities can affect the health of the knees, causing disorders such as inflammation, edema, deterioration of cartilage and osteoarthritis. Although for the diagnosis and treatment of the various pathologies it is always advisable to contact orthopedists and specialized structures, it would often be useful to monitor the state of health of the knees in order to evaluate the healing (or worsening) process and the effects of sport/motion activities or rehabilitation. In this perspective, a portable knee health monitoring system was developed to be used at home or in gyms and sports environments in general. Besides requiring a simple custom front end, the system relies on a PC audio board capable of a sampling rate of 192 kHz to perform bioimpedance measurements at frequencies in excess of 50 kHz. A simple numerical calibration procedure allows to obtain high accuracy while maintaining low hardware complexity. The software developed for the operation of the system is freely available to any researcher willing to experiment with the bioimpedance measurement approach we propose, ensuring the conditions of portability and low complexity. Primary (intracellular and extracellular resistances and cell membrane capacitance) and secondary (real and imaginary parts of the total impedance) bioimpedance parameters can be obtained and analyzed through direct measurements with reference to an equivalent circuit model. The functionality of the system has been tested on nine subjects with different well-known health conditions, providing encouraging results in terms of the ability to correlate bioimpedance measurements to the health status of the knees. If proper clinical trials were to confirm our preliminary results, a system such as the one we propose could be used for fast and frequent monitoring of knee joints, thus possibly reducing the frequency at which complex and expensive medical exams, sometimes involving long waiting lists, must be performed.
Large-Scale Object Monitoring in Internet-of-Things: Energy-Efficient Perspectives
Authors: Yim Yongbin , Lee Euisin , Oh Seungmin
Published: February 2021

Recently, the demand for monitoring a certain object covering large and dynamic scopes such as wildfires, glaciers, and radioactive contaminations, called large-scale fluid objects (LFOs), is coming to the fore due to disasters and catastrophes that lately happened. This article provides an analytic comparison of such LFOs and typical individual mobile objects (IMOs), namely animals, humans, vehicles, etc., to figure out inherent characteristics of LFOs. Since energy-efficient monitoring of IMOs has been intensively researched so far, but such inherent properties of LFOs hinder the direct adaptation of legacy technologies for IMOs, this article surveys technological evolution and advances of LFOs along with ones of IMOs. Based on the communication cost perspective correlated to energy efficiency, three technological phases, namely concentration, integration, and abbreviation, are defined in this article. By reviewing various methods and strategies employed by existing works with the three phases, this article concludes that LFO monitoring should achieve not only decoupling from node density and network structure but also trading off quantitative reduction against qualitative loss as architectural principles of energy-efficient communication to break through inherent properties of LFOs. Future research challenges related to this topic are also discussed.
Spectral Domain-Based Data-Embedding Mechanisms for Display-to-Camera Communication
Authors: Tamang Lakpa Dorje , Kim Byung Wook
Published: February 2021

Recently, digital displays and cameras have been extensively used as new data transmission and reception devices in conjunction with optical camera communication (OCC) technology. This paper presents three types of frequency-based data-embedding mechanisms for a display-to-camera (D2C) communication system, in which a commercial digital display transmits information and an off-the-shelf smartphone camera receives it. For the spectral embedding, sub-band coefficients obtained from a discrete cosine transform (DCT) image and predetermined embedding factors of three embedding mechanisms are used. This allows the data to be recovered from several types of noises induced in wireless optical channels, such as analog-to-digital (A/D) and digital-to-analog (D/A) conversion, rotation, scaling, and translation (RST) effects, while also maintaining the image quality to normal human eyes. We performed extensive simulations and real-world D2C experiments using several performance metrics. Through the analysis of the experimental results, it was shown that the proposed method can be considered as a suitable candidate for the D2C system in terms of the achievable data rate (ADR), peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), and the bit error rate (BER).
A Study of Multi-Sensory Experience and Color Recognition in Visual Arts Appreciation of People with Visual Impairment
Authors: Cho Jun Dong
Published: February 2021

Visually impaired visitors experience many limitations when visiting museum exhibits, such as a lack of cognitive and sensory access to exhibits or replicas. Contemporary art is evolving in the direction of appreciation beyond simply looking at works, and the development of various sensory technologies has had a great influence on culture and art. Thus, opportunities for people with visual impairments to appreciate visual artworks through various senses such as hearing, touch, and smell are expanding. However, it is uncommon to provide an interactive interface for color recognition, such as applying patterns, sounds, temperature, or scents. This review aims to convey the visual elements of the work to the visually impaired through various sensory elements. In addition, to open a new perspective on appreciation of the works, the technique of expressing the color coded by integrating patterns, temperature, scent, music, and vibration was explored, and future research topics were presented.
A Survey on Deep Learning Based Approaches for Scene Understanding in Autonomous Driving
Authors: Guo Zhiyang , Huang Yingping , Hu Xing , Wei Hongjian , Zhao Baigan
Published: February 2021

As a prerequisite for autonomous driving, scene understanding has attracted extensive research. With the rise of the convolutional neural network (CNN)-based deep learning technique, research on scene understanding has achieved significant progress. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive survey of deep learning-based approaches for scene understanding in autonomous driving. We categorize these works into four work streams, including object detection, full scene semantic segmentation, instance segmentation, and lane line segmentation. We discuss and analyze these works according to their characteristics, advantages and disadvantages, and basic frameworks. We also summarize the benchmark datasets and evaluation criteria used in the research community and make a performance comparison of some of the latest works. Lastly, we summarize the review work and provide a discussion on the future challenges of the research domain.
Estimation of Gas Loss in Methodology for Determining Methane Content of Coal Seams
Authors: Szlązak Nikodem , Obracaj Dariusz , Korzec Marek
Published: February 2021

The determination of natural gas content in coal seams is essential to safe mining activities and to estimate gas resources. It is used to estimate methane emissions into workings, which is very important when using preventive measures of methane ignition and explosion. Methane content in a coal seam is mostly determined using a direct method. However, a problem with estimation of gas loss during collecting a sample in a mine occurs in each method. That gas loss is estimated using different procedures. In the Polish mining industry, methane content in a coal seam is mostly determined during roadway advancing faces in coal seams. The differences in procedures for determining methane content in coal in various laboratories gave rise to starting research into developing a new method. This article presents results of study of gas loss unification for the determination of methane content in coal seams. The research focused mainly on determining a uniform method for estimating gas loss using the early adsorption diffusion process. The method of coal sample saturation with methane was used to measure gas desorption rate. Saturation pressures of samples were determined for coal seams in the Upper-Silesian Coal Basin. The analysis of desorption results allowed to determine the dependence between methane content in a coal sample and the initial methane content in a coal seam. It was concluded that the desorption rate was highest within two minutes. For the procedure of coal sampling, gas loss was determined at 12% of both desorbed and residual gases. The presented research results gave rise to developing a uniform method for determining gas content used in Polish coal mining. The method was accepted as the national standard. Methodology using a new gas loss estimation procedure allows for achieving relatively fast results of the determination of methane content in coal seams, which is very important, especially in gassy mines.