bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Bio-Based Fertilizer Integration Into Conventional Grassland Fertilization Programmes on Soil Bacterial, Fungal, and Nematode Communities
Authors: Ryan Demi , Karpinska Anna , Forrestal Patrick J. , Ashekuzzaman S. M. , Kakouli-Duarte Thomais , Dowling David N. , Germaine Kieran J.
Published: March 2022

Phosphorus (P) is an essential plant macro-nutrient applied to soil in agriculture, mainly sourced from non-renewable mined phosphate-rock, of which readily accessible reserves are currently under pressure, while global food demand continues to grow. Meanwhile, an abundance of P is lost in waste-streams. Hence, bio-based fertilizers are increasingly produced using nutrient-recovery technologies and evaluated as a sustainable fertilizer alternative. However, there is little knowledge of how these products affect soil microorganisms. In this study, four new phosphate bio-based fertilizers (two struvite and two incinerator ashes) were assessed in permanent grassland-plots to understand their impact on soil bacterial, fungal, and nematode community responses. The experiment consisted of 40 plots (each 6 × 2 m2) of 8 treatments (2 struvite, 2 ash, cattle slurry, 100% mineral fertilizer, zero P fertilizer, and a control without fertilization) with 5 replications arranged in a randomized complete block design. Community data were obtained by amplicon sequencing of DNA extracted from soil samples and subsequent analysis of community composition, diversity, structure and influencing environmental variables. Diversity of the soil microorganisms was maintained by all bio-based fertilizer treatments. Results showed that soil bacterial, fungal, and nematode communities of the struvite-treatments were similar to those in 100% mineral treatment. Communities in ash-treatments were more disturbed in their compositions, abundances and structures, possibly due to their high pH and heavy metal content. From canonical correspondence analysis, available P, K, and Mg, as well as plant P uptake and biomass yield, were identified as factors significantly influencing bacterial and nematode communities across different treatment groups. In particular, the abundance of environmental disturbance sensitive nematodes (e.g., Dorylaimida) was significantly reduced by one of the ash products. Overall, results indicate that both struvites are benign to soil bacterial, fungal, and nematode communities and can be safely applied as a source of renewable P to meet crop nutrition requirement. The ash products require further investigations before recommending their regular application as fertilizer. As the application of novel bio-based fertilizers will increase in the foreseeable future, the findings of this study would be valuable to feed into developing environmental risk assessment protocols.
Case Report: Giant Pelvic Cystic Appearance—An Unusual Feature of Uterine Cervical Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Wang Yongxin , Shan Xue , Li Man , Yue Ying
Published: March 2022

Cervical adenocarcinoma can present as a solid, mixed solid, cystic, or multiple cystic cervical mass in the endocervical canal. In this report, we present an extremely rare case of cervical adenocarcinoma with giant cystic lesions. A 37-year-old Chinese woman with a regular menstrual cycle presented to her local doctor complaining of mild abdominal distension. Abdominal ultrasonography suggested an ovarian cyst, whose mean diameter increased from 3 to 8 cm in 3 months. Thereafter, she was referred to our hospital. She had no abnormal vaginal bleeding or discharge. Transvaginal ultrasonography revealed a 95 × 80 mm cyst below the back of the uterus. Computed tomography revealed a 9.8 × 8.5 cm multilocular cyst between the cervix and right ovary. Human papillomavirus (HPV)-E6 and -E7 mRNA tests revealed HPV-16 positivity. The thin-layer, liquid-based cytological test of the cervix showed negative results. No tumor lesions were observed on the cervical biopsy histopathology. The lesion was misdiagnosed as an ovarian cyst prior to the surgery. Intraoperatively, a cyst of the size of a child's head was observed extending from the low posterior wall of the uterus to the posterior lip of the cervix, and the cervical cysts were resected. Histological examination revealed cervical adenocarcinoma. Subsequently, she underwent extensive hysterectomy, bilateral salpingectomy, and pelvic lymphadenectomy. The final diagnosis was stage IB3 cervical adenocarcinoma. After 21 months of follow-up, no clinical or radiological evidence of recurrence has been found.
Detection of Alphitobius diaperinus by Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction With a Single-Copy Gene Target
Authors: Marien Aline , Sedefoglu Hamza , Dubois Benjamin , Maljean Julien , Francis Frédéric , Berben Gilbert , Guillet Stéphanie , Morin Jean-François , Fumière Olivier , Debode Frédéric
Published: March 2022

Use of edible insects as an alternative source of proteins in food and feed is increasing. These last years, numerous companies in Europe have started producing insects for food and feed purposes. In the European Union, the use of edible insects for human consumption falls within Regulation (EU) No. 2015/2283 on novel foods. For feed, Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/893 authorizes seven insect species as processed animal proteins for aquaculture. Methods of authentication are required to check the conformity of the products. In this study, we propose a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method for the specific detection of the lesser mealworm (Alphitobius diaperinus), one of the species included in the shortlist of authorized insects. The selected target is the cadherin gene with a single-copy (per haploid genome) illustrated by our experimental evidence. The PCR test amplified a 134-bp fragment of the cadherin gene. The qualitative method was assessed toward several performance criteria. Specificity was checked against 54 insect species next to other animal and plant species. The sensitivity, efficiency, robustness, and transferability of the PCR assay were also successfully tested. Finally, the applicability of the test was assessed on real-life processed samples (industrial meals) of A. diaperinus. The study also showed that there seems to be a huge confusion on the correct labeling of the marketed mealworms. We did not succeed to get Alphitobius laevigatus samples. They all appeared to belong to the A. diaperinus taxon.
Evaluating the Waterlogging Tolerance of Wheat Cultivars during the Early Growth Stage Using the Comprehensive Evaluation Value and Digital Image Analysis
Authors: Jiang Xiaoyi , Mao Dandong , Zhu Min , Wang Xingchun , Li Chunyan , Zhu Xinkai , Guo Wenshan , Ding Jinfeng
Published: March 2022

The accurate and efficient screening of waterlogging-tolerant cultivars is an effective way to mitigate waterlogging damages. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the performance of 28 wheat varieties mainly planted in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, China, under control and waterlogging conditions. When the 15-day waterlogging that was initiated at the third-leaf stage was completed, the aboveground dry weight, plant height, leaf number on main stem, culm number, leaf area, and SPAD readings of wheat seedlings were significantly decreased by 14%, 11%, 6%, 13%, 14%, and 15% compared with the control treatment (maintaining approximately 80% of field capacity), respectively. The results showed that the percentage reductions in the dry weight and leaf area under stress accurately represented the influence of the majority of the measured agronomic traits and were significantly negatively correlated with the respective dry weight and leaf area of different cultivars under waterlogging. This suggests that dry weight and leaf area can be used as agronomic traits for screening waterlogging-tolerant cultivars. The comprehensive evaluation value of waterlogging tolerance (CEVW) was closely related to the percentage reduction in dry weight, plant height, culm number, leaf area, and SPAD reading. The range of CEVW was 0.187–0.819, indicating a wide variation in the waterlogging tolerance of the wheat cultivars. Comparing the top-view images, the phenotypic texture parameters (dissimilarity, homogeneity, and angular second moment (ASM)) extracted from the side-view images better reflected the dry weight, plant height, and leaf area under different water treatments. The percentage reduction in ASM had the strongest correlation with CEVW (root mean square error = 0.109); thus, the ASM is recommended as a suitable phenotypic parameter to evaluate waterlogging tolerance. The present results provide references for the rapid and intelligent screening of waterlogging-tolerant wheat cultivars, but future studies need to consider the stress evaluation of the adult plants.
New Sensing Technologies for Grain Moisture
Authors: Flor Omar , Palacios Héctor , Suárez Franyelit , Salazar Katherine , Reyes Luis , González Mario , Jiménez Karina
Published: March 2022

In this review, we present a description of conventional technologies and new advances for the estimation and sense of moisture content in grains. The operating principles, accuracies and response times are described. The review considers an exhaustive search of scientific developments and patent registrations. It was concluded that most of the new developments correspond to methods of which the measurement principles are based on the analysis of the electrical characteristics of the grains. In addition, new methods of image analysis have been implemented that provide measurements with reduced response times and with precisions of utility for its application in the agro-industrial field. In addition to this, wireless communication technologies have been implemented that allow the implementation of moisture measurement methods in moving grains within processing chains.
Biostimulants to Improved Tree Physiology and Fruit Quality: A Review with Special Focus on Sweet Cherry
Authors: Afonso Sílvia , Oliveira Ivo , Meyer Anne S. , Gonçalves Berta
Published: March 2022

Due to the increasing global population and the continued need to sustainably increase agricultural production, the agricultural sector requires innovative strategies to increase productivity and efficiency in the use of resources. Biostimulants have emerged as new, promising, and environmentally friendly products to promote the overall sustainability of production systems. Humic and fulvic acids, protein hydrolysates, seaweed extracts, chitosan and other biopolymers, inorganic compounds, beneficial fungi, and bacteria are widely accepted categories of biostimulants, with proven potential in improving plant growth, increasing crop production, and quality of the final product. Some of them also have the capacity to enhance nutrient uptake and improve stress tolerance of the crop. Sweet cherry is a highly appreciated fruit, with a significant economic value, linked to production yield and quality attributes influencing consumer acceptability. However, this fruit presents several undesirable characteristics, such as physiological disorders (e.g., fruit cracking) and a short shelf-life. Several approaches are used to enhance not only sweet cherry production, but also cherry quality, with the latest efforts being placed in biostimulants. The present review focuses on the most recent findings on the use of biostimulants in sweet cherry production.
Distribution of Carbapenemase Genes among Carbapenem-Non-Susceptible Acinetobacter baumanii Blood Isolates in Indonesia: A Multicenter Study
Authors: Anggraini Dewi , Santosaningsih Dewi , Saharman Yulia Rosa , Endraswari Pepy Dwi , Cahyarini Cahyarini , Saptawati Leli , Hayati Zinatul , Farida Helmia , Siregar Cherry , Pasaribu Munawaroh , Homenta Heriyannis , Tjoa Enty , Jasmin Novira , Sarassari Rosantia , Setyarini Wahyu , Hadi Usman , Kuntaman Kuntaman
Published: March 2022

Carbapenem non-susceptible Acinetobacter baumannii (CNSAB) is an important pathogen that causes nosocomial bacteremia among critically ill patients worldwide. The magnitude of antibiotic resistance of A. baumanii in Indonesia is expected to be significant; however, the data available are limited. The aim of this study was to analyze the genetic profiles of CNSAB isolates from patients with bacteremia in Indonesia. CNSAB isolates from blood cultures of bacteremia patients in 12 hospitals in Indonesia were included. The blood cultures were conducted using the BacT/Alert or BACTEC automated system. The CNSAB were identified with either Vitek 2 system or Phoenix platform followed by a confirmation test using a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay, targeting the specific gyrB gene. The carbapenemase genes were detected by multiplex PCR. In total, 110 CNSAB isolates were collected and were mostly resistant to nearly all antibiotic classes. The majority of CNSAB isolates were susceptible to tigecycline and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX), 45.5% and 38.2%, respectively. The blaOXA-51-like gene was identified in all CNSAB isolates. Out of the total, 83.6% of CNSAB isolates had blaOXA-23-like gene, 37.3% blaOXA-24-like gene, 4.5% blaNDM-1 gene, 0.9% blaIMP-1 gene, and 0.9% blaVIM gene. No blaOXA-48-like gene was identified. The blaOXA-23-like gene was the predominant gene in all except two hospitals. The presence of the blaOXA-24-like gene was associated with resistance to tigecycline, amikacin, TMP-SMX and cefoperazone-sulbactam, while blaOXA-23-like gene was associated with resistance to TMP-SMX and cefoperazone-sulbactam. In conclusion, the blaOXA-23-like gene was the predominant gene among CNSAB isolates throughout Indonesia. A continuous national surveillance system needs to be established to further monitor the genetic profiles of CNSAB in Indonesia.
The Influence of Forced Convective Heat Transfer on Hybrid Nanofluid Flow in a Heat Exchanger with Elliptical Corrugated Tubes: Numerical Analyses and Optimization
Authors: Khetib Yacine , Abo-Dief Hala M. , Alanazi Abdullah K. , Said Zafar , Memon Saim , Bhattacharyya Suvanjan , Sharifpur Mohsen
Published: March 2022

The capabilities of nanofluids in boosting the heat transfer features of thermal, electrical and power electronic devices have widely been explored. The increasing need of different industries for heat exchangers with high efficiency and small dimensions has been considered by various researchers and is one of the focus topics of the present study. In the present study, forced convective heat transfer of an ethylene glycol/magnesium oxide-multiwalled carbon nanotube (EG/MgO-MWCNT) hybrid nanofluid (HNF) as single-phase flow in a heat exchanger (HE) with elliptical corrugated tubes is investigated. Three-dimensional multiphase governing equations are solved numerically using the control volume approach and a validated numerical model in good agreement with the literature. The range of Reynolds numbers (Re) 50 < Re < 1000 corresponds to laminar flow. Optimization is carried out by evaluation of various parameters to reach an optimal case with the maximum Nusselt number (Nu) and minimum pressure drop. The use of hybrid nanofluid results in a greater output temperature, a higher Nusselt number, and a bigger pressure drop, according to the findings. A similar pattern is obtained by increasing the volume fraction of nanoparticles. The results indicate that the power of the pump is increased when EG/MgO-MWCNT HNFs are employed. Furthermore, the thermal entropy generation reduces, and the frictional entropy generation increases with the volume fraction of nanoparticles and Re number. The results show that frictional and thermal entropy generations intersect by increasing the Re number, indicating that frictional entropy generation can overcome other effective parameters. This study concludes that the EG/MgO-MWCNT HNF with a volume fraction (VF) of 0.4% is proposed as the best-case scenario among all those considered.
Evaluation of Hydrogen Permeation into High-Strength Steel during Corrosion in Different Marine Corrosion Zones
Authors: Xu Yong , Huang Yanliang , Cai Fanfan , Wang Zhengquan , Lu Dongzhu , Wang Xiutong , Yang Lihui
Published: March 2022

Hydrogen permeation into high-strength steel during the corrosion process can deteriorate their mechanical properties, thus seriously threatening the safety of steel structures. However, the hydrogen permeation behavior of steels in corrosive marine environments is not well understood. In this study, the hydrogen permeation behavior and mechanism of AISI 4135 steel in different marine corrosion zones was investigated for the first time using an in situ hydrogen permeation monitoring system via outdoor and indoor tests. The three-month outdoor hydrogen permeation test showed that the diffusible hydrogen content of the steels exposed to the marine atmospheric, splash, tidal and immersion zone was 3.15 × 10−3, 7.00 × 10−2, 2.06 × 10−2 and 3.33 × 10−2 wt ppm, respectively. Meanwhile, results showed that the hydrogen permeation current density was positively correlated with the corrosion rate of the steel in the marine environments. This research is of great significance for guiding the safe application of high-strength steel in the marine environments.
Rapid Detection of Direct Compound Toxicity and Trailing Detection of Indirect Cell Metabolite Toxicity in a 96-Well Fluidic Culture Device for Cell-Based Screening Environments: Tactics in Six Sigma Quality Control Charts
Authors: Lubamba Bob , Jensen Timothy , McClelland Randall
Published: March 2022

Microfluidic screening tools, in vitro, evolve amid varied scientific disciplines. One emergent technique, simultaneously assessing cell toxicity from a primary compound and ensuing cell-generated metabolites (dual-toxicity screening), entails in-line systems having sequentially aligned culture chambers. To explore dual-tox screens, we probe the dissemination of nutrients involving 1-way transport with upstream compound dosing, midstream cascading flows, and downstream cessation. Distribution of flow gives rise to broad concentration ranges of dosing compound (0→ICcompound100) and wide-ranging concentration ranges of generated cell metabolites (0→ICmetabolites100). Innately, single-pass unidirectional flow retains 1st pass informative traits across the network, composed of nine interconnected culture wells, preserving both compound and cell-secreted byproducts as data indicators in each adjacent culture chamber. Thereafter, to assess effective compound hepatotoxicity (0→ECcompound100) and simultaneously classify for cell-metabolite toxicity (0→ECmetabolite100), we reveal utility by analyzing culture viability against ramping exposures of acetaminophen (APAP) and nefazodone (NEF), compounds of hepatic significance. We then discern metabolite generation with an emphasis on amplification across µchannel multiwell sites. Lastly, using conventional cell functions as indicator tools to assess dual toxicity, we investigate a non-drug induced liver injury (non-DILI) compound and DILI compound. The technology is for predictive evaluations of new compound formulations, new chemical entities (NCE), or drugs that have previously failed testing for unresolved reasons.
Temporal and Spatial Geophysical Data Analysis in the Issues of Natural Hazards and Risk Assessment (in Example of North Ossetia, Russia)
Authors: Melkov Dmitry , Zaalishvili Vladislav , Burdzieva Olga , Kanukov Aleksandr
Published: March 2022

The paper considers the aspects of hazard assessment within the framework of a generalized approach. The aim of the study is to improve the methodology for more accurate and detailed probabilistic assessments of risks of various nature. A complex hazard map is constructed in an example of the territory of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania and the construction site of the Mamison resort. Based on the analysis of data on Quaternary formations and quantitative estimates, it was concluded that the natural average static environmental evolution proceeds in the mode of the dynamic balance of two factors: mountain building and the equivalent increase in denudation, of which about 90% is transported and deposited by river waters and winds outside the territory. The remaining 10% is deposited in intermountain depressions and river valleys in situ. Geodynamic and climatic factors of influence on the geoenvironment create the danger of excessive environmental impact and disruption of its equilibrium development under anthropogenic impacts, which must be taken into account in designing.
Regional Adaptability Analysis of Solar Roof Utilization Technologies in China
Authors: Li Qingqing , Fan Jianhua , Huang Junpeng
Published: March 2022

Considering the vast areas of building rooftops and the fast development of solar utilization technologies, this paper aims to analyze the regional adaptability of solar roof utilization technologies for buildings in China. All provinces and cities in China are divided into 13 zones based on their economic development, thermal climate division, and availability of solar energy resources. Over 100 buildings are investigated, and the information of 28 buildings is analyzed to finally identify 18 typical building types. A new evaluation method is developed for both solar heating systems and solar PV. An adaptability index is developed considering the energy conservation, environment effect, and economy benefit of the systems. The developed method is used to evaluate the solar utilization technologies applied on the 18 buildings across 13 zones. The result show that the average adaptability index values for solar thermal technology and solar PV technology are 2.54 and 1.63, respectively. The solar heating system has a shorter payback time than the solar PV system for most regions of China and therefore is more favored. Recommendations on supporting policies and measures are given for policy makers with an aim to promote the utilization efficiency of building roofs. This paper provides references for the selection and application of relevant solar utilization technologies on building roofs.
Current Approaches in Using Plant Ingredients to Diversify Range of Bakery and Pasta Products
Authors: Mironeasa Silvia
Published: March 2022

There is a growing interest in the industry to manufacture food products containing health-promoting nutrients and to prevent nutrition-related disorders [...]
MALDI-Based Mass Spectrometry in Clinical Testing: Focus on Bacterial Identification
Authors: Tsuchida Sachio , Nakayama Tomohiro
Published: March 2022

The term “proteome” refers to the total of all proteins expressed in an organism. The term “proteomics” refers to the field of research that includes not only information on the expression levels of individual proteins, but also their higher-order structures, intermolecular interactions, and post-translational modifications. The core technology, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS), is available for protein analysis thanks to the work of Koichi Tanaka and John Fenn, who were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2002. The most successful proteome analysis in clinical practice is rapid microbial identification. This method determines the bacterial species by comparing the proteome profile of the bacteria obtained by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight MS (MALDI-TOF MS) with a database. MS is superior in simplicity, speed, and accuracy to classic speciation by staining and phenotyping. In clinical microbiology, MS has had a large impact on the diagnosis and treatment of infectious disease. Early diagnosis and treatment of infectious disease are important, and rapid identification by MALDI-TOF MS has made a major contribution to this field.
Fingerprinting Organochlorine Groundwater Plumes Based on Non-Invasive ERT Technology at a Chemical Plant
Authors: Yan Zihan , Song Xiaoming , Wu Yuhui , Gao Cuiping , Wang Yunlong , Yang Yuesuo
Published: March 2022

The refined characterization of groundwater pollution is an important prerequisite for efficient and effective remediation. A high-resolution survey of a contaminated site in a chemical pesticide factory was carried out using non-invasive geophysical sensing technology. Modern electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) technology can rapidly identify and characterize the groundwater pollution plumes of organochlorine pesticides, which was demonstrated in this study by the significantly abnormal resistivity sensing in stratums and aquifers under the raw material tanks, production, and loading areas. The results were found to be highly consistent with the ERT sensing results achieved via incorporating borehole sampling and hydrochemical analysis. With high abnormal resistivity, the range of contamination within the profile was characterized on the meter level. We also unexpectedly found new pollution and explained its source. This study confirmed that the modern refined ERT method has a high feasibility and accuracy in characterizing the spatial distribution of organochlorine pesticide plumes in groundwater.
A One-Phase Tree-Structure Method to Mine High Temporal Fuzzy Utility Itemsets
Authors: Hong Tzung-Pei , Lin Cheng-Yu , Huang Wei-Ming , Li Shu-Min , Wang Shyue-Liang , Lin Jerry Chun-Wei
Published: March 2022

Compared to fuzzy utility itemset mining (FUIM), temporal fuzzy utility itemset mining (TFUIM) has been proposed and paid attention to in recent years. It considers the characteristics of transaction time, sold quantities of items, unit profit, and transformed semantic terms as essential factors. In the past, a tree-structure method with two phases was previously presented to solve this problem. However, it spent much time because of the number of candidates generated. This paper thus proposes a one-phase tree-structure method to find the high temporal fuzzy utility itemsets in a temporal database. The tree was designed to maintain candidate 1-itemsets with their upper bound values meeting the defined threshold constraint. Besides, each node in this tree keeps the required data of a 1-itemset for mining. We also designed an algorithm to construct the tree and gave an example to illustrate the mining process in detail. Computational experiments were conducted to demonstrate the one-phase tree-structure method is better than the previous one regarding the execution time on three real datasets.
Impact Thresholds of Parameters of Binaural Room Impulse Responses (BRIRs) on Perceptual Reverberation
Authors: Mi Huan , Kearney Gavin , Daffern Helena
Published: March 2022

This paper presents a study on the perceived importance of different acoustic parameters of Binaural Room Impulse Response (BRIR) rendering. A headphone-based listening test was conducted with twenty expert participants. Three BRIRs generated from simulations of three different rooms were convolved with a dry speech signal and used as reference audio samples. Four BRIR parameters, Initial Time Delay Gap (ITDG), Forward Early Reflections (FER), Reverse Early Reflections (RER) and Late Reverberation (LR) were systematically altered and convolved with a speech signal to generate the test conditions. A staircase method was used to obtain the threshold at which each BRIR parameter was perceived as different from the reference audio sample. The average perceived impact threshold of each parameter was then calculated across the twenty participants. Results show that RER removal and ITDG extension have a clear impact on the perceptual reverberation of speech audio. Subjects were less sensitive to FER removal. The effect of LR removal on perceptual reverberation is hard to distinguish. Therefore, RER and ITDG are of particular importance when designing artificial reverberation algorithms, whilst more research is needed to understand the perceptual contribution of LR. Minor changes in FER and LR are less significant.
NMR in Metabolomics: From Conventional Statistics to Machine Learning and Neural Network Approaches
Authors: Corsaro Carmelo , Vasi Sebastiano , Neri Fortunato , Mezzasalma Angela Maria , Neri Giulia , Fazio Enza
Published: March 2022

NMR measurements combined with chemometrics allow achieving a great amount of information for the identification of potential biomarkers responsible for a precise metabolic pathway. These kinds of data are useful in different fields, ranging from food to biomedical fields, including health science. The investigation of the whole set of metabolites in a sample, representing its fingerprint in the considered condition, is known as metabolomics and may take advantage of different statistical tools. The new frontier is to adopt self-learning techniques to enhance clustering or classification actions that can improve the predictive power over large amounts of data. Although machine learning is already employed in metabolomics, deep learning and artificial neural networks approaches were only recently successfully applied. In this work, we give an overview of the statistical approaches underlying the wide range of opportunities that machine learning and neural networks allow to perform with accurate metabolites assignment and quantification.Various actual challenges are discussed, such as proper metabolomics, deep learning architectures and model accuracy.
2D/3D Multimode Medical Image Registration Based on Normalized Cross-Correlation
Authors: Liu Shan , Yang Bo , Wang Yang , Tian Jiawei , Yin Lirong , Zheng Wenfeng
Published: March 2022

Image-guided surgery (IGS) can reduce the risk of tissue damage and improve the accuracy and targeting of lesions by increasing the surgery’s visual field. Three-dimensional (3D) medical images can provide spatial location information to determine the location of lesions and plan the operation process. For real-time tracking and adjusting the spatial position of surgical instruments, two-dimensional (2D) images provide real-time intraoperative information. In this experiment, 2D/3D medical image registration algorithm based on the gray level is studied, and the registration based on normalized cross-correlation is realized. The Gaussian Laplacian second-order differential operator is introduced as a new similarity measure to increase edge information and internal detail information to solve single information and small convergence regions of the normalized cross-correlation algorithm. The multiresolution strategy improves the registration accuracy and efficiency to solve the low efficiency of the normalized cross-correlation algorithm.
Wind Speed Statistics from a Small UAS and Its Sensitivity to Sensor Location
Authors: Wilson Trevor C. , Brenner James , Morrison Zachary , Jacob Jamey D. , Elbing Brian R.
Published: March 2022

With the increase in the use of small uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) there is a growing need for real-time weather forecasting to improve the safety of low-altitude aircraft operations. This will require integration of measurements with autonomous systems since current available sampling lack sufficient resolution within the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). Thus, the current work aims to assess the ability to measure wind speeds from a quad-copter UAS and compare the performance with that of a fixed mast. Two laboratory tests were initially performed to assess the spatial variation in the vertically induced flow from the rotors. The horizontal distribution above the rotors was examined in a water tunnel at speeds and rotation rates to simulate nominally full throttle with a relative air speed of 0 or 8 m/s. These results showed that the sensor should be placed between rotor pairs. The vertical distribution was examined from a single rotor test in a large chamber, which suggested that at full throttle the sensor should be about 400 mm above the rotor plane. Field testing was then performed with the sensor positioned in between both pairs of rotors at 406, 508, and 610 mm above the rotor plane. The mean velocity over the given period was within 5.5% of the that measured from a fixed mast over the same period. The variation between the UAS and mast sensors were better correlated with the local mean shear than separation distance, which suggests height mismatch could be the source of error. The fluctuating velocity was quantified with the comparison of higher order statistics as well as the power spectral density, which the mast and UAS spectra were in good agreement regardless of the separation distance. This implies that for the current configuration a separation distance of 5.3 rotor diameters was sufficient to minimize the influence of the rotors.
Applications of Cold-Atom-Based Quantum Technology
Authors: Vovrosh Jamie , Lien Yu-Hung
Published: March 2022

Cold-atom systems are rapidly advancing in technical maturity and have, in many cases, surpassed their classical counterparts, becoming a versatile tool that is used in a variety of fundamental research applications [...]
A Theoretical Study of Scattering of Electrons and Positrons by CO2 Molecule
Authors: Billah M. Masum , Khatun M. Mousumi , Haque M. M. , Ali M. Yousuf , Khandker Mahmudul H. , Haque A. K. F. , Watabe Hiroshi , Uddin M. Alfaz
Published: March 2022

This article presents a theoretical investigation of the differential, integrated, elastic, inelastic, total, momentum-transfer, and viscosity cross-sections, along with the total ionization cross-section, for elastically scattered electrons and positrons from a carbon dioxide (CO2) molecule in the incident energy range of 1 eV ≤Ei≤ 1 MeV. In addition, for the first time, we report the spin polarization of e±−CO2 scattering systems. The independent atom model (IAM) with screening correction (IAMS) using a complex optical potential was employed to solve the Dirac relativistic equation in partial-wave analysis. The comparison of our results with the available experimental data and other theoretical predictions shows a reasonable agreement in the intermediate- and high-energy regions.
Progesterone Attenuates SIRT1-Deficiency-Mediated Pre-Eclampsia
Authors: Pei Jiangnan , Liu Zhenzhen , Wang Chengjie , Chu Nan , Liu Lei , Tang Yao , Liu Haiyan , Xiang Qianqian , Cheng Haidong , Li Mingqing , Gu Weirong
Published: March 2022

Pre-eclampsia is a severe hypertensive disorder of pregnancy (HDP), mainly characterized by new-onset hypertension with proteinuria after 20-week gestation. Sirtuin1 (SIRT1), a class III histone deacetylase, is associated with the regulation of various pathophysiological processes, including inflammation, immune response, metabolism, and autophagy. However, the effect of SIRT1 in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia remains to be elucidated. In this study, we found that the expression of SIRT1 was relatively lower in the placentas and serum samples of pre-eclampsia patients. Typical pre-eclampsia-like symptoms, such as hypertension, proteinuria, fetal growth restriction, kidney injury, and a narrow placental labyrinth layer, were observed in SIRT1 knockdown (SIRT1+/−) mice. Of note, these performances could be improved after the intraperitoneal injection of SIRT1 agonist SRT2104. More importantly, we found that the efficacy of progesterone on attenuating symptoms of PE was profoundly better than that of metformin in SIRT1+/− mice. In addition, our results suggested that progesterone can promote the invasion and inhibit the apoptosis of trophoblasts. These data suggest that SIRT1 plays an important role in pre-eclampsia and that progesterone alleviates pre-eclampsia-like symptoms mediated by SIRT1 deficiency.
Role of Dietary Carotenoids in Frailty Syndrome: A Systematic Review
Authors: Zupo Roberta , Castellana Fabio , De Nucci Sara , Sila Annamaria , Aresta Simona , Buscemi Carola , Randazzo Cristiana , Buscemi Silvio , Triggiani Vincenzo , De Pergola Giovanni , Cava Claudia , Lozupone Madia , Panza Francesco , Sardone Rodolfo
Published: March 2022

Unbalanced diets and altered micronutrient intake are prevalent in the aging adult population. We conducted a systematic review to appraise the evidence regarding the association between single (α-carotene, β-carotene, lutein, lycopene, β-cryptoxanthin) or total carotenoids and frailty syndrome in the adult population. The literature was screened from study inception to December 2021, using six different electronic databases. After establishing inclusion criteria, two independent researchers assessed the eligibility of 180 retrieved articles. Only 11 fit the eligibility requirements, reporting five carotenoid entries. No exclusion criteria were applied to outcomes, assessment tools, i.e., frailty constructs or surrogates, recruitment setting, general health status, country, and study type (cohort or cross-sectional). Carotenoid exposure was taken as either dietary intake or serum concentrations. Cross-sectional design was more common than longitudinal design (n = 8). Higher dietary and plasma levels of carotenoids, taken individually or cumulatively, were found to reduce the odds of physical frailty markedly, and the evidence showed consistency in the direction of association across all selected studies. Overall, the methodological quality was rated from moderate (27%) to high (73%). Prevention of micronutrient deficiencies has some potential to counteract physical decline. Considering carotenoids as biological markers, when monitoring micronutrient status, stressing increased fruit and vegetable intake may be part of potential multilevel interventions to prevent or better manage disability.
Unobtrusive Monitoring of Sleep Cycles: A Technical Review
Authors: Siyanbade Juwonlo , Abdulrazak Bessam , Sadek Ibrahim
Published: March 2022

Polysomnography is the gold-standard method for measuring sleep but is inconvenient and limited to a laboratory or a hospital setting. As a result, the vast majority of patients do not receive a proper diagnosis. In an attempt to solve this issue, sleep experts are continually looking for unobtrusive and affordable alternatives that can provide longitudinal sleep tracking. Collecting longitudinal data on sleep can accelerate epidemiological studies exploring the effect of sleep on health and disease. These alternatives can be in the form of wearables (e.g., actigraphs) or nonwearable (e.g., under-mattress sleep trackers). To this end, this paper aims to review the several attempts made by researchers toward unobtrusive sleep monitoring, specifically sleep cycle. We have performed a literature search between 2016 and 2021 and the following databases were used for retrieving related articles to unobtrusive sleep cycle monitoring: IEEE, Google Scholar, Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (JCSM), and PubMed Central (PMC). Following our survey, although existing devices showed promising results, most of the studies are restricted to a small sample of healthy individuals. Therefore, a broader scope of participants should be taken into consideration during future proposals and assessments of sleep cycle tracking systems. This is because factors such as gender, age, profession, and social class can largely affect sleep quality. Furthermore, a combination of sensors, e.g., smartwatches and under-mattress sleep trackers, are necessary to achieve reliable results. That is, wearables and nonwearable devices are complementary to each other, and so both are needed to boost the field of at-home sleep monitoring.
Right Atrial Dose Is Associated with Worse Outcome in Patients Undergoing Definitive Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Central Lung Tumors
Authors: Farrugia Mark , Yu Han , Ma Sung Jun , Iovoli Austin J. , Pokharel Saraswati , Sharma Umesh C. , Fung-Kee-Fung Simon , Malik Nadia , Singh Anurag K. , Malhotra Harish
Published: March 2022

The consequence of cardiac substructure irradiation in patients receiving stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is not well characterized. We reviewed the charts of patients with central lung tumors managed by definitive SBRT from June 2010–April 2019. All patients were treated with five fractions, typically either 5000 cGy (44.6%) or 5500 cGy (42.2%). Via a multi-patient atlas, fourteen cardiac substructures were autosegmented, manually reviewed and analyzed using dosimetric parameters. A total of 83 patients were included with a median follow up of 33.4 months. Univariate Cox regression analysis identified a D45% dose to the right atria and ventricle for further study. Sequential log-rank testing evaluating an association between non-cancer associated survival and D45% dose to the right atria or ventricle and association was employed, identifying candidate cutoff values of 890.3 cGy and 564.4 cGy, respectively. Kaplan–Meier analysis using the reported cutoff values found the D45% right atria constraint to be significantly associated with non-cancer associated (p ≤ 0.001) and overall survival (p ≤ 0.001) but not the right ventricle constraint. Within a multivariate model, the proposed right atria D45% cutoff remained significantly correlated with non-cancer associated survival (Hazard’s Ratio (HR) ≤ 8.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1–64.5, p ≤ 0.04) and OS (HR ≤ 6.1, 95% CI 1.0–36.8, p ≤ 0.04). In conclusion, a dose to D45% of the right atria significantly correlated with outcome and the candidate constraint of 890 cGy stratified non-cancer associated and OS. The inclusion of these findings with previously characterized relationships between proximal airway constraints and survival enhances our understanding of why centrally located tumors are high risk and potentially identifies key constraints in organ at risk prioritization.
Phenotypic and Histological Distribution Analysis Identify Mast Cell Heterogeneity in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Leveque Edouard , Rouch Axel , Syrykh Charlotte , Mazières Julien , Brouchet Laurent , Valitutti Salvatore , Espinosa Eric , Lafouresse Fanny
Published: March 2022

Mast cells (MCs) are multifaceted innate immune cells often present in the tumor microenvironment (TME). However, MCs have been only barely characterized in studies focusing on global immune infiltrate phenotyping. Consequently, their role in cancer is still poorly understood. Furthermore, their prognosis value is confusing since MCs have been associated with good and bad (or both) prognosis depending on the cancer type. In this pilot study performed on a surgical cohort of 48 patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), we characterized MC population within the TME and in matching non-lesional lung areas, by multicolor flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. Our results showed that tumor-associated MCs (TAMCs) harbor a distinct phenotype as compared with MCs present in non-lesional counterpart of the lung. Moreover, we found two TAMCs subsets based on the expression of CD103 (also named alphaE integrin). CD103+ TAMCs appeared more mature, more prone to interact with CD4+ T cells, and located closer to cancer cells than their CD103− counterpart. In spite of these characteristics, we did not observe a prognosis advantage of a high frequency of CD103+ TAMCs, while a high frequency of total TAMC correlated with better overall survival and progression free survival. Together, this study reveals that TAMCs constitute a heterogeneous population and indicates that MC subsets should be considered for patients’ stratification and management in future research.
A Novel Predictive Scoring System for 90-Day Mortality among Patients with Hepatocellular Cell Carcinoma Receiving Major Hepatectomy
Authors: Soong Ruey-Shyang , Chen Yi-Chan , Chou Ta-Chun , Chiang Po-Hsing , Chen Wan-Ming , Chiang Ming-Feng , Shia Ben-Chang , Wu Szu-Yuan
Published: March 2022

Purpose: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major malignancy and the common cause of cancer-related deaths. Surgical intervention provides superior long-term survival outcomes; however, perioperative mortality is a major concern for clinicians while making treatment decisions, especially for major hepatectomy. Scoring systems for predicting 90-day mortality in patients with HCC undergoing major hepatectomy are not available. Methods: This study used the Taiwan Cancer Registry Database that is linked to the National Health Insurance Research Database to analyze data of 60,250 patients with HCC who underwent major hepatectomy and determine risk factors to establish a novel predictive scoring system. By using the stepwise selection of the multivariate Cox proportional hazards model, we divided the patients with HCC undergoing major hepatectomy into four risk groups. Results: The Chang Gung-PohAi predictive scoring system exhibited significant differences in the 90-day mortality rate among the four risk groups (very low risk: 2.42%, low risk: 4.09%, intermittent risk: 17.1%, and high risk: 43.6%). Conclusion: The Chang Gung-PohAi predictive scoring system is a promising tool for predicting 90-day perioperative mortality in patients with HCC undergoing major hepatectomy.
Unfolded Protein Response Is Activated by Aurora Kinase A in Esophageal Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Lu Heng , Gomaa Ahmed , Wang-Bishop Lihong , Ballout Farah , Hu Tianling , McDonald Oliver , Washington Mary Kay , Livingstone Alan S. , Wang Timothy C. , Peng Dunfa , El-Rifai Wael , Chen Zheng
Published: March 2022

Unfolded protein response (UPR) protects malignant cells from endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced apoptosis. We report that Aurora kinase A (AURKA) promotes cancer cell survival by activating UPR in esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). A strong positive correlation between AURKA and binding immunoglobulin protein (BIP) mRNA expression levels was found in EACs. The in vitro assays indicated that AURKA promoted IRE1α protein phosphorylation, activating prosurvival UPR in FLO-1 and OE33 cells. The use of acidic bile salts to mimic reflux conditions in patients induced high AURKA and IRE1α levels. This induction was abrogated by AURKA knockdown in EAC cells. AURKA and p-IRE1α protein colocalization was observed in neoplastic gastroesophageal lesions of the L2-IL1b mouse model of Barrett’s esophageal neoplasia. The combined treatment using AURKA inhibitor and tunicamycin synergistically induced cancer cell death. The use of alisertib for AURKA inhibition in the EAC xenograft model led to a decrease in IRE1α phosphorylation with a significant reduction in tumor growth. These results indicate that AURKA activates UPR, promoting cancer cell survival during ER stress in EAC. Targeting AURKA can significantly reverse prosurvival UPR signaling mechanisms and decrease cancer cell survival, providing a promising approach for the treatment of EAC patients.
Tungsten Catalysts for Visible Light Driven Ofloxacin Photocatalytic Degradation and Hydrogen Production
Authors: Vadivel Dhanalakshmi , Sturini Michela , Speltini Andrea , Dondi Daniele
Published: March 2022

Some tungsten catalysts of interest that are synthesized are bismuth tungstate (BT) and Tetrabutylammonium decatungstate (TBADT), using two consolidated procedures. BT is used as a photo-catalyst for the simulated solar light degradation of ofloxacin (OFL) antibiotic under relevant real conditions (µg L−1, fresh water) with the limit of 0.05 g L−1 of catalyst. A quantitative drug decomposition occurred following a bi-exponential first-order law, with an efficiency comparable with the most used P25 TiO2 catalyst. The photocatalytic profiles of OFL at µg L−1 and mg L−1 were monitored by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with fluorescence (FD) and ultraviolet (UV) detectors. Additionally, the main photoproducts were identified by high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization in tandem with mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS). The catalyst Tetrabutylammonium decatungstate (TBADT) was used as a catalyst to produce hydrogen from glucose and 2-propanol in aqueous solution, providing hydrogen gas evolution up to 10 µmol g−1 h−1.