bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Land Use Changes for Investments in Silvoarable Agriculture Projected by the CLUE-S Spatio-Temporal Model
Authors: Nasiakou Stamatia , Vrahnakis Michael , Chouvardas Dimitrios , Mamanis Georgios , Kleftoyanni Vassiliki
Published: April 2022

Investment in biology-based technological innovations is a key requirement for the development of modern agriculture/forestry. The expansion of innovative biological technologies includes changes in crops/cultivations, such as the transition from intensive monocultures to multiple crops of lower agrochemical inputs with the integration of woody trees/shrubs or animals, represented by Agroforestry. This innovative biological technology is further promoted at the European Union (EU) level by powerful institutions such as the Green Deal and the new CAP, mainly by tools such as ecoschemes and agri-environmental and climate measures (AECMs). The use of integrated regional spatiotemporal models, such as CLUE-S, to predict land use changes in the framework of Agroforestry is rather restricted. This paper examines Agroforestry as a vehicle that can contribute to achieving the rural development of the region of Thessaly, Greece. It sets a time horizon for reviewing the changes that are expected in the most important units of land uses of the rural landscape of the municipality of Mouzaki, western Thessaly plain, in the year 2040, which serves as model land for the region of Thessaly. It examines these changes with the effect of three (3) socio-economic scenarios: (a) a linear operating scenario (business as usual, BAU), (b) an ecological land protection (ELP) scenario, and (c) a rapid economic development (RED) scenario. These scenarios were introduced in the non-spatial module of the CLUE-S spatiotemporal model, while in the spatial module sixteen (16) characteristic landscape parameters were introduced as independent variables. The most important land use units, including traditional silvoarable and silvopastoral woodland systems, were the dependent variables. The simulations of the changes of the land use units showed that under the RED scenario, in the year 2040 the extent of the silvoarable systems is expected to increase significantly (57%) compared to the reference year of 2020, while the rest of the land use units under the other scenarios are mainly regulated by depopulation/abandonment of the rural areas and the processes of natural succession. The fact that the extent of silvoarable systems is increasing, in combination with the favorable institutional environment created by European rural policies, gives impetus to regional rural development through investments in the agricultural sector and mainly in Agroforestry systems.
Polymorphic Variants of Interleukin-13 R130Q and Interleukin-4 T589C in Children with and without Cow’s Milk Allergy
Authors: Matsyura Oksana , Besh Lesya , Kens Olena , Kosorinová Dana , Volkovová Katarína , Vari Sandor G.
Published: April 2022

Cow’s milk allergy (CMA) is one of the most frequent types of food allergy. The aim of the study was to investigate whether IL-13 R130Q and IL-4 T589C polymorphisms are associated with the risk of CMA in young Ukrainian children. A total of 120 children (age range: 1–3 years) participated in the study and were divided into two groups: CMA (n = 60) and healthy controls (CNT, n = 60). The CMA group had two subgroups: specific oral tolerance induction (SOTI, n = 30) and milk elimination diet (MED, n = 30). The CNT group had two subgroups: positive family history of allergy (+FHA, n = 24) and negative family history of allergy (−FHA, n = 36). In the CMA group, molecular genetic testing of CC, CT, and TT genotypes of single nucleotide IL-4 T589C gene polymorphisms showed significantly higher rates of the CC genotype compared to healthy controls (92.2% vs. 58.8%; p < 0.01). In the CMA group, molecular genetic testing of GG, GA, and AA genotypes of single nucleotide IL-13 R130Q gene polymorphisms showed significantly higher rates of GA and AA polymorphic locus genotypes compared to healthy controls (43.5% vs. 22.4%, p < 0.05 and 8.7% vs. 0%, p < 0.05, respectively). In future studies, the genotypic and allelic distribution of these polymorphic variants will be determined in children with CMA and healthy children.
Deprescribing in Palliative Cancer Care
Authors: Hedman Christel , Frisk Gabriella , Björkhem-Bergman Linda
Published: April 2022

The aim of palliative care is to maintain as high a quality of life (QoL) as possible despite a life-threatening illness. Thus, the prescribed medications need to be evaluated and the benefit of each treatment must be weighed against potential side effects. Medications that contribute to symptom relief and maintained QoL should be prioritized. However, studies have shown that treatment with preventive drugs that may not benefit the patient in end-of-life is generally deprescribed very late in the disease trajectory of cancer patients. Yet, knowing how and when to deprescribe drugs can be difficult. In addition, some drugs, such as beta-blockers, proton pump inhibitors, anti-depressants and cortisone need to be scaled down slowly to avoid troublesome withdrawal symptoms. In contrast, other medicines, such as statins, antihypertensives and vitamins, can be discontinued directly. The aim of this review is to give some advice according to when and how to deprescribe medications in palliative cancer care according to current evidence and clinical praxis. The review includes antihypertensive drugs, statins, anti-coagulants, aspirin, anti-diabetics, proton pump inhibitors, histamin-2-blockers, bisphosphonates denosumab, urologicals, anti-depressants, cortisone, thyroxin and vitamins.
Rendering Natural Bokeh Effects Based on Depth Estimation to Improve the Aesthetic Ability of Machine Vision
Authors: Wang Fan , Zhang Yingjie , Ai Yibo , Zhang Weidong
Published: April 2022

Machine vision is the key to realizing computer-vision tasks such as human–computer interaction and autonomous driving. However, human perception of an image’s beauty is innate. If a machine can increase aesthetic awareness, it will greatly improve the comfort of human perception in human–computer interaction. The bokeh effect is one of the most important ways to improve the artistic beauty of photographic images and the image aesthetic quality. Bokeh rendering of an image can highlight the main object of the image and blur unnecessary or unattractive background details. The existing methods usually have unrealistic rendering effects with obvious artifacts around the foreground boundary. Therefore, we propose a natural bokeh-rendering method based on depth estimation that satisfies the following characteristics: objects in the focal plane are clear and out-of-focus objects are blurred; and the further away from the focal plane, the more blurred the objects are. Our method consists of three modules: depth estimation, background subdivision, and bokeh rendering. The background-subdivision module can select different focal planes to obtain different blur radii, making the bokeh-rendering effect more diverse, so that it does not oversegment objects. The bokeh-rendering module adjusts the degree of bokeh by adjusting the blur-radius factor. In the experimental section, we analyze the model results and present the visualization results.
Neutral Differential Equations of Second-Order: Iterative Monotonic Properties
Authors: Moaaz Osama , Masood Fahd , Cesarano Clemente , Alsallami Shami A. M. , Khalil E. M. , Bouazizi Mohamed L.
Published: April 2022

In this work, we investigate the oscillatory properties of the neutral differential equation (r(l)[(s(l)+p(l)s(g(l)))′]v)′+∑i=1nqi(l)sv(hi(l))=0, where s≥s0. We first present new monotonic properties for the solutions of this equation, and these properties are characterized by an iterative nature. Using these new properties, we obtain new oscillation conditions that guarantee that all solutions are oscillate. Our results are a complement and extension to the relevant results in the literature. We test the significance of the results by applying them to special cases of the studied equation.
Finite-Time Stability Analysis of Linear Differential Systems with Pure Delay
Authors: Elshenhab Ahmed M. , Wang Xingtao , Bazighifan Omar , Awrejcewicz Jan
Published: April 2022

Nonhomogeneous systems governed by second-order linear differential equations with pure delay are considered. As an application, the exact solutions of these systems and their delayed matrix functions are used to obtain the finite-time stability results. Our results extend and improve some previous results by removing some restrictive conditions. Finally, an example is provided to illustrate our theoretical results.
Survival Risk Prediction of Esophageal Cancer Based on the Kohonen Network Clustering Algorithm and Kernel Extreme Learning Machine
Authors: Wang Yanfeng , Wang Haohao , Li Sanyi , Wang Lidong
Published: April 2022

Accurate prediction of the survival risk level of patients with esophageal cancer is significant for the selection of appropriate treatment methods. It contributes to improving the living quality and survival chance of patients. However, considering that the characteristics of blood index vary with individuals on the basis of their ages, personal habits and living environment etc., a unified artificial intelligence prediction model is not precisely adequate. In order to enhance the precision of the model on the prediction of esophageal cancer survival risk, this study proposes a different model based on the Kohonen network clustering algorithm and the kernel extreme learning machine (KELM), aiming to classifying the tested population into five catergories and provide better efficiency with the use of machine learning. Firstly, the Kohonen network clustering method was used to cluster the patient samples and five types of samples were obtained. Secondly, patients were divided into two risk levels based on 5-year net survival. Then, the Taylor formula was used to expand the theory to analyze the influence of different activation functions on the KELM modeling effect, and conduct experimental verification. RBF was selected as the activation function of the KELM. Finally, the adaptive mutation sparrow search algorithm (AMSSA) was used to optimize the model parameters. The experimental results were compared with the methods of the artificial bee colony optimized support vector machine (ABC-SVM), the three layers of random forest (TLRF), the gray relational analysis–particle swarm optimization support vector machine (GP-SVM) and the mixed-effects Cox model (Cox-LMM). The results showed that the prediction model proposed in this study had certain advantages in terms of prediction accuracy and running time, and could provide support for medical personnel to choose the treatment mode of esophageal cancer patients.
Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Quality of Life of IBD Patients
Authors: Gavrilescu Otilia , Prelipcean Cristina Cijevschi , Dranga Mihaela , Popa Iolanda Valentina , Mihai Cătălina
Published: April 2022

Background and Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a considerable impact on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients by limiting their access to medical services due to restrictions and the reorganization of the healthcare systems, which affects their quality of life (QoL). We aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the QoL of patients with IBD. Materials and Methods: We conducted a descriptive observational study, which included 90 adult patients diagnosed with IBD. The study sample consisted of two subgroups: a retrospective-pre-pandemic group (group A) and a prospective-pandemic group (group B). Group A included 45 IBD patients who were evaluated in 2018. Group B included 45 patients with confirmed diagnosis of IBD, evaluated between June and December 2021—the period of the COVID-19 pandemic (prospective), consecutively recruited. All the patients filled in a QoL assessment questionnaire—IBDQ-32. Subsequently, the two samples were comparatively assessed. Results: The average values of the IBDQ scores were significantly lower in 2021 compared to those recorded in 2018: 145.56 vs. 128.3 (p < 0.05). We also we found significant differences between the subscores: IBDQ1 (p = 0.043), IBDQ2 (p = 0.034), IBDQ3 (p = 0.045), IBDQ4 (p = 0.025). Conclusions: IBDQ scores were significantly lower in 2021 compared to 2018 (p < 0.05), showing that during the COVID-19 pandemic, patients with IBD had a more influenced QoL.
Deciphering the Assembly of Enveloped Viruses Using Model Lipid Membranes
Authors: Brémaud Erwan , Favard Cyril , Muriaux Delphine
Published: April 2022

The cell plasma membrane is mainly composed of phospholipids, cholesterol and embedded proteins, presenting a complex interface with the environment. It maintains a barrier to control matter fluxes between the cell cytosol and its outer environment. Enveloped viruses are also surrounded by a lipidic membrane derived from the host-cell membrane and acquired while exiting the host cell during the assembly and budding steps of their viral cycle. Thus, model membranes composed of selected lipid mixtures mimicking plasma membrane properties are the tools of choice and were used to decipher the first step in the assembly of enveloped viruses. Amongst these viruses, we choose to report the three most frequently studied viruses responsible for lethal human diseases, i.e., Human Immunodeficiency Type 1 (HIV-1), Influenza A Virus (IAV) and Ebola Virus (EBOV), which assemble at the host-cell plasma membrane. Here, we review how model membranes such as Langmuir monolayers, bicelles, large and small unilamellar vesicles (LUVs and SUVs), supported lipid bilayers (SLBs), tethered-bilayer lipid membranes (tBLM) and giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) contribute to the understanding of viral assembly mechanisms and dynamics using biophysical approaches.
Effect of Vacuum Heat Treatment on the Microstructure of a Laser Powder-Bed Fusion-Fabricated NiTa Alloy
Authors: Wu Cheng-Tse , Bussmann Markus , Chattopadhyay Kinnor
Published: April 2022

The semiconductor industry uses a physical vapor-deposition process, with a nickel-tantalum (NiTa) alloy-sputtering target, to apply an amorphous NiTa thin film layer between the magnetic soft underlayer and substrate of a heat-assisted magnetic-recording hard disk drive. Currently, the alloy-sputtering target is produced through a hot-pressing (HP) process followed by a hot isostatic pressing (HIP). In this study, we demonstrate a better process for producing the sputtering targets, using laser powder-bed fusion (L-PBF) followed by vacuum heat treatment (VHT), to produce alloy targets with superior microstructural characteristics that will produce better-quality thin films. We compare as-fabricated (just L-PBF) specimens with specimens produced by L-PBF and then annealed at different conditions. Where the as-fabricated specimens are characterized by columnar dendrites, annealing at 1275 °C for 4 h produces a uniform equiaxed grain microstructure and a uniformly dispersed fcc Ta precipitate. In addition, the average microhardness value is reduced from 725 ± 40 to 594 ± 26 HV0.2 and the maximum compressive residual stress is reduced from 180 ± 50 MPa to 20 ± 10 MPa as the result of dislocation elimination during the recovery and recrystallization process. Finally, due to microstructure recrystallization, the VHT-treated L-PBF NiTa specimens exhibit a smaller grain size (2.1 ± 0.2 µm) than the traditional HIP-treated HP specimens (6.0 ± 0.6 µm).
Normalizing Effect of Heat Treatment Processing on 17-4 PH Stainless Steel Manufactured by Powder Bed Fusion
Authors: Yeon Si-Mo , Yoon Jongcheon , Kim Tae Bum , Lee Seung Ho , Jun Tea-Sung , Son Yong , Choi Kyunsuk
Published: April 2022

Laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF)-processed 17-4 PH stainless steel (SS) generally exhibits a non-equilibrium microstructure consisting mostly of columnar δ-ferrite grains and a substantial fraction of retained austenite and martensite, contrary to 17-4 PH SS wrought with a fully martensite structure and coarse grains. Despite the different microstructures of L-PBF and wrought 17-4 PH SS, post-processing is typically performed using the conventional heat treatment method. The insufficient effect of the heat treatment on the L-PBF product produces a δ-ferrite phase in the microstructure. To obtain improved mechanical properties, the addition of a normalizing treatment to the conventional heat treatment after L-PBF in a nitrogen gas environment was investigated. The fully martensitic matrix developed by adding the normalizing treatment contained homogeneous Cu precipitates and exhibited a similar or improved strength and elongation to failure compared to the wrought SS.
A Metabolomic Severity Score for Airflow Obstruction and Emphysema
Authors: Godbole Suneeta , Labaki Wassim W. , Pratte Katherine A. , Hill Andrew , Moll Matthew , Hastie Annette T. , Peters Stephen P. , Gregory Andrew , Ortega Victor E. , DeMeo Dawn , Cho Michael H. , Bhatt Surya P. , Wells J. Michael , Barjaktarevic Igor , Stringer Kathleen A. , Comellas Alejandro , O’Neal Wanda , Kechris Katerina , Bowler Russell P.
Published: April 2022

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a disease with marked metabolic disturbance. Previous studies have shown the association between single metabolites and lung function for COPD, but whether a combination of metabolites could predict phenotype is unknown. We developed metabolomic severity scores using plasma metabolomics from the Metabolon platform from two US cohorts of ever-smokers: the Subpopulations and Intermediate Outcome Measures in COPD Study (SPIROMICS) (n = 648; training/testing cohort; 72% non-Hispanic, white; average age 63 years) and the COPDGene Study (n = 1120; validation cohort; 92% non-Hispanic, white; average age 67 years). Separate adaptive LASSO (adaLASSO) models were used to model forced expiratory volume at one second (FEV1) and MESA-adjusted lung density using 762 metabolites common between studies. Metabolite coefficients selected by the adaLASSO procedure were used to create a metabolomic severity score (metSS) for each outcome. A total of 132 metabolites were selected to create a metSS for FEV1. The metSS-only models explained 64.8% and 31.7% of the variability in FEV1 in the training and validation cohorts, respectively. For MESA-adjusted lung density, 129 metabolites were selected, and metSS-only models explained 59.0% of the variability in the training cohort and 17.4% in the validation cohort. Regression models including both clinical covariates and the metSS explained more variability than either the clinical covariate or metSS-only models (53.4% vs. 46.4% and 31.6%) in the validation dataset. The metabolomic pathways for arginine biosynthesis; aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis; and glycine, serine, and threonine pathway were enriched by adaLASSO metabolites for FEV1. This is the first demonstration of a respiratory metabolomic severity score, which shows how a metSS can add explanation of variance to clinical predictors of FEV1 and MESA-adjusted lung density. The advantage of a comprehensive metSS is that it explains more disease than individual metabolites and can account for substantial collinearity among classes of metabolites. Future studies should be performed to determine whether metSSs are similar in younger, and more racially and ethnically diverse populations as well as whether a metabolomic severity score can predict disease development in individuals who do not yet have COPD.
A Spectroscopic Technique to Simultaneously Characterize Fatty Acid Uptake, Mitochondrial Activity, Vascularity, and Oxygen Saturation for Longitudinal Studies In Vivo
Authors: Deutsch Riley J. , D’Agostino Victoria W. , Sunassee Enakshi D. , Kwan Michelle , Madonna Megan C. , Palmer Gregory , Crouch Brian T. , Ramanujam Nimmi
Published: April 2022

Aggressive breast cancer has been shown to shift its metabolism towards increased lipid catabolism as the primary carbon source for oxidative phosphorylation. In this study, we present a technique to longitudinally monitor lipid metabolism and oxidative phosphorylation in pre-clinical tumor models to investigate the metabolic changes with mammary tissue development and characterize metabolic differences between primary murine breast cancer and normal mammary tissue. We used optical spectroscopy to measure the signal of two simultaneously injected exogenous fluorescent metabolic reporters: TMRE (oxidative phosphorylation surrogate) and Bodipy FL C16 (lipid catabolism surrogate). We leverage an inverse Monte Carlo algorithm to correct for aberrations resulting from tissue optical properties and to extract vascular endpoints relevant to oxidative metabolism, specifically oxygen saturation (SO2) and hemoglobin concentration ([Hb]). We extensively validated our optical method to demonstrate that our two fluorescent metabolic endpoints can be measured without chemical or optical crosstalk and that dual measurements of both fluorophores in vivo faithfully recapitulate the measurements of each fluorophore independently. We then applied our method to track the metabolism of growing 4T1 and 67NR breast tumors and aging mammary tissue, all highly metabolic tissue types. Our results show the changes in metabolism as a function of mammary age and tumor growth, and these changes can be best distinguished through the combination of endpoints measured with our system. Clustering analysis incorporating both Bodipy FL C16 and TMRE endpoints combined with either SO2 or [Hb] proved to be the most effective in minimizing intra-group variance and maximizing inter-group differences. Our platform can be extended to applications in which long-term metabolic flexibility is important to study, for example in tumor regression, recurrence following dormancy, and responses to cancer treatment.
Frequency Characteristics of Pulse Wave Sensor Using MEMS Piezoresistive Cantilever Element
Authors: Nabeshima Taiga , Nguyen Thanh-Vinh , Takahashi Hidetoshi
Published: April 2022

Wearable sensor devices with minimal discomfort to the wearer have been widely developed to realize continuous measurements of vital signs (body temperature, blood pressure, respiration rate, and pulse wave) in many applications across various fields, such as healthcare and sports. Among them, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-based differential pressure sensors have garnered attention as a tool for measuring pulse waves with weak skin tightening. Using a MEMS-based piezoresistive cantilever with an air chamber as the pressure change sensor enables highly sensitive pulse-wave measurements to be achieved. Furthermore, the initial static pressure when attaching the sensor to the skin is physically excluded because of air leakage around the cantilever, which serves as a high-pass filter. However, if the frequency characteristics of this mechanical high-pass filter are not appropriately designed, then the essential information of the pulse-wave measurement may not be reflected. In this study, the frequency characteristics of a sensor structure is derived theoretically based on the air leakage rate and chamber size. Subsequently, a pulse wave sensor with a MEMS piezoresistive cantilever element, two air chambers, and a skin-contacted membrane is designed and fabricated. The developed sensor is 30 mm in diameter and 8 mm in thickness and realizes high-pass filter characteristics of 0.7 Hz. Finally, pulse wave measurement at the neck of a participant is demonstrated using the developed sensor. It is confirmed that the measured pulse wave contains signals in the designed frequency band.
Micro/Nanorobots for Medical Diagnosis and Disease Treatment
Authors: Zhang Yinglei , Zhang Yuepeng , Han Yaqian , Gong Xue
Published: April 2022

Micro/nanorobots are functional devices in microns, at nanoscale, which enable efficient propulsion through chemical reactions or external physical field, including ultrasonic, optical, magnetic, and other external fields, as well as microorganisms. Compared with traditional robots, micro/nanorobots can perform various tasks on the micro/nanoscale, which has the advantages of high precision, strong flexibility, and wide adaptability. In addition, such robots can also perform tasks in a cluster manner. The design and development of micro/nanorobots and the integration of surface functionalization, remote drive system, and imaging tracking technology will become a key step for their medical applications in organisms. Thus, micro/nanorobots are expected to achieve more efficient and accurate local diagnosis and treatment, and they have broad application prospects in the biomedical field. This paper aims to introduce relevant driving methods of micro/nanorobots preparation in detail, summarizes the progress of research in medical applications, and discusses the challenges it faces in clinical applications and the future direction of development.
A Direct n+-Formation Process by Magnetron Sputtering an Inter-Layer Dielectric for Self-Aligned Coplanar Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide Thin-Film Transistors
Authors: Duan Xinlv , Lu Congyan , Chuai Xichen , Chen Qian , Yang Guanhua , Geng Di
Published: April 2022

An inter-layer dielectric (ILD) deposition process to simultaneously form the conductive regions of self-aligned (SA) coplanar In-Ga-Zn-O (IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) is demonstrated. N+-IGZO regions and excellent ohmic contact can be obtained without additional steps by using a magnetron sputtering process to deposit a SiOx ILD. The fabricated IGZO TFTs show a subthreshold swing (SS) of 94.16 mV/decade and a linear-region field-effect mobility (μFE) of 23.06 cm2/Vs. The channel-width-normalized source/drain series resistance (RSDW) extracted using the transmission line method (TLM) is approximately as low as 9.4 Ω·cm. The fabricated ring oscillator (RO) with a maximum oscillation frequency of 1.75 MHz also verifies the applicability of the TFTs.
Native Heavy Metal-Tolerant Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria Improves Sulla spinosissima (L.) Growth in Post-Mining Contaminated Soils
Authors: Oubohssaine Malika , Sbabou Laila , Aurag Jamal
Published: April 2022

The potential of rhizobacteria in assisting plants used in the phytostabilization or re-vegetation of soils contaminated by heavy metals is gaining interest all around the world. In this context, six rhizobacterial strains isolated from highly heavy metal-contaminated soils situated in abandoned mining sites around the Oujda region (Morocco) were tested with Sulla spinosissima (L.), a native leguminous plant expanding in this area. The strains used were multi-resistant to heavy metals and possessed multiple plant growth-promoting traits. Potential beneficial effects of the strains were also evaluated in planta by measuring various growth and physiological parameters of inoculated Sulla plants grown in sterilized sand. Inoculation with the Rhodococcus qingshengii strain LMR340 boosted plant biomass (39% to 83% increase compared to uninoculated plants), chlorophyll and carotenoid content (up to 29%), and antioxidant enzyme activities (15% to 80% increase). Based on these interesting findings, selected strains were inoculated into plants growing in a heavy metal, multi-polluted, and poor soil. Under these conditions, non-inoculated plants and those inoculated with the strain LMR250 were unable to grow, while the other five bacterial inoculants restored plant growth. The best performing strain, Pseudarthrobacter oxydans LMR291, could be considered as a good biofertilizer and/or biostimulant candidate to be used for promoting the growth of selected plants in re-vegetation and/or phytostabilization programs of degraded and contaminated soils.
Lactic Acid Bacteria and Bioactive Amines Identified during Manipueira Fermentation for Tucupi Production
Authors: Brito Brenda de Nazaré do Carmo , Chisté Renan Campos , Lopes Alessandra Santos , Gloria Maria Beatriz Abreu , Chagas Junior Gilson Celso Albuquerque , Pena Rosinelson da Silva
Published: April 2022

There is scarce information regarding lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and the production of biogenic amines during manipueira fermentation for tucupi. Thus, the objective of this study was to isolate and identify LAB, and to determine their impact on bioactive amine formation. Spontaneous fermentation of manipueira was carried out at laboratory scale and selected LAB colonies were isolated and identified by sequencing techniques and comparison with sequences from a virtual database. Only two LAB species of the genus Lactobacillus were identified during fermentation: Lactobacillus fermentum and Lactobacillus plantarum. L. fermentum was the predominant, whereas L. plantarum was only detected in manipueira prior to fermentation. Spermidine and putrescine were detected throughout fermentation, whereas histamine was produced at the final stage. There was positive correlation between LAB counts and putrescine and histamine levels, suggesting that the identified LAB are responsible for the synthesis of these amines during manipueira fermentation. Genetic assays are needed to verify whether the LAB identified have the genes responsible for decarboxylation of amino acids.
Determining the Paleostress Regime during the Mineralization Period in the Dayingezhuang Orogenic Gold Deposit, Jiaodong Peninsula, Eastern China: Insights from 3D Numerical Modeling
Authors: Xie Shaofeng , Mao Xiancheng , Liu Zhankun , Deng Hao , Chen Jin , Xiao Keyan
Published: April 2022

The Dayingezhuang orogenic gold deposit, located in the northwestern Jiaodong Peninsula, is hosted by the Zhaoping detachment fault, but the paleostress regime during the mineralization period remains poorly understood. In this study, a series of numerical modeling experiments with variable stress conditions were carried out using FLAC3D software to determine the orientation of paleostress and the fluid migration processes during the ore-forming period. The results show that the simple compression or tension stress model led to fluid downward or upward flow along the fault, respectively, accompanying the expansion deformation near the hanging wall or footwall of the Zhaoping fault, which is inconsistent with the known NE oblique mineralization distribution at Dayingezhuang. The reverse and strike-slip model shows that the shear stress was distributed in the gentle dip sites of the fault, and the expansion space occurred in the geometric depression sites of the fault, which is also inconsistent with the known mineralization distribution. The normal and strike-slip model shows that shear stress was distributed in the sites where the fault geometry transforms from steep to gentle. In addition, the expansion deformation zones appeared at sites with dip angles of 35~60° in the footwall and extended along with the NE-trending distribution from shallow to deep levels. The numerical results are quite consistent with the known mineralization, suggesting that the fault movement during the mineralization stage is a combination of the local strike-slip and the NW–SE extension in the Dayingezhuang deposit. Under this stress regime (σ1 NE–SW, σ2 vertical, σ3 NW–SE), the NE dilation zones associated with fault deformation served as channels for the ore-forming fluid migration. Based on the numerical modeling results, the deeper NE levels of the No. 2 orebody in the Dayingezhuang deposit have good prospecting potential. Thus, our study not only highlights that gold mineralization at Dayingezhuang is essentially controlled by the detachment fault geometry associated with certain stress directions but also demonstrates that numerical modeling is a robust tool for identifying potential mineralization.
Impact of the Acetaldehyde-Mediated Condensation on the Phenolic Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Vitis vinifera L. Cv. Merlot Wine
Authors: Dai Lingmin , Zhong Ke , Ma Yan , Cui Xiaoqian , Sun Yuhang , Zhang Ang , Han Guomin
Published: April 2022

Acetaldehyde is a critical reactant on modifying the phenolic profile during red wine aging, suggesting that the acetaldehyde-mediated condensation can be responsible for the variation of antioxidant activity during the aging of this beverage. The present study employs exogenous acetaldehyde at six levels of treatment (7.86 ± 0.10–259.02 ± 4.95 mg/L) before the bottle aging of Merlot wines to encourage phenolic modification. Acetaldehyde and antioxidant activity of wine were evaluated at 0, 15, 30, 45, 60 and 75 days of storage, while monomeric and polymeric phenolics were analyzed at 0, 30 and 75 days of storage. The loss of acetaldehyde was fitted to a first-order reaction model, the rate constant (k) demonstrated that different chemical reaction happened in wines containing a different initial acetaldehyde. The disappearance of monomeric phenolics and the formation of polymeric phenolics induced by acetaldehyde could be divided into two phases, the antioxidant activity of wine did not alter significantly in the first phase, although most monomeric phenolics vanished, but the second phase would dramatically reduce the antioxidant activity of wine. Furthermore, a higher level of acetaldehyde could shorten the reaction time of the first phase. These results indicate that careful vinification handling aiming at controlling the acetaldehyde allows one to maintain prolonged biological activity during wine aging.
Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Cycloheterophyllin on Dinitrochlorobenzene-Induced Atopic Dermatitis in HaCaT Cells and BALB/c Mice
Authors: Wang Chia-Chen , Hsiao Chien-Yu , Hsu Yu-Jou , Ko Horng-Huey , Chang Der-Chen , Hung Chi-Feng
Published: April 2022

Atopic dermatitis (eczema) is a condition that makes skin red and itchy. Though common in children, the condition can occur at any age. Atopic dermatitis is persistent (chronic) and tends to recur periodically. It may be accompanied by asthma or hay fever. No cure has been found for eczema. Therefore, it is very important to develop ingredients that aid the prevention and treatment of atopic dermatitis. Cycloheterophyllin is derived from Artocarpus heterophyllus and has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. However, it still is not understood whether cycloheterophyllin is an anti-atopic dermatitis agent. Keratinocytes (HaCaT cells) and BALB/c mice for inducing AD-like cutaneous lesions were used to evaluate the potential of cycloheterophyllin as an anti-atopic dermatitis agent. The release of pro-inflammatory cytokines induced by treatment of TNF-α/IFN-γ was reduced after pretreatment with cycloheterophyllin. The inhibitory effects could be a contribution from the effect of the MAP kinases pathway. Moreover, the symptoms of atopic dermatitis (such as red skin and itching) were attenuated by pretreatment with cycloheterophyllin. Epidermal hyperplasia and mast cell infiltration were decreased in the histological section. Finally, damage to the skin barrier was also found to recover through assessment of transepidermal water loss. Taken together, prenylflavone-cycloheterophyllin from Artocarpus heterophyllus is a potential anti-atopic dermatitis ingredient that can be used in preventing or treating the condition.
Synthesis of Tetrapeptides Containing Dehydroalanine, Dehydrophenylalanine and Oxazole as Building Blocks for Construction of Foldamers and Bioinspired Catalysts
Authors: Lenartowicz Paweł , Beelen Maarten , Makowski Maciej , Wanat Weronika , Dziuk Błażej , Kafarski Paweł
Published: April 2022

The incorporation of dehydroamino acid or fragments of oxazole into peptide chain is accompanied by a distorted three-dimensional structure and additionally enables the introduction of non-typical side-chain substituents. Thus, such compounds could be building blocks for obtaining novel foldamers and/or artificial enzymes (artzymes). In this paper, effective synthetic procedures leading to such building blocks—tetrapeptides containing glycyldehydroalanine, glycyldehydrophenylalanine, and glycyloxazole subunits—are described. Peptides containing serine were used as substrates for their conversion into peptides containing dehydroalanine and aminomethyloxazole-4-carboxylic acid while considering possible requirements for the introduction of these fragments into long-chain peptides at the last steps of synthesis.
Anti-Inflammatory and Antinociceptive Activities of the Essential Oil of Tagetes parryi A. Gray (Asteraceae) and Verbenone
Authors: González-Velasco Hansel E. , Pérez-Gutiérrez María S. , Alonso-Castro Ángel J. , Zapata-Morales Juan R. , Niño-Moreno Perla del C. , Campos-Xolalpa Nimsi , González-Chávez Marco M.
Published: April 2022

Tagetes parryi is a plant empirically used to treat gastrointestinal and inflammatory diseases, its essential oil (EOTP) was obtained from the aerial parts, and the composition was elucidated by GC-MS. The in vivo and in vitro anti-inflammatory activities and the antinociceptive activity of EOTP and (1S)-(-)-verbenone (VERB) were assessed. The major compounds identified for EOTP were verbenone (33.39%), dihydrotagetone (26.88%), and tagetone (20.8%). EOTP and VERB diminished the ear oedema induced with TPA by 93.77 % and 81.13 %, respectively. EOTP and VERB decreased inflammation in a 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) chronic model with ED50 = 54.95 mg/kg and 45.24 mg/kg, respectively. EOTP (15 µg/mL) inhibited the in vitro production of the pro-inflammatory mediators NO (67.02%), TNF-α (69.21%), and IL-6 (58.44%) in LPS-stimulated macrophages. In the acetic induced writhing test, EOTP and VERB showed antinociceptive effects with ED50 = 84.93 mg/kg and ED50 = 45.24 mg/kg, respectively. In phase 1 of the formalin test, EOTP and VERB showed no antinociceptive effects, whereas in phase 2, EOTP (ED50 = 35.45 mg/kg) and VERB (ED50 = 24.84 mg/kg) showed antinociceptive effects. The antinociceptive actions of ETOP and VERB were blocked with the co-administration of L-NAME. This study suggests that EOTP and VERB might be used in the treatment of pain and inflammatory problems.
Linker Functionalization Strategy for Water Adsorption in Metal–Organic Frameworks
Authors: Giappa Rafaela Maria , Papadopoulos Anastasios G. , Klontzas Emmanuel , Tylianakis Emmanuel , Froudakis George E.
Published: April 2022

Water adsorption in metal–organic frameworks has gained a lot of scientific attention recently due to the potential to be used in adsorption-based water capture. Functionalization of their organic linkers can tune water adsorption properties by increasing the hydrophilicity, thus altering the shape of the water adsorption isotherms and the overall water uptake. In this work, a large set of functional groups is screened for their interaction with water using ab initio calculations. The functional groups with the highest water affinities form two hydrogen bonds with the water molecule, acting as H-bond donor and H-bond acceptor simultaneously. Notably, the highest binding energy was calculated to be −12.7 Kcal/mol for the -OSO3H group at the RI-MP2/def2-TZVPP-level of theory, which is three times larger than the reference value. Subsequently, the effect of the functionalization strategy on the water uptake is examined on a selected set of functionalized MOF-74-III by performing Monte Carlo simulations. It was found that the specific groups can increase the hydrophilicity of the MOF and enhance the water uptake with respect to the parent MOF-74-III for relative humidity (RH) values up to 30%. The saturation water uptake exceeded 800 cm3/cm3 for all candidates, classifying them among the top performing materials for water harvesting.
Antiviral Peptides (AVPs) of Marine Origin as Propitious Therapeutic Drug Candidates for the Treatment of Human Viruses
Authors: Sukmarini Linda
Published: April 2022

The marine environment presents a favorable avenue for potential therapeutic agents as a reservoir of new bioactive natural products. Due to their numerous potential pharmacological effects, marine-derived natural products—particularly marine peptides—have gained considerable attention. These peptides have shown a broad spectrum of biological functions, such as antimicrobial, antiviral, cytotoxic, immunomodulatory, and analgesic effects. The emergence of new virus strains and viral resistance leads to continuing efforts to develop more effective antiviral drugs. Interestingly, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that possess antiviral properties and are alternatively regarded as antiviral peptides (AVPs) demonstrate vast potential as alternative peptide-based drug candidates available for viral infection treatments. Hence, AVPs obtained from various marine organisms have been evaluated. This brief review features recent updates of marine-derived AVPs from 2011 to 2021. Moreover, the biosynthesis of this class of compounds and their possible mechanisms of action are also discussed. Selected peptides from various marine organisms possessing antiviral activities against important human viruses—such as human immunodeficiency viruses, herpes simplex viruses, influenza viruses, hepatitis C virus, and coronaviruses—are highlighted herein.
Electrocatalysts for Oxygen/Hydrogen-Involved Reactions
Authors: Guan Jingqi , Wang Yin
Published: April 2022

Oxygen/hydrogen-involved reactions are key reactions in many energy-related technologies, such as electrolytic water, electrocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction, electrochemical ammonia synthesis, rechargeable metal–air batteries, and renewable fuel cells [...]
Material Basis Elucidation and Quantification of Dandelion through Spectrum–Effect Relationship Study between UHPLC Fingerprint and Antioxidant Activity via Multivariate Statistical Analysis
Authors: Liu Ziru , Qu Jiameng , Ke Fan , Zhang Haotian , Zhang Yiwen , Zhang Qian , Li Qing , Bi Kaishun , Xu Huarong
Published: April 2022

The excessive expression of reactive oxygen species is closely connected to many diseases. Considerable studies have demonstrated dandelion as well as its ingredients exhibited antioxidant activity. However, specific material basis reflecting the antioxidant activity has not been comprehensively investigated. In this study, a spectrum–effect relationship study on dandelion between fingerprinting and antioxidant activity was analyzed in detail, while a UHPLC quantification method developed and completely validated for simultaneous determination of active ingredients in dandelion. With the establishment of dandelion fingerprints of different regions, 24 common peaks were characterized. The classic FRAP method and ABTS methods were then used to detect their antioxidant activity. Partial least squares regression analysis, bivariate correlation analysis and grey correlation method were used to accomplish the spectrum–effect relationship. Eventually, the ingredients with antioxidant activity which could be considered as candidate quality markers of dandelion were discovered through spectrum–effect relationship analysis. The six compounds including caftaric acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, chicoric acid, isochlorogenic acid A, and isochlorogenic acid C were quantitatively determined. The developed UHPLC assay method was accurate, precise, and reliable. The study has elucidated the antioxidant material basis of dandelion and provided a scientific basis for the quality control of dandelion.
An Effective Strategy for Template-Free Electrodeposition of Aluminum Nanowires with Highly Controllable Irregular Morphologies
Authors: Wang Heng , Li Guo-Min , Li Bing , You Jing-Lin
Published: April 2022

Aluminum nanowires with irregular morphologies were prepared by template-free electrodeposition from a room-temperature chloroaluminate ionic liquid. The effects of the diffusion condition and deposition potential on the morphologies of Al nanowires were investigated. The decrease of diffusion flux leads to the formation of particular segmented morphologies of Al nanowires. A dynamic equilibrium between the electrochemical reaction and the diffusion of Al2Cl7− results in the current fluctuation and the periodical variation of diameters in the Al nanowires growth period. Al nanowires with several kinds of morphologies can be controllably electrodeposited under a restricted diffusion condition, without using a template. Increasing the overpotential shows the similar influence on the morphology of Al nanowires as the decrease in diffusion flux under the restricted diffusion condition. Most of the segmented Al nanowires have a single crystalline structure and grow in the [100] orientation. This work also provides a new strategy for the fabrication of nanowires with highly controllable irregular morphologies.
Magneto-Luminescent Nanocomposites Based on Carbon Dots and Ferrite with Potential for Bioapplication
Authors: Stepanova Mariia , Dubavik Aliaksei , Efimova Arina , Konovalova Mariya , Svirshchevskaya Elena , Zakharov Viktor , Orlova Anna
Published: April 2022

Multifunctional nanocomposites that combine both magnetic and photoluminescent (PL) properties provide significant advantages for nanomedical applications. In this work, a one-stage synthesis of magneto-luminescent nanocomposites (MLNC) with subsequent stabilization is proposed. Microwave synthesis of magnetic carbon dots (M-CDs) was carried out using precursors of carbon dots and magnetic nanoparticles. The effect of stabilization on the morphological and optical properties of nanocomposites has been evaluated. Both types of nanocomposites demonstrate magnetic and PL properties simultaneously. The resulting MLNCs demonstrated excellent solubility in water, tunable PL with a quantum yield of up to 28%, high photostability, and good cytocompatibility. Meanwhile, confocal fluorescence imaging showed that M-CDs were localized in the cell nuclei. Consequently, the multifunctional nanocomposites M-CDs are promising candidates for bioimaging and therapy.
Magnetic Levitation of Personalized Nanoparticle–Protein Corona as an Effective Tool for Cancer Detection
Authors: Quagliarini Erica , Digiacomo Luca , Caputo Damiano , Coppola Alessandro , Amenitsch Heinz , Caracciolo Giulio , Pozzi Daniela
Published: April 2022

Unprecedented opportunities for early stage cancer detection have recently emerged from the characterization of the personalized protein corona (PC), i.e., the protein cloud that surrounds nanoparticles (NPs) upon exposure to a patients’ bodily fluids. Most of these methods require “direct characterization” of the PC., i.e., they necessitate protein isolation, identification, and quantification. Each of these steps can introduce bias and affect reproducibility and inter-laboratory consistency of experimental data. To fulfill this gap, here we develop a nanoparticle-enabled blood (NEB) test based on the indirect characterization of the personalized PC by magnetic levitation (MagLev). The MagLev NEB test works by analyzing the levitation profiles of PC-coated graphene oxide (GO) NPs that migrate along a magnetic field gradient in a paramagnetic medium. For the test validation, we employed human plasma samples from 15 healthy individuals and 30 oncological patients affected by four cancer types, namely breast cancer, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Over the last 15 years prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, and PDAC have continuously been the second, third, and fourth leading sites of cancer-related deaths in men, while breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and PDAC are the second, third and fourth leading sites for women. This proof-of-concept investigation shows that the sensitivity and specificity of the MagLev NEB test depend on the cancer type, with the global classification accuracy ranging from 70% for prostate cancer to an impressive 93.3% for PDAC. We also discuss how this tool could benefit from several tunable parameters (e.g., the intensity of magnetic field gradient, NP type, exposure conditions, etc.) that can be modulated to optimize the detection of different cancer types with high sensitivity and specificity.