bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comprehensive Analysis of the SBP Family in Blueberry and Their Regulatory Mechanism Controlling Chlorophyll Accumulation
Authors: Xie Xin , Yue Shaokang , Shi Baosheng , Li Hongxue , Cui Yuhai , Wang Jingying , Yang Pengjie , Li Shuchun , Li Xuyan , Bian Shaomin
Published: July 2021

SQUAMOSA Promoter Binding Protein (SBP) family genes act as central players to regulate plant growth and development with functional redundancy and specificity. Addressing the diversity of the SBP family in crops is of great significance to precisely utilize them to improve agronomic traits. Blueberry is an important economic berry crop. However, the SBP family has not been described in blueberry. In the present study, twenty VcSBP genes were identified through data mining against blueberry transcriptome databases. These VcSBPs could be clustered into eight groups, and the gene structures and motif compositions are divergent among the groups and similar within each group. The VcSBPs were differentially expressed in various tissues. Intriguingly, 10 VcSBPs were highly expressed at green fruit stages and dramatically decreased at the onset of fruit ripening, implying that they are important regulators during early fruit development. Computational analysis showed that 10 VcSBPs were targeted by miR156, and four of them were further verified by degradome sequencing. Moreover, their functional diversity was studied in Arabidopsis. Noticeably, three VcSBPs significantly increased chlorophyll accumulation, and qRT-PCR analysis indicated that VcSBP13a in Arabidopsis enhanced the expression of chlorophyll biosynthetic genes such as AtDVR, AtPORA, AtPORB, AtPORC, and AtCAO. Finally, the targets of VcSBPs were computationally identified in blueberry, and the Y1H assay showed that VcSBP13a could physically bind to the promoter region of the chlorophyll-associated gene VcLHCB1. Our findings provided an overall framework for individually understanding the characteristics and functions of the SBP family in blueberry.
Decreased Plasma Oxytocin Levels in Patients With PTSD
Authors: Carmassi Claudia , Marazziti Donatella , Mucci Federico , Della Vecchia Alessandra , Barberi Filippo Maria , Baroni Stefano , Giannaccini Gino , Palego Lionella , Massimetti Gabriele , Dell’Osso Liliana
Published: July 2021

Introduction

Although the pathophysiology of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is still unclear, growing preclinical evidences suggest that oxytocin (OT), a pleiotropic hormone, is possibly involved. However, direct studies on OT levels or clinical trials with this exogenous hormone in patients with PTSD led to inconsistent findings. Therefore, the aim of the present study was at exploring and comparing the plasma OT levels in a group of patients with PTSD and matched healthy subjects as the control group.

Materials and Methods

Twenty-six outpatients (13 men, 13 women, mean age: 40.3 ± 11.5 years) suffering from PTSD, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5), and 26 healthy subjects (13 men, 13 women, mean age: 43.8 ± 12.7 years) were included. The patients were assessed through the structured clinical interview for DSM-5 research version, patient edition (SCID-I/P), and the Impact for Event Scale revised (IES-R). All fasting subjects underwent three venous blood samples for the subsequent oxytocin radioimmunoassay. We used unpaired Student’st-testto assess OT levels and the intergroup difference of demographic characteristics, while anxiety, avoidance, and hyperarousal scores were compared among groups adjusting for the effect of gender and age by means of analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The correlations between different variables were investigated by Pearson’s method.

Results

The most common traumatic events of patients with PTSD were the following: severe car accident, physical violence, sexual violence, sudden death of a loved one, and natural disaster. The IES total score was 55 ± 15. Student’st-test revealed that the patients showed significantly lower OT levels (mean ± SD, pg/ml) than healthy control subjects (4.37 ± 1.61 vs 5.64 ± 2.17,p< 0.001). We detected no correlation between the IES total score, subscales, or single items and OT plasma levels. Again, no difference between men and women was detected in the patients’ group, while healthy control women showed higher OT levels than men.

Discussion

Our study, while reporting the presence of decreased plasma OT levels in outpatients with PTSD of both sexes, as compared with healthy control subjects, would support the possible involvement of OT in the pathophysiology of PTSD. However, given the complexity of the clinical picture, future investigations are necessary to better deepen the role and level of OT in PTSD.
Loneliness and Social Functioning in Adolescent Peer Victimization
Authors: Almeida Telma Sousa , Ribeiro Olivia , Freitas Miguel , Rubin Kenneth H. , Santos António J.
Published: July 2021

Interpersonal adversity such as peer victimization has been shown to have complex associations with other socio-emotional difficulties, particularly during adolescence. We used a multidimensional peer nomination measure on a sample of 440 (52% girls) 11- to 17-year-old (M = 13.14 years, SD = 1.26) Portuguese youths to identify three groups, classified by peers as (1) victimized adolescents who showed anxious withdrawn behaviors in the context of the peer group (n = 111), (2) victimized adolescents who did not exhibit anxious withdrawn behaviors (n = 104), and (3) non-victimized adolescents (n = 225). We compared these groups on their peer-reported social functioning and on their self-reported feelings of social and emotional loneliness (with peers and family). Anxiously withdrawn victims were viewed by peers as more excluded, less aggressive, less prosocial, and less popular than non-withdrawn victims and non-victims. Non-anxiously withdrawn victims were considered more excluded than non-victims, and more aggressive than both anxiously withdrawn victims and non-victims. Finally, anxiously withdrawn victims reported feeling less integrated and intimate with their peers than non-withdrawn victims and non-victims, which is indicative of greater feelings of social and emotional loneliness at school. Youths in the current study did not report feeling lonely in their family environment. Our findings thus provide further evidence that victimized youths constitute a heterogeneous group, which differ in the way they behave toward their peers and experience loneliness.
Parental Catastrophizing and Goal Pursuit in the Context of Child Chronic Pain: A Daily Diary Study
Authors: Caes Line , van Gampelaere Cynthia , Van Hoecke Eline , Van Winckel Myriam , Kamoen Kristien , Goubert Liesbet
Published: July 2021

Background: Despite daily variability in children's chronic pain experiences, little is known about how parents' emotions and goals toward their child's pain are influenced by these daily changes. This diary study examined how daily child pain intensity (as perceived by parents) moderates the associations between parental catastrophic thoughts about child pain on the one hand, and daily parental distress and parents' goals with regard to their child's pain (pain control vs. activity engagement) on the other hand.

Method: Participants were 25 parents of 20 different children (N = 18; 90% girls). Children, aged 8–14 years (M = 9.5, SD = 2.09), experienced either chronic headache or functional abdominal pain with an average pain duration of 22.5 months (SD = 24.5 months). Daily parental responses (i.e., perceived child pain intensity, distress and goal endorsement) were collected through a 3-week daily diary (resulting in 413 valid diary reports). Parents completed the Pain Catastrophizing Scale for Parents prior to starting the diary (PCS-P general) and a daily measure (PCS-P daily) included in the diary. To account for the interdependence of the data, the data were analyzed using multilevel modeling.

Results: Perceived daily child pain intensity moderated the impact of parental general and daily catastrophic thoughts on parents' daily distress. Only for parents experiencing low general catastrophic thoughts an increase in distress was observed on days when they perceived their child's pain intensity as high. For all parents, high levels of perceived child pain intensity were related to more distress on days where parents reported high levels of catastrophic thinking (i.e., PCS-P daily). Perceived daily child pain intensity also moderated the impact of parental general catastrophic thinking on parents' daily endorsement of goals. Parents with high levels of general catastrophic thinking reported a lower focus on child pain control on days when child pain intensity was perceived to be low. Parents with low general catastrophic thinking reported lower endorsement of the activity engagement goal on days where the child's pain intensity was perceived to be low.

Conclusion: These findings highlight the complexity of daily fluctuations in parental distress and goals regarding their child's pain. Clinical implications and future directions are critically assessed.
Effectiveness of a Novel Smartphone Health Education Intervention in Enhancing Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices for the Prevention of Respiratory Tract Infections Among Private Hajj Pilgrims From Malaysia
Authors: Goni Mohammed Dauda , Naing Nyi Nyi , Hasan Habsah , Wan-Arfah Nadiah , Deris Zakuan Zainy , Arifin Wan Nor , Baaba Aisha Abubakar , Adam Babagana Mohammed , Arshad Muhammad Rafie
Published: July 2021

This study was aimed to develop and evaluate the efficacy of a health education program for increasing knowledge, changing attitudes, and promoting prevention practices to reduce the incidence of RTIs among Malaysian Hajj pilgrims. A quasi-experimental study was done among 130 Hajj pilgrims attending Hajj orientation course organized by a private Hajj tour companies. Hajj pilgrims assigned to intervention group (n = 65) and control group (n = 65). Data were collected baseline and after return from Hajj using a validated questionnaire. Mixed design repeated measure ANOVA was used to analyse the effect of group, time, and group-time interaction on the dependent variables. There was a significant improvement in knowledge, attitude and practice scores in the intervention group compared to the control group. Based on the findings of the interaction of time and group, there was a significant statistical difference for post intervention for knowledge (p = 0.005), attitude (p = 0.041), and practice (p = 0.002). The newly-established health education intervention smartphone application was effective in improving KAP toward RTIs prevention among pilgrims.
Association Between Diet Quality and Prevalence of Obesity, Dyslipidemia, and Insulin Resistance Among Filipino Immigrant Women in Korea: The Filipino Women's Diet and Health Study
Authors: Kim Hee Sun , Lee Heejin , Provido Sherlyn Mae P. , Kang Minji , Chung Grace H. , Hong Sangmo , Yu Sung Hoon , Lee Chang Beom , Lee Jung Eun
Published: July 2021

Objectives: Diet quality may be a key modifiable factor for the prevention of non-communicable disease. We aimed to investigate the association between diet quality and prevalence of obesity, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance among Filipino immigrant women in Korea.

Methods: A total of 413 participants from the 2014–2016 baseline population of the Filipino Women's Diet and Health Study (FiLWHEL) were examined. Individual dietary intakes were evaluated through 24-h recalls and then converted into two dietary quality assessments: Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women (MDD-W) developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Data Derived Inflammation Index (DDII) originally developed by our group. Fasting blood levels of triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterols, glucose, and insulin were measured. We used logistic regression models for odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results: We found a statistically significant association between MDD-W scores and decreased prevalence of abdominal obesity; ORs (95% CIs) of the 3rd vs. 1st tertiles were 0.58 (0.36–0.94; p for trend = 0.029). Increased DDII was associated with elevated prevalence of dyslipidemia and insulin resistance; ORs (95% CIs) of the 5th vs. 1–3rd quintiles were 6.44 (2.56–16.20) for triglycerides (TG), 3.90 (1.92–7.90) for low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, 3.36 (1.81–6.24) for total cholesterol (TC), 6.25 (2.53–15.41) for abnormal TG/HDL ratios, 3.59 (1.96–6.59) for HbA1c, 2.61 (1.11–6.17) for fasting blood glucose levels, 9.67 (4.16–22.48) for insulin levels, and 9.73 (4.46–21.25) for homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (p for trend <0.001 for all, except 0.033 for fasting blood glucose).

Conclusions: Greater dietary diversity was inversely associated with the prevalence of abdominal obesity in Filipino immigrant women. Proinflammatory scores based on diet and lifestyle factors were associated with an increased prevalence of dyslipidemia and insulin resistance. Further, epidemiological studies on the relationship between dietary acculturation and chronic disease are warranted.
Towards an Engagement-Aware Attentive Artificial Listener for Multi-Party Interactions
Authors: Oertel Catharine , Jonell Patrik , Kontogiorgos Dimosthenis , Mora Kenneth Funes , Odobez Jean-Marc , Gustafson Joakim
Published: July 2021

Listening to one another is essential to human-human interaction. In fact, we humans spend a substantial part of our day listening to other people, in private as well as in work settings. Attentive listening serves the function to gather information for oneself, but at the same time, it also signals to the speaker that he/she is being heard. To deduce whether our interlocutor is listening to us, we are relying on reading his/her nonverbal cues, very much like how we also use non-verbal cues to signal our attention. Such signaling becomes more complex when we move from dyadic to multi-party interactions. Understanding how humans use nonverbal cues in a multi-party listening context not only increases our understanding of human-human communication but also aids the development of successful human-robot interactions. This paper aims to bring together previous analyses of listener behavior analyses in human-human multi-party interaction and provide novel insights into gaze patterns between the listeners in particular. We are investigating whether the gaze patterns and feedback behavior, as observed in the human-human dialogue, are also beneficial for the perception of a robot in multi-party human-robot interaction. To answer this question, we are implementing an attentive listening system that generates multi-modal listening behavior based on our human-human analysis. We are comparing our system to a baseline system that does not differentiate between different listener types in its behavior generation. We are evaluating it in terms of the participant’s perception of the robot, his behavior as well as the perception of third-party observers.
Risk of Introduction of Classical Swine Fever Into the State of Mato Grosso, Brazil
Authors: Schettino Daniella N. , Korennoy Fedor I. , Perez Andres M.
Published: July 2021

Classical swine fever (CSF) is considered one of the most important diseases of swine because of the far-reaching economic impact the disease causes to affected countries and regions. The state of Mato Grosso (MT) is part of Brazil's CSF-free zone. CSF status is uncertain in some of MT's neighboring States and countries, which has resulted in the perception that MT is at high risk for the disease. However, the risk for CSF introduction into MT has not been previously assessed. Here, we estimated that the risk for CSF introduction into the MT is highly heterogeneous. The risk associated with shipment of commercial pigs was concentrated in specific municipalities with intense commercial pig production, whereas the risk associated with movement of wild boars was clustered in certain municipalities located close to the state's borders, mostly in northern and southwestern MT. Considering the two pathways of possible introduction assessed here, these results demonstrate the importance of using alternative strategies for surveillance that target different routes and account for different likelihoods of introduction. These results will help to design, implement, and monitor surveillance activities for sustaining the CSF-free status of MT at times when Brazil plans to expand the recognition of disease-free status for other regions in the country.
Understanding American Public Support for COVID-19 Risk Mitigation: The Role of Political Orientation, Socio-Demographic characteristics, Personal Concern, and Experience, the United States, 2020
Authors: Shao Wanyun , Hao Feng
Published: July 2021

Objectives:COVID-19 is the most challenging public health crisis in decades in the United States. It is imperative to enforce social distancing rules before any safe and effective vaccines are widely available. Policies without public support are destined to fail. This study aims to reveal factors that determine the American public support for six mitigation measures (e.g., cancel gatherings, close schools, restrict non-essential travel).

Methods:Based on a nationally representative survey, this study uses Structural Equation Modelling to reveal the relationships between various factors and public support for COVID-19 mitigation.

Results:1). Democrats are more likely than Republicans to support mitigation measures; 2).Favorability towards the political leader (Biden or Trump) can slant public support for COVID-19 mitigation measures among different segments of the public.; 3). Indirect experience, rather than direct experience with COVID-19 can motivate people to support mitigation; 4). Concern for COVID-19 is a strong motivator of support for mitigation.

Conclusion:Political polarization poses an enormous challenge to societal well-being during a pandemic. Indirect experience renders COVID-19 an imminent threat.
Aportaciones de la tecnología a la psicoterapia: El potencial de la Realidad Virtual
Authors: Feixas Guillem , Alabèrnia-Segura Jordi
Published: July 2021

La Realidad Virtual (RV) permite que las personas se adentren en entornos tridimensionales generados por ordenador e interactúen con ellos. La capacidad para hacer sentir que el usuario está presente en una situación creada artificialmente la convierte en una herramienta con potencial para revolucionar la psicoterapia. La RV ha demostrado ser útil en el tratamiento de trastornos relacionados con la ansiedad, el estrés y la conducta alimentaria, y a la vez que muestra resultados prometedores en otras áreas. La RV también permite encarnarse en un avatar (virtual embodiment) lo que permite muchas posibilidades para recrear interacciones e incluso para estimular el diálogo con uno mismo. Hasta el momento, el foco de atención se ha centrado en la recreación de escenarios de la realidad externa, pero la representación de la realidad interna puede abrir una nueva frontera. EYME-Explore Your Meanings es una plataforma digital evolucionada de la técnica de rejilla que usa la RV para la exploración de la identidad personal. Permite mejorar la autoconciencia y el autoconocimiento, avanzando de esta forma el proceso psicoterapéutico en un contexto de terapia individual o de grupo. El uso de la RV en psicoterapia también genera retos que se deberán afrontar para comprobar su viabilidad. Es necesaria más investigación para conocer en profundidad el impacto que puede tener la RV en la prevención, evaluación y tratamiento de una gran variedad de situaciones y trastornos psicológicos.
The Effect of Real-World Interference on CNN Feature Extraction and Machine Learning Classification of Unmanned Aerial Systems
Authors: Swinney Carolyn J. , Woods John C.
Published: July 2021

Small unmanned aerial systems (UASs) present many potential solutions and enhancements to industry today but equally pose a significant security challenge. We only need to look at the levels of disruption caused by UASs at airports in recent years. The accuracy of UAS detection and classification systems based on radio frequency (RF) signals can be hindered by other interfering signals present in the same frequency band, such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi devices. In this paper, we evaluate the effect of real-world interference from Bluetooth and Wi-Fi signals concurrently on convolutional neural network (CNN) feature extraction and machine learning classification of UASs. We assess multiple UASs that operate using different transmission systems: Wi-Fi, Lightbridge 2.0, OcuSync 1.0, OcuSync 2.0 and the recently released OcuSync 3.0. We consider 7 popular UASs, evaluating 2 class UAS detection, 8 class UAS type classification and 21 class UAS flight mode classification. Our results show that the process of CNN feature extraction using transfer learning and machine learning classification is fairly robust in the presence of real-world interference. We also show that UASs that are operating using the same transmission system can be distinguished. In the presence of interference from both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi signals, our results show 100% accuracy for UAV detection (2 classes), 98.1% (+/−0.4%) for UAV type classification (8 classes) and 95.4% (+/−0.3%) for UAV flight mode classification (21 classes).
Addition of Olive Leaf Extract to a Mixture of Algae and Extra Virgin Olive Oils Decreases Fatty Acid Oxidation and Synergically Attenuates Age-Induced Hypertension, Sarcopenia and Insulin Resistance in Rats
Authors: González-Hedström Daniel , de la Fuente-Fernández María , Priego Teresa , Martín Ana Isabel , Amor Sara , López-Calderón Asunción , Inarejos-García Antonio Manuel , García-Villalón Ángel Luís , Granado Miriam
Published: July 2021

Olive-derived products, such as virgin olive oil (EVOO) and/or olive leaf extracts (OLE), exert anti-inflammatory, insulin-sensitizing and antihypertensive properties and may be useful for stabilizing omega 3 fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) due to their high content in antioxidant compounds. In this study, the addition of OLE 4:0.15 (w/w) to a mixture of algae oil (AO) rich in n-3 PUFA and EVOO (25:75, w/w) prevents peroxides formation after 12 months of storage at 30 °C. Furthermore, the treatment with the oil mixture (2.5 mL/Kg) and OLE (100 mg/Kg) to 24 month old Wistar rats for 21 days improved the lipid profile, increased the HOMA-IR and decreased the serum levels of miRNAs 21 and 146a. Treatment with this new nutraceutical also prevented age-induced insulin resistance in the liver, gastrocnemius and visceral adipose tissue by decreasing the mRNA levels of inflammatory and oxidative stress markers. Oil mixture + OLE also attenuated the age-induced alterations in vascular function and prevented muscle loss by decreasing the expression of sarcopenia-related markers. In conclusion, treatment with a new nutraceutical based on a mixture of EVOO, AO and OLE is a useful strategy for improving the stability of n-3 PUFA in the final product and to attenuate the cardiometabolic and muscular disorders associated with aging.
Study of Statistical Text Representation Methods for Performance Improvement of a Hierarchical Attention Network
Authors: Wawrzyński Adam , Szymański Julian
Published: July 2021

To effectively process textual data, many approaches have been proposed to create text representations. The transformation of a text into a form of numbers that can be computed using computers is crucial for further applications in downstream tasks such as document classification, document summarization, and so forth. In our work, we study the quality of text representations using statistical methods and compare them to approaches based on neural networks. We describe in detail nine different algorithms used for text representation and then we evaluate five diverse datasets: BBCSport, BBC, Ohsumed, 20Newsgroups, and Reuters. The selected statistical models include Bag of Words (BoW), Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency (TFIDF) weighting, Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA) and Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA). For the second group of deep neural networks, Partition-Smooth Inverse Frequency (P-SIF), Doc2Vec-Distributed Bag of Words Paragraph Vector (Doc2Vec-DBoW), Doc2Vec-Memory Model of Paragraph Vectors (Doc2Vec-DM), Hierarchical Attention Network (HAN) and Longformer were selected. The text representation methods were benchmarked in the document classification task and BoW and TFIDF models were used were used as a baseline. Based on the identified weaknesses of the HAN method, an improvement in the form of a Hierarchical Weighted Attention Network (HWAN) was proposed. The incorporation of statistical features into HAN latent representations improves or provides comparable results on four out of five datasets. The article presents how the length of the processed text affects the results of HAN and variants of HWAN models.
Conservative Technique Using Oral Dressing Material for Wound Dehiscence after Ridge Augmentation: A Technical Report with a Case Series
Authors: Ku Jeong-Kui , Jeong Yeong Kon , Choi Yong-Suk , Kim Taeyeong , Cho In-Woo , Leem Dae Ho
Published: July 2021

Wound dehiscence is the most frequent complication after ridge augmentation and causes postoperative infection, inadequate bone healing, or graft failure. In the oral cavity, conservative treatment for dehiscence is difficult to maintain until secondary healing occurs because of its normal flora, dynamic masticatory muscle movement, and humid environment. This paper reports an effective conservative method using an oral wound dressing material with an omnivec splint and presents three wound dehiscence cases: (1) autogenous tooth bone graft material with a collagen membrane, with dehiscence occurring at postoperative 5 days. (2) Autogenous bone graft covering titanium mesh, with dehiscence occurring at postoperative three weeks. The mesh was removed after 10 weeks with histologic analysis. (3) Autogenous bone and autogenous tooth bone graft covering a titanium mesh, with dehiscence occurring at postoperative 1 week. The exposed titanium mesh was maintained for 6 months after the graft. All cases achieved secondary healing and acceptable outcomes for a dental implant by conservative treatment without infection after the dehiscence after ridge augmentation.
COVID-19 Vaccination Awareness and Aftermath: Public Sentiment Analysis on Twitter Data and Vaccinated Population Prediction in the USA
Authors: Sattar Naw Safrin , Arifuzzaman Shaikh
Published: July 2021

Social media, such as Twitter, is a source of exchanging information and opinion on global issues such as COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we work with a database of around 1.2 million tweets collected across five weeks of April–May 2021 to draw conclusions about public sentiments towards the vaccination outlook when vaccinations become widely available to the population during the COVID-19 pandemic. We deploy natural language processing and sentiment analysis techniques to reveal insights about COVID-19 vaccination awareness among the public. Our results show that people have positive sentiments towards taking COVID-19 vaccines instead of some adverse effects of some of the vaccines. We also analyze people’s attitude towards the safety measures of COVID-19 after receiving the vaccines. Again, the positive sentiment is higher than that of negative in terms of maintaining safety measures against COVID-19 among the vaccinated population. We also project that around 62.44% and 48% of the US population will get at least one dose of vaccine and be fully vaccinated, respectively, by the end of July 2021 according to our forecast model. This study will help to understand public reaction and aid the policymakers to project the vaccination campaign as well as health and safety measures in the ongoing global health crisis.
Towards a GDPR-Compliant Blockchain-Based COVID Vaccination Passport
Authors: Haque AKM Bahalul , Naqvi Bilal , Islam A. K. M. Najmul , Hyrynsalmi Sami
Published: July 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the world and limited work/personal life activities. Besides the loss of human lives and agony faced by humankind, the pandemic has badly hit different sectors economically, including the travel industry. Special arrangements, including COVID test before departure and on arrival, and voluntary quarantine, were enforced to limit the risk of transmission. However, the hope for returning to a normal (pre-COVID) routine relies on the success of the current COVID vaccination drives administered by different countries. To open for tourism and other necessary travel, a need is realized for a universally accessible proof of COVID vaccination, allowing travelers to cross the borders without any hindrance. This paper presents an architectural framework for a GDPR-compliant blockchain-based COVID vaccination passport (VacciFi), whilst considering the relevant developments, especially in the European Union region.
Towards Facial Biometrics for ID Document Validation in Mobile Devices
Authors: Medvedev Iurii , Shadmand Farhad , Cruz Leandro , Gonçalves Nuno
Published: July 2021

Various modern security systems follow a tendency to simplify the usage of the existing biometric recognition solutions and embed them into ubiquitous portable devices. In this work, we continue the investigation and development of our method for securing identification documents. The original facial biometric template, which is extracted from the trusted frontal face image, is stored on the identification document in a secured personalized machine-readable code. Such document is protected from face photo manipulation and may be validated with an offline mobile application. We apply automatic methods of compressing the developed face descriptors to make the biometric validation system more suitable for mobile applications. As an additional contribution, we introduce several print-capture datasets that may be used for training and evaluating similar systems for mobile identification and travel documents validation.
Future Seasonal Drought Conditions over the CORDEX-MENA/Arab Domain
Authors: Tomaszkiewicz Marlene A.
Published: July 2021

Seasonal drought is often overlooked because its impacts are less devasting than meteorological or hydrological drought. Nevertheless, short-term drought can have significant impacts on soil moisture content, agricultural crop yield, and sand and dust storms. Using data obtained from bias-corrected regional climate modelling (RCM) outputs, future seasonal drought is investigated over the water-scarce Arab domain using SPI-3. The climate modelling outputs include three downscaled mainframe GCMs downscaled using a single RCM for two climate scenarios: RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. Results across the region exhibit spatial and temporal variability. For example, Rift Valley, in the eastern sub-Sahara, projects less frequent and less severe drought, particularly during the winter (DJF) months. Conversely, the Morocco Highlands and adjacent Mediterranean coast signals a dramatic increase in drought by end-century during winter (DJF) and spring (MAM). Moderate increase in drought indicated in the greater Mashreq in spring (MAM) can be linked to sand and dust storm risk. Thirdly, autumn drought (SON) is linked to increased forest fire risk in the Levant. Projected increases in drought frequency and severity call for adaptation measures to reduce impacts.
Development of a Negligible Zero-Drift NDIR Analyzer for Measuring NH3 Emitted from an Urban Household Solid Waste Incinerator
Authors: Dinh Trieu-Vuong , Choi In-Young , Park Byeong-Gyu , Lee Jee-Hyun , Kim In-Young , Gil Han-Nui , Lee Sang-Woo , Kim Jo-Chun
Published: July 2021

An analyzer for measuring NH3 emitted from a combustion process has been developed based on a simple non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) technique because of its cost-effective benefit. The weakness of the NDIR analyzer due to interference and zero-drift has been overcome. A least-interfering bandpass filter (BPF) was found and manufactured to compensate for the interfering effects of gases emitted from a combustion process (e.g., CO, NOx, SO2, CO2, H2O, HCl, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and toluene). It was found that there was no significant interference in the least-interfering BPF with respect to gases of concern. Measurement errors by the analyzer were less than 2.5% in a range of 1 to 10 ppmv of NH3 compared to a standard method when the compound was measured in complicated mixing gases. For the zero-drift, using BPFs with identical center wavelength with respect to different incident infrared intensity was found to help minimize the zero-drift of the NDIR analyzer. As a result, the analyzer could cut approximately 19% of zero-drift caused by the aging effect of both IR source and detector. It suggests that the analyzer could be applied for measuring NH3 emitted from combustion processes with good accuracy and reproducibility.
Approach to Multi-Attribute Decision-Making Methods for Performance Evaluation Process Using Interval-Valued T-Spherical Fuzzy Hamacher Aggregation Information
Authors: Jin Yun , Kousar Zareena , Ullah Kifayat , Mahmood Tahir , Yapici Pehlivan Nimet , Ali Zeeshan
Published: July 2021

Interval-valued T-spherical fuzzy set (IVTSFS) handles uncertain and vague information by discussing their membership degree (MD), abstinence degree (AD), non-membership degree (NMD), and refusal degree (RD). MD, AD, NMD, and RD are defined in terms of closed subintervals of [0, 1] that reduce information loss compared to the T-spherical fuzzy set (TSFS), which takes crisp values from [0, 1] intervals; hence, some information may be lost. The purpose of this manuscript is to develop some Hamacher aggregation operators (HAOs) in the environment of IVTSFSs. To do so, some Hamacher operational laws based on Hamacher t-norms (HTNs) and Hamacher t-conorms (HTCNs) are introduced. Using Hamacher operational laws, we develop some aggregation operators (AOs), including an interval-valued T-spherical fuzzy Hamacher (IVTSFH) weighted averaging (IVTSFHWA) operator, an IVTSFH-ordered weighted averaging (IVTSFHOWA) operator, an IVTSFH hybrid averaging (IVTSFHHA) operator, an IVTSFH-weighted geometric (IVTSFHWG) operator, an IVTSFH-ordered weighted geometric (IVTSFHOWG) operator, and an IVTSFH hybrid geometric (IVTSFHHG) operator. The validation of the newly developed HAOs is investigated, and their basic properties are examined. In view of some restrictions, the generalization and proposed HAOs are shown, and a multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) procedure is explored based on the HAOs, which are further exemplified. Finally, a comparative analysis of the proposed work is also discussed with previous literature to show the superiority of our work.
The Protein Kinase Inhibitor Midostaurin Improves Functional Neurological Recovery and Attenuates Inflammatory Changes Following Traumatic Cervical Spinal Cord Injury
Authors: Zavvarian Mohammad-Masoud , Hong James , Khazaei Mohamad , Chio Jonathon Chon Teng , Wang Jian , Badner Anna , Fehlings Michael G.
Published: July 2021

Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) impairs neuronal function and introduces a complex cascade of secondary pathologies that limit recovery. Despite decades of preclinical and clinical research, there is a shortage of efficacious treatment options to modulate the secondary response to injury. Protein kinases are crucial signaling molecules that mediate the secondary SCI-induced cellular response and present promising therapeutic targets. The objective of this study was to examine the safety and efficacy of midostaurin—a clinically-approved multi-target protein kinase inhibitor—on cervical SCI pathogenesis. High-throughput analyses demonstrated that intraperitoneal midostaurin injection (25 mg/kg) in C6/7 injured Wistar rats altered the local inflammasome and downregulated adhesive and migratory genes at 24 h post-injury. Treated animals also exhibited enhanced recovery and restored coordination between forelimbs and hindlimbs after injury, indicating the synergistic impact of midostaurin and its dimethyl sulfoxide vehicle to improve functional recovery. Furthermore, histological analyses suggested improved tissue preservation and functionality in the treated animals during the chronic phase of injury. This study serves as a proof-of-concept experiment and demonstrates that systemic midostaurin administration is an effective strategy for mitigating cervical secondary SCI damage.
Predictive and Prognostic Value of BRAF and NRAS Mutation of 159 Sentinel Lymph Node Cases in Melanoma—A Retrospective Single-Institute Study
Authors: Liszkay Gabriella , Mátrai Zoltán , Czirbesz Kata , Jani Nóra , Bencze Eszter , Kenessey István
Published: July 2021

Purpose: To assess the prognostic role of sentinel lymph node status (SLN) in melanoma patients, a statistical comparison was performed with the application of already known prognostic factors, mutational occurrence of BRAF and NRAS in the primary tumor, as well as disease outcome. Methods: Our retrospective single-center study involved 159 melanoma cases, who underwent SLN biopsy. The following clinico-pathological data were collected: age, gender, location of primary tumor, Breslow thickness, ulceration degree, histological subtype, mitosis count, lymphovascular and perineural invasion, presence of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, regression signs, mutations of BRAF and NRAS of the primary tumors, and SLN status. Results: From the studied clinico-pathological factors, only Breslow thickness increased the risk of SLN positivity (p = 0.025) by multivariate analysis, while neither BRAF nor NRAS mutation of the primary tumor proved to be a predictor of the SLN status. While the NRAS-mutant subgroup showed the most unfavorable outcome for progression-free and distant metastasis-free survival, their rate of positive SLNs proved to be relatively lower than that of patient groups with BRAF mutation and double-wild-type phenotypes. Conclusion: Similarly to the importance of SLN positivity, NRAS mutation of the primary tumor proved to be an independent prognostic factor of progression. Therefore, despite negative SLN, this NRAS-mutant subgroup of patients still requires closer monitoring to detect disease progression.
Evaluation of Integrated HPV DNA as Individualized Biomarkers for the Detection of Recurrent CIN2/3 during Post-Treatment Surveillance
Authors: Hoyer Heike , Mehlhorn Grit , Scheungraber Cornelia , Hagemann Ingke , Hirchenhain Christine , Woelber Linn , Stolte Claudia , Hampl Monika , Scherbring Sarah , Denecke Agnieszka , Bartels Janina , Ebert Andreas D. , Meneder Sabina , Petzold Annett , Heller Tabitha , Heidtke Karsten R. , Schwarz Elisabeth , Stübs Frederik , Schütze Stefanie , Stange Eva-Lena , Jaeger Anna , Martignoni Franca , Dellmann Ansgar , Rody Achim , Hillemanns Peter , Fehm Tanja , Petry Karl-Ulrich , Böhmer Gerd , Schmalfeldt Barbara , Wimberger Pauline , Beckmann Matthias W. , Runnebaum Ingo B. , Dürst Matthias
Published: July 2021

Purpose: Post-treatment follow-up in women with cervical pre-cancers (CIN3) is mandatory due to relapse in up to 10% of patients. Standard follow-up based on hrHPV-DNA/cytology co-testing has high sensitivity but limited specificity. The aim of our prospective, multicenter, observational study was to test the hypothesis that an individualized viral-cellular-junction test (vcj-PCR) combined with cytology has a lower false positive rate for the prediction of recurrence compared to standard co-testing. Methods: Pre-surgical cervical swabs served for the identification of HPV16/18 DNA integration sites by next-generation-sequencing (NGS). Samples taken at 6, 12 and 24 months post-surgery were evaluated by cytology, hrHPV-DNA and the patients’ individual HPV-integration sites (vcj-PCR on the basis of NGS). Results: Integration sites were detected in 48 of 445 patients (10.8%), 39 of them had valid follow-up data. The false positive rate was 18.2% (95% CI 8.6–34.4%) for standard hrHPV/cytology at six months compared to 12.1% (95% CI 4.8–27.3%) for vcj-PCR/cytology, respectively (McNemar p = 0.50). Six patients developed recurrences (1 CIN2, 5 CIN3) during follow-up. Standard co-testing detected all, whereas vcj-PCR/cytology detected only five patients with recurrences. Data of 269 patients without evidence of HPV16/18 integration were subject to post-hoc analyses. Standard co-testing revealed a false positive rate of 15.7% (95% CI 11.7–20.7%) and predicted ten of fourteen recurrences at six months. Conclusions: Although highly specific on its own vcj-PCR could not detect all recurrent CIN2/3. Possible reasons for this unexpected result may be multifocal lesions, intratumoral heterogeneity with respect to HPV integration and/or incident CIN.
Clinically Advanced Pheochromocytomas and Paragangliomas: A Comprehensive Genomic Profiling Study
Authors: Bratslavsky Gennady , Sokol Ethan S. , Daneshvar Michael , Necchi Andrea , Shapiro Oleg , Jacob Joseph , Liu Nick , Sanford Tom S. , Pinkhasov Ruben , Goldberg Hanan , Killian Jonathan K. , Ramkissoon Shakti , Severson Eric A. , Huang Richard S. P. , Danziger Natalie , Mollapour Mehdi , Ross Jeffrey S. , Pacak Karel
Published: July 2021

Patients with clinically advanced paragangliomas (CA-Para) and pheochromocytomas (CA-Pheo) have limited surgical or systemic treatments. We used comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) to compare genomic alterations (GA) in CA-Para and CA-Pheo to identify potential therapeutic targets. Eighty-three CA-Para and 45 CA-Pheo underwent hybrid-capture-based CGP using a targeted panel of 324 genes. Tumor mutational burden (TMB) and microsatellite instability (MSI) were determined. The GA/tumor frequencies were low for both tumor types (1.9 GA/tumor for CA-Para, 2.3 GA/tumor for CA-Pheo). The most frequent potentially targetable GA in CA-Para were in FGFR1 (7%, primarily amplifications), NF1, PTEN, NF2, and CDK4 (all 2%) and for CA-Pheo in RET (9%, primarily fusions), NF1 (11%) and FGFR1 (7%). Germline mutations in known cancer predisposition genes were predicted in 13 (30%) of CA-Pheo and 38 (45%) of CA-Para cases, predominantly involving SDHA/B genes. Both CA-Para and CA-Para had low median TMB, low PD-L1 expression levels and none had MSI high status. While similar GA frequency is seen in both CA-Para and CA-Para, germline GA were seen more frequently in CA-Para. Low PD-L1 expression levels and no MSI high status argue against strong potential for novel immune checkpoint inhibitors. However, several important potential therapeutic targets in both CA-Para and CA-Para are identified using CGP.
Gastrointestinal Manifestations in Systemic Mastocytosis: The Need of a Multidisciplinary Approach
Authors: Zanelli Magda , Pizzi Marco , Sanguedolce Francesca , Zizzo Maurizio , Palicelli Andrea , Soriano Alessandra , Bisagni Alessandra , Martino Giovanni , Caprera Cecilia , Moretti Marina , Masia Francesco , De Marco Loredana , Froio Elisabetta , Foroni Moira , Bernardelli Giuditta , Alvarez de Celis Maria Isabel , Giunta Alessandro , Merli Francesco , Ascani Stefano
Published: July 2021

Mastocytosis represents a heterogeneous group of neoplastic mast cell disorders. The basic classification into a skin-limited disease and a systemic form with multi-organ involvement remains valid. Systemic mastocytosis is a disease often hard to diagnose, characterized by different symptoms originating from either the release of mast cell mediators or organ damage due to mast cell infiltration. Gastrointestinal symptoms represent one of the major causes of morbidity, being present in 60–80% of patients. A high index of suspicion by clinicians and pathologists is required to reach the diagnosis. Gastrointestinal mastocytosis can be a challenging diagnosis, as symptoms simulate other more common gastrointestinal diseases. The endoscopic appearance is generally unremarkable or nonspecific and gastrointestinal mast cell infiltration can be focal and subtle, requiring an adequate sampling with multiple biopsies by the endoscopists. Special stains, such as CD117, tryptase, and CD25, should be performed in order not to miss the gastrointestinal mast cell infiltrate. A proper patient’s workup requires a multidisciplinary approach including gastroenterologists, endoscopists, hematologists, oncologists, and pathologists. The aim of this review is to analyze the clinicopathological features of gastrointestinal involvement in systemic mastocytosis, focusing on the relevance of a multidisciplinary approach.
Genomics of Smoldering Multiple Myeloma: Time for Clinical Translation of Findings?
Authors: Lionetti Marta , Da Vià Matteo C. , Albano Francesco , Neri Antonino , Bolli Niccolò , Musto Pellegrino
Published: July 2021

Smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM) is an asymptomatic disorder of clonal bone marrow (BM) plasma cells (PCs) in between the premalignant condition known as monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and overt multiple myeloma (MM). It is characterized by a deep biological heterogeneity that is reflected in a markedly variable progression risk among patients. Recently proposed risk stratification models mainly rely on indirect markers of disease burden and are unable to identify cases in whom clonal PCs have already undergone the “malignant switch” but major clonal expansion has not occurred yet. In the last years, the application of next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques has led to profound advances in the understanding of the molecular bases of SMM progression, and in all likelihood, it will contribute to the needed improvement of SMM prognostication. In this Review, we describe the recent advances in characterizing the genomic landscape of SMM and intrinsic determinants of its progression, highlighting their implications in terms of understanding of tumor evolution and prognostication. We also review the main studies investigating the role of the microenvironment in this early disease stage. Finally, we mention the results of the first randomized clinical trials and discuss the potential clinical translability of the genomic insights.
Impact of Surgical Resection and Reasons for Poor Prognosis of Pelvic Osteosarcoma Based on the Bone Tumor Registry in Japan
Authors: Takenaka Satoshi , Tamiya Hironari , Wakamatsu Toru , Nakai Sho , Imura Yoshinori , Outani Hidetatsu , Yagi Toshinari , Kawai Akira
Published: July 2021

Pelvic osteosarcoma has a poor prognosis compared to osteosarcomas in other locations, and the reasons for this remain unknown. Surgical resection of pelvic osteosarcoma is technically demanding and often results in dysfunction and complications. In this study, we investigated the reasons underlying the poor prognosis of pelvic osteosarcoma by comparing it to femoral osteosarcoma using data from the Bone Tumor Registry in Japan. We used propensity score analysis to determine whether surgical resection of pelvic osteosarcoma improved its prognosis. We demonstrated that pelvic osteosarcoma had a poor prognosis because it occurred more often in the elderly, often had larger tumor size, and had metastasis at presentation more often in comparison to femoral osteosarcoma. These three factors were also associated with the non-surgical treatment of pelvic osteosarcoma, which also led to a poor outcome. The overall survival rate was only comparable in pelvic osteosarcoma and femoral osteosarcoma in cases treated with surgical resection. Propensity score analysis revealed that surgical treatment improved the prognosis of pelvic osteosarcoma. As such, we propose that surgical resection should be considered based on tumor stage and patient age in order to improve the prognosis of pelvic osteosarcoma.