bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Intra-Articular Injection of (−)-Epigallocatechin 3-Gallate (EGCG) Ameliorates Cartilage Degeneration in Guinea Pigs with Spontaneous Osteoarthritis
Authors: Huang Hsuan-Ti , Cheng Tsung-Lin , Yang Chung-Da , Chang Chi-Fen , Ho Cheng-Jung , Chuang Shu-Chun , Li Jhong-You , Huang Shih-Hao , Lin Yi-Shan , Shen Hsin-Yi , Yu Tsung-Han , Kang Lin , Lin Sung-Yen , Chen Chung-Hwan
Published: January 2021

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent joint disease that causes an enormous burden of disease worldwide. (−)-Epigallocatechin 3-gallate (EGCG) has been reported to reduce post-traumatic OA progression through its anti-inflammatory property. Aging is the most crucial risk factor of OA, and the majority of OA incidences are related to age and not trauma. In this study, we assess whether EGCG can ameliorate cartilage degradation in primary OA. In an in-vitro study, real-time PCR was performed to assess the expression of genes associated with human articular chondrocyte homeostasis. A spontaneously occurring OA model in guinea pigs was used to investigate the effect of EGCG in vivo. OA severity was evaluated using Safranin O staining and Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) scores, as well as by immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis to determine the protein level of type II collagen (Col II), matrix metalloproteinase 13 (MMP-13), and p16 ink4a in articular cartilage. In the in-vitro study, EGCG increased the gene expression of aggrecan and Col II and decreased the expression of interleukin-1, cyclooxygenase 2, MMP-13, alkaline phosphatase, Col X, and p16 Ink4a; EGCG treatment also attenuated the degraded cartilage with a lower OARSI score. Meanwhile, IHC results showed that EGCG exerted an anti-OA effect by reducing ECM degradation, cartilage inflammation, and cell senescence with a less-immunostained Col II, MMP-13, and p16 Ink4a. In conclusion, these findings suggest that EGCG may be a potential disease-modifying OA drug for the treatment of primary OA.
Lineal Energy of Proton in Silicon by a Microdosimetry Simulation
Authors: Chiang Yueh , Tan Cher Ming , Tung Chuan-Jong , Lee Chung-Chi , Chao Tsi-Chian
Published: January 2021

Single event upset, or Single Event Effect (SEE) is increasingly important as semiconductor devices are entering into nano-meter scale. The Linear Energy Transfer (LET) concept is commonly used to estimate the rate of SEE. The SEE, however, should be related to energy deposition of each stochastic event, but not LET which is a non-stochastic quantity. Instead, microdosimetry, which uses a lineal calculation of energy lost per step for each specific track, should be used to replace LET to predict microelectronic failure from SEEs. Monte Carlo simulation is used for the demonstration, and there are several parameters needed to optimise for SEE simulation, such as the target size, physical models and scoring techniques. We also show the thickness of the sensitive volume, which also correspond to the size of a device, will change the spectra of lineal energy. With a more comprehensive Monte Carlo simulation performed in this work, we also show and explain the differences in our results and the reported results such as those from Hiemstra et al. which are commonly used in semiconductor industry for the prediction of SEE in devices.
Review on Silver Nanoparticles as a Novel Class of Antibacterial Solutions
Authors: Crisan Corina Michaela , Mocan Teodora , Manolea Meda , Lasca Lavinia Iulia , Tăbăran Flaviu-Alexandru , Mocan Lucian
Published: January 2021

Nanomaterials represent a promising novel class of materials to be used as antibacterial solutions. Inhomogeneity of synthesis and characterization methods, as well as resulting variate physical and chemical properties make selection of proper nanostructure difficult when designing antimicrobial experiments. Present study focuses on the already existing evidence regarding silver nanoparticles and their antibacterial applications, with focus on various modulatory factors of reported antimicrobial efficiency. Present paper focuses on synthesis and characterization methods, factors modulating antibacterial efficiency, laboratory quantification procedures, as well as up–to-date knowledge on mechanisms of antibacterial action for silver nanoparticles. Moreover, challenges and future prospects for antimicrobial applications of silver nanoparticles are reviewed and discussed.
Data Independent Acquisition Based Bi-Directional Deep Networks for Biometric ECG Authentication
Authors: Lynn Htet Myet , Kim Pankoo , Pan Sung Bum
Published: January 2021

In this report, the study of non-fiducial based approaches for Electrocardiogram(ECG) biometric authentication is examined, and several excessive techniques are proposed to perform comparative experiments for evaluating the best possible approach for all the classification tasks. Non-fiducial methods are designed to extract the discriminative information of a signal without annotating fiducial points. However, this process requires peak detection to identify a heartbeat signal. Based on recent studies that usually rely on heartbeat segmentation, QRS detection is required, and the process can be complicated for ECG signals for which the QRS complex is absent. Thus, many studies only conduct biometric authentication tasks on ECG signals with QRS complexes, and are hindered by similar limitations. To overcome this issue, we proposed a data-independent acquisition method to facilitate highly generalizable signal processing and feature learning processes. This is achieved by enhancing random segmentation to avoid complicated fiducial feature extraction, along with auto-correlation to eliminate the phase difference due to random segmentation. Subsequently, a bidirectional recurrent neural network (RNN) with long short-term memory (LSTM) deep networks is utilized to automatically learn the features associated with the signal and to perform an authentication task. The experimental results suggest that the proposed data-independent approach using a BLSTM network achieves a relatively high classification accuracy for every dataset relative to the compared techniques. Moreover, it exhibited a significantly higher accuracy rate in experiments using ECG signals without the QRS complex. The results also revealed that data-dependent methods can only perform well for specified data types and amendments of data variations, whereas the presented approach can also be considered for generalization to other quasi-periodical biometric signal-based classification tasks in future studies.
Optimization of Extraction Conditions for Antioxidant Activity of Acer tegmentosum Using Response Surface Methodology
Authors: Kim Inyong , Ha Jung-Heun , Jeong Yoonhwa
Published: January 2021

Extraction from edible plants is a highly important process that has various biological functions. To maximize biological activity, extraction methods should facilitate optimal extraction of functional phytochemicals. In this study, the optimal hydrothermal extraction conditions of Acer tegmentosum were determined using response surface methodology (RSM), and HepG2 cells were treated with optimized extract and hydrogen peroxide. In a central composition design, the independent variables were extraction temperature (X1: 70–90 °C), extraction time (X2: 2–6 h), and solvent-to-solid ratio (X3: 50–150). The maximum total phenolic contents (276.70 ± 10.11 mg GAE/g) and DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-pictylhydrazyl) activity (33.45 ± 2.20%) of A. tegmentosum were estimated at optimized extraction conditions, as follows: X1: 89.34 °C, X2: 7.36 h, X3: 184.09. Using the calculated extraction conditions, functional phytochemicals were extracted by hydrothermal extraction and freeze-dried. A. tegmentosum treatment (>10 μg/mL) of HepG2 cells remarkably attenuated hydrogen-peroxide-inducible hepatic cellular death and reactive oxygen species production in vitro.
Characterizing and Visualizing the Impact of Energy Storage on Renewable Energy Curtailment in Bulk Power Systems
Authors: Guo Zhongjie , Wei Wei , Wang Maochun , Li Jian , Huang Shaowei , Chen Laijun , Mei Shengwei
Published: January 2021

The uncertain natures of renewable energy lead to its underutilization; energy storage unit (ESU) is expected to be one of the most promising solutions to this issue. This paper evaluates the impact of ESUs on renewable energy curtailment. For any fixed renewable power output, the evaluation model minimizes the total amount of curtailment and is formulated as a mixed integer linear program (MILP) with the complementarity constraints on the charging and discharging behaviors of ESUs; by treating the power and energy capacities of ESUs as parameters, the MILP is transformed into a multi-parametric MILP (mp-MILP), whose optimal value function (OVF) explicitly maps the parameters to the renewable energy curtailment. Further, given the inexactness of uncertainty’s probability distribution, a distributionally robust mp-MILP (DR-mp-MILP) is proposed that considers the worst distribution in a neighborhood of the empirical distribution built by the representative scenarios. The DR-mp-MILP has a max–min form and is reformed as a canonical mp-MILP by duality theory. The proposed method was validated on the modified IEEE nine-bus systems; the parameterized OVFs provide insightful suggestions on storage sizing.
Syntheses of Nanostructured Magnesium Carbonate Powders with Mesoporous Structures from Carbon Dioxide
Authors: Rodríguez-Macías Fernando J. , Ortiz-Castillo José E. , López-Lara Erika , García-Cuéllar Alejandro J. , López-Salinas José L. , García-Pérez César A. , Castilleja-Escobedo Orlando , Vega-Cantú Yadira I.
Published: January 2021

In this work, we present the results of two synthesis approaches for mesoporous magnesium carbonates, that result in mineralization of carbon dioxide, producing carbonate materials without the use of cosolvents, which makes them more environmentally friendly. In one of our synthesis methods, we found that we could obtain nonequilibrium crystal structures, with acicular crystals branching bidirectionally from a denser core. Both Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction showed these crystals to be a mixture of sulfate and hydrated carbonates. We attribute the nonequilibrium morphology to coprecipitation of two salts and short synthesis time (25 min). Other aqueous synthesis conditions produced mixtures of carbonates with different morphologies, which changed depending on drying temperature (40 or 100 °C). In addition to aqueous solution, we used supercritical carbon dioxide for synthesis, producing a hydrated magnesium carbonate, with a nesquehonite structure, according to X-ray diffraction. This second material has smaller pores (1.01 nm) and high surface area. Due to their high surface area, these materials could be used for adsorbents and capillary transport, in addition to their potential use for carbon capture and sequestration.
Large Bandgap Topological Insulator in Oxide APoO3 (A = Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, and Ra) Perovskite: An Ab Initio Study
Authors: Lee Chi-Hsuan , Tung Jen-Chuan
Published: January 2021

Under the density functional theory framework, we have calculated the electronic and elastic properties of APoO3 (A = Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, and Ra) cubic perovskites. We found that CaPoO3, SrPoO3, BaPoO3, and RaPoO3 are topological insulators (TIs) with very large bandgaps of 0.861, 0.871, 0.820, and 0.810 eV, respectively. The nontrivial band topology together with the Z2 topological number of APoO3 perovskite are investigated. We also theoretically determine the three independent elastic constants C11, C12, and C44 of the APoO3 perovskite. The bulk modulus, shear modulus, Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio, and anisotropy factor are also calculated from the obtained elastic constants. We found that the Debye temperature for the APoO3 perovskite is around 330-370 K. In the bulk APoO3 perovskite, if the center Po atom is shifted 0.09Å away from the center, the induced electric polarization is quite large, being around 0.02 C/m2. In the surface band calculation, we found that both AO and PoO2 surfaces give rise to contributions to the conduction channel. If the Po atom moves both in-plane and out-of-plane, we show that both electric polarization and topologically protect surface conduction states exist in APoO3 perovskite, indicating that these oxide APoO3 perovskites are ferroelectric TIs and might be useful for spintronic applications.
Tests and Simulation of the Bond-Slip between Steel and Concrete with Recycled Aggregates from CDW
Authors: Bravo Miguel , Duarte António P. C. , de Brito Jorge , Evangelista Luís
Published: January 2021

This works intends to analyze, experimentally and numerically, the bond-slip behavior between steel and concrete made with recycled aggregates (RA) from construction and demolition waste (CDW) from several recycling plants in Portugal. Pull-out tests performed in concrete mixes with RA from CDW are described and the main results (bond strength, bond-slip curves and failure modes) are shown and discussed. Additionally, a comparison between experimental and analytical (using equations from the literature) results is made. Afterwards, finite element (FE) models using Abaqus are developed and compared with the experimental results. The interface behavior between steel and concrete follows that prescribed by the CEB-FIP Model Code and uses as input experimental results. After validation, the models show good results when extended to predict the bond-slip behavior of the remaining concrete mixes studied. It is generally concluded that, per each 10% of natural aggregates replaced with RA from CDW, the bond strength decreases in circa 3% (numerically) to 5% (experimentally). CEB-FIP Model Code equations are shown to be able to predict bond strength and, when used in FE models, to lead to accurate simulation of the bond-slip response of steel and concrete with RA from CDW: the average ratio between numerical and experimental bond strengths is 0.95. In the scope of the FE models developed, a simple equation to be used along with those prescribed by CEB-FIP, which accounts for fraction and ratio of aggregates replaced, is put forward, as a first approach, showing good results.
A Versatile Tripodal Ligand for Sensitizing Lanthanide (LnIII) Ions and Color Tuning
Authors: Tigaa Rodney A. , Ortega Raul E. , Lin Xinsong , Strouse Geoffrey F.
Published: January 2021

Lanthanide (LnIII) ions were successfully chelated and sensitized with a tripodal ligand. The absolute LnIII-centered emission efficiencies were ~3% for both the europium(III) (EuIII) and terbium (TbIII) complexes and up to 54% for the cerium(III) (CeIII) complex. The differences in emission quantum yields for the early lanthanides (CeIII) and the mid lanthanides (EuIII and TbIII) were attributed to their d–f and f–f nature, respectively. Despite the low quantum yield of the EuIII complex, the combination of the residual ligand fluorescence and the red EuIII emission resulted in a bluish-white material with the Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage (CIE) coordinates (0.258, 0.242). Thus, metal complexes of the ligand could be used in the generation of single-component white-light-emitting materials.
Risk Perception and Ethnic Background in Construction Workers: Results of a Cross-Sectional Study in a Group of Trainees of a Vocational School in Italy
Authors: Ricci Federico , Bravo Giulia , Modenese Alberto , De Pasquale Fabrizio , Ferrari Davide , Bello Massimo , Favero Gianluca , Soddu Sergio , Gobba Fabriziomaria
Published: January 2021

Risk perception can be influenced by cultural background. The study aims to evaluate risk perception, considering different ethnicities of construction workers from vocational schools in Italy. We administered a questionnaire investigating four different dimensions: Perceived behavioral control (PBC), Danger perception (DP), Safety climate (SC), and Attitude towards safe actions (ATSA). 562 workers answered: 72.4% from Italy, 14.2% from eastern Europe, 9.4% from Balkans, and 3.9% from North Africa. The participants indicated quite low control, attributable to the haste in performing the job. The workers perceived their specific job tasks as riskier compared to the tasks of their colleagues. They reported as fundamental the respecting of safety rules, but indicating that supervisors do not adequately promote safety behaviors. Finally, construction workers judged as “brave” the colleagues working without protective equipment. When compared to Italians, North Africa workers showed a lower perception of the possibility to control their safe behaviors (p = 0.040), while both eastern Europeans and Balkan obtained higher scores at the ATSA dimension, indicating a kind of fatalistic acceptance of the risky situations at work. Eastern Europeans also showed a lower perception of the dangers (p = 0.002), while Balkan demonstrated a perception of SC even better than the Italian group (p = 0.005).
Optimization of Dynamic Task Location within a Manipulator’s Workspace for the Utilization of the Minimum Required Joint Torques
Authors: Wolniakowski Adam , Valsamos Charalampos , Miatliuk Kanstantsin , Moulianitis Vassilis , Aspragathos Nikos
Published: January 2021

The determination of the optimal position of a robotic task within a manipulator’s workspace is crucial for the manipulator to achieve high performance regarding selected aspects of its operation. In this paper, a method for determining the optimal task placement for a serial manipulator is presented, so that the required joint torques are minimized. The task considered comprises the exercise of a given force in a given direction along a 3D path followed by the end effector. Given that many such tasks are usually conducted by human workers and as such the utilized trajectories are quite complex to model, a Human Robot Interaction (HRI) approach was chosen to define the task, where the robot is taught the task trajectory by a human operator. Furthermore, the presented method considers the singular free paths of the manipulator’s end-effector motion in the configuration space. Simulation results are utilized to set up a physical execution of the task in the optimal derived position within a UR-3 manipulator’s workspace. For reference the task is also placed at an arbitrary “bad” location in order to validate the simulation results. Experimental results verify that the positioning of the task at the optimal location derived by the presented method allows for the task execution with minimum joint torques as opposed to the arbitrary position.
Robotics in Education: A Scientific Mapping of the Literature in Web of Science
Authors: López-Belmonte Jesús , Segura-Robles Adrián , Moreno-Guerrero Antonio-José , Parra-González María-Elena
Published: January 2021

The technological revolution has created new educational opportunities. Today, robotics is one of the most modern systems to be introduced in educational settings. The main objective of this research was to analyze the evolution of the “robotics” concept in the educational field while having, as a reference point, the reported literature in the Web of Science (WoS). The methodology applied in this research was bibliometrics, which we used to analyze the structural and dynamic development of the concept. The collection of WoS studies on robotics in education began in 1975. Its evolution has been irregular, reaching peak production in 2019. Although the focus was on collecting studies with educational knowledge areas, other knowledge areas were also present, such as engineering and computing. It was found that the types of manuscript most commonly used to present scientific results in this area are proceedings papers. The country with the highest level of production in this field of study is the United States. The results confirm the potential of this type of study in the scientific field. The importance of this technology in the training of future surgeons and in the results they produce in their own learning was also detected.
Adaptive Decrease Window for BALIA (ADW-BALIA): Congestion Control Algorithm for Throughput Improvement in Nonshared Bottlenecks
Authors: Kim Geon-Hwan , Song Yeong-Jun , Mahmud Imtiaz , Cho You-Ze
Published: January 2021

The main design goals of the multipath transmission control protocol (MPTCP) are to improve the throughput and share a common bottleneck link fairly with a single-path transmission control protocol (TCP). The existing MPTCP congestion control algorithms achieve the goal of fairness with single-path TCP flows in a shared bottleneck, but they cannot maximize the throughput in nonshared bottlenecks, where multiple subflows traverse different bottleneck links. This is because the MPTCP is designed not to exceed the throughput of a single-path TCP competing in the bottleneck. Therefore, we believe that MPTCP congestion control should have different congestion window control mechanisms, depending on the bottleneck type. In this paper, we propose an adaptive decrease window (ADW) balanced linked adaptation (BALIA) congestion control algorithm that adaptively adjusts the congestion window decrease in order to achieve better throughput in nonshared bottlenecks while maintaining fairness with the single-path TCP flows in shared bottlenecks. The ADW-BALIA algorithm detects shared and nonshared bottlenecks based on delay fluctuations and it uses different congestion window decrease methods for the two types of bottleneck. When the delay fluctuations of the MPTCP subflows are similar, the ADW-BALIA algorithm behaves the same as the existing BALIA congestion control algorithm. If the delay fluctuations are dissimilar, then the ADW-BALIA algorithm adaptively modulates the congestion window reduction. We implement the ADW-BALIA algorithm in the Linux kernel and perform an emulation experiment that is based on various topologies. ADW-BALIA improves the aggregate MPTCP throughput by 20% in the nonshared bottleneck scenario, while maintaining fairness with the single-path TCP in the shared bottleneck scenario. Even in a triple bottleneck topology, where both types of bottlenecks exist together, the throughput increases significantly. We confirmed that the ADW-BALIA algorithm works stably for different delay paths, in competition with CUBIC flows, and with lossy links.
Vocal Melody Extraction via HRNet-Based Singing Voice Separation and Encoder-Decoder-Based F0 Estimation
Authors: Gao Yongwei , Zhang Xulong , Li Wei
Published: January 2021

Vocal melody extraction is an important and challenging task in music information retrieval. One main difficulty is that, most of the time, various instruments and singing voices are mixed according to harmonic structure, making it hard to identify the fundamental frequency (F0) of a singing voice. Therefore, reducing the interference of accompaniment is beneficial to pitch estimation of the singing voice. In this paper, we first adopted a high-resolution network (HRNet) to separate vocals from polyphonic music, then designed an encoder-decoder network to estimate the vocal F0 values. Experiment results demonstrate that the effectiveness of the HRNet-based singing voice separation method in reducing the interference of accompaniment on the extraction of vocal melody, and the proposed vocal melody extraction (VME) system outperforms other state-of-the-art algorithms in most cases.
Disaccharide Type Affected Phenolic and Volatile Compounds of Citrus Fiber-Blackberry Cream Fillings
Authors: Vukoja Josipa , Buljeta Ivana , Ivić Ivana , Šimunović Josip , Pichler Anita , Kopjar Mirela
Published: January 2021

The food industry is continuously developing ingredients, processing methods and packaging materials to improve the quality of fruit products. The aim of this work was to study the possibility of using citrus fiber in the preparation of blackberry cream fillings in combination with disaccharides (sucrose, maltose and trehalose). Evaluations of the phenolics, proanthocyanidins, antioxidant activity, color and volatiles of blackberry cream fillings were conducted after preparation and after three months of storage. Blackberry cream fillings were prepared from citrus fiber (5%), blackberry juice and disaccharides (50%). Disaccharide type had an effect on all investigated parameters. The highest phenol content was in fillings with trehalose (4.977 g/100 g) and the lowest was in fillings prepared with sucrose (4.249 g/100 g). The same tendency was observed after storage. Fillings with maltose had the highest proanthocyanidins content (473.05 mg/100 g) while fillings with sucrose had the lowest amount (299.03 mg/100 g) of these compounds. Regarding volatile compounds, terpenes and aldehydes and ketones were evaluated in the highest concentration. Terpenes were determined in the highest concentration in fillings with trehalose (358.05 µg/kg), while aldehydes and ketones were highest in fillings with sucrose (250.87 µg/kg). After storage, concentration of volatiles decreased. These results indicate that the selection of adequate disaccharides is very important since it can influence the final quality of the product.
Products Released from Structurally Different Dextrans by Bacterial and Fungal Dextranases
Authors: Pittrof Silke L. , Kaufhold Larissa , Fischer Anja , Wefers Daniel
Published: January 2021

Dextran hydrolysis by dextranases is applied in the sugar industry and the medical sector, but it also has a high potential for use in structural analysis of dextrans. However, dextranases are produced by several organisms and thus differ in their properties. The aim of this study was to comparatively investigate the product patterns obtained from the incubation of linear as well as O3- and O4-branched dextrans with different dextranases. For this purpose, genes encoding for dextranases from Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron and Streptococcus salivarius were cloned and heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli. The two recombinant enzymes as well as two commercial dextranases from Chaetomium sp. and Penicillium sp. were subsequently used to hydrolyze structurally different dextrans. The hydrolysis products were investigated in detail by HPAEC-PAD. For dextranases from Chaetomium sp., Penicillium sp., and Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, isomaltose was the end product of the hydrolysis from linear dextrans, whereas Penicillium sp. dextranase led to isomaltose and isomaltotetraose. In addition, the latter enzyme also catalyzed a disproportionation reaction when incubated with isomaltotriose. For O3- and O4-branched dextrans, the fungal dextranases yielded significantly different oligosaccharide patterns than the bacterial enzymes. Overall, the product patterns can be adjusted by choosing the correct enzyme as well as a defined enzyme activity.
Influence of Different Commercial Yeasts on Volatile Fraction of Sparkling Wines
Authors: Cotea Valeriu V. , Focea Mihai Cristian , Luchian Camelia Elena , Colibaba Lucia Cintia , Scutarașu Elena Cristina , Marius Niculaua , Zamfir Cătălin Ioan , Popîrdă Andreea
Published: January 2021

The occurrence of aroma constituents in sparkling wines, with direct impact on their organoleptic characteristics, is affected by several factors, for example the base-wine particularities, grapes cultivar conditions, inoculated yeasts, the aging stage, and wine-making practices. This study evaluated the influence of different four commercial yeasts (IOC FIZZ™, IOC DIVINE™, LEVULIA CRISTAL™, and IOC 18-2007™) on the volatile composition of experimental sparkling wines. For this, five sparkling wines variants from the Muscat Ottonel grape variety were obtained. The base-wine was obtained through reverse osmosis and had a predetermined alcoholic concentration (10.5% vol.). In order to fulfill the proposed purpose, the experimental sparkling wines were characterized by the physical–chemical parameters (according to International Organization of Vine and Wine methods of analysis), volatile fraction (using gas-chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry technique), and sensory descriptors. Data showed a key impact on the concentration of the volatile constituents (p < 0.05), depending on the type of inoculated yeast for the second fermentation. Regarding the sensory analysis, important differences can be observed due to the type of inoculated yeast. Only a minor influence on the physical–chemical parameters was registered.
Traditional Applications of Tannin Rich Extracts Supported by Scientific Data: Chemical Composition, Bioavailability and Bioaccessibility
Authors: Fraga-Corral Maria , Otero Paz , Cassani Lucia , Echave Javier , Garcia-Oliveira Paula , Carpena Maria , Chamorro Franklin , Lourenço-Lopes Catarina , Prieto Miguel A. , Simal-Gandara Jesus
Published: January 2021

Tannins are polyphenolic compounds historically utilized in textile and adhesive industries, but also in traditional human and animal medicines or foodstuffs. Since 20th-century, advances in analytical chemistry have allowed disclosure of the chemical nature of these molecules. The chemical profile of extracts obtained from previously selected species was investigated to try to establish a bridge between traditional background and scientific data. The study of the chemical composition of these extracts has permitted us to correlate the presence of tannins and other related molecules with the effectiveness of their apparent uses. The revision of traditional knowledge paired with scientific evidence may provide a supporting background on their use and the basis for developing innovative pharmacology and food applications based on formulations using natural sources of tannins. This traditional-scientific approach can result useful due to the raising consumers’ demand for natural products in markets, to which tannin-rich extracts may pose an attractive alternative. Therefore, it is of interest to back traditional applications with accurate data while meeting consumer’s acceptance. In this review, several species known to contain high amounts of tannins have been selected as a starting point to establish a correlation between their alleged traditional use, tannins content and composition and potential bioaccessibility.
Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases Predict Different COVID-19 Outcomes: A UK Biobank Study
Authors: Yu Yizhou , Travaglio Marco , Popovic Rebeka , Leal Nuno Santos , Martins Luis Miguel
Published: January 2021

In December 2019, a coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began infecting humans, causing a novel disease, coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19). This was first described in the Wuhan province of the People’s Republic of China. SARS-CoV-2 has spread throughout the world, causing a global pandemic. To date, thousands of cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the United Kingdom, and over 45,000 patients have died. Some progress has been achieved in managing this disease, but the biological determinants of health, in addition to age, that affect SARS-CoV-2 infectivity and mortality are under scrutiny. Recent studies show that several medical conditions, including diabetes and hypertension, increase the risk of COVID-19 and death. The increased vulnerability of elderly individuals and those with comorbidities, together with the prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases with advanced age, led us to investigate the links between neurodegeneration and COVID-19. We analysed the primary health records of 13,338 UK individuals tested for COVID-19 between March and July 2020. We show that a pre-existing diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease predicts the highest risk of COVID-19 and mortality among elderly individuals. In contrast, Parkinson’s disease patients were found to have a higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection but not mortality from COVID-19. We conclude that there are disease-specific differences in COVID-19 susceptibility among patients affected by neurodegenerative disorders.
Reproduction and Testing of Display Options for the Slide-Based Artwork Slides de Cavalete (1978–1979) by Ângelo de Sousa: An Experimental Study
Authors: Silva Joana , Urze Paula , Ávila Maria Jesús , Neves Artur , Ferreira Joana Lia , Melo Maria João , Ramos Ana Maria
Published: January 2021

Slides de cavalete | Easel slides (1978–1979) is a slide-based artwork by the Portuguese artist Ângelo de Sousa (1938–2011), composed of one-hundred colour slides. Each image was produced by capturing different proportions of red, green, and blue (RGB) lights to obtain colour gradations. The artwork was first presented in the exhibition A Fotografia como Arte/A Arte como Fotografia | Photography as Art/Art as Photography in 1979. Associated with this exhibition, documentary evidence was found during the present study providing specific instruction on how to display the artwork (possibly unknown until now). According to that documentation, the artist wanted the work to be projected on a canvas mounted in an easel with a 19th century semblance, using a slide projector. In the last two exhibitions, carried out in 2017, after the artist had passed, the work was displayed as a digital projection, without the previously mentioned sculptural components. It was considered that this deviation from the first presentation could have led to a misunderstanding of the work. Thus, an exhibition of this artwork was prepared in a room at the Library of Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia. This was built as an experimental laboratory, having as one of its important objectives to test the variability of the work projected with a slide projector and a digital projector, following the display setup defined by the artist. For four days, the visitors were shown the work displayed under these two distinct scenarios of presentation. The visitors were also asked to fill out a questionnaire, to capture their perception about the variance of the work. The data obtained in the questionnaire and during the exhibition reinforced the decision to expose Slides de cavalete using the original technology. The public preferred the quality and beauty of the image using the slide projector, highlighting as positive aspects more granularity and warmer hue as well as higher depth of the images. Additionally, the production process behind Slides de cavalete was studied, based on documentation discovered in the artist’s archive and on reproductions, to enrich our perception of the work, in particular the complexity of creating the sfumato effects, and to understand the impact of changing the display technology. The results obtained made it possible to identify the main steps of making these slides, and this knowledge was shared with visitors in a workshop, integrated in this experimental laboratory.
Chemical Composition, Antioxidant, and α-Glucosidase-Inhibiting Activity of Aqueous and Hydroethanolic Extracts of Traditional Antidiabetics from Croatian Ethnomedicine
Authors: Bljajić Kristina , Brajković Andrea , Čačić Ana , Vujić Lovorka , Jablan Jasna , Saraiva de Carvalho Isabel , Zovko Končić Marijana
Published: January 2021

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a chronic disease with a growing prevalence worldwide. In addition to the conventional therapy, many T2D patients use phytotherapeutic preparations. In the present study, chemical composition, antioxidant, and α-glucosidase inhibiting activity of traditional antidiabetics from Croatian ethnomedicine (Achillea millefolium, Artemisia absinthium, Centaurium erythraea, Morusalba, Phaseolus vulgaris, Sambucus nigra, and Salvia officinalis) were assessed. The efficacy of water and 80% ethanol as extraction solvents for bioactive constituents was compared. HPLC analysis revealed that the prepared extracts were rich in phenols, especially rutin, ferulic, and chlorogenic acid. Antiradical (against DPPH and ABTS radicals), reducing (towards Mo6+ and Fe3+ ions), and enzyme inhibiting properties were in linear correlation with the content of phenolic constituents. Ethanolic extracts, richer in phenolic substances, showed dominant efficacy in those assays. Aqueous extracts, on the other hand, were better Fe2+ ion chelators and more active in the β-carotene linoleic acid assay. Extracts from S. officinalis and A. millefolium were particularly active antioxidants and α-glucosidase inhibitors. A. absinthium, another potent α-glucosidase inhibitor, contained chromium, a mineral that promotes insulin action. The investigated plants contained significant amounts of minerals useful in management of T2D, with negligible amounts of heavy metals deeming them safe for human use.
Retinal Vascular Endothelial Cell Dysfunction and Neuroretinal Degeneration in Diabetic Patients
Authors: Mrugacz Malgorzata , Bryl Anna , Zorena Katarzyna
Published: January 2021

Diabetes mellitus (DM) has become a vital societal problem as epidemiological studies demonstrate the increasing incidence of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Lesions observed in the retina in the course of diabetes, referred to as diabetic retinopathy (DR), are caused by vascular abnormalities and are ischemic in nature. Vascular lesions in diabetes pertain to small vessels (microangiopathy) and involve precapillary arterioles, capillaries and small veins. Pericyte loss, thickening of the basement membrane, and damage and proliferation of endothelial cells are observed. Endothelial cells (monolayer squamous epithelium) form the smooth internal vascular lining indispensable for normal blood flow. Breaking its continuity initiates blood coagulation at that site. The endothelium controls the process of exchange of chemical substances (nutritional, regulatory, waste products) between blood and the retina, and blood cell passing through the vascular wall. Endothelial cells produce biologically active substances involved in blood coagulation, regulating vascular wall tension and stimulating neoangiogenesis. On the other hand, recent studies have demonstrated that diabetic retinopathy may be not only a microvascular disease, but is a result of neuroretinal degeneration. Neuroretinal degeneration appears structurally, as neural apoptosis of amacrine and Muller cells, reactive gliosis, ganglion cell layer/inner plexiform (GCL) thickness, retinal thickness, and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, and a reduction of the neuroretinal rim in minimum rim width (MRW) and functionally as an abnormal electroretinogram (ERG), dark adaptation, contrast sensitivity, color vision, and microperimetric test. The findings in early stages of diabetic retinopathy may precede microvascular changes of this disease. Furthermore, the article’s objective is to characterize the factors and mechanisms conducive to microvascular changes and neuroretinal apoptosis in diabetic retinopathy. Only when all the measures preventing vascular dysfunction are determined will the risk of complications in the course of diabetes be minimized.
The Association between Early-Life Gut Microbiota and Long-Term Health and Diseases
Authors: Sarkar Anujit , Yoo Ji Youn , Valeria Ozorio Dutra Samia , Morgan Katherine H. , Groer Maureen
Published: January 2021

Early life gut microbiota have been increasingly recognized as major contributors to short and/or long-term human health and diseases. Numerous studies have demonstrated that human gut microbial colonization begins at birth, but continues to develop a succession of taxonomic abundances for two to three years until the gut microbiota reaches adult-like diversity and proportions. Several factors, including gestational age (GA), delivery mode, birth weight, feeding types, antibiotic exposure, maternal microbiome, and diet, influence the diversity, abundance, and function of early life gut microbiota. Gut microbial life is essential for assisting with the digestion of food substances to release nutrients, exerting control over pathogens, stimulating or modulating the immune system, and influencing many systems such as the liver, brain, and endocrine system. Microbial metabolites play multiple roles in these interactions. Furthermore, studies provide evidence supporting that imbalances of the gut microbiota in early life, referred to as dysbiosis, are associated with specific childhood or adult disease outcomes, such as asthma, atopic dermatitis, diabetes, allergic diseases, obesity, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and neurological disorders. These findings support that the human gut microbiota may play a fundamental role in the risk of acquiring diseases that may be programmed during early life. In fact, it is critical to explore the role of the human gut microbiota in early life.
Parity and Interval from Previous Delivery—Influence on Perinatal Outcome in Advanced Maternal Age Parturients
Authors: Naeh Amir , Hallak Mordechai , Gabbay-Benziv Rinat
Published: January 2021

Objective: To investigate the effect of parity and interpregnancy interval (IPI) on perinatal outcomes in advanced maternal age (AMA) parturients. Methods: A population-based retrospective cohort study of all women older than 40 years, who had a singleton live birth after 24 weeks in the United States in 2017 Women were categorized to three groups by parity and interval from last delivery: primiparas, multiparas with IPI ≤ 5 years, and multiparas with IPI > 5 years. Primary outcome was composite adverse neonatal outcome (preterm delivery <34 weeks, birthweight <2000 g, neonatal seizure, neonatal intensive care unit admission, Apgar score <7 at 5 min, or assisted ventilation >6 h). Secondary outcome was composite adverse maternal outcome and other adverse perinatal outcomes. Univariate and multivariate analysis were used to compare between groups. Results: During 2017, 3,864,754 deliveries were recorded into the database. Following exclusion, 109,564 AMA gravidas entered analysis. Of them, 24,769 (22.6%) were nulliparas, 39,933 (36.4%) were multiparas with IPI ≤ 5 years, and 44,862 (40.9%) were multiparas with IPI > 5 years. Composite neonatal outcome was higher in nulliparas and in multiparas with IPI > 5 years, in comparison to multiparas with IPI ≤ 5 years (16% vs. 13% vs. 10%, respectively, p < 0.05). Maternal composite outcome was similar between groups. In the multivariable analysis, relative to nulliparas, only multiparity with IPI ≤ 5 years had a protective effect against the composite neonatal outcome (aOR 0.97, 95% CI 0.95–0.99, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Among AMA gravidas, multiparity with IPI ≤ 5 years has a significant protective effect against adverse neonatal outcomes when compared to nulliparas. Multiparity with IPI > 5 years is no longer protective.
Recurrence and Prognostic Value of Asymptomatic Spinal Cord Lesions in Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Ostini Camilla , Bovis Francesca , Disanto Giulio , Ripellino Paolo , Pravatà Emanuele , Sacco Rosaria , Padlina Giovanna , Sormani Maria Pia , Gobbi Claudio , Zecca Chiara
Published: January 2021

Spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is currently not recommended for the routine monitoring of clinically stable multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. We aimed to investigate the occurrence of asymptomatic spinal lesions (a-SL) in clinically stable MS patients, and their association with clinical and radiological outcomes, including the recurrence of spinal lesions. The hospital MS registry was searched for clinically stable MS patients (no relapses, no disability progression) with spinal MRIs performed at T1 (baseline) and T2 (9–36 months after T1). Information on relapses, disability and new brain/spinal MRI lesions at T3 (≥6 months after T2) was collected and analyzed. Out of 300 MS patients, 45 showed a-SL between T1 and T2. The presence of a-SL was not associated with the subsequent occurrence of relapses or disability progression at T3, but did correlate with the risk of new brain (rate ratio (RR) = 1.63, 95% CI = 1.16−2.25, p = 0.003) and recurrent spinal lesions (RR = 7.28, 95% CI = 4.02–13.22, p < 0.0001). Accounting for asymptomatic brain lesions (a-BL), the presence of either a-BL or a-SL was associated with subsequent risk for new brain (OR = 1.81, 95% CI = 1.25–2.60, p = 0.001) or spinal (RR = 2.63, 95% CI = 1.27–5.45, p = 0.009) lesions. Asymptomatic spinal demyelinating lesions occurred in 15% of clinically stable MS patients within a median period of 14 months and conferred an increased risk of future radiological activity at the brain and spinal level.
First-Line Maintenance Treatment in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer (mCRC): Quality and Clinical Benefit Overview
Authors: Martín-Richard Marta , Tobeña Maria
Published: January 2021

Different strategies of maintenance therapy (sequential CT, intermittent CT, intermittent CT and MAbs, or de-escalation MAbs monotherapy) after first-line treatment are undertaken. Many randomized clinical trials (RCT), which evaluated these approaches, suffer from incorrect design, heterogenous primary endpoints, inadequate size, and other methodology flaws. Drawing any conclusions becomes challenging and recommendations are mainly vague. We evaluated those studies from another perspective, focusing on the design quality and the clinical benefit measure with a more objective and accurate methodology. These data allowed a clearer and more exact overview of the statement in maintenance treatment.
Transformational Approach to Analytical Value-at-Risk for near Normal Distributions
Authors: Prakash Puneet , Sangwan Vikas , Singh Kewal
Published: January 2021

In this paper, we extend the parametric approach of VaR estimation that is based upon the application of two transforms, one for handling skewness and other for kurtosis. These transformations restore normality to data when applied in succession. The transforms are well defined and offer an alternative to VaR models based on the variance–covariance approach. We demonstrate the application of the technique using three pairs of uncorrelated but negatively skewed and fat-tailed stock return distributions, one pair each from recent periods in US and international market, and one from the stressed period of US economic history. Furthermore, we extend the analysis to economic domain by calculating expected shortfalls and risk capital under different estimation methods. For the sake of completion, we compare the estimation results of normal and transformation methods to non-parametric historical simulation.
Trade and Infrastructure in the Belt and Road Initiative: A Gravity Analysis Based on Revealed Trade Preferences
Authors: Di Stefano Cristina , Iapadre P. Lelio , Salvati Ilaria
Published: January 2021

This paper aims at investigating whether and how the intensity of trade between a pair of countries changes when they experience improvements in their infrastructural systems. We carry out our analysis considering countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a project specifically designed to promote infrastructural connectivity and therefore boost trade among the countries involved. Our empirical strategy relies on a particular specification of the gravity model, in which the dependent variable consists in an index of revealed trade preferences, calculated by comparing the actual value of trade flows between two countries with their expected value, proportional to the two countries’ total trade. Such methodology allows us to estimate bilateral trade intensity without resorting to the traditional “size” variables of the gravity model, taking the entire network of multilateral trade into account. We then study the possible impact of an improvement in infrastructure on a ‘gravity-adjusted’ measure of trade preferences, given by the residuals of our first estimations. Our results indicate that bilateral preferences among BRI countries will intensify inasmuch as they succeed in coordinating their infrastructural projects.