bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Recent Imaging Updates and Advances in Gynecologic Malignancies
Authors: Daoud Taher , Sardana Sahil , Stanietzky Nir , Klekers Albert R. , Bhosale Priya , Morani Ajaykumar C.
Published: November 2022

Gynecologic malignancies are among the most common cancers in women worldwide and account for significant morbidity and mortality. Management and consequently overall patient survival is reliant upon early detection, accurate staging and early detection of any recurrence. Ultrasound, Computed Tomography (CT), Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography (PET-CT) play an essential role in the detection, characterization, staging and restaging of the most common gynecologic malignancies, namely the cervical, endometrial and ovarian malignancies. Recent advances in imaging including functional MRI, hybrid imaging with Positron Emission Tomography (PET/MRI) contribute even more to lesion specification and overall role of imaging in gynecologic malignancies. Radiomics is a neoteric approach which aspires to enhance decision support by extracting quantitative information from radiological imaging.
Strong Humoral but Not Cellular Immune Responses against SARS-CoV-2 in Individuals with Oncohematological Disease Who Were Treated with Rituximab before Receiving a Vaccine Booster
Authors: Torres Montserrat , Corona Magdalena , Rodríguez-Mora Sara , Casado-Fernández Guiomar , Zurdo-Castronuño Alejandro , Mateos Elena , Ramos-Martín Fernando , Sánchez-Menéndez Clara , Murciano-Antón María Aranzazú , García-Pérez Javier , Alcamí José , Pérez-Olmeda Mayte , Coiras Mayte , López-Jiménez Javier , García-Gutiérrez Valentín ,   on behalf of the Multidisciplinary Group of Study of COVID-19 (MGS-COVID)
Published: November 2022

The humoral immune response developed after receiving the full vaccination schedule against COVID-19 is impaired in individuals who received anti-CD20 therapy 6–9 months before vaccination. However, there is little information about the cellular immune responses elicited in these individuals. In this study, we analyzed the humoral and cellular immune responses in 18 individuals with hematological disease who received the last dose of rituximab 13.8 months (IQR 9.4–19) before the booster dose. One month after receiving the booster dose, the seroconversion rate in the rituximab-treated cohort increased from 83.3% to 88.9% and titers of specific IgGs against SARS-CoV-2 increased 1.53-fold (p = 0.0098), while the levels of neutralizing antibodies increased 3.03-fold (p = 0.0381). However, the cytotoxic activity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from rituximab-treated individuals remained unchanged, and both antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and direct cellular cytotoxicity (CDD) were reduced 1.7-fold (p = 0.0047) and 2.0-fold (p = 0.0086), respectively, in comparison with healthy donors. Breakthrough infections rate was higher in our cohort of rituximab-treated individuals (33.33%), although most of the infected patients (83.4%) developed a mild form of COVID-19. In conclusion, our findings confirm a benefit in the humoral, but not in the cellular, immune response in rituximab-treated individuals after receiving a booster dose of an mRNA-based vaccine against COVID-19.
USP7 Inhibitors in Cancer Immunotherapy: Current Status and Perspective
Authors: Korenev Georgiy , Yakukhnov Sergey , Druk Anastasia , Golovina Anastasia , Chasov Vitaly , Mirgayazova Regina , Ivanov Roman , Bulatov Emil
Published: November 2022

Ubiquitin-specific protease 7 (USP7) regulates the stability of a plethora of intracellular proteins involved in the suppression of anti-tumor immune responses and its overexpression is associated with poor survival in many cancers. USP7 impairs the balance of the p53/MDM2 axis resulting in the proteasomal degradation of the p53 tumor suppressor, a process that can be reversed by small-molecule inhibitors of USP7. USP7 was shown to regulate the anti-tumor immune responses in several cases. Its inhibition impedes the function of regulatory T cells, promotes polarization of tumor-associated macrophages, and reduces programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in tumor cells. The efficacy of small-molecule USP7 inhibitors was demonstrated in vivo. The synergistic effect of combining USP7 inhibition with cancer immunotherapy is a promising therapeutic approach, though its clinical efficacy is yet to be proven. In this review, we focus on the recent developments in understanding the intrinsic role of USP7, its interplay with other molecular pathways, and the therapeutic potential of targeting USP7 functions.
Managing Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma in the Age of Personalized Medicine: Where Are We and What Is Still Missing?
Authors: Stella Giulia Maria , Bortolotto Chandra
Published: November 2022

Malignant Mesothelioma (MM) is an aggressive neoplasm of the pleural mesothelium, less frequently peritoneal and exceptionally of the vaginal tunic of the testicle and pericardium [...]
Development of Innovative Structured Catalysts for the Catalytic Decomposition of N2O at Low Temperatures
Authors: Meloni Eugenio , Martino Marco , Renda Simona , Muccioli Olga , Pullumbi Pluton , Brandani Federico , Palma Vincenzo
Published: November 2022

Nitrous oxide (N2O), produced from several human activities, is considered a greenhouse gas with significant environmental impacts. The most promising abatement technology consists of the catalytic decomposition of N2O into nitrogen and oxygen. Many recently published papers dealing with N2O catalytic decomposition over Ni-substituted Co3O4 are related to the treatment of N2O concentrations less than 2 vol% in the feed stream. The present work is focused on developing catalysts active in the presence of a gaseous stream richer in N2O, up to 20 vol%, both as powder and in structured configurations suitable for industrial application. With this aim, different nickel-cobalt mixed oxides (NixCo1−xCo2O4) were prepared, characterized, and tested. Subsequently, since alumina-based slurries assure successful deposition of the catalytic species on the structured carrier, a screening was performed on three nickel-cobalt-alumina mixed oxides. As the latter samples turned out to be excellent catalysts for the N2O decomposition reaction, the final catalytic formulation was transferred to a silicon carbide monolith. The structured catalyst led to the following very promising results: total N2O conversion and selectivity towards N2 and O2 were reached at 510 °C by feeding 20 vol% of N2O. It represents an important achievement in the view of developing a more concretely applicable catalytic system for industrial processes.
Tetranuclear Copper Complexes with Bulky Aminoalcohol Ligands as Catalysts for Oxidative Phenoxazinone Synthase-like Coupling of Aminophenol: A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Study
Authors: Nesterova Oksana V. , Pombeiro Armando J. L. , Nesterov Dmytro S.
Published: November 2022

The new copper(II) complexes [Cu4(pa)4(Bae)4]·H2O (1) and [Cu4(eba)4(Buae)4]·H2O (2) (Hpa = propionic acid, HBae = 2-benzylaminoethanol, Heba = 2-ethylbutyric acid and HBuae = 2-butylaminoethanol) were synthesizsed by the interaction of a copper salt with a methanol solution of the respective ligands. The single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that both compounds have a {Cu4(μ3-O)4} cubane-like core. Both compounds show pronounced phenoxazinone synthase-like activity towards the aerobic oxidation of o-aminophenol to phenoxazinone chromophore, with the maximum initial rates W0 up to 3.5 × 10−7 M s−1, and exhibit complex non-linear W0 vs. [catalyst]0 dependences. DFT//CCSD theoretical calculations (B3LYP/ma-def2-TZVP//DLPNO-CCSD(T)/ma-def2-TZVPP) were employed to investigate the most challenging steps of catalyst-free and copper-catalysed o-aminophenol oxidation (formation of o-aminophenoxyl radical). QTAIM analysis was used to study the key intermediates and weak interactions. Geometries and energies of intermediates and transition states were benchmarked against a series of popular DFT functionals. The results of the calculations demonstrate that a CuII–OO• copper-superoxo model catalyst decreases the calculated activation barrier from 28.7 to 19.9 kcal mol−1 for the catalyst-free and copper-catalysed abstraction of the H atom from the hydroxyl group of o-aminophenol, respectively. Finally, both complexes 1 and 2 were studied as catalysts in the amidation of cyclohexane with benzamide to give N-cyclohexyl benzamide and N-methyl benzamide employing di-tert-butyl peroxide (DTBP) as the oxidant, with a conversion of 16%, and in the oxidation of cyclohexane to cyclohexanol with aq. H2O2, with a conversion of 12%.
RNA-Sequencing Reveals Upregulation and a Beneficial Role of Autophagy in Myoblast Differentiation and Fusion
Authors: Lyu Pengcheng , Jiang Honglin
Published: November 2022

Myoblast differentiation is a complex process whereby the mononuclear muscle precursor cells myoblasts express skeletal-muscle-specific genes and fuse with each other to form multinucleated myotubes. The objective of this study was to identify potentially novel mechanisms that mediate myoblast differentiation. We first compared transcriptomes in C2C12 myoblasts before and 6 days after induction of myogenic differentiation by RNA-seq. This analysis identified 11,046 differentially expressed genes, of which 5615 and 5431 genes were upregulated and downregulated, respectively, from before differentiation to differentiation. Functional enrichment analyses revealed that the upregulated genes were associated with skeletal muscle contraction, autophagy, and sarcomeres while the downregulated genes were associated with ribonucleoprotein complex biogenesis, mRNA processing, ribosomes, and other biological processes or cellular components. Western blot analyses showed an increased conversion of LC3-I to LC3-II protein during myoblast differentiation, further demonstrating the upregulation of autophagy during myoblast differentiation. Blocking the autophagic flux in C2C12 cells with chloroquine inhibited the expression of skeletal-muscle-specific genes and the formation of myotubes, confirming a positive role for autophagy in myoblast differentiation and fusion.
HIF-1α Regulates Bone Homeostasis and Angiogenesis, Participating in the Occurrence of Bone Metabolic Diseases
Authors: Chen Wei , Wu Panfeng , Yu Fang , Luo Gaojie , Qing Liming , Tang Juyu
Published: November 2022

In the physiological condition, the skeletal system’s bone resorption and formation are in dynamic balance, called bone homeostasis. However, bone homeostasis is destroyed under pathological conditions, leading to the occurrence of bone metabolism diseases. The expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) is regulated by oxygen concentration. It affects energy metabolism, which plays a vital role in preventing bone metabolic diseases. This review focuses on the HIF-1α pathway and describes in detail the possible mechanism of its involvement in the regulation of bone homeostasis and angiogenesis, as well as the current experimental studies on the use of HIF-1α in the prevention of bone metabolic diseases. HIF-1α/RANKL/Notch1 pathway bidirectionally regulates the differentiation of macrophages into osteoclasts under different conditions. In addition, HIF-1α is also regulated by many factors, including hypoxia, cofactor activity, non-coding RNA, trace elements, etc. As a pivotal pathway for coupling angiogenesis and osteogenesis, HIF-1α has been widely studied in bone metabolic diseases such as bone defect, osteoporosis, osteonecrosis of the femoral head, fracture, and nonunion. The wide application of biomaterials in bone metabolism also provides a reasonable basis for the experimental study of HIF-1α in preventing bone metabolic diseases.
Advances in T Cells Based on Inflammation in Metabolic Diseases
Authors: Yu Wenlu , Li Chunxiu , Zhang Deju , Li Zhangwang , Xia Panpan , Liu Xiao , Cai Xia , Yang Pingping , Ling Jitao , Zhang Jing , Zhang Meiying , Yu Peng
Published: November 2022

With the increasing incidence of metabolic diseases year by year and their impact on the incidence of cardiovascular diseases, metabolic diseases have attracted great attention as a major health care problem, but there is still no effective treatment. Oxidative stress and inflammation are the main mechanisms leading to metabolic diseases. T cells are involved in the inflammatory response, which can also regulate the development of metabolic diseases, CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells are mainly responsible for the role. Th1 and Th17 differentiated from CD4+ T promote inflammation, while Th2 and Treg inhibit inflammation. CD8+ T cells also contribute to inflammation. The severity and duration of inflammatory reactions can also lead to different degrees of progression of metabolic diseases. Moreover, mTOR, PI3K-Akt, and AMPK signaling pathways play unique roles in the regulation of T cells, which provide a new direction for the treatment of metabolic diseases in the future. In this review, we will elaborate on the role of T cells in regulating inflammation in various metabolic diseases, the signaling pathways that regulate T cells in metabolic diseases, and the latest research progress.
Control of Theta Oscillatory Activity Underlying Fear Expression by mGlu5 Receptors
Authors: Matulewicz Pawel , Ramos-Prats Arnau , Gómez-Santacana Xavier , Llebaria Amadeu , Ferraguti Francesco
Published: November 2022

Metabotropic glutamate 5 receptors (mGlu5) are thought to play an important role in mediating emotional information processing. In particular, negative allosteric modulators (NAMs) of mGlu5 have received a lot of attention as potential novel treatments for several neuropsychiatric diseases, including anxiety-related disorders. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of pre- and post-training mGlu5 inactivation in cued fear conditioned mice on neuronal oscillatory activity during fear retrieval. For this study we used the recently developed mGlu5 NAM Alloswicth-1 administered systemically. Injection of Alloswicth-1 before, but not after, fear conditioning resulted in a significant decrease in freezing upon fear retrieval. Mice injected with Alloswicth-1 pre-training were also implanted with recording microelectrodes into both the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and ventral hippocampus (vHPC). The recordings revealed a reduction in theta rhythmic activity (4–12 Hz) in both the mPFC and vHPC during fear retrieval. These results indicate that inhibition of mGlu5 signaling alters local oscillatory activity in principal components of the fear brain network underlying a reduced response to a predicted threat.
CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Mutagenesis of Sex-Specific Doublesex Splicing Variants Leads to Sterility in Spodoptera frugiperda, a Global Invasive Pest
Authors: Gu Junwen , Wang Jingyi , Bi Honglun , Li Xuehai , Merchant Austin , Zhang Porui , Zhang Qi , Zhou Xuguo
Published: November 2022

Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), an emerging invasive pest worldwide, has posed a serious agricultural threat to the newly invaded areas. Although somatic sex differentiation is fundamentally conserved among insects, the sex determination cascade in S. frugiperda is largely unknown. In this study, we cloned and functionally characterized Doublesex (dsx), a “molecular switch” modulating sexual dimorphism in S. frugiperda using male- and female-specific isoforms. Given that Lepidoptera is recalcitrant to RNAi, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutagenesis was employed to construct S. frugiperda mutants. Specifically, we designed target sites on exons 2, 4, and 5 to eliminate the common, female-specific, and male-specific regions of S. frugiperda dsx (Sfdsx), respectively. As expected, abnormal development of both the external and internal genitalia was observed during the pupal and adult stages. Interestingly, knocking out sex-specific dsx variants in S. frugiperda led to significantly reduced fecundity and fertility in adults of corresponding sex. Our combined results not only confirm the conserved function of dsx in S. frugiperda sex differentiation but also provide empirical evidence for dsx as a potential target for the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) to combat this globally invasive pest in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.
Differential Levels of Tryptophan–Kynurenine Pathway Metabolites in the Hippocampus, Anterior Temporal Lobe, and Neocortex in an Animal Model of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
Authors: Dey Soumil , Dubey Vivek , Dixit Aparna Banerjee , Tripathi Manjari , Chandra Poodipedi Sarat , Banerjee Jyotirmoy
Published: November 2022

Glutamate-receptor-mediated hyperexcitability contributes to seizure generation in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Tryptophan–kynurenine pathway (TKP) metabolites regulate glutamate receptor activity under physiological conditions. This study was designed to investigate alterations in the levels of TKP metabolites and the differential regulation of glutamatergic activity by TKP metabolites in the hippocampus, anterior temporal lobe (ATL), and neocortex samples of a lithium–pilocarpine rat model of TLE. We observed that levels of tryptophan were reduced in the hippocampus and ATL samples but unaltered in the neocortex samples. The levels of kynurenic acid were reduced in the hippocampus samples and unaltered in the ATL and neocortex samples of the TLE rats. The levels of kynurenine were unaltered in all three regions of the TLE rats. The magnitude of reduction in these metabolites in all regions was unaltered in the TLE rats. The frequency and amplitude of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents were enhanced in hippocampus ATL samples but not in the neocortex samples of the TLE rats. The exogenous application of kynurenic acid inhibited glutamatergic activity in the slice preparations of all these regions in both the control and the TLE rats. However, the magnitude of reduction in the frequency of kynurenic acid was higher in the hippocampus (18.44 ± 2.6% in control vs. 30.02 ± 1.5 in TLE rats) and ATL (16.31 ± 0.91% in control vs. 29.82 ± 3.08% in TLE rats) samples of the TLE rats. These findings suggest the differential regulation of glutamatergic activity by TKP metabolites in the hippocampus, ATL, and neocortex of TLE rats.
Research on Food Packaging and Storage
Authors: Marangoni Júnior Luís , Coltro Leda , Dantas Fiorella Balardin Hellmeister , Vieira Roniérik Pioli
Published: November 2022

Packaging represents a vital element of the food industry, as it must support the processing, handling, transport and distribution operations of the contained food [...]
Morphological and Mechanical Characterization of Films Incorporating Porphyran Extracted from Porphyra Dioica
Authors: Baptista Ricardo S. , Teles Marco , Adão Pedro , Afonso Clélia , Bernardino Raul , Bernardino Susana , Ferro Alberto C. , Elias Sara , Guedes Mafalda
Published: November 2022

This paper studies the effects of glycerol plasticizers and/or alginate, pectin, and carboxymethylcellulose polysaccharides on the mechanical and physical properties of porphyran-based films to evaluate the films’ ability to be used as food packaging. Films were characterized in terms of their composition, microstructural and morphological features, thermal properties, water interaction, and mechanical performance. All films are homogeneous, transparent, and slightly brownish in color. The structures are amorphous and crosslinked, showing the films’ thermoset nature. Moisture content and water solubility depend on the second polysaccharide added to the porphyran, but they both increase with the addition of glycerol to the formulations; water vapor permeability is strongly affected by the second polysaccharide in the formulation. The films display stiff and brittle mechanical behavior, but ductility increases significantly in formulations containing glycerol plasticizers. The barrier and mechanical performance values of the materials produced were found to be lower than those reported for commercial food packaging. The formulations containing glycerol displayed lower water vapor permeability values, ranging from 2.98 for porphyran/carboxymethylcellulose/glycerol to 6.65 mm·g·d−1·m−2·kPa−1 for porphyran/alginate/glycerol films. All films, except porphyran/glycerol and porphyran/alginate/glycerol, had ultimate tensile strengths above 10 MPa—the threshold value that ensures that a package is ductile enough to withstand handling and forming operations. Furthermore, the porphyran/pectin/glycerol and porphyran/carboxymethylcellulose/glycerol films displayed sufficiently high ductility values of 2.94 and 3.10%, respectively. These results indicate that the studied porphyran/pectin/glycerol and porphyran/carboxymethylcellulose/glycerol formulations have a combination of physical and mechanical properties that ensure adequate film integrity and function through the complete food packaging supply chain. The results here reported represent an opportunity to extend the scope of porphyran films to applications in the dry food packaging industry.
Promoting Light Extraction Efficiency of Ultraviolet Light Emitting Diodes by Nanostructure Optimization
Authors: Li Biaomin , Xia Shihong , Guo Wei , Yang Zhenhai , Zeng Yuheng , Yuan Zhizhong , Ye Jichun
Published: November 2022

Ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs), as one of the more promising optoelectronic devices, are intrinsically limited by poor light extraction efficiencies (LEEs). To unlock the full potential of UV-LEDs, we propose a simple and effective strategy to promote the LEEs of UV-LEDs by screening and tailoring suitable optical structures/designs through rigorous numerical simulations. The photonic crystals (PCs) and/or nano-patterned sapphire substrates (NPSSs) equipped with the nano-pillar, nano-cone, nano-oval, and their derivates, are particularly investigated. The simulated results show that individual PC with an average transmittance of 28% is more efficient than that of individual NPSS (24.8%). By coupling PC and NPSS structures, a higher LEE with an average transmittance approaching 29% is obtained, much higher than that of the flat one (23.6%). The involved mechanisms are clarified and confirm that the promotion of optical performance of the nanostructured devices should be attributed to the widened response angles (from 0 to 60°), rather than the enhanced transmittances in the small angles within 30°.
A Novel Model of Semiconductor Porosity Medium According to Photo-Thermoelasticity Excitation with Initial Stress
Authors: Raddadi Merfat H. , El-Bary A. , Tantawi Ramdan. S. , Anwer N. , Lotfy Kh.
Published: November 2022

Investigated is a novel model in the photo-thermoelasticity theory that takes into account the impact of porosity and initial stress. A generalized photo-thermoelastic that is initially stressed and has voids is taken into consideration for the general plane strain problem. The solutions for the fundamental variables in two dimensions are obtained using the Laplace–Fourier transforms method in two dimensions (2D). Physical fields such as temperature, carrier concentration, normal displacement, and change in volume fraction field can all be solved analytically. The plasma of electrons, thermal load, and mechanical boundary conditions at the porosity medium’s free surface are used to show certain illustrations. The context of the Laplace–Fourier transformation inversion operations yields complete solutions. To complete the numerical simulation and compare several thermal memories under the influence of the porosity parameters, silicon (Si), a semiconductor porosity material, is used. The main physical variables are described and graphically displayed with the new parameters.
Development of the Amorphous Solid Dispersion of Curcumin: A Rational Selection of Polymers for Enhanced Solubility and Dissolution
Authors: Ishtiaq Memoona , Asghar Sajid , Khan Ikram Ullah , Iqbal Muhammad Shahid , Khalid Syed Haroon
Published: November 2022

The goal of this investigation was to determine the effectiveness of hydrophilic polymers in preparing a solid dispersion to enhance the solubility and dissolution of poorly water-soluble drugs, such as curcumin. In order to prepare the solid dispersion, curcumin was uniformly distributed in the polymeric matrix of polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000), hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC E5), polyvinyl pyrrolidine (PVP K30), and bovine serum albumin (BSA) using the kneading and solvent evaporation methods. The developed dispersion formulations were characterized for solubility, dissolution, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Attaining enhanced physical stability with solubility is crucial in the selection of suitable polymer types and ratios. The optimized HPMC E5 and PVP based dispersion displayed 4.3 and 2.8 times greater solubility compared to the pure drug, respectively. The SEM also showed the optimized HPMC-based dispersion was smoother in comparison to the PVP-based dispersion. The XRD and DSC validated the successful modification of the crystal structure of curcumin resulting in the enhancement of its solubility and dissolution. In conclusion, the HPMC E5 formulation was the optimal candidate to create solid amorphous dispersions of curcumin, which might be employed as an effective delivery system.
Monkeypox: An Unfamiliar Virus—Clinical and Epidemiological Characteristics, Diagnosis, and Treatment with Special Emphasis on Oral Health
Authors: Pandya Visha Shailesh , Mehta Vini , Miraj Mohammas , Alasiry Sharifa M. , Alanazy Wdad , Uthup Tintu Thomas , Shaik Riyaz Ahamed , D’Amico Cesare , Mancini Maura , Gorassini Francesca , Fiorillo Luca , Meto Aida
Published: November 2022

With the recent increased prevalence of human outbreaks, monkeypox has been recognized for decades as an infectious disease with substantial pandemic potential. The majority of cases of this virus have been observed in the European region (11,865), with few cases in the Western Pacific (54). Various governing health agencies are striving to restrain the fatal monkeypox virus (MPXV). Health practitioners around the world are learning about the many clinical manifestations of this infection, and its potential therapies. Despite the plethora of new evidence and rising cases, the essential questions remain unsolved. Thus, in this review, we have modernized the outlook for monkeypox, which will be helpful for various medical practitioners. In the light of continuing outbreaks around the world, we have also presented our assessment of the readiness of India against this outbreak, with a special focus on its effects on oral health.
B-Lines Lung Ultrasonography Simulation Using Finite Element Method
Authors: Silva Fellipe Allevato Martins da , Moreno Eduardo , Pereira Wagner Coelho de Albuquerque
Published: November 2022

Introduction: Lung Ultrasonography (LUS) is a fast technique for the diagnosis of patients with respiratory syndromes. B-lines are seen in response to signal reverberations and amplifications into sites with peripheral lung fluid concentration or septal thickening. Mathematical models are commonly applied in biomedicine to predict biological responses to specific signal parameters. Objective: This study proposes a Finite-Element numerical model to simulate radio frequency ultrasonic lines propagated from normal and infiltrated lung structures. For tissue medium, a randomized inhomogeneous data method was used. The simulation implemented in COMSOL® used Acoustic Pressure and Time-Explicit models, which are based on the discontinuous Galerkin method (dG). Results: The RF signals, processed in MATLAB®, resulted in images of horizontal A-lines and vertical B-lines, which were reasonably similar to real images. Discussion: The use of inhomogeneous materials in the model was good enough to simulate the scattering response, similar to others in the literature. The model is useful to study the impact of the lung infiltration characteristics on the appearance of LUS images.
Analysis of Cytology Pap Smear Images Based on Ensemble Deep Learning Approach
Authors: Alsalatie Mohammed , Alquran Hiam , Mustafa Wan Azani , Mohd Yacob Yasmin , Ali Alayed Asia
Published: November 2022

The fourth most prevalent cancer in women is cervical cancer, and early detection is crucial for effective treatment and prognostic prediction. Conventional cervical cancer screening and classifying methods are less reliable and accurate as they heavily rely on the expertise of a pathologist. As such, colposcopy is an essential part of preventing cervical cancer. Computer-assisted diagnosis is essential for expanding cervical cancer screening because visual screening results in misdiagnosis and low diagnostic effectiveness due to doctors’ increased workloads. Classifying a single cervical cell will overwhelm the physicians, in addition to the existence of overlap between cervical cells, which needs efficient algorithms to separate each cell individually. Focusing on the whole image is the best way and an easy task for the diagnosis. Therefore, looking for new methods to diagnose the whole image is necessary and more accurate. However, existing recognition algorithms do not work well for whole-slide image (WSI) analysis, failing to generalize for different stains and imaging, and displaying subpar clinical-level verification. This paper describes the design of a full ensemble deep learning model for the automatic diagnosis of the WSI. The proposed network discriminates between four classes with high accuracy, reaching up to 99.6%. This work is distinct from existing research in terms of simplicity, accuracy, and speed. It focuses on the whole staining slice image, not on a single cell. The designed deep learning structure considers the slice image with overlapping and non-overlapping cervical cells.
Propagation Channel Characterization for 6–14 GHz Bands Based on Large Array Measurement for Indoor Scenarios
Authors: Wang Qi , Yin Xuefeng , Hong Jingxiang , Jing Guangzheng
Published: November 2022

The demand for wideband data transmission in the “next-generation” mobile communication system is growing rapidly. As the frequency band around 10 GHz could be the option for 6th-generation (6G) wireless communication systems. In this paper, a recently conducted measurement campaign in the 6–14 GHz radio wave propagation channel using a large antenna array with 1024 elements is introduced. In order to investigate the behavior of the wideband channel, we have analyzed the channel characteristics with respect to different carrier frequencies, bandwidths, the locations of antenna elements, and user locations, aiming at exploring the spatio-frequency variability of channels in the massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) scenarios. Moreover, the sparsity of the channel in frequency and spatial domains is evaluated through the degree of freedom (DoF) analysis, and statistical models are established.
Robust, Secure and Semi-Blind Watermarking Technique Using Flexible Scaling Factor in Block-Based Wavelet Algorithm
Authors: Elbasi Ersin , Mostafa Nour , Cina Elda
Published: November 2022

Multimedia security has received much attention recently because of the rapid transmission of elements such as text, images, audio, video, software, animation and games. Security is becoming especially critical for content owners concerned about the illegal usage of their original products. Encryption and watermarking are two methodologies for digital applications. Spatial domain and frequency domain watermarking algorithms give very promising results in embedding binary images into the cover images. This paper proposed a new method of semi-blind watermarking technique. The digital images are divided into 4 × 4 blocks and converted into discrete Wavelet transformations (DWTs). The binary image is embedded into each block using the flexible scaling factor method. Experimental results show that the proposed method has higher peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR) and similarity ratio (SR) values compared to the standard Wavelet transformation and block-based Wavelet algorithms. The results prove that the proposed hybrid algorithm is more effective, robust, secure and resistant than DWT and block-based DWT algorithms.
Participation of Electric Vehicles in a Delay-Dependent Stability Analysis of LFC Considering Demand Response Control
Authors: Babaei Farshad , Safari Amin , Farrokhifar Meisam , Younis Mahmoud Ayish , Quteishat Anas
Published: November 2022

Today, time-varying delays may result from a communication network’s engagement in frequency control services. These delays have an impact on the effectiveness of the load frequency control (LFC) system, which can occasionally lead to power system instability. The electric vehicle (EV) can be used as a beneficial source for the LFC system with the development of demand-side response due to its vehicle-to-grid capacity. Although demand response control has certain advantages for the power system, communication networks used in LFC systems result in time delays that reduce the stability of the LFC schemes. A stability study of an LFC system, comprising an EV aggregator with two additive time-varying delays, is demonstrated in this work. An enhanced Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional (LKF), which incorporates time-varying delays using the linear matrix inequality approach, is used to perform a delay-dependent stability analysis of the LFC to determine the stability zone and criterion. In conclusion, the efficiency of the proposed stability criterion is validated by making use of the thorough simulation findings.
Monitoring of Discolored Trees Caused by Pine Wilt Disease Based on Unsupervised Learning with Decision Fusion Using UAV Images
Authors: Wan Jianhua , Wu Lujuan , Zhang Shuhua , Liu Shanwei , Xu Mingming , Sheng Hui , Cui Jianyong
Published: November 2022

Pine wilt disease (PWD) has caused severe damage to ecosystems worldwide. Monitoring PWD is urgent due to its rapid spread. Unsupervised methods are more suitable for the monitoring needs of PWD, as they have the advantages of being fast and not limited by samples. We propose an unsupervised method with decision fusion that combines adaptive threshold and Lab spatial clustering. The method avoids the sample problem, and fuses the strengths of different algorithms. First, the modified ExG-ExR index is proposed for adaptive threshold segmentation to obtain an initial result. Then, k-means and Fuzzy C-means in Lab color space are established for an iterative calculation to achieve two initial results. The final result is obtained from the three initial extraction results by the majority voting rule. Experimental results on unmanned aerial vehicle images in the Laoshan area of Qingdao show that this method has high accuracy and strong robustness, with the average accuracy and F1-score reaching 91.35% and 0.8373, respectively. The method can help provide helpful information for effective control and tactical management of PWD.
SLAF-Seq Technology-Based Genome-Wide Association and Population Structure Analyses of Ancient Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze in Sandu County, China
Authors: Cheng Linan , Dong Xuan , Liu Qing , Wang Runying , Li Yan , Huang Xiaozhen , Zhao Yichen
Published: November 2022

Guizhou is one of the centers of origin for the tea plant (Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze). The location contains highly diverse ancient tea plant germplasms in its Sandu Aquarium Autonomous County. After a prolonged course of continuous evolution, these ancient plants have gained a wealth of genetic diversity. Their resources could be harnessed for the selection and breeding of fine varieties of tea plant, as well as for the effective utilization and protection of germplasm resources. In this study, the specific locus-amplified fragment (SLAF) sequencing method was used to analyze the population structure and conduct a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for the three traits of 125 ancient tea plants in the Sandu County of Guizhou province, China. A total of 807,743 SLAF tags and 9,428,309 population single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) tags were obtained. The results of the phylogenetic tree analysis, cluster analysis, and principal component analysis showed that 125 germplasms were clustered into four groups, and the heterozygosity rates for groups I, II, III, and IV, were 0.211, 0.504, 0.144, and 0.192, respectively. Additionally, GWAS analysis suggested that seven candidate genes were related to altitude at the origin of the plants, eight were related to tree shape, and three were associated with leaf color. In this study, we clarified genetic relationships between four ancient tea plant-producing areas in Sandu County and obtained candidate genes related to their development associated with altitude, tree shape, and leaf color. The study provides useful information for tea plant-breeding development and molecular identification.
Gene-Editing for Production Traits in Forest Trees: Challenges to Integration and Gene Target Identification
Authors: Strauss Steven H. , Slavov Gancho T. , DiFazio Stephen P.
Published: November 2022

Gene-editing methods, particularly CRISPR, provide extraordinary opportunities for scientific insights and applications in the life sciences. However, the prospects for near-term applications to commercial forestry appear limited. Loss-of-function phenotypes that can be imparted by mutation of one or a few conserved genes offer the best opportunities in the near term. For traits with complex inheritance, there is insufficient science to guide gene-editing efforts, and Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWASs), without strong validation, typically cannot provide high-confidence gene identification. Other obstacles include the difficulty of transformation in many important genotypes, difficulties of transient editing or complete editor removal, and complexity of use in breeding programs. Gene edits that cause loss-of-function traits will generally be recessive, and thus not be expressed among outbred progeny, so vegetative propagules (clones) will be required in most cases. There are also important societal constraints, such as strict regulations for field trials in most countries, and market certification systems that do not allow any kinds of recombinant DNA-modified trees, including those produced by gene-editing, in certified production forests. We conclude that gene-editing applications will be extremely limited for the foreseeable future (i.e., at least 10 years). Nevertheless, gene-editing is a very powerful scientific tool that will be widely used by molecular forest scientists and can lead to important applications in the longer term, if research advances are made on key fronts and regulatory and market obstacles greatly attenuated.
Soil Carbon Pool and Carbon Fluxes Estimation in 26 Years after Selective Logging Tropical Forest at Sabah, Malaysia
Authors: Suhaili Nurul Syakilah , Anuar Syazwani Nisa , Chiong Wong Wilson Vun , Lussetti Daniel , Axelsson Erik Petter , Hasselquist Niles , Ilstedt Ulrik , Besar Normah Awang
Published: November 2022

The soil carbon pool holds an enormous amount of carbon, making it the largest reservoir in the terrestrial ecosystem. However, there is growing concern that unsustainable logging methods damage the soil ecosystem, thus triggering the release of soil carbon into the atmosphere hence contributing to ongoing climate change. This study uses a replicated (n = 4) logging experiment to examine the impact of supervised logging with climber cutting (SLCC) and conventional logging (CL) on basic soil characteristics, litter input to soils, soil carbon pools, and soil respiration in a mixed dipterocarp forest 26 years after logging. This study found that there was no significant difference observed in the soil physicochemical properties and total carbon pools between the logging treatments and the virgin forest. Soil carbon pools dominated the total carbon pools, and the highest mean value was recorded in SLCC (87.95 ± 13.67 Mg C ha−1). Conventional logging had a lower mean value (71.17 ± 12.09 Mg C ha−1) than virgin forest (83.20 ± 11.97 Mg C ha−1). SLCC also shows a higher value of soil respiration rate (161.75 ± 21.67 mg C m−2 h−1) than CL (140.54 ± 12.54 mg C m−2 h−1). These findings highlight the importance of accurate quantification of the effect of different logging methods on the forest’s carbon pools.
Comparative Analysis of Codon Usage Patterns in Chloroplast Genomes of Cherries
Authors: Song Yan-Feng , Yang Qing-Hua , Yi Xian-Gui , Zhu Zhao-Qing , Wang Xian-Rong , Li Meng
Published: November 2022

Synonymous codon usage bias (SCUB) analysis is an effective method to explore species specificity, evolutionary relationships and mRNA translation, as well as to discover novel genes, which are important for understanding gene function and molecular phylogeny. Cherries (Prunus subg. Cerasus) are flowering plant germplasm resources for edible and ornamental purposes. In this study, we analyzed the codon usage patterns of the 36 chloroplast genomes to provide a scientific basis for elucidating the evolution of subg. Cerasus. The results showed that the average GC content was 0.377, the average GC3 was 0.298, and the average ENC value was 49.69. Neutral-plot analysis, ENC-plot analysis, and PR2-plot analysis all indicated that natural selection was the main factor of codon usage bias in subg. Cerasus, whereas correlation analysis showed that gene expression level and GC1 also affect the codon usage pattern. The codon usage pattern was consistent across 36 species, and 30 high-frequency codons were identified, with preference for A/T endings; there were 23 optimal codons, and only GAU was identified in all individuals; structural differences existed between the clustering tree based on RSCU values and the phylogenetic tree based on CDS, elucidating the importance of locus mutations and no-preference codons in phylogenetic reconstruction. This study describes for the first time the SCUB pattern and characterization of subg. Cerasus chloroplast genomes and provides a new insight to explore the phylogeny of this subgenus.
Cytogenetic Investigation of Infertile Patients in Hungary: A 10-Year Retrospective Study
Authors: Andó Szilvia , Koczok Katalin , Bessenyei Beáta , Balogh István , Ujfalusi Anikó
Published: November 2022

Chromosome abnormalities play a crucial role in reproductive failure. The presence of numerical or structural aberrations may induce recurrent pregnancy loss or primary infertility. The main purpose of our study was to determine the types and frequency of chromosomal aberrations in infertile patients and to compare the frequency of structural aberrations to a control group. Karyotyping was performed in 1489 men and 780 women diagnosed with reproductive failure between 2010 and 2020. The control group included 869 male and 1160 female patients having cytogenetic evaluations for reasons other than infertility. Sex chromosomal aberrations were detected in 33/1489 (2.22%) infertile men and 3/780 (0.38%) infertile women. Structural abnormalities (e.g., translocation, inversion) were observed in 89/1489 (5.98%) infertile men and 58/780 (7.44%) infertile women. The control population showed structural chromosomal abnormalities in 27/869 (3.11%) men and 39/1160 (3.36%) women. There were significant differences in the prevalence of single-cell translocations between infertile individuals (males: 3.5%; females: 3.46%) and control patients (males: 0.46%; females: 0.7%). In summary, this is the first report of cytogenetic alterations in infertile patients in Hungary. The types of chromosomal abnormalities were comparable to previously published data. The prevalence of less-studied single-cell translocations was significantly higher in infertile patients than in the control population, supporting an earlier suggestion that these aberrations may be causally related to infertility.
Computing Elastic Moduli of Igneous Rocks Using Modal Composition and Effective Medium Theory
Authors: Aligholi Saeed , Khandelwal Manoj
Published: November 2022

Elastic constants of rock materials are the basic parameters required for modeling the response of rock materials under mechanical loads. Experimental tests for determining these properties are expensive, time-consuming and suffer from a high uncertainty due to both experimental limitations and the heterogeneous nature of rock materials. To avoid such experimental difficulties, in this paper a method is suggested for determining elastic constants of rock materials by determining their porosity and modal composition and employing effective medium theory. The Voigt–Reuss–Hill average is used to determine effective elastic constants of the studied igneous rocks according to the elastic moduli of their mineral constituents. Then, the effect of porosity has been taken into account by considering rock as a two-phase material, and the Kuster–Toksoz formulation is used for providing a close estimation of different moduli. The solutions are provided for different isotropic igneous rocks. This sustainable method avoids destructive tests and the usage of energy for performing time-consuming and expensive tests and requires simple equipment.
Large-Scale Accessibility as a New Perspective for Geoheritage Assessment
Authors: Fedorov Yuri A. , Mikhailenko Anna V. , Ruban Dmitry A.
Published: November 2022

The exploitation of geoheritage resources depends on their accessibility. The latter is usually established for geosites, whereas reaching the areas where geosites concentrate also deserves attention. Here, a novel, multi-criteria, score-based approach for assessing the large-scale accessibility of geoheritage-rich areas is proposed. The study takes into account various information about external and internal public transportation, road infrastructure, local services (including accommodation opportunities), and general settings. This approach is applied to the Russian South, where there are three geoheritage-rich areas, namely Lower Don, Abrau, and Mountainous Adygeya. Using new criteria, these areas differ by their large-scale accessibility, which is excellent in Lower Don and moderate in Abrau and Mountainous Adygeya. It is established that the co-occurrence of geoheritage-rich areas and popular tourist destinations does not guarantee excellent accessibility. The findings of the present study seem to be important for the development of optimal geoheritage resources policy, as well as for planning research and educational activities, such as the currently realized geochemical investigations and the regular field educational campaigns in the Russian South.
Solanum tuberosum Microtuber Development under Darkness Unveiled through RNAseq Transcriptomic Analysis
Authors: Valencia-Lozano Eliana , Herrera-Isidrón Lisset , Flores-López Jorge Abraham , Recoder-Meléndez Osiel Salvador , Barraza Aarón , Cabrera-Ponce José Luis
Published: November 2022

Potato microtuber (MT) development through in vitro techniques are ideal propagules for producing high quality potato plants. MT formation is influenced by several factors, i.e., photoperiod, sucrose, hormones, and osmotic stress. We have previously developed a protocol of MT induction in medium with sucrose (8% w/v), gelrite (6g/L), and 2iP as cytokinin under darkness. To understand the molecular mechanisms involved, we performed a transcriptome-wide analysis. Here we show that 1715 up- and 1624 down-regulated genes were involved in this biological process. Through the protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analyses performed in the STRING database (v11.5), we found 299 genes tightly associated in 14 clusters. Two major clusters of up-regulated proteins fundamental for life growth and development were found: 29 ribosomal proteins (RPs) interacting with 6 PEBP family members and 117 cell cycle (CC) proteins. The PPI network of up-regulated transcription factors (TFs) revealed that at least six TFs–MYB43, TSF, bZIP27, bZIP43, HAT4 and WOX9–may be involved during MTs development. The PPI network of down-regulated genes revealed a cluster of 83 proteins involved in light and photosynthesis, 110 in response to hormone, 74 in hormone mediate signaling pathway and 22 related to aging.