bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On the Relationship Between Authentic Leadership, Flourishing, and Performance in Healthcare Teams: A Job Demands-Resources Perspective
Authors: Marques-Quinteiro Pedro , Graça Ana Margarida , Coelho Francisco Antonio , Martins Daniela
Published: July 2021

This study integrates the job demands-resources model and authentic leadership theory to test the general hypothesis that authentic leadership is a job resource that enables flourishing and performance in healthcare teams. Furthermore, this article tests the hypothesis that the daily bed occupancy is a job demand that weakens this relationship. Participants were 106 nurses that were distributed across 33 teams from two hospitals. The results suggest that the authentic leadership of team leaders is positively related with subjective and objective team performance, but only when daily bed occupancy is low. Authentic leadership had no relationship with team flourishing, regardless of the daily bed occupancy. Our findings suggest that the extent to which authentic leadership is adequate to promote the performance of teams working in a hospital setting is sensitive to contextual boundary conditions. Leading authentically might only be effective under specific circumstances.
Parental Mental Health and Hostility Are Associated With Longitudinal Increases in Child Internalizing and Externalizing Problems During COVID-19
Authors: Khoury Jennifer E. , Kaur Hargun , Gonzalez Andrea
Published: July 2021

Children are at high risk for negative COVID-19 related outcomes. The present longitudinal study assessed (1) changes in child internalizing and externalizing problems from before to during the pandemic and (2) whether parent mental health (depression, anxiety, stress) or parenting behavior during COVID-19 were associated with changes in child mental health problems. Sixty eight mother-child dyads participated in this study. Children were approximately five years-old at the time of enrollment and were between the ages of 7–9 years old at the time of the follow-up survey. Parenting behavior, parental depression, anxiety, perceived stress and child internalizing and externalizing problems were measured using validated questionnaires. Children experienced greater internalizing (t = 6.46, p < 0.001) and externalizing (t = 6.13, p < 0.001) problems during the pandemic compared to before the pandemic. After taking into account child gender and COVID-related stressors, parental hostility was uniquely associated with greater changes in externalizing problems (β = 0.355, SE = 0.178, p < 0.05), while maternal anxiety was associated with greater increases in internalizing problems (β = 0.513, SE = 0.208, p < 0.05). Findings highlight the need for mental health supports for families to limit the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on child and parent mental health.
A Domain Adaptation Sparse Representation Classifier for Cross-Domain Electroencephalogram-Based Emotion Classification
Authors: Ni Tongguang , Ni Yuyao , Xue Jing , Wang Suhong
Published: July 2021

The brain-computer interface (BCI) interprets the physiological information of the human brain in the process of consciousness activity. It builds a direct information transmission channel between the brain and the outside world. As the most common non-invasive BCI modality, electroencephalogram (EEG) plays an important role in the emotion recognition of BCI; however, due to the individual variability and non-stationary of EEG signals, the construction of EEG-based emotion classifiers for different subjects, different sessions, and different devices is an important research direction. Domain adaptation utilizes data or knowledge from more than one domain and focuses on transferring knowledge from the source domain (SD) to the target domain (TD), in which the EEG data may be collected from different subjects, sessions, or devices. In this study, a new domain adaptation sparse representation classifier (DASRC) is proposed to address the cross-domain EEG-based emotion classification. To reduce the differences in domain distribution, the local information preserved criterion is exploited to project the samples from SD and TD into a shared subspace. A common domain-invariant dictionary is learned in the projection subspace so that an inherent connection can be built between SD and TD. In addition, both principal component analysis (PCA) and Fisher criteria are exploited to promote the recognition ability of the learned dictionary. Besides, an optimization method is proposed to alternatively update the subspace and dictionary learning. The comparison of CSFDDL shows the feasibility and competitive performance for cross-subject and cross-dataset EEG-based emotion classification problems.
Reading, Conducting, and Developing Systematic Review and Individual Patient Data Meta-Analyses in Psychiatry for Treatment Issues
Authors: Younes Nadia , Claude Laurie-Anne , Paoletti Xavier
Published: July 2021

Introduction: Individual participant data meta-analyses (IPD-MAs) include the raw data from relevant randomised clinical trials (RCTs) and involve secondary analyses of the data. Performed since the late 1990s, ~50 such meta-analyses have been carried out in psychiatry, mostly in the field of treatment. IPD-MAs are particularly relevant for three objectives: (1) evaluation of the average effect of an intervention by combining effects from all included trials, (2) evaluation of the heterogeneity of an intervention effect and sub-group analyses to approach personalised psychiatry, (3) mediation analysis or surrogacy evaluation to replace a clinical (final) endpoint for the evaluation of new treatments with intermediate or surrogate endpoints. The objective is to describe the interest and the steps of an IPD-MA method applied to the field of psychiatric therapeutic research.

Method: The method is described in three steps. First, the identification of the relevant trials with an explicit description of the inclusion/exclusion criteria for the RCT to be incorporated in the IPD-MA and a definition of the intervention, the population, the context and the relevant points (outcomes or moderators). Second, the data management with the standardisation of collected variables and the evaluation and the assessment of the risk-of-bias for each included trial and of the global risk. Third, the statistical analyses and their interpretations, depending on the objective of the meta-analysis. All steps are illustrated with examples in psychiatry for treatment issues, excluding study protocols.

Conclusion: The meta-analysis of individual patient data is challenging. Only strong collaborations between all stakeholders can make such a process efficient. An “ecosystem” that includes all stakeholders (questions of interest prioritised by the community, funders, trialists, journal editors, institutions, …) is required. International medical societies can play a central role in favouring the emergence of such communities.
Utility of SPECT Functional Neuroimaging of Pain
Authors: Bermo Mohammed , Saqr Mohammed , Hoffman Hunter , Patterson David , Sharar Sam , Minoshima Satoshi , Lewis David H.
Published: July 2021

Functional neuroimaging modalities vary in spatial and temporal resolution. One major limitation of most functional neuroimaging modalities is that only neural activation taking place inside the scanner can be imaged. This limitation makes functional neuroimaging in many clinical scenarios extremely difficult or impossible. The most commonly used radiopharmaceutical in Single Photon Emission Tomography (SPECT) functional brain imaging is Technetium 99 m-labeled Ethyl Cysteinate Dimer (ECD). ECD is a lipophilic compound with unique pharmacodynamics. It crosses the blood brain barrier and has high first pass extraction by the neurons proportional to regional brain perfusion at the time of injection. It reaches peak activity in the brain 1 min after injection and is then slowly cleared from the brain following a biexponential mode. This allows for a practical imaging window of 1 or 2 h after injection. In other words, it freezes a snapshot of brain perfusion at the time of injection that is kept and can be imaged later. This unique feature allows for designing functional brain imaging studies that do not require the patient to be inside the scanner at the time of brain activation. Functional brain imaging during severe burn wound care is an example that has been extensively studied using this technique. Not only does SPECT allow for imaging of brain activity under extreme pain conditions in clinical settings, but it also allows for imaging of brain activity modulation in response to analgesic maneuvers whether pharmacologic or non-traditional such as using virtual reality analgesia. Together with its utility in extreme situations, SPECTS is also helpful in investigating brain activation under typical pain conditions such as experimental controlled pain and chronic pain syndromes.
Impact of Social, Economic, and Healthcare Factors on the Regional Structure of Antibiotic Consumption in Primary Care in Poland (2013–2017)
Authors: Olczak-Pieńkowska Anna , Hryniewicz Waleria
Published: July 2021

Antibiotic resistance is one of the most important public health threats worldwide. Antimicrobial misuse and overuse are well-recognized risk factors for the resistance emergence and spread. Monitoring of antibiotic consumption (AC) is an important element in strategies to combat antibiotic resistance. As a result of AC surveillance in Poland, regional differences in AC levels were observed. This study aimed to characterize the regional AC in the period 2013–2017 in primary care in Poland and to assess the possible determinants that influence the AC at the regional level. The study analyzed relationships between AC and its factors (grouped in three different categories: demographic, economic, and related to the organization of healthcare). Data covered AC in primary care in 5 years period (2013–2017) from all 16 Polish voivodeships. The AC primary care data were sales data, expressed in defined daily doses (DDD) according to the WHO methodology. The yearly data on demographic, economic, and related healthcare factors were downloaded from the Central Statistical Office of Poland. Standard statistical parameters were used to characterize the AC. Non-standardized regression coefficients were used to estimate the quantitative dependence of variables. The strongest correlation was demonstrated with factors related to employment, female reproductive activity, mobility of the population, the number of outpatient consultations, and the number of dentists. A correlation was also found between population mobility and density. Recognized risk factors for increased AC should be a priority for interventions implementing and disseminating rational antibiotic policy.
Do Social Pension Schemes Promote the Mental Health of Rural Middle-Aged and Old Residents? Evidence From China
Authors: Pan Guochen , Li Shaobin , Geng Zhixiang , Zhan Kai
Published: July 2021

As China experiences rapid aging, the mental health of older rural adults has become a major public health concern. Among other social insurance programs, the New Rural Social Pension (NRSP) scheme was established to replace part of the income for old-age rural residents in China. This article employs survey data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) in 2015 and 2018 to investigate the impact of a pension on depression in middle-aged and old residents. Our results show that the pension scheme not only reduces the depressive symptoms of the rural residents but keeps down the prevalence rate of depression. Among the subscribers of the pension scheme, the pensioners benefit more from enrolling in the pension scheme than the contributors in terms of depression alleviation. The impact of pension on depression displays heterogeneity; female residents, residents in central China, and/or those from lower income households are found to be positively affected. It is also confirmed that a pension scheme contributes to easing depression via reduced labor supply, better family support, and more consumption expenditure.

JEL Classification: H55, I18, I38.
A 3-CS Distributed Federated Transfer Learning Framework for Intelligent Edge Optical Networks
Authors: Yang Hui , Yao Qiuyan , Bao Bowen , Li Chao , Wang Danshi , Zhang Jie , Cheriet Mohamed
Published: July 2021

With the rapid development of optical network and edge computing, the operation efficiency of the edge optical network has become more and more important, requiring an intelligent approach to enhance the network performance. To enhance the intelligence of the edge optical network, this article firstly provides the demand for the development of edge optical networks. Then, a cross-scene, cross-spectrum, and cross-service (3-CS) architecture for edge optical networks is presented. Finally, a federated transfer learning (FTL) framework, realizing a distributed intelligence edge optical network, is proposed. The usability of the proposed framework is verified by simulation.
Towards Fully Purposing Universities to Deliver Public Benefit
Authors: Tyndale Nicholas , Chaytor Sarah , Price G. David
Published: July 2021

In leadership positions at UCL, we have spent more than a decade seeking to fulfil our university's founding commitment—inspired almost two centuries ago by the utilitarian philosopher Jeremy Bentham—to innovation, accessibility, and relevance for the benefit of humanity. Our guiding principle has been to make our institution and its activities greater than the sum of its parts. To enable us to have most impact in “sustainable human progress,” we have focused our approach on cross-disciplinarity—by which we mean collaboration between experts in different disciplines that transcends subject boundaries—because the problems faced by society cannot be solved by research from one discipline alone. In recent years we have come to understand the boundaries between disciplines to be a subset of the many types of barriers—such as those between communities (disciplinary, academic and otherwise) and between different kinds of activity—that can inhibit the fulfilment of our vision to maximise our public benefit. In order to address crucial challenges—from the local to the global—we need to form collaborations across society that increase our mutual knowledge and engagement. We need to understand how the translation and application of knowledge will change in different settings and according to different practicalities. And we need to better reflect and enhance our role as convenors of different stakeholders to promote greater shared dialogue, co-creation and action.
Case Report: Anterior Cruciate Ligament Calcification in a Patient With Chondrocalcinosis: Micro-Computed Tomography Presentation
Authors: Grassi Alberto , Dal Fabbro Giacomo , Fini Milena , Zaffagnini Stefano , Parrilli Annapaola
Published: July 2021

In this case report, an incidental postoperative diagnosis of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) calcification, associated with calcification of posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) and lateral meniscus insertions, was made using micro-computed tomography (μCT) technology in a knee specimen obtained during a total knee replacement (TKR) surgery due to painful tri-compartmental osteoarthritis (OA) with chondrocalcinosis signs at preoperative X-ray. Anterior cruciate ligament calcification is an uncommon finding, and conventional X-ray and MRI are not so helpful in its identification. μCT scan, in contrast, is of interest because it provides highly spatial three-dimensional information with excellent visualization of bones and calcifications. The μCT technology used in this case report allowed us to perform a detailed analysis and a 3-D reconstruction of the calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate (CPPD) crystal deposition about the knee without the need to section the specimens into slice as performed in previous studies. The 3-D model obtained with μCT scan permits to gain more insight into the shape of the calcification within the fibers of the ligamentous structures of the joint.
Welfare Impact of Community-Based Veterinary and Breeding Services on Small Ruminant Keepers
Authors: Kassie Girma Tesfahun , Asnake Woinishet , Haile Aynalem , Mengistu Tesfaye Getachew , Gizaw Solomon , Rischkowsky Barbara
Published: July 2021

Improved breeding practices and participatory health services have been designed and implemented by a partnership between national and international institutions in various parts of Ethiopia since 2014. Based on a panel data of two waves, we have estimated the impact of these interventions on small ruminant fertility, offtake, return per head of animal, and gross income per adult equivalent. Different specifications of the difference-in-differences model revealed that access to small ruminant health services has increased offtake, return per head of sheep/goat, and gross income per adult equivalent. Participants in community-based small ruminant breeding have also higher offtake and gross income per capita than those who are not taking part. The findings of this study are expected to help understand the economic benefits that accrue to rural areas when livestock development interventions are made based on the right diagnosis. The results of this study will also be useful in informing the ongoing discussion in Ethiopia on the transformation of the livestock sector.
Evidence of Sex Differentiation Based on Morphological Traits During the Early Development Stage of Mud Crab Scylla paramamosain
Authors: Cui Wenxiao , Fang Shaobin , Lv Ligang , Huang Zhi , Lin Fei , Wu Qingyang , Zheng Huaiping , Li Shengkang , Zhang Yueling , Ikhwanuddin Mhd , Ma Hongyu
Published: July 2021

In order to uncover the sexual difference in morphology and how early they appear during the development stage of mud crab Scylla paramamosain, we measured, observed, and biostatistically analyzed morphological traits related to sex. For unveiling the morphological differences between sexes, morphological traits involving abdomen width (AW), carapace length (CL), and carapace width (CW) were first measured during the crablet development stage of S. paramamosain in the present study. The correlation analyses and path analyses exhibited that sexual dimorphism in the third abdomen width (AW3) and fourth abdomen width (AW4) could be used for sex identification from stage C VI (stage VI of crablet). Based on the stepwise discriminant analysis and standardized traits, a sex discriminant equation was constructed, which is capable for sex identification in crablets from stage C VI. Observations for secondary sexual traits and abdomen morphology (shape and pleopods) using a dissecting microscope or scanning electron microscope indicated that sexes are easily identified at stage C VIII according to the abdomen shape; meanwhile, at stage C II based on pleopod difference, and at stage C I by the presence or absence of gonopores. The findings in this study contribute greatly to the accuracy of sex identification of S. paramamosain during the early development stage, which promotes the understanding of the morphological differentiation mechanism of sex.
A Five-Genes Based Diagnostic Signature for Sepsis-Induced ARDS
Authors: Xu Ning , Guo Hui , Li Xurui , Zhao Qian , Li Jianguo
Published: July 2021

Background: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a frequent and serious complication of sepsis without specific and sensitive diagnostic signatures.

Methods: The mRNA profiles, including 60 blood samples with sepsis-induced ARDS and 86 blood samples with sepsis alone, were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). The differently expressed genes (DEGs) were analyzed by limma package of R language. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were carried out using the clusterProfiler package of R. Eventually, multivariate logistic regression model was established through the glm function of R, and support vector machine (SVM) model was constructed via the e1071 package of R.

Results: A total of 242 DEGs in GSE32707 and 102 DEGs in GSE66890 were identified. Notably, five genes exhibited significant differences between the two datasets and were considered to be closely associated with the occurrence of ARDS induced by sepsis. Furthermore, functional enrichment analysis based on the DEGs showed there were 80 overlapped GO terms and one KEGG pathway which were significantly enriched in the two datasets. The logistic regression model and SVM model constructed could efficiently distinguish sepsis patients with or without ARDS.

Conclusion: In brief, our study suggested that NKG7, SPTA1, FGL2, RGS2, and IFI27 might be potential diagnostic signatures for sepsis-induced ARDS, which contributed to the future exploration in mechanism of ARDS occurrence and development.
A Multipurpose Leguminous Plant for the Mediterranean Countries: Leucaena leucocephala as an Alternative Protein Source: A Review
Authors: De Angelis Anna , Gasco Laura , Parisi Giuliana , Danieli Pier Paolo
Published: July 2021

In tropical and subtropical regions, as well as in the internal and/or marginal Mediterranean areas, one of the most important problems related to animal production is represented by the inadequate nutritional supplies. The low productivity of the animals, often connected to reduced annual growth, is, in fact, not infrequently attributable to the low nitrogen content and the high fiber content of the local plant species and crop residues that constitute the base ingredients of the rations commonly adopted by farmers. The use of the supplementation with arboreal and shrub fodder, although often containing anti-nutritional factors and toxins that limit its use, could be a profitable way to alleviate the nutritional deficiencies of the basic diets. Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) De Wit is native to Central America and widely naturalized in the majority of Latin American countries. It is a legume suitable for tropical and subtropical environments including the countries of the Mediterranean area. Moreover, its spread is desirable if we consider the multiple uses to which it is suitable, the considerable amount of biomass produced, and its role in preserving the environment. The aim of this work was to highlight the characteristics of Leucaena that can justify its wide diffusion. A structured analysis of strengths and weaknesses was performed accordingly. Being a good protein source for feeding livestock, it could be a species to be introduced in the inland areas of the Mediterranean countries as an alternative protein source; the limit represented by the presence of anti-nutritional factors could be overcome by feed processing and by launching targeted research programs.
Research on Evaluating the Filtering Method for Broiler Sound Signal from Multiple Perspectives
Authors: Sun Zhigang , Gao Mengmeng , Wang Guotao , Lv Bingze , He Cailing , Teng Yuru
Published: July 2021

Broiler sounds can provide feedback on their own body condition, to a certain extent. Aiming at the noise in the sound signals collected in broiler farms, research on evaluating the filtering methods for broiler sound signals from multiple perspectives is proposed, and the best performer can be obtained for broiler sound signal filtering. Multiple perspectives include the signal angle and the recognition angle, which are embodied in three indicators: signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), root mean square error (RMSE), and prediction accuracy. The signal filtering methods used in this study include Basic Spectral Subtraction, Improved Spectral Subtraction based on multi-taper spectrum estimation, Wiener filtering and Sparse Decomposition using both thirty atoms and fifty atoms. In analysis of the signal angle, Improved Spectral Subtraction based on multi-taper spectrum estimation achieved the highest average SNR of 5.5145 and achieved the smallest average RMSE of 0.0508. In analysis of the recognition angle, the kNN classifier and Random Forest classifier achieved the highest average prediction accuracy on the data set established from the sound signals filtered by Wiener filtering, which were 88.83% and 88.69%, respectively. These are significantly higher than those obtained by classifiers on data sets established from sound signals filtered by other methods. Further research shows that after removing the starting noise in the sound signal, Wiener filtering achieved the highest average SNR of 5.6108 and a new RMSE of 0.0551. Finally, in comprehensive analysis of both the signal angle and the recognition angle, this research determined that Wiener filtering is the best broiler sound signal filtering method. This research lays the foundation for follow-up research on extracting classification features from high-quality broiler sound signals to realize broiler health monitoring. At the same time, the research results can be popularized and applied to studies on the detection and processing of livestock and poultry sound signals, which has extremely important reference and practical value.
Study of Rail Squat Characteristics through Analysis of Train Axle Box Acceleration Frequency
Authors: Cho Hojin , Park Jaehak
Published: July 2021

In this study, a method for detecting the railway surface defects called “squats” using the ABA (Axle Box Acceleration) measurement of trains was proposed. ABA prototype design, implementation, and field tests were conducted to derive and verify the results. The field test was performed using a proven precision measurement system, and the measured data were signal-processed using a Matlab program. The algorithm used to determine the position of the squats was developed based on wavelet spectrum analysis. This study was verified for a section of a domestic general line and, following field verification for the section, squats was detected with a hit rate of about 88.2%. The main locations where the squats occurred were the rail welds and the joint section, and it was confirmed that in some sections, unsupported sleepers occurred at the locations where the squats occurred.
Air Quality during New Year’s Eve: A Biomonitoring Study with Moss
Authors: Świsłowski Paweł , Ziembik Zbigniew , Rajfur Małgorzata
Published: July 2021

Mosses are one of the best bioindicators in the assessment of atmospheric aerosol pollution by heavy metals. Studies using mosses allow both short- and long-term air quality monitoring. The increasing contamination of the environment (including air) is causing a search for new, cheap and effective methods of monitoring its condition. Once such method is the use of mosses in active biomonitoring. The aim of the study was to assess the atmospheric aerosol pollution with selected heavy metals (Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Hg and Pb) from the smoke of fireworks used during New Year’s Eve in the years 2019/2020 and 2020/2021. In studies a biomonitoring moss-bag method with moss Pleurozium schreberi (Willd. ex Brid.) Mitt. genus Pleurozium was used. The research was conducted in the town Prószków (5 km in south direction from Opole, opolskie voivodship, Poland). The moss was exposed 14 days before 31 December (from 17 to 30 of December), on New Year’s Eve (31 December and 1 January) and 2 weeks after the New Year (from 2–15 January). Higher concentrations of analysed elements were determined in samples exposed during New Year’s Eve. Increases in concentrations were demonstrated by analysis of the Relative Accumulation Factor (RAF). The results indicate that the use of fireworks during New Year’s Eve causes an increase in air pollution with heavy metals. In addition, it was shown that the COVID-19 induced restrictions during New Year’s Eve 2020 resulted in a reduction of heavy metal content in moss samples and thus in lower atmospheric aerosol pollution with these analytes. The study confirmed moss usefulness in monitoring of atmospheric aerosol pollution from point sources.
Efficacy of a Training on Executive Functions in Potentiating Rehabilitation Effects in Stroke Patients
Authors: Tarantino Vincenza , Burgio Francesca , Toffano Roberta , Rigon Elena , Meneghello Francesca , Weis Luca , Vallesi Antonino
Published: July 2021

Cognitive impairment after a stroke has a direct impact on patients’ disability. In particular, impairment of Executive Functions (EFs) interferes with re-adaptation to daily life. The aim of this study was to explore whether adding a computer-based training on EFs to an ordinary rehabilitation program, regardless of the specific brain damage and clinical impairment (motor, language, or cognitive), could improve rehabilitation outcomes in patients with stroke. An EF training was designed to have minimal motor and expressive language demands and to be applied to a wide range of clinical conditions. A total of 37 stroke patients were randomly assigned to two groups: a training group, which performed the EF training in addition to the ordinary rehabilitation program (treatment as usual), and a control group, which performed the ordinary rehabilitation exclusively. Both groups were assessed before and after the rehabilitation program on neuropsychological tests covering multiple cognitive domains, and on functional scales (Barthel index, Functional Independence Measure). The results showed that only patients who received the training improved their scores on the Attentional Matrices and Phonemic Fluency tests after the rehabilitation program. Moreover, they showed a greater functional improvement in the Barthel scale as well. These results suggest that combining an EF training with an ordinary rehabilitation program potentiates beneficial effects of the latter, especially in promoting independence in activities of daily living.
Sleep in Normal Aging, Homeostatic and Circadian Regulation and Vulnerability to Sleep Deprivation
Authors: Taillard Jacques , Gronfier Claude , Bioulac Stéphanie , Philip Pierre , Sagaspe Patricia
Published: July 2021

In the context of geriatric research, a growing body of evidence links normal age-related changes in sleep with many adverse health outcomes, especially a decline in cognition in older adults. The most important sleep alterations that continue to worsen after 60 years involve sleep timing, (especially early wake time, phase advance), sleep maintenance (continuity of sleep interrupted by numerous awakenings) and reduced amount of sigma activity (during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep) associated with modifications of sleep spindle characteristics (density, amplitude, frequency) and spindle–Slow Wave coupling. After 60 years, there is a very clear gender-dependent deterioration in sleep. Even if there are degradations of sleep after 60 years, daytime wake level and especially daytime sleepiness is not modified with age. On the other hand, under sleep deprivation condition, older adults show smaller cognitive impairments than younger adults, suggesting an age-related lower vulnerability to extended wakefulness. These sleep and cognitive age-related modifications would be due to a reduced homeostatic drive and consequently a reduced sleep need, an attenuation of circadian drive (reduction of sleep forbidden zone in late afternoon and wake forbidden zone in early morning), a modification of the interaction of the circadian and homeostatic processes and/or an alteration of subcortical structures involved in generation of circadian and homeostatic drive, or connections to the cerebral cortex with age. The modifications and interactions of these two processes with age are still uncertain, and still require further investigation. The understanding of the respective contribution of circadian and homeostatic processes in the regulation of neurobehavioral function with aging present a challenge for improving health, management of cognitive decline and potential early chronobiological or sleep-wake interventions.
Measuring Impulsivity in Greek Adults: Psychometric Properties of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) and Impulsive Behavior Scale (Short Version of UPPS-P)
Authors: Tsatali Marianna , Moraitou Despina , Papantoniou Georgia , Foutsitzi Evangelia , Bonti Eleni , Kougioumtzis Georgios , Ntritsos Georgios , Sofologi Maria , Tsolaki Magda
Published: July 2021

Introduction: The aim of the present study was to validate the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11th version) scale as well as the short version of the Impulsive Behavior Scale (UPPS-P) in a population of Greek young adults. Secondly, we aimed at validating the BIS-11 in older adults. Methods: 167 (Group 1) university students completed the Greek version of the BIS-11 (BIS-11-G) and the UPPS (UPPS-P-G) scales. Additionally, BIS-11-G was also administered to 167 (Group 2) cognitively intact older adults, to identify whether it could be used to measure impulsivity in an older adult population. Results: Both scales had satisfactory internal reliability and test–retest reliability, as well as convergent validity in the young adult population. In regard to the factor structure, a principal component analysis (PCA) extracted two factors for the BIS-11-G in the young adult population and three factors in older adults, as well as three factors for the short UPPS-P-G in young adults. Conclusions: The BIS-11-G and the UPPS-P-G scales can be used to measure different aspects of impulsivity in the Greek population of different ages in research and clinical practice.
Deep Learning for Automatic Subclassification of Gastric Carcinoma Using Whole-Slide Histopathology Images
Authors: Jang Hyun-Jong , Song In-Hye , Lee Sung-Hak
Published: July 2021

Histomorphologic types of gastric cancer (GC) have significant prognostic values that should be considered during treatment planning. Because the thorough quantitative review of a tissue slide is a laborious task for pathologists, deep learning (DL) can be a useful tool to support pathologic workflow. In the present study, a fully automated approach was applied to distinguish differentiated/undifferentiated and non-mucinous/mucinous tumor types in GC tissue whole-slide images from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) stomach adenocarcinoma dataset (TCGA-STAD). By classifying small patches of tissue images into differentiated/undifferentiated and non-mucinous/mucinous tumor tissues, the relative proportion of GC tissue subtypes can be easily quantified. Furthermore, the distribution of different tissue subtypes can be clearly visualized. The patch-level areas under the curves for the receiver operating characteristic curves for the differentiated/undifferentiated and non-mucinous/mucinous classifiers were 0.932 and 0.979, respectively. We also validated the classifiers on our own GC datasets and confirmed that the generalizability of the classifiers is excellent. The results indicate that the DL-based tissue classifier could be a useful tool for the quantitative analysis of cancer tissue slides. By combining DL-based classifiers for various molecular and morphologic variations in tissue slides, the heterogeneity of tumor tissues can be unveiled more efficiently.
SUMOylation Is Associated with Aggressive Behavior in Chondrosarcoma of Bone
Authors: Kroonen Jessie S. , Kruisselbrink Alwine B. , Briaire-de Bruijn Inge H. , Olaofe Olaejirinde O. , Bovée Judith V. M. G. , Vertegaal Alfred C. O.
Published: July 2021

Multiple components of the SUMOylation machinery are deregulated in various cancers and could represent potential therapeutic targets. Understanding the role of SUMOylation in tumor progression and aggressiveness would increase our insight in the role of SUMO in cancer and clarify its potential as a therapeutic target. Here we investigate SUMO in relation to conventional chondrosarcomas, which are malignant cartilage forming tumors of the bone. Aggressiveness of chondrosarcoma increases with increasing histological grade, and a multistep progression model is assumed. High-grade chondrosarcomas have acquired an increased number of genetic alterations. Using immunohistochemistry on tissue microarrays (TMA) containing 137 chondrosarcomas, we showed that higher expression of SUMO1 and SUMO2/3 correlates with increased histological grade. In addition, high SUMO2/3 expression was associated with decreased overall survival chances (p = 0. 0312) in chondrosarcoma patients as determined by log-rank analysis and Cox regression. Various chondrosarcoma cell lines (n = 7), especially those derived from dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma, were sensitive to SUMO inhibition in vitro. Mechanistically, we found that SUMO E1 inhibition interferes with cell division and as a consequence DNA bridges are frequently formed between daughter cells. In conclusion, SUMO expression could potentially serve as a prognostic biomarker.
Prediction of Early Response to Immune Checkpoint Inhibition Using FDG-PET/CT in Melanoma Patients
Authors: Kudura Ken , Dimitriou Florentia , Basler Lucas , Förster Robert , Mihic-Probst Daniela , Kutzker Tim , Dummer Reinhard , Mangana Joanna , Burger Irene , Kreissl Michael
Published: July 2021

We aimed to investigate, whether 18F-2-fluoro-2-desoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) scans performed at baseline (time point 0; TP 0) and three months after initiation of immunotherapy (time point 1; TP 1) can be used on a metastasis- and patient-level to predict the response to immune-checkpoint inhibition using FDG-PET/CT six months after treatment start (time point 2; TP 2) in metastatic melanoma patients. This single-center retrospective study considered metastatic melanoma patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibition from TP 0 to TP 2. An analysis on a metastasis- and patient-level was carried out. Tumor volume, standardized uptake values SUV (mean, maximum, and peak), metabolic tumor volume MTV and total lesion glycolysis TLG of each included metastasis were recorded at each time point, respectively TP 0, TP 1 and TP 2. Total tumor volume, total metabolic tumor volume and total lesion glycolysis per patient were also calculated at TP 0, TP 1 and TP 2. Treatment response was assessed at metastasis- and patient-level based on FDG-PET/CT scans at TP 2. 612 melanoma metastases in 111 patients were included. The analysis on a metastasis-level showed that metastatic SUVpeak at TP 1 and volume variation between TP 0 and TP 1 were the strongest negative predictive biomarkers for response. However, at TP 0, metastatic SUVmean and SUVpeak indicated a low negative prediction power, whereas initial metastatic volume was not a predictive biomarker. Also, melanoma metastases located in bone structures had a negative influence on the outcome at TP 2, particularly in women. The analysis on a patient-level showed, that total tumor volume, total metastatic tumor volume and total lesion glycolysis of all metastases three months after treatment initiation were strong negative predictive biomarkers for response to immunotherapy six months after initiation. Age and female sex were also found to be negative predictive biomarkers with lower predictive power. Interestingly, total tumor volume at TP 0 and number of metastases at TP 0 as well as the occurrence of early immune-related adverse events between TP 0 and TP 2 did not have any predictive value for early treatment response. FDG-PET/CT performed for treatment response assessment three months after initiation of immune checkpoint inhibition in metastatic melanoma patients can also be used to predict early response to treatment. On a metastasis-level SUV peak and volume variation of metastases are strong outcome predictive biomarkers. On a patient-level total tumor volume and semiquantitative parameters such as total metabolic tumor volume MTV and total lesion glycolysis TLG of all metastases are promising outcome predictive biomarkers. Also, early complete response on a metastasis- and patient-level seems to be predictive for lasting complete response.
Recyclable Ir Nanoparticles for the Catalytic Hydrogenation of Biomass-Derived Carbonyl Compounds
Authors: Sole Roberto , Buranello Chiara , Bardella Noemi , Di Michele Alessandro , Paganelli Stefano , Beghetto Valentina
Published: July 2021

The valorisation of biomass-derived platform chemicals via catalytic hydrogenation is an eco-friendly tool which allows us to recover bio-based building blocks and produce fine chemicals with high industrial appeal. In the present study, a novel surfactant-type triazolyl-thioether ligand was prepared, showing excellent catalytic activity in the presence of bis(1,5-cyclooctadiene)diiridium(I) dichloride [Ir(COD)Cl]2 for the hydrogenation of furfural, cinnamaldehyde, levulinic acid, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, vanillin, and citral. Easy recovery by liquid/liquid extraction allowed us to recover the catalyst, which could then be efficiently recycled up to 11 times for the hydrogenation of furfural. In-depth analysis revealed the formation of spherical structures with metal nanoparticles as big as 2–6 nm surrounded by the anionic ligand, preventing iridium nanoparticle degradation.
Measures to Reduce the N2O Formation at Perovskite-Based Lean NOx Trap Catalysts under Lean Conditions
Authors: Ecker Sabrina I. , Dornseiffer Jürgen , Baumann Stefan , Guillon Olivier , Bouwmeester Henny J. M. , Meulenberg Wilhelm A.
Published: July 2021

The net oxidising atmosphere of lean burn engines requires a special after-treatment catalyst for NOx removal from the exhaust gas. Lean NOx traps (LNT) are such kind of catalysts. To increase the efficiency of LNTs at low temperatures platinised perovskite-based infiltration composites La0.5Sr0.5Fe1-xMxO3-δ/Al2O3 with M = Nb, Ti, Zr have been developed. In general, platinum based LNT catalysts show an undesired, hazardous formation of N2O in the lean operation mode due to a competing C3H6-selective catalytic reduction (SCR) at the platinum sites. To reduce N2O emissions an additional Rh-coating, obtained by incipient wetness impregnation, besides the Pt coating and a two-layered oxidation catalyst (2 wt.% Pd/20 wt.% CeO2/alumina)-LNT constitution, has been investigated. Though the combined Rh-Pt coating shows a slightly increased NOx storage capacity (NSC) at temperatures above 300 °C, it does not decrease N2O formation. The layered oxidation catalyst-LNT system shows a decrease in N2O formation of up to 60% at 200 °C, increasing the maximum NSC up to 176 µmol/g. Furthermore, the NSC temperature range is broadened compared to that of the pure LNT catalyst, now covering a range of 250–300 °C.
Novel Transaminase and Laccase from Streptomyces spp. Using Combined Identification Approaches
Authors: Ferrandi Erica E. , Spasic Jelena , Djokic Lidija , Vainshtein Yevhen , Senthamaraikannan Ramsankar , Vojnovic Sandra , Grumaz Christian , Monti Daniela , Nikodinovic-Runic Jasmina
Published: July 2021

Three Streptomyces sp. strains with a multitude of target enzymatic activities confirmed by functional screening, namely BV129, BV286 and BV333, were subjected to genome sequencing aiming at the annotation of genes of interest, in-depth bioinformatics characterization and functional expression of the biocatalysts. A whole-genome shotgun sequencing followed by de novo genome assembly and annotation was performed revealing genomes of 6.4, 9.4 and 7.3 Mbp, respectively. Functional annotation of the proteins of interest resulted in between 2047 and 2763 putative targets. Among the various enzymatic activities that the three Streptomyces strains demonstrated to produce by functional screening, we focused our attention on transaminases (TAs) and laccases due to their high biocatalytic potential. Bioinformatics search allowed the identification of a putative TA from Streptomyces sp. BV333 as a potentially novel broad substrate scope TA and a putative laccase from Streptomyces sp. BV286 as potentially novel blue multicopper oxidase. The two sequences were cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli and the two novel enzymes, transaminase Sbv333-TA and laccase Sbv286-LAC, were characterized. Interestingly, both enzymes resulted to be exceptionally thermostable, Sbv333-TA showing a melting temperature (TM = 85 °C) only slightly lower compared to the TM of the most thermostable transaminases described to date (87–88 °C) and Sbv286-LAC being even thermoactivated at temperature >60 °C. Moreover, Sbv333-TA showed a broad substrate scope and remarkably demonstrated to be active in the transamination of β-ketoesters, which are rarely accepted by currently known TAs. On the other hand, Sbv286-LAC showed an improved activity in the presence of the cosolvent acetonitrile. Overall, it was shown that a combination of approaches from standard microbiological and biochemical screens to genome sequencing and analysis is required to afford novel and functional biocatalysts.
Gradual Response of Cyanobacterial Thylakoids to Acute High-Light Stress—Importance of Carotenoid Accumulation
Authors: Canonico Myriam , Konert Grzegorz , Crepin Aurélie , Šedivá Barbora , Kaňa Radek
Published: July 2021

Light plays an essential role in photosynthesis; however, its excess can cause damage to cellular components. Photosynthetic organisms thus developed a set of photoprotective mechanisms (e.g., non-photochemical quenching, photoinhibition) that can be studied by a classic biochemical and biophysical methods in cell suspension. Here, we combined these bulk methods with single-cell identification of microdomains in thylakoid membrane during high-light (HL) stress. We used Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 cells with YFP tagged photosystem I. The single-cell data pointed to a three-phase response of cells to acute HL stress. We defined: (1) fast response phase (0–30 min), (2) intermediate phase (30–120 min), and (3) slow acclimation phase (120–360 min). During the first phase, cyanobacterial cells activated photoprotective mechanisms such as photoinhibition and non-photochemical quenching. Later on (during the second phase), we temporarily observed functional decoupling of phycobilisomes and sustained monomerization of photosystem II dimer. Simultaneously, cells also initiated accumulation of carotenoids, especially ɣ–carotene, the main precursor of all carotenoids. In the last phase, in addition to ɣ-carotene, we also observed accumulation of myxoxanthophyll and more even spatial distribution of photosystems and phycobilisomes between microdomains. We suggest that the overall carotenoid increase during HL stress could be involved either in the direct photoprotection (e.g., in ROS scavenging) and/or could play an additional role in maintaining optimal distribution of photosystems in thylakoid membrane to attain efficient photoprotection.
Overexpression and Activation of αvβ3 Integrin Differentially Affects TGFβ2 Signaling in Human Trabecular Meshwork Cells
Authors: Filla Mark S. , Meyer Kristy K. , Faralli Jennifer A. , Peters Donna M.
Published: July 2021

Studies from our laboratory have suggested that activation of αvβ3 integrin-mediated signaling could contribute to the fibrotic-like changes observed in primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and glucocorticoid-induced glaucoma. To determine how αvβ3 integrin signaling could be involved in this process, RNA-Seq analysis was used to analyze the transcriptomes of immortalized trabecular meshwork (TM) cell lines overexpressing either a control vector or a wild type (WT) or a constitutively active (CA) αvβ3 integrin. Compared to control cells, hierarchical clustering, PANTHER pathway and protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis of cells overexpressing WT-αvβ3 integrin or CA-αvβ3 integrin resulted in a significant differential expression of genes encoding for transcription factors, adhesion and cytoskeleton proteins, extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, cytokines and GTPases. Cells overexpressing a CA-αvβ3 integrin also demonstrated an enrichment for genes encoding proteins found in TGFβ2, Wnt and cadherin signaling pathways all of which have been implicated in POAG pathogenesis. These changes were not observed in cells overexpressing WT-αvβ3 integrin. Our results suggest that activation of αvβ3 integrin signaling in TM cells could have significant impacts on TM function and POAG pathogenesis.