bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of Merkel Cell Polyomavirus in Normal and Lesional Skin: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Wijaya Wilson A. , Liu Yu , Qing Yong , Li Zhengyong
Published: March 2022

The prevalence of Merkel cell polyomavirus(MCPyV) in Merkel cell carcinoma(MCC) and non-MCC skin lesions and its possible role in the etiology of other skin diseases remain controversial. To systematically assess the association between MCPyV infection and MCC, non-MCC skin lesions, and normal skin. For this systematic review and meta-analysis, a comprehensive search for eligible studies was conducted using Medline Ovid, Pubmed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane CENTRAL databases until August 2021; references were searched to identify additional studies. Observational studies that investigated the association between MCPyV infection and MCC, non-MCC skin lesions, and normal skin using polymerase chain reaction(PCR) as a detection method and provided sufficient data to calculate the prevalence of MCPyV positivity. A total of 50 articles were included in the study after exclusion criteria were applied. Two reviewers independently reviewed and assessed the eligibility of the studies, and all disagreements were resolved by consensus. To determine the association between MCPyV and MCC, overall odds ratio (OR) were calculated with 95% CI using a random-effects model. Single-arm meta-analyses were performed to examine the prevalence rate of MCPyV+ in MCC, non-MCC skin lesions, and normal skin. The primary analysis was the prevalence rate of MCPyV+ in MCC. Secondary outcomes included the prevalence rate of MCPyV+ in non-MCC skin lesions and normal skin. A total of 50 studies involving 5428 patients were reviewed based on our inclusion and exclusion criteria. Compared with the control group, MCPyV infection was significantly associated with MCC (OR = 3.51, 95% CI = 2.96 - 4.05). The global prevalence of MCPyV+ in MCC, melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, Bowen’s disease, actinic keratosis, keratoacanthoma, seborrheic keratosis, and normal skin was 80%, 4%, 15%, 15%, 21%, 6%, 20%, 10%, and 11%, respectively. The current results suggest that MCPyV infection is significantly associated with an increased risk of MCC. However, the low prevalence rate of MCPyV+ in non-MCC skin lesions does not exclude a pathogenic association of this virus with the development of non-MCC skin lesions.
Chrysin Protects Against Titanium Particle-Induced Osteolysis by Attenuating Osteoclast Formation and Function by Inhibiting NF-κB and MAPK Signaling
Authors: Wu Zuoxing , Li Chen , Chen Yu , Liu Qian , Li Na , He Xuemei , Li Weibin , Shen Rong , Li Li , Wei Chenming , Shao Siyuan , Fu Fangsheng , Ding Jiaxin , Sun Xiaochen , Wang Dairong , Yuan Guixin , Su Yiji , Zhao Jinmin , Xu Jiake , Xu Ren , Xu Xin , Xu Feng
Published: March 2022

Bone homeostasis only exists when the physical function of osteoblast and osteoclast stays in the balance between bone formation and resorption. Bone resorption occurs when the two processes are uncoupled, shifting the balance in favour of bone resorption. Excessive activation of osteoclasts leads to a range of osteolytic bone diseases including osteoporosis, aseptic prosthesis loosening, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis. Receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL) and its downstream signaling pathways are recognized as key mediators that drive the formation and activation of osteoclastic function. Hence, osteoclast formation and/or its function remain as dominant targets for research and development of agents reaching the treatment towards osteolytic diseases. Chrysin (CHR) is a flavonoid with a wide range of anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor effects. However, its effect on osteoclasts remains unknown. In this study, we found the effects of CHR on inhibiting osteoclast differentiation which were assessed in terms of the number and size of TRAcP positive multinucleated osteoclasts (OCs). Further, the inhibitory effects of CHR on bone resorption and osteoclast fusion of pre-OC were assessed by hydroxyapatite resorption pit assay and F-actin belts staining; respectively. Western blotting analysis of RANKL-induced signaling pathways and immunofluorescence analysis for p65 nuclear translocation in response to RANKL-induced osteoclasts were used to analyze the mechanism of action of CHR affecting osteoclasts. Lastly, the murine calvarial osteolysis model revealed that CHR could protect against particle-induced bone destruction in vivo. Collectively, our data strongly suggested that CHR with its promising anti-tumor effects would also be a potential therapeutic agent for osteolytic diseases.
Quantitative Transcriptomic and Proteomic Analysis of Fruit Development and Ripening in Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus)
Authors: Yu Yongtao , Guo Shaogui , Ren Yi , Zhang Jie , Li Maoying , Tian Shouwei , Wang Jinfang , Sun Honghe , Zuo Yi , Chen Yakun , Gong Guoyi , Zhang Haiying , Xu Yong
Published: March 2022

Fruit ripening is a highly complicated process, which is modulated by phytohormones, signal regulators and environmental factors playing in an intricate network that regulates ripening-related genes expression. Although transcriptomics is an effective tool to predict protein levels, protein abundances are also extensively affected by post-transcriptional and post-translational regulations. Here, we used RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and tandem mass tag (TMT)-based quantitative proteomics to study the comprehensive mRNA and protein expression changes during fruit development and ripening in watermelon, a non-climacteric fruit. A total of 6,226 proteins were quantified, and the large number of quantitative proteins is comparable to proteomic studies in model organisms such as Oryza sativa L. and Arabidopsis. Base on our proteome methodology, integrative analysis of the transcriptome and proteome showed that the mRNA and protein levels were poorly correlated, and the correlation coefficients decreased during fruit ripening. Proteomic results showed that proteins involved in alternative splicing and the ubiquitin proteasome pathway were dynamically expressed during ripening. Furthermore, the spliceosome and proteasome were significantly enriched by Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis, suggesting that post-transcriptional and post-translational mechanisms might play important roles in regulation of fruit ripening-associated genes expression, which might account for the poor correlation between mRNAs and proteins during fruit ripening. Our comprehensive transcriptomic and proteomic data offer a valuable resource for watermelon research, and provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the complex regulatory networks of fruit ripening.
The Impact of Leader Proactivity on Follower Proactivity: A Chain Mediation Model
Authors: Zhang Kaixin , Cui Zilong
Published: March 2022

This study aims to explore the linking mechanisms underlying the relationship between leader proactivity and follower proactivity. Drawing on social learning theory, the present research investigates the effects of leader proactivity on follower proactivity by developing a chain mediation model. An analysis of three-wave lagged data (N = 575) on 575 employees of six firms in China shows that leader proactivity is positively related to follower proactivity and that employees’ role breadth self-efficacy (RBSE) and felt responsibility for constructive change (FRCC) mediate this relationship. The analytical results also show that leader proactivity facilitates follower value congruence, which in turn enhances followers’ RBSE and FRCC and ultimately promotes followers’ proactivity. The results extend the current proactivity literature and fill the research gap by investigating the relationship between leader proactivity and follower proactivity. The current study also contributes to the literature by identifying the mediating mechanism of the “can do” and “reason to” mechanisms that link leader proactivity to follower proactivity.
Research on the Impact of Customer Participation in Virtual Community on Service Innovation Performance— The Role of Knowledge Transfer
Authors: Wang Jianhua
Published: March 2022

Internet technology has given birth to continuous changes in business model and format innovation. With increasingly critical consumers, blowout development model and format innovation, enterprises are increasingly aware of the importance of customer participation in service innovation. At the same time, the development of information technology provides convenient conditions for communication between enterprises and customers, and online virtual community also provides a platform for customers to participate in the process of enterprise service innovation in an instant. Based on the theory of customer participation, knowledge transfer and service innovation performance, this paper explores the influence mechanism of customer participation in virtual community on service innovation performance, and analyzes the mediating role of knowledge transfer. Through the analysis of the results of the questionnaire, the relevant hypotheses are verified. The results show that customer participation in virtual community has a positive impact on service innovation performance. Customer participation helps enterprises obtain relevant knowledge such as customer needs and reduce barriers to knowledge sharing. In addition, enterprises will acquire customer knowledge about new products, which provides the possibility for the development of new products and services, thereby enhancing the enterprises’ service innovation performance. Knowledge transfer plays a part of mediating role between customer participation and service innovation performance. In the process of enterprises’ service innovation, customers mainly participate in the enterprise by means of knowledge transfer and help the enterprise improve service innovation performance.
Case Report: Surgical Treatment of Type IV Spinal Dermoid Sinus in a Shiba Inu
Authors: Takahashi Kaho , Kimura Shintaro , Chambers James K. , Nakano Yukiko , Ishikawa Takeshi , Maeda Sadatoshi , Kamishina Hiroaki
Published: March 2022

A 2-year-old spayed female Shiba Inu was presented with progressive non-ambulatory bilateral paraparesis, back pain, and urinary incontinence. CT and MRI revealed multiple vertebral malformations and type IV dermoid sinus. Hemilaminectomy was performed in T1–T5 to remove the dermoid sinus and granulomatous lesion that infiltrated into the spinal cord parenchyma. Histopathological examination of the excised tissue revealed type IV dermoid sinus with granulomatous meningomyelitis. After surgery, back pain was resolved, and the dog recovered ambulation and voluntary urination at the time of follow-up 4 months after surgery.
Cytpchrome P450 CYP4G68 Is Associated with Imidacloprid and Thiamethoxam Resistance in Field Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Gennadius)
Authors: Liang Jinjin , Yang Jing , Hu Jinyu , Fu Buli , Gong Peipan , Du Tianhua , Xue Hu , Wei Xuegao , Liu Shaonan , Huang Mingjiao , Yin Cheng , Ji Yao , He Chao , Xie Wen , Wang Ran , Yang Xin , Zhang Youjun
Published: March 2022

The superfamily cytochrome P450s is involved in the evolution of insecticide resistance. However, whether CYP4G68, a differentially expressed gene identified from our transcriptomics analysis, confers resistance to the world’s heavily used insecticide class neonicotinoids is unknown. Hence, we explored the role of CYP4G68 in conferring imidacloprid and thiamethoxam resistance in Bemisia tabaci. The species B. tabaci MED developed low-to-high resistance to imidacloprid and thiamethoxam. Exposure to imidacloprid and thiamethoxam significantly increased the expression of CYP4G68. Moreover, quantitative real-time PCR analysis demonstrated that CYP4G68 was remarkably overexpressed in imidacloprid-resistant and thiamethoxam-resistant strains compared to susceptible strains. Further correlation analysis showed that CYP4G68 expression was significantly positively correlated with the associated resistance level in various strains of B. tabaci. These results suggest that the enhanced expression of CYP4G68 appears to mediate imidacloprid and thiamethoxam resistance in B. tabaci. Additionally, silencing CYP4G68 via RNA interference strongly increased the susceptibility of B. tabaci MED to imidacloprid and thiamethoxam. Collectively, this work revealed that CYP4G68 plays a vital role in imidacloprid and thiamethoxam resistance in B. tabaci MED. These findings will not only advance our understanding of the role of P450s in insecticide resistance but also provide a great potential target for the sustainable control of destructive insect pests such as whiteflies.
Agri-Environmental Indicators: A Selected Review to Support Impact Assessment of New EU Green Deal Policies
Authors: Salvan Michele Giuseppe , Bertoni Danilo , Cavicchioli Daniele , Bocchi Stefano
Published: March 2022

Every intervention of planning, implementation, and monitoring of agricultural and agri-environmental policies requires assessment tools that should have the characteristics of relevance, completeness, interpretability, data quality, efficiency, and overlapping. Despite the extensive selection of bibliographies and numerous projects designed to develop agri-environmental indicators necessary for assessing the sustainability of new policies, it is difficult to have an integrated and updated set of indicators available, which can be an effective and practical application tool to assists policymakers, researchers, and actors in policy design, monitoring and impact assessment. Particularly, such a need is pressing to face the new environmental challenges imposed by the upcoming European Union Green Deal on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) post 2023. This study, therefore, aims to fill this gap by proposing a selection methodology and different pools of agri-environmental indicators differentiated based on a scale approach (crop-farm-district-region). Furthermore, we have attempted to apply our approach by quantifying selected indicators for a specific evaluation necessity, represented in this case by an assessment of the environmental impact of land use change induced by CAP greening requirements in the Northern Italy context. Results of this validation show original crops’ impacts comparison, but also highlight great knowledge gaps in the available literature.
Plant Growth-Promoting Halobacteria and Their Ability to Protect Crops from Abiotic Stress: An Eco-Friendly Alternative for Saline Soils
Authors: Hernández-Canseco Jessie , Bautista-Cruz Angélica , Sánchez-Mendoza Saúl , Aquino-Bolaños Teodulfo , Sánchez-Medina Patricia S.
Published: March 2022

Arid and semi-arid soils display low productivity due to abiotic stress associated with drought and salinity. Halobacteria can increase the yield of crops grown under these types of stress. These bacteria thrive across a wide salinity range (1–25% NaCl) and also in the absence of NaCl and have direct and indirect mechanisms that promote plant growth. This review summarizes studies conducted over the past five years that have assessed the effect of halobacteria on plants and soil fertility. The criteria used in the selection of halobacteria were also reviewed. Few studies have assessed the impact of halobacteria on soil fertility. The selection of halobacteria has been based on a qualitative criterion considering the morphology of colonies grown in media enriched with salts, mainly Na+. Not all bacteria growing in salt-enriched media are capable of capturing Na+ ions. Therefore, a quantitative criterion should be applied for the selection of halobacteria, which could be their ability to capture Na+ ions in vitro. This, together with the assessment of the effect of halobacteria on soil fertility, may largely contribute to the recovery of saline soils.
‘Breathing Out’ under Heat Stress—Respiratory Control of Crop Yield under High Temperature
Authors: Sharma Nitin , Thakur Meenakshi , Suryakumar Pavithra , Mukherjee Purbali , Raza Ali , Prakash Channapatna S. , Anand Anjali
Published: March 2022

Respiration and photosynthesis are indispensable plant metabolic processes that are affected by elevated temperatures leading to disruption of the carbon economy of the plants. Increasing global temperatures impose yield penalties in major staple crops that are attributed to increased respiratory carbon loss, through higher maintenance respiration resulting in a shortage of non-structural carbohydrates and an increase in metabolic processes like protein turnover and maintenance of ion concentration gradients. At a cellular level, warmer temperatures lead to mitochondrial swelling as well as downregulation of respiration by increasing the adenosine triphosphate:adenosine diphosphate (ATP:ADP) ratio, the abscisic acid-mediated reduction in ATP transfer to the cytosol, and the disturbance in a concentration gradient of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates, as well as increasing lipid peroxidation in mitochondrial membranes and cytochrome c release to trigger programmed cell death. In this review, we discuss the mechanistic insight into the heat stress-induced mitochondrial dysfunction that controls dark respiration in plants. Furthermore, the role of hormones in regulating the network of processes that are involved in retrograde signaling is highlighted. We also propose different strategies to reduce carbon loss under high temperature, e.g., selecting genotypes with low respiration rates and using genome editing tools to target the carbon-consuming pathways by replacing, relocating, or rescheduling the metabolic activities.
Effect of Phosphorus Fertilization on Yield of Chipping Potato Grown on High Legacy Phosphorus Soil
Authors: Qiu Yuheng , Fall Thioro , Su Zhihua , Bortolozo Fernando , Mussoline Wendy , England Gary , Dinkins David , Morgan Kelly , Clark Mark , Liu Guodong
Published: March 2022

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) has low phosphorus (P) use efficiency as compared with other vegetable crops. This study was conducted at two commercial chipping potato farms (A and B) in Northeast Florida to evaluate different P rates for potato production. Plot size was 0.62 and 0.49 hectares for Farms A and B, respectively. The total trial area was 13.32 hectares per growing season for three consecutive years from 2018 to 2020. The randomized complete block design (RCBD) was employed with four replications per P rate. The chipping potato variety, ‘Atlantic’ was cultivated with three P rates: 0, 24.5, and 48.9 kg P ha−1 in 2018, and 12.2, 24.5, and 48.9 kg P ha−1 in 2019 and 2020. The soil of Farm A contained 497 mg kg−1 Mehlich-3 extractable P and 946 mg kg−1 aluminum (Al), and that of Farm B had 220 mg kg−1 Mehlich-3 extractable P and 253 mg kg−1 Al. The results showed that a P rate of 48.9 kg P ha−1 significantly improved tuber yield as compared to 0 in 2018 or 12.2 kg P ha−1 in 2019 and 2020. Application of 48.9 kg P ha−1 fertilizer P significantly increased the soil P level in 2018 and 2020, while the application of 24.5 kg P ha−1 fertilizer P increased the soil P level significantly in 2018 only. Tubers with 48.9 kg P ha−1 showed significantly lower external quality issues than 0 or 12.2 and 24.5 kg P ha−1. However, there were no significant differences in specific gravity, internal tuber quality, and tuber size among the different P rates. The tuber yield data show that potato plants grown on soil with high legacy P still require approximately 50 kg ha−1 P application for sustainable potato production in the area. This high P requirement results from the combination of high concentrations of active metals (Al and iron (Fe)) and a decrease in pH of one unit in the growing season. New P-fertilization programs with post-plant applications rather than with pre-plant application are urgently needed for minimizing P-immobilization by Al and Fe and improving P-use efficiency for potato production in the state.
Evolution of Bacterial Persistence to Antibiotics during a 50,000-Generation Experiment in an Antibiotic-Free Environment
Authors: Mathé-Hubert Hugo , Amia Rafika , Martin Mikaël , Gaffé Joël , Schneider Dominique
Published: March 2022

Failure of antibiotic therapies causes > 700,000 deaths yearly and involves both bacterial resistance and persistence. Persistence results in the relapse of infections by producing a tiny fraction of pathogen survivors that stay dormant during antibiotic exposure. From an evolutionary perspective, persistence is either a ‘bet-hedging strategy’ that helps to cope with stochastically changing environments or an unavoidable minimal rate of ‘cellular errors’ that lock the cells in a low activity state. Here, we analyzed the evolution of persistence over 50,000 bacterial generations in a stable environment by improving a published method that estimates the number of persister cells based on the growth of the reviving population. Our results challenged our understanding of the factors underlying persistence evolution. In one case, we observed a substantial decrease in persistence proportion, suggesting that the naturally observed persistence level is not an unavoidable minimal rate of ‘cellular errors’. However, although there was no obvious environmental stochasticity, in 11 of the 12 investigated populations, the persistence level was maintained during 50,000 bacterial generations.
Ripening-Induced Changes in the Nutraceutical Compounds of Differently Coloured Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) Breeding Lines
Authors: Kovács Zsófia , Bedő Janka , Pápai Bánk , Tóth-Lencsés Andrea Kitti , Csilléry Gábor , Szőke Antal , Bányai-Stefanovits Éva , Kiss Erzsébet , Veres Anikó
Published: March 2022

To date, several research studies addressed the topic of phytochemical analysis of the different coloured pepper berries during ripening, but none discussed it in the case of purple peppers. In this study we examine whether the anthocyanin accumulation of the berries in the early stages of ripening could result in a higher antioxidant capacity due to the elevated amount of polyphenolic compounds. Therefore, enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity was measured in four distinct phenophases of fruit maturity. Furthermore, the expression of structural and regulatory genes of the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway was also investigated. An overall decreasing trend was observed in the polyphenolic and flavonoid content and antioxidant capacity of the samples towards biological ripeness. Significant changes both in between the genotypes and in between the phenophases were scored, with the genotype being the most affecting factor on the phytonutrients. An extreme purple pepper yielded outstanding results compared to the other genotypes, with its polyphenolic and flavonoid content as well as its antioxidant capacity being the highest in every phenophase studied. Based on our results, besides MYBa (Ca10g11650) two other putative MYBs participate in the regulation of the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway.
Kinetics of Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress in Septic Shock: A Pilot Study
Authors: Helan Martin , Malaska Jan , Tomandl Josef , Jarkovsky Jiri , Helanova Katerina , Benesova Klara , Sitina Michal , Dastych Milan , Ondrus Tomas , Pavkova Goldbergova Monika , Gal Roman , Lokaj Petr , Tomandlova Marie , Parenica Jiri
Published: March 2022

Septic shock is a major cause of mortality in ICU patients, its pathophysiology is complex and not properly understood. Oxidative stress seems to be one of the most important mechanisms of shock progression to multiple organ failure. In the present pilot study, we have analysed eight oxidative-stress-related biomarkers in seven consecutive time points (i.e., the first seven days) in 21 septic shock patients admitted to the ICU. Our objective was to describe the kinetics of four biomarkers related to pro-oxidative processes (nitrite/nitrate, malondialdehyde, 8-oxo-2′-deoxyguanosine, soluble endoglin) compared to four biomarkers of antioxidant processes (the ferric reducing ability of plasma, superoxide dismutase, asymmetric dimethylarginine, mid-regional pro-adrenomedullin) and four inflammatory biomarkers (CRP, IL-6, IL-10 and neopterin). Furthermore, we analysed each biomarker’s ability to predict mortality at the time of admission and 12 h after admission. Although a small number of study subjects were recruited, we have identified four promising molecules for further investigation: soluble endoglin, superoxide dismutase, asymmetric dimethylarginine and neopterin.
Hyperoxia Induces Ferroptosis and Impairs Lung Development in Neonatal Mice
Authors: Chou Hsiu-Chu , Chen Chung-Ming
Published: March 2022

Oxygen is often required to treat newborns with respiratory disorders, and prolonged exposure to high oxygen concentrations impairs lung development. Ferroptosis plays a vital role in the development of many diseases and has become the focus of treatment and prognosis improvement for related diseases, such as neurological diseases, infections, cancers, and ischemia-reperfusion injury. Whether ferroptosis participates in the pathogenesis of hyperoxia-induced lung injury remains unknown. The aims of this study are to determine the effects of hyperoxia on lung ferroptosis and development in neonatal mice. Newborn C57BL/6 mice were reared in either room air (RA) or hyperoxia (85% O2) at postnatal days 1–7. On postnatal days 3 and 7, the lungs were harvested for histological and biochemical analysis. The mice reared in hyperoxia exhibited significantly higher Fe2+, malondialdehyde, and iron deposition and significantly lower glutathione, glutathione peroxidase 4, and vascular density than did those reared in RA on postnatal days 3 and 7. The mice reared in hyperoxia exhibited a comparable mean linear intercept on postnatal day 3 and a significantly higher mean linear intercept than the mice reared in RA on postnatal day 7. These findings demonstrate that ferroptosis was induced at a time point preceding impaired lung development, adding credence to the hypothesis that ferroptosis is involved in the pathogenesis of hyperoxia-induced lung injury and suggest that ferroptosis inhibitors might attenuate hyperoxia-induced lung injury.
A Polynomial Inversion-Based Fast Time-Delay Estimation Method for Wideband Large-Scale Antenna Systems
Authors: Liu Xiaowei , Ren Guangliang , Yin Xiaoman , Zhang Bo , Wang Yu
Published: March 2022

This paper proposes a new fast time-delay estimation (TDE) method based on polynomial inversion which addresses the challenges arising from the requirements for high-precision, low-computational-complexity synchronization error estimation in wideband large-scale antenna systems (LSASs). In this work, we use the convex parabolic extreme point equation as the timing error detector (TED), and develop a polynomial inversion-based function to characterize the one-to-one mapping relationship between true time delay (TTD) and TED estimates using the least square (LS) method, then obtain the time-delay difference with a high accuracy and high computational efficiency. The results of the performance analysis indicate that the Mean Square Error (MSE) of the proposed algorithm is less than 1 dB away from the Cramer–Rao lower bound (CRLB), which is produced in this paper, while adding a few multipliers compared to the convex parabolic interpolation method. Finally, a further example illustrates that the proposed algorithm can achieve a synchronization error of less than 5 ps between channels based on the NI PXI broadband multichannel acquisition platform.
A Model for the Assessment of the Economic Benefits Associated with Energy Retrofit Interventions: An Application to Existing Buildings in the Italian Territory
Authors: Tajani Francesco , Morano Pierluigi , Di Liddo Felicia , Doko Endriol
Published: March 2022

In recent decades, the issue of existing buildings’ energy retrofit has played a central role in the context of international and national territorial development policies, mainly due to the obsolescence state that characterizes the housing stock. Since the current need for energy renovation collides with the widespread low spending capacity of the owners, in recent years numerous fiscal incentives have been envisaged, aimed at promoting building initiatives for the improvement of energy performance indices. With reference to the Italian fiscal measure so-called Superbonus, introduced by the “Relaunch” Law Decree No. 34/2020, in the present research, a model for evaluating the economic benefits, in terms of the convenience of the operators involved, generated by energy requalification interventions, has been proposed. The analysis has been developed with regards to the Italian territory and to the prevailing building typology, by considering 110 provincial capitals and the main urban areas into which each city is divided (central, semi-central, and peripheral). Specifically, for each urban area of the Italian capitals considered, the market value differential between the after energy and before energy intervention situations has been firstly determined. Furthermore, assuming an ordinary profit margin of a generic investor interested in this type of investment, the break-even incentive, i.e., the percentage threshold able to ensure the condition of minimum convenience for an investor, has been estimated for each urban area.
A Text Segmentation Approach for Automated Annotation of Online Customer Reviews, Based on Topic Modeling
Authors: Hananto Valentinus Roby , Serdült Uwe , Kryssanov Victor
Published: March 2022

Online customer review classification and analysis have been recognized as an important problem in many domains, such as business intelligence, marketing, and e-governance. To solve this problem, a variety of machine learning methods was developed in the past decade. Existing methods, however, either rely on human labeling or have high computing cost, or both. This makes them a poor fit to deal with dynamic and ever-growing collections of short but semantically noisy texts of customer reviews. In the present study, the problem of multi-topic online review clustering is addressed by generating high quality bronze-standard labeled sets for training efficient classifier models. A novel unsupervised algorithm is developed to break reviews into sequential semantically homogeneous segments. Segment data is then used to fine-tune a Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) model obtained for the reviews, and to classify them along categories detected through topic modeling. After testing the segmentation algorithm on a benchmark text collection, it was successfully applied in a case study of tourism review classification. In all experiments conducted, the proposed approach produced results similar to or better than baseline methods. The paper critically discusses the main findings and paves ways for future work.
Alterations of the Sympathoadrenal Axis Related to the Development of Alzheimer’s Disease in the 3xTg Mouse Model
Authors: Muñoz-Montero Alicia , de Pascual Ricardo , Sáez-Mas Anabel , Colmena Inés , Gandía Luis
Published: March 2022

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common form of dementia, is becoming a global health problem and public health priority. In the advanced stages of AD, besides the initial cognitive symptoms, behavioral problems, particularly agitation and aggressiveness, become prevalent in AD patients. These non-cognitive symptoms could be related to a noradrenergic overactivation. In this study, we used chromaffin cells (CCs) isolated from the adrenal gland of 3xTg AD model mice to characterize potential alterations in the autocrine-paracrine modulation of voltage-dependent calcium channels (VDCCs), which in turn serve to regulate the release of catecholamines. We used mice at the presymptomatic stage (2 months) and mice over 12 months of age, when AD-related cognitive impairment was fully established. We found that the modulation of inward currents through VDCCs induced by extracellular ATP was stronger in CCs isolated from the adrenal medulla of 3xTg mice older than 12 months of age, an effect likely related to disease progression as it was not observed in CCs from age-matched WT mice. This enhanced modulation leads to increased catecholamine release in response to stressful situations, which may explain the non-cognitive behavioral problems found in AD patients.
Wind Turbine Noise Behaviorally and Physiologically Changes Male Frogs
Authors: Park Jun-Kyu , Do Yuno
Published: March 2022

As the advantages of wind energy as an eco-friendly strategy for power generation continue to be revealed, the number of offshore wind farms also increases worldwide. However, wind turbines can induce behavioral and physiological responses in animals by emitting various types of noises. In this study, we investigated the behavioral, physiological, and immunological responses of male Japanese tree frogs (Dryophytes japonicus) when exposed to wind turbine noise. To determine the effects during the breeding season, frogs were collected from areas with and without wind turbines. Additionally, we exposed the frogs to recorded wind turbine noise at a site without a wind generator for 1 h to 24 h to analyze the short-term effects. Three types of calling patterns (dominant frequency, note duration, and call rate) were analyzed to investigate behavioral responses. Physiological responses were assessed using two steroid hormones assays, namely testosterone and corticosterone detection in the saliva. The immunity of each individual was assessed using a bacterial killing assay. The wind turbine group in the field had a higher call rate and corticosterone levels and lower immunity than the group in the field without turbines present, and all three of these variables were correlated with each other. Conversely, in the noise exposure experiment, a higher call rate was only observed post-exposure compared to pre-exposure. Thus, turbine noise seems to induce decreased immunity in Japanese tree frogs as an increase in energy investment that triggers a behavioral response rather than acting as a sole physiological response that leads to a direct increase in corticosterone. This decreased immunity due to energy tradeoff or physiological response can change the disease epidemiology of the population and create new adaptive patterns in these habitats.
Experimental and Numerical Study of an Active Solar Heating System with Soil Heat Storage for Greenhouses in Cold Climate Zones
Authors: Yu Tao , Wang Dongju , Zhao Xintian , Liu Jiying , Kim Moon Keun
Published: March 2022

Root temperature is an important ecological factor affecting plant growth. A solar greenhouse with an active solar heating system was built in Jinan, in the cold climate zone of northern China. Experiments encompassing the complete cycle of heat collection, heat storage, and heat release were carried out. Using the experimental data, the numerical simulation of soil heat storage with a variable heat flow was executed using the ANSYS (ANSYS Inc., Pittsburgh, PA, USA) Fluent software. Soil temperature fields were studied on typical sunny days and typical cloudy days in the transition season and winter. The solar collector efficiency and coefficient of performance of the system were investigated. The applicability of this active solar soil heating system with soil heat storage for cold areas was evaluated. The results showed that the system effectively maintained suitable ground temperatures to prevent plant growth inhibition caused by low ground temperatures in winter. During the experimental period, the solar collector efficiency was 47% and the system’s coefficient of performance was 67.70. The thermal performance of the system was much better than a traditional energy system. This study showed that this active solar heating system with soil heat storage is an economic and feasible way to increase soil temperatures in solar greenhouses in cold areas.
The Catalytic Effect from Alkaline Elements on the Tar-Rich Coal Pyrolysis
Authors: Du Zhonghua , Li Wu
Published: March 2022

Tar-rich coal has been widely concerned because of its high tar yield. Two kinds of tar-rich coals were studied by Thermogravimetric-Mass spectrometer-Fourier transform infrared (TG-MS-FTIR) to obtain the pyrolysis characteristics. TG-MS-FTIR was used to study the mass loss, gaseous compounds evolution, and functional group information of tar-rich coal during pyrolysis. Mass loss is mainly caused by water release and macromolecular decomposition. The results showed that there were two stages of mass loss in the pyrolysis process. In addition, the gas release signal detected by mass spectrometry is consistent with the functional group information detected by FTIR. The main gaseous products include H2, H2O, CO, CO2, and CH4. In addition, the effect of ash content on the pyrolysis of oil-rich coal and the catalytic effect of internal minerals on coal pyrolysis are also discussed, and the thermal pyrolysis characteristics of coke-rich oil coal are put forward. The results provide a new idea for the study of pyrolysis characteristics of tar-rich coal.
Compliance with Cardiovascular Prevention Guidelines in Type 2 Diabetes Individuals in a Middle-Income Region: A Cross-Sectional Analysis
Authors: Barreto Joaquim , Luchiari Beatriz , Wolf Vaneza L. W. , Bonilha Isabella , Bovi Ticiane G. , Assato Barbara S. , Breder Ikaro , Kimura-Medorima Sheila T. , Munhoz Daniel B. , Quinaglia Thiago , Coelho-Filho Otavio R. , Carvalho Luiz Sergio F. , Nadruz Wilson , Sposito Andrei C.
Published: March 2022

Stricter control of risk factors has been pursued as a compelling strategy to mitigate cardiovascular events (CVE) in type 2 diabetes (T2D) individuals. However, the achievement rate of the recommended goals has remained low in clinical practice. This study investigated the 2019 ESC guideline recommendation attainment among T2D individuals enrolled in a national cohort held in Brazil. Data from 1030 individuals (mean age: 58 years old; 54% male; mean T2D duration: 9.7 years) were analyzed. The control rates were 30.6% for SBP, 18.8% for LDL-C, and 41% for A1c, and only 3.2% of the study participants met all three targets. Statins and high-intensity lipid-lowering therapy prescription rates were 45% and 8.2%, respectively. Longer T2D duration and those at higher CV risk were less likely to be controlled. Longer diabetes duration and higher CV risk were inversely related to the chance of achieving the recommended targets. Treatment escalation using conventional therapies would be sufficient to gain optimal control in most of the study sample. In conclusion, a minimal proportion of T2D individuals comply with guidelines-oriented CV prevention targets. Given the significant burden of the disease, and the substantial effect size predicted for these therapies, bridging this gap between guidelines and clinical practice should be considered an urgent call to public health managers.
The Utility of Laboratory Parameters for Cardiac Inflammation in Heart Failure Patients Hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Authors: Pilut Ciprian Nicolae , Citu Cosmin , Gorun Florin , Bratosin Felix , Gorun Oana Maria , Burlea Bogdan , Citu Ioana Mihaela , Grigoras Mirela Loredana , Manolescu Diana , Gluhovschi Adrian
Published: March 2022

COVID-19 has been associated with cardiovascular consequences, including myocardial infarction, thromboembolic events, arrhythmia, and heart failure. Numerous overlapping mechanisms, such as the IL-6 dependent cytokine storm and unopposed angiotensin II stimulation, could be responsible for these consequences. Cardiac damage is hypothesized to be a consequence of the direct viral infection of cardiomyocytes, resulting in increased metabolic demand, immunological activation, and microvascular dysfunction. Patients with pre-existing chronic heart failure are therefore at increased risk of decompensation, further heart damage, and significant health deterioration. Based on the aforementioned assumptions, we developed a study aiming to provide a detailed description of changes in biological parameters and cardiac injury markers of patients with heart failure and SARS-CoV-2 infection by correlating them with the clinical presentation and COVID-19 vaccination status, to predict the probability of ICU admission based on their initial hospital presentation. A two-year retrospective study was performed on heart failure patients with a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection and detailed records of biological biomarkers; a total of 124 eligible patients with COVID-19 and 236 without COVID-19 were recruited. Patients with heart failure and SARS-CoV-2 infection had significantly elevated baseline biological parameters and cardiac markers compared to those without COVID-19. Several cardiac injury markers were identified as significant independent risk factors for ICU admission: CK-MB (HR = 4.1, CI [2.2–6.9]), myoglobin (HR = 5.0, CI [2.3–7.8]), troponin-I (HR = 7.1 [4.4–9.6]), troponin-T (HR = 4.9, CI [1.7–7.4]). The elevation of a basic panel of acute inflammation markers (CRP, IL-6, fibrinogen), D-dimers, and BNP was also a significant risk factor. The follow-up of survivors at four weeks after viral clearance determined a worsened clinical picture by NYHA classification, worsened cardiac ultrasound findings, and a mild improvement in cardiac and inflammatory markers. Increased levels of myocardial damage parameters in association with cardiac ultrasound findings and basic inflammatory markers may enable early risk assessment and triage in hospitalized heart failure patients infected with SARS-CoV-2.
Scaffolding Positive Creativity in Secondary School Students
Authors: Ivcevic Zorana , Hoffmann Jessica D. , McGarry Julie A.
Published: March 2022

Guided by research in creativity studies, moral development, and positive youth development, this paper proposes four principles to guide education toward positive creativity: (1) building prosocial motivation, (2) building emotion skills to build persistence, (3) building an understanding of creativity as dynamic, and (4) building self-concept of positive creativity. To illustrate applying these theoretically derived principles to teaching positive creativity, we provide examples from the inspirED program for secondary school students, which aims to build a more positive social and emotional climate through student-led creative projects. The four phases of the inspirED program—Assess the problems, Brainstorm ideas, Complete a project, and Debrief the project’s impact—are mapped onto the four principles of teaching for positive creativity.
Electrothermal Aging Model of Li-Ion Batteries for Vehicle-to-Grid Services Evaluation
Authors: Carmeli Maria Stefania , Toscani Nicola , Mauri Marco
Published: March 2022

The growing interest in Electrical Vehicles (EVs) opens new possibilities in the use of Li-ion batteries in order to provide ancillary grid services while they are plugged to recharging stations. Indeed, Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G), Vehicle-to-Building (V2B), Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) as well as Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) services can be carried out depending on the particular installation and on the connection to the distribution grid of the considered recharging station. Even if these are interesting and challenging opportunities, the additional charging/discharging cycles necessary to provide these services could decrease the expected life of EV batteries. For this reason, it is of paramount importance to study and develop reliable models of the batteries, which take the aging phenomena affecting the reliability of the Li-ion cells into account to evaluate the best charging/discharging strategy and the economic revenues. To this aim, this paper focuses on a battery pack made up with Li-ion nickel–manganese–cobalt (NMC) cells and proposes a semiempirical Electrothermal Aging Model, which accounts for both calendar and cycle aging. This modeling phase is supported by several experimental data recorded for many charge and discharge cycles at different C-rates and for several temperatures. Thus, it is possible to analyze and compare scenarios considering V2G services or not. Results show that the considered battery is subjected to a life reduction of about 2 years, which is a consequence of the increased Ah charge throughput, which moves from 120,000 Ah over 10 years (scenario without V2G services) to almost 230,000 Ah over 8 years (scenario with V2G services).
Prediction of the Judd–Ofelt Parameters of Dy3+-Doped Lead Borosilicate Using Artificial Neural Network
Authors: Alhussan Amel A. , Gaafar Mohamed S. , Alharbi Mafawez , Marzouk Samir Y. , Alharbi Sayer , ElRashidy Hussain , Mabrouk Mai S. , AlEisa Hussah N. , Samee Nagwan Abdel
Published: March 2022

Developments in the field of glass research necessitate the mimicking of the optical properties of glass materials before melting the raw materials, as they are very expensive nowadays. An artificial neural network (ANN) was utilized during this work to train and predict the Judd–Ofelt parameters of various glasses, such as Ω2, Ω4 and Ω6, and the radiative lifetimes of many different types of rare-earth-doped glasses. The optimized ANN architecture for forecasting the Judd–Ofelt parameters were found to be very near to the experimentally measured parameters. Then, the conferred ANN model was employed to predict the Judd–Ofelt parameters of some newly prepared borosilicate glasses. Therein, a new glass system of 0.25 PbO–0.2 SiO2–(0.55 − x) B2O3–x Dy2O3, was prepared in order to employ the melt-quenching technique. The parameter results of the Judd–Ofelt theory, as well as the Ω2, Ω4 and Ω6 and radiative lifetimes showed that the supplementation of Dy2O3 switched the BO4 units to BO3 units with oxygens that were non-bridging atoms, thus weakening the glass frameworks. Therefore, it is very important to use an ANN to predict the Judd–Ofelt parameters of several rare-earth-doped glasses as luminescent materials.
Communicating Function and Co-Creating Healthy Food: Designing a Functional Food Product Together with Consumers
Authors: Vrgović Petar , Pojić Milica , Teslić Nemanja , Mandić Anamarija , Kljakić Aleksandra Cvetanović , Pavlić Branimir , Stupar Alena , Pestorić Mladenka , Škrobot Dubravka , Mišan Aleksandra
Published: March 2022

Functional food is lately an interesting topic from the new product development perspective; complex motivation and expectations of consumers regarding it present a challenge when new products are designed. Co-creation is an interesting alternative to the standard practices by the R & D departments since it directly involves consumers in the various stages of the creation process. This work aims to describe experiences of engaging consumers in different development stages of a functional food product within a project realized at a food research institute. Four consecutive studies were conducted: the first study explored current trends in Serbia regarding the way consumers use functional food and are informed about it; the second study described development of a raspberry seeds extract with antioxidant and anti-proliferative activity confirmed in vitro; the third study tested the same extract in a sample of consumers, validating its usability in food products; and the fourth study described a co-creation session with 18 participants, during which a number of activities were realized to stimulate idea generation. Rather than the final product idea itself, this work is valuable because of detailed insights into the various phases of the co-creation process. It is shown that consumers and food researchers can together engage in the new food product development process as long as the communication between them is rich and with mutual understanding.