bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Incidence and Prognosis of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia in Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19: A Multicenter Study
Authors: Giacobbe Daniele Roberto , Battaglini Denise , Enrile Elisa Martina , Dentone Chiara , Vena Antonio , Robba Chiara , Ball Lorenzo , Bartoletti Michele , Coloretti Irene , Di Bella Stefano , Di Biagio Antonio , Brunetti Iole , Mikulska Malgorzata , Carannante Novella , De Maria Andrea , Magnasco Laura , Maraolo Alberto Enrico , Mirabella Michele , Montrucchio Giorgia , Patroniti Nicolò , Taramasso Lucia , Tiseo Giusy , Fornaro Giacomo , Fraganza Fiorentino , Monastra Luca , Roman-Pognuz Erik , Paluzzano Giacomo , Fiorentino Giuseppe , Corcione Antonio , Bussini Linda , Pascale Renato , Corcione Silvia , Tonetti Tommaso , Rinaldi Matteo , Falcone Marco , Biagioni Emanuela , Ranieri Vito Marco , Giannella Maddalena , De Rosa Francesco Giuseppe , Girardis Massimo , Menichetti Francesco , Viale Pierluigi , Pelosi Paolo , Bassetti Matteo
Published: February 2021

The primary objective of this multicenter, observational, retrospective study was to assess the incidence rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients in intensive care units (ICU). The secondary objective was to assess predictors of 30-day case-fatality of VAP. From 15 February to 15 May 2020, 586 COVID-19 patients were admitted to the participating ICU. Of them, 171 developed VAP (29%) and were included in the study. The incidence rate of VAP was of 18 events per 1000 ventilator days (95% confidence intervals [CI] 16–21). Deep respiratory cultures were available and positive in 77/171 patients (45%). The most frequent organisms were Pseudomonas aeruginosa (27/77, 35%) and Staphylococcus aureus (18/77, 23%). The 30-day case-fatality of VAP was 46% (78/171). In multivariable analysis, septic shock at VAP onset (odds ratio [OR] 3.30, 95% CI 1.43–7.61, p = 0.005) and acute respiratory distress syndrome at VAP onset (OR 13.21, 95% CI 3.05–57.26, p < 0.001) were associated with fatality. In conclusion, VAP is frequent in critically ill COVID-19 patients. The related high fatality is likely the sum of the unfavorable prognostic impacts of the underlying viral and the superimposed bacterial diseases.
Sex Disparities in MGMT Promoter Methylation and Survival in Glioblastoma: Further Evidence from Clinical Cohorts
Authors: Smits Anja , Lysiak Malgorzata , Magnusson Andreas , Rosell Johan , Söderkvist Peter , Malmström Annika
Published: February 2021

Introduction: Recent studies suggest an overrepresentation of MGMT promoter methylated tumors in females with IDHwt glioblastoma (GBM) compared to males, with a subsequent better response to alkylating treatment. Methods: To reveal sex-bound associations that may have gone unnoticed in the original analysis, we re-analyzed two previously published clinical cohorts. One was the multicenter Nordic trial of elderly patients with GBM, randomizing patients into three different treatment arms, including 203 cases with known MGMT promoter methylation status. The other was a population-based study of 179 patients with IDHwt GBM, receiving concomittant radiotherapy and chemotherapy with temozolomide. Cohorts were stratified by sex to test the hypothesis that female sex in combination with MGMT promoter methylation constitutes a subgroup with more favorable outcome. Results: There was a significantly larger proportion of MGMT promoter methylation and better outcome for female patients with MGMT promoter methylated tumors. Results were confirmed in 257 TCGA-derived IDHwt GBM with known sex and MGMT status. Conclusions: These results confirm that patient sex in combination with MGMT promoter methylation is a key determinant in GBM to be considered prior to treatment decisions. Our study also illustrates the need for stratification to identify such sex-bound associations.
Analysis of Affecting Factors of the Fate of Medial Meniscus Posterior Root Tear Based on Treatment Strategies
Authors: Lee Jae Ik , Kim Dong Hyun , Choi Han Gyeol , Kim Tae Woo , Lee Yong Seuk
Published: February 2021

Meniscal tear is a common reason for patients to undergo knee operation, and the medial meniscus posterior root tear (MMPRT) is one of the most frequent kinds of meniscal tears. The purpose of this study was to analyze participants’ factors (anthropometric and medical) to the fate of the MMPRT based on the treatment strategy. The hypothesis of this study was that treatment modalities from conservative treatment to final arthroplasty would be affected by participants’ affecting factors. From July 2003 to May 2018, 640 participants were included. Groups were categorized according to the treatment strategies such as conservative treatment, arthroscopic surgery, high tibial osteotomy (HTO) and arthroplasty surgery. Participants’ affecting factors were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance according to the four different treatment strategies and a correlation between affecting factors was also analyzed. Participants with K-L (Kellgren–Lawrence) Grade 4 and high BMI > 28.17 were appropriate candidates for arthroplasty, with K-L Grade 4 being a greater determining factor than high BMI. Participants with alignment factors such as low initial weight bearing line (WBL) (26.5%) and high delta WBL ratio (5.9%) were appropriate candidates for HTO, with the delta WBL ratio being a greater determining factor than initial WBL. Longer MRI-event times (1.44 year) and a lesser extent of meniscal extrusion (2.98 mm) were significantly associated with conservative treatment. Understanding the correlation of each affecting factor to the treatment strategy will help clinicians decide on the appropriate treatment for patients with MMPRT.
Childhood-Onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Southeast Asian Perspectives
Authors: Tang Swee Ping , Lim Sern Chin , Arkachaisri Thaschawee
Published: February 2021

Childhood onset systemic lupus erythematosus is a rare disease that is more common amongst Southeast Asian children compared to the West. It is typified by a peripubertal onset and a female preponderance, which increases with advancing age. Organs commonly involved at diagnosis include haematological, renal, and mucocutaneous. Fever, malar rash, and cutaneous vasculitis are common. Lupus nephritis is typically proliferative especially Class IV and contributes to both disease activity and damage. Antinuclear antibody and anti-dsDNA positivity are both prevalent in this region. Disease activity is higher than Western cohorts at onset but responds to therapy reducing to low disease activity by six months. However, organ damage occurs early and continues to accumulate over the time, a consequence of both active disease (neurological and renal systems) and steroid-related complications especially in the eye (cataract and glaucoma) and musculoskeletal systems (avascular necrosis). Infections remain the leading cause of death and mortality in this region is highly variable contributed by the heterogeneity in social economic status, healthcare access, and availability of paediatric rheumatology expertise in the region.
Cardiorespiratory Functioning in Youth with Persistent Post-Concussion Symptoms: A Pilot Study
Authors: Snyder Aliyah , Sheridan Christopher , Tanner Alexandra , Bickart Kevin , Sullan Molly , Craske Michelle , Choe Meeryo , Babikian Talin , Giza Christopher , Asarnow Robert
Published: February 2021

Dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) may play an important role in the development and maintenance of persistent post-concussive symptoms (PPCS). Post-injury breathing dysfunction, which is influenced by the ANS, has not been well-studied in youth. This study evaluated cardiorespiratory functioning at baseline in youth patients with PPCS and examined the relationship of cardiorespiratory variables with neurobehavioral outcomes. Participants were between the ages of 13–25 in two groups: (1) Patients with PPCS (concussion within the past 2–16 months; n = 13) and (2) non-injured controls (n = 12). Capnometry was used to obtain end-tidal CO2 (EtCO2), oxygen saturation (SaO2), respiration rate (RR), and pulse rate (PR) at seated rest. PPCS participants exhibited a reduced mean value of EtCO2 in exhaled breath (M = 36.3 mmHg, SD = 2.86 mmHg) and an altered inter-correlation between EtCO2 and RR compared to controls. Neurobehavioral outcomes including depression, severity of self-reported concussion symptoms, cognitive catastrophizing, and psychomotor processing speed were correlated with cardiorespiratory variables when the groups were combined. Overall, results from this study suggest that breathing dynamics may be altered in youth with PPCS and that cardiorespiratory outcomes could be related to a dimension of neurobehavioral outcomes associated with poorer recovery from concussion.
Ultrafine-Grained Ti-31Mo-Type Composites with HA and Ag, Ta2O5 or CeO2 Addition for Implant Applications
Authors: Sochacka Patrycja , Jurczyk Mieczyslawa U. , Kowalski Kamil , Wirstlein Przemyslaw K. , Jurczyk Mieczyslaw
Published: January 2021

Ultrafine-grained Ti31Mo alloy and Ti31Mo5HA, Ti31Mo5HA-Ag (or Ta2O5, CeO2) composites with a grain size of approximately 2 μm were produced by the application of mechanical alloying and powder metallurgy. Additionally, the surface of the Ti31Mo alloy was modified. In the first stage, the specimens were immersed in 5M NaOH for 24 h at 60 °C. In the second stage, hydroxyapatite (HA) was deposited on the sample surface. The cathodic deposition at −5 V vs. open circuit potential (OCP) in the electrolyte containing 0.25M CaNa2-EDTA (di-calcium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid), 0.25M K2HPO4 in 1M NaOH at 120 °C for 2 h was applied. The bulk Ti31Mo alloy is a single β-type phase. In the alkali-modified surface titanium oxide, Ti3O is formed. After hydrothermal treatment, the surface layer mostly consists of the Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2 (81.23%) with about 19% content of CaHPO4·2H2O. Using optical profiler, roughness 2D surface topography parameters were estimated. The in vitro cytocompatibility of synthesized materials was studied. The cell lines of normal human osteoblasts (NHost) and human periodontal ligament fibroblasts (HPdLF) was conducted in the presence of tested biomaterials. Ultrafine-grained Ti-based composites altered with HA and Ag, Ta2O5 or CeO2 have superior biocompatibility than the microcrystalline Ti metal. NHost and HPdLF cells in the contact with the synthesized biomaterial showed stable proliferation activity. Biocompatibility tests carried out indicate that the ultrafine-grained Ti31Mo5HA composites with Ag, Ta2O5, or CeO2 could be a good candidate for implant applications.
Estimating Compressive Strength of Concrete Containing Untreated Coal Waste Aggregates Using Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity
Authors: Karimaei Mahmood , Dabbaghi Farshad , Dehestani Mehdi , Rashidi Maria
Published: January 2021

In recent years, the overuse and exploitation of coal resources as fuel in industry has caused many environmental problems as well as changes in the ecosystem. One way to address this issue is to recycle these materials as an alternative to aggregates in concrete. Recently, non-destructive tests have also been considered by the researchers in this field. As there is limited work on the evaluation of the compressive strength of concrete containing coal waste using non-destructive tests, the current study aims to estimate the compressive strength of concrete containing untreated coal waste aggregates using the ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) technique as a non-destructive testing approach. For this purpose, various concrete parameters such as the compressive strength and UPV were investigated at different ages of concrete with different volume replacements of coarse and fine aggregates with coal waste. The test results indicate that 5% volume replacement of natural aggregates with untreated coal waste improves the average compressive strength and UPV of the concrete mixes by 6 and 1.2%, respectively. However, these parameters are significantly reduced by increasing the coal waste replacement level up to 25%. Furthermore, a general exponential relationship was established between the compressive strength and the UPV associated with the entire tested concrete specimens with different volume replacement levels of coal waste at different ages. The proposed relationship demonstrates a good correlation with the experimental results.
Bioactivity Screening and Gene-Trait Matching across Marine Sponge-Associated Bacteria
Authors: Gavriilidou Asimenia , Mackenzie Thomas Andrew , Sánchez Pilar , Tormo José Ruben , Ingham Colin , Smidt Hauke , Sipkema Detmer
Published: January 2021

Marine sponges harbor diverse microbial communities that represent a significant source of natural products. In the present study, extracts of 21 sponge-associated bacteria were screened for their antimicrobial and anticancer activity, and their genomes were mined for secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). Phylogenetic analysis assigned the strains to four major phyla in the sponge microbiome, namely Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes. Bioassays identified one extract with anti-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) activity, and more than 70% of the total extracts had a moderate to high cytotoxicity. The most active extracts were derived from the Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria, prominent for producing bioactive substances. The strong bioactivity potential of the aforementioned strains was also evident in the abundance of BGCs, which encoded mainly beta-lactones, bacteriocins, non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS), terpenes, and siderophores. Gene-trait matching was performed for the most active strains, aiming at linking their biosynthetic potential with the experimental results. Genetic associations were established for the anti-MRSA and cytotoxic phenotypes based on the similarity of the detected BGCs with BGCs encoding natural products with known bioactivity. Overall, our study highlights the significance of combining in vitro and in silico approaches in the search of novel natural products of pharmaceutical interest.
Evaluation of Heat Treatment Parameters on Microstructure and Hardness Properties of High-Speed Selective Laser Melted Ti6Al4V
Authors: Lekoadi Paul , Tlotleng Monnamme , Annan Kofi , Maledi Nthabiseng , Masina Bathusile
Published: February 2021

This study presents the investigation on how heat treatment parameters, which are temperature, cooling method, and residence time, influence the microstructural and hardness properties of Ti6Al4V components produced on Ti6Al4V substrate using high speed selective laser melting technique. Heat treatment was performed on the produced samples before they were characterized for microstructure and hardness. The microstructure of the as-built sample contained large columnar β-grains that were filled with martensite α’ phase and had a high hardness of 383 ± 13 HV. At 1000 °C and residence time of maximum 4 h, better heat treatment parameters were seen for the selective laser melting (SLM) produced Ti6Al4V sample since an improved lamellar α + β microstructure was obtained at this condition. This microstructure is known to have improved tensile properties.
Anti-Acid Drug Treatment Induces Changes in the Gut Microbiome Composition of Hemodialysis Patients
Authors: Lin Yi-Ting , Lin Ting-Yun , Hung Szu-Chun , Liu Po-Yu , Wu Ping-Hsun , Chuang Yun-Shiuan , Hung Wei-Chun , Chiu Yi-Wen , Kuo Mei-Chuan , Wu Chun-Ying
Published: January 2021

Anti-acid drugs, proton pump inhibitor (PPI) and histamine-2 blocker (H2-blocker), are commonly prescribed to treat gastrointestinal disorders. These anti-acid drugs alter gut microbiota in the general population, but their effects are not known in hemodialysis patients. Hence, we investigated the microbiota composition in hemodialysis patients treated with PPIs or H2-blocker. Among 193 hemodialysis patients, we identified 32 H2-blocker users, 23 PPI users, and 138 no anti-acid drug subjects. Fecal samples were obtained to analyze the gut microbiome using 16S RNA amplicon sequencing. Differences in the microbial composition of the H2-blocker users, PPI users, and controls were assessed using linear discriminant analysis effect size and the random forest algorithm. The species richness or evenness (α-diversity) was similar among the three groups, whereas the inter-individual diversity (β-diversity) was different between H2-blocker users, PPI users, and controls. Hemodialysis patients treated with H2-blocker and PPIs had a higher microbial dysbiosis index than the controls, with a significant increase in the genera Provetella 2, Phascolarctobacterium, Christensenellaceae R-7 group, and Eubacterium oxidoreducens group in H2-blocker users, and Streptococcus and Veillonella in PPI users. In addition, compared to the H2-blocker users, there was a significant enrichment of the genera Streptococcus in PPI users, as confirmed by the random forest analysis and the confounder-adjusted regression model. In conclusion, PPIs significantly changed the gut microbiota composition in hemodialysis patients compared to H2-blocker users or controls. Importantly, the Streptococcus genus was significantly increased in PPI treatment. These findings caution against the overuse of PPIs.
Effects of an EPS Biosynthesis Gene Cluster of Paenibacillus polymyxa WLY78 on Biofilm Formation and Nitrogen Fixation under Aerobic Conditions
Authors: He Xiaojuan , Li Qin , Wang Nan , Chen Sanfeng
Published: January 2021

Exopolysaccharides (EPS) are of high significance in bacterial biofilm formation. However, the effects of EPS cluster(s) on biofilm formation in Paenibacillus species are little known. In this study, we have shown that Paenibacillus polymyxa WLY78, a N2-fixing bacterium, can form biofilm. EPS is the major component of the extracellular matrix. The genome of P. polymyxa WLY78 contains two putative gene clusters (designated pep-1 cluster and pep-2 cluster). The pep-1 cluster is composed of 12 putative genes (pepO-lytR) co-located in a 13 kb region. The pep-2 cluster contains 17 putative genes (pepA-pepN) organized as an operon in a 20 kb region. Mutation analysis reveals that the pep-2 cluster is involved in EPS biosynthesis and biofilm formation. Disruption of the pep-2 cluster also leads to the enhancement of motility and change of the colony morphology. In contrast, disruption of the pep-1 cluster does not affect EPS synthesis or biofilm formation. More importantly, the biofilm allowed P. polymyxa WLY78 to fix nitrogen in aerobic conditions, suggesting that biofilm may provide a microaerobic environment for nitrogenase synthesis and activity.
Dietary Intake and Lifestyle Habits of Children Aged 10–12 Years Enrolled in the School Lunch Program in Greece: A Cross Sectional Analysis
Authors: Malisova Olga , Vlassopoulos Antonis , Kandyliari Aikaterini , Panagodimou Evaggelia , Kapsokefalou Maria
Published: February 2021

School Lunch programs are a common strategy to address social inequalities in food access among children, especially food insecurity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the dietary intake and lifestyle habits of children aged 10–12 years enrolled in the School Lunch Program in Greece. A cross-sectional survey of fifth and sixth grade students, School Lunch recipients (n = 609) and control subjects (n = 736), collected data on sociodemographic, nutritional and lifestyle habits via self-reported questionnaires during May–October 2019. Despite enrollment in the School Lunch Program children in this group reported consuming less meals during the day (3.47 ± 1.38 vs. 3.65 ± 1.35, p = 0.002). No differences were seen in intakes of energy and macronutrients, however School Lunch recipients reported lower intakes of cereals/potatoes and legumes but higher fruit intake (2.32 ± 1.59 vs. 1.97 ± 1.72, p < 0.05). School Lunch recipients reported 42min/d and 28min/d higher screen-time during weekdays and weekends, respectively. Linear regression highlighted that dietary quality was not associated with School Lunch enrollment but rather sleep duration and screen time had a stronger influence on dietary habits. Enrollment in a School Lunch Program was linked to sustained differences in sedentary lifestyle habits but less so in dietary habits.
Population Pharmacokinetic Method to Predict Within-Subject Variability Using Single-Period Clinical Data
Authors: Kang Won-ho , Lee Jae-yeon , Chae Jung-woo , Lee Kyeong-Ryoon , Baek In-hwan , Kim Min-Soo , Back Hyun-moon , Jung Sangkeun , Shaffer Craig , Savic Rada , Yun Hwi-yeol
Published: February 2021

Sample sizes for single-period clinical trials, including pharmacokinetic studies, are statistically determined by within-subject variability (WSV). However, it is difficult to determine WSV without replicate-designed clinical trial data, and statisticians typically estimate optimal sample sizes using total variability, not WSV. We have developed an efficient population-based method to predict WSV accurately with single-period clinical trial data and demonstrate method performance with eperisone. We simulated 1000 virtual pharmacokinetic clinical trial datasets based on single-period and dense sampling studies, with various study sizes and levels of WSV and interindividual variabilities (IIVs). The estimated residual variability (RV) resulting from population pharmacokinetic methods were compared with WSV values. In addition, 3 × 3 bioequivalence results of eperisone were used to evaluate method performance with a real clinical dataset. With WSV of 40% or less, regardless of IIV magnitude, RV was well approximated by WSV for sample sizes greater than 18 subjects. RV was underestimated at WSV of 50% or greater, even with datasets having low IIV and numerous subjects. Using the eperisone dataset, RV was 44% to 48%, close to the true value of 50%. In conclusion, the estimated RV accurately predicted WSV in single-period studies, validating this method for sample size estimation in clinical trials.
Optimization of Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles through Statistical Design of Experiment and the Application for the Anticancer Drug
Authors: Kim Min-Ki , Ki Do-Hyung , Na Young-Guk , Lee Hae-Soo , Baek Jong-Suep , Lee Jae-Young , Lee Hong-Ki , Cho Cheong-Weon
Published: January 2021

The synthesis process or composition of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) affects the physicochemical properties. Using these properties, MSNs were synthesized through the Box–Behnken design (BBD) among statistical experimental methods. The effect of the amounts of synthetic reagents, hexadecyl triethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), and 2 N sodium hydroxide (NaOH), was studied using the reaction surface design. Surface area, particle size, and zeta potential were set as response values. The physicochemical properties of the optimized MSNs were evaluated, and the effect as a drug delivery system was evaluated by loading doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX). Nano-sized MSNs were successfully prepared with 0.617 g of CTAB, 8.417 mL of TEOS, and 2.726 mL of 2 N NaOH and showed excellent physicochemical properties. The optimized MSNs showed negligible toxicity in MCF-7 cells. The drug release profile from DOX-loaded MSNs (MSN@DOX) showed an increased rate of release with decreasing pH of the medium, with the release profile sustained for 48 h. In the cytotoxicity test, the sustained drug release mechanism of MSN@DOX was confirmed. This study proposed a new statistical approach to the synthesis of MSNs.
The Synergistic Effects of Sulfated Lactosyl Archaeol Archaeosomes When Combined with Different Adjuvants in a Murine Model
Authors: Jia Yimei , Akache Bassel , Agbayani Gerard , Chandan Vandana , Dudani Renu , Harrison Blair A. , Deschatelets Lise , Hemraz Usha D. , Lam Edmond , Régnier Sophie , Stark Felicity C. , Krishnan Lakshmi , McCluskie Michael J.
Published: February 2021

Archaeosomes, composed of sulfated lactosyl archaeol (SLA) glycolipids, have been proven to be an effective vaccine adjuvant in multiple preclinical models of infectious disease or cancer. SLA archaeosomes are a promising adjuvant candidate due to their ability to strongly stimulate both humoral and cytotoxic immune responses when simply admixed with an antigen. In the present study, we evaluated whether the adjuvant effects of SLA archaeosomes could be further enhanced when combined with other adjuvants. SLA archaeosomes were co-administered with five different Toll-like Receptor (TLR) agonists or the saponin QS-21 using ovalbumin as a model antigen in mice. Both humoral and cellular immune responses were greatly enhanced compared to either adjuvant alone when SLA archaeosomes were combined with either the TLR3 agonist poly(I:C) or the TLR9 agonist CpG. These results were also confirmed in a separate study using Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and support the further evaluation of these adjuvant combinations.
Stability of Proton Exchange Membranes in Phosphate Buffer for Enzymatic Fuel Cell Application: Hydration, Conductivity and Mechanical Properties
Authors: Pasquini Luca , Zhakisheva Botagoz , Sgreccia Emanuela , Narducci Riccardo , Di Vona Maria Luisa , Knauth Philippe
Published: February 2021

Proton-conducting ionomers are widespread materials for application in electrochemical energy storage devices. However, their properties depend strongly on operating conditions. In bio-fuel cells with a separator membrane, the swelling behavior as well as the conductivity need to be optimized with regard to the use of buffer solutions for the stability of the enzyme catalyst. This work presents a study of the hydrolytic stability, conductivity and mechanical behavior of different proton exchange membranes based on sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) and sulfonated poly(phenyl sulfone) (SPPSU) ionomers in phosphate buffer solution. The results show that the membrane stability can be adapted by changing the casting solvent (DMSO, water or ethanol) and procedures, including a crosslinking heat treatment, or by blending the two ionomers. A comparison with NafionTM shows the different behavior of this ionomer versus SPEEK membranes.
Micellar Drug Delivery Systems Based on Natural Biopolymers
Authors: Atanase Leonard Ionut
Published: February 2021

The broad diversity of structures and the presence of numerous functional groups available for chemical modifications represent an enormous advantage for the development of safe, non-toxic, and cost-effective micellar drug delivery systems (DDS) based on natural biopolymers, such as polysaccharides, proteins, and peptides. Different drug-loading methods are used for the preparation of these micellar systems, but it appeared that dialysis is generally recommended, as it avoids the formation of large micellar aggregates. Moreover, the preparation method has an important influence on micellar size, morphology, and drug loading efficiency. The small size allows the passive accumulation of these micellar systems via the permeability and retention effect. Natural biopolymer-based micellar DDS are high-value biomaterials characterized by good compatibility, biodegradability, long blood circulation time, non-toxicity, non-immunogenicity, and high drug loading, and they are biodegraded to non-toxic products that are easily assimilated by the human body. Even if some recent studies reported better antitumoral effects for the micellar DDS based on polysaccharides than for commercial formulations, their clinical use is not yet generalized. This review is focused on the studies from the last decade concerning the preparation as well as the colloidal and biological characterization of micellar DDS based on natural biopolymers.
Spatial-Spectral Transformer for Hyperspectral Image Classification
Authors: He Xin , Chen Yushi , Lin Zhouhan
Published: January 2021

Recently, a great many deep convolutional neural network (CNN)-based methods have been proposed for hyperspectral image (HSI) classification. Although the proposed CNN-based methods have the advantages of spatial feature extraction, they are difficult to handle the sequential data with and CNNs are not good at modeling the long-range dependencies. However, the spectra of HSI are a kind of sequential data, and HSI usually contains hundreds of bands. Therefore, it is difficult for CNNs to handle HSI processing well. On the other hand, the Transformer model, which is based on an attention mechanism, has proved its advantages in processing sequential data. To address the issue of capturing relationships of sequential spectra in HSI in a long distance, in this study, Transformer is investigated for HSI classification. Specifically, in this study, a new classification framework titled spatial-spectral Transformer (SST) is proposed for HSI classification. In the proposed SST, a well-designed CNN is used to extract the spatial features, and a modified Transformer (a Transformer with dense connection, i.e., DenseTransformer) is proposed to capture sequential spectra relationships, and multilayer perceptron is used to finish the final classification task. Furthermore, dynamic feature augmentation, which aims to alleviate the overfitting problem and therefore generalize the model well, is proposed and added to the SST (SST-FA). In addition, to address the issue of limited training samples in HSI classification, transfer learning is combined with SST, and another classification framework titled transferring-SST (T-SST) is proposed. At last, to mitigate the overfitting problem and improve the classification accuracy, label smoothing is introduced for the T-SST-based classification framework (T-SST-L). The proposed SST, SST-FA, T-SST, and T-SST-L are tested on three widely used hyperspectral datasets. The obtained results reveal that the proposed models provide competitive results compared to the state-of-the-art methods, which shows that the concept of Transformer opens a new window for HSI classification.
Thermal Summer Diurnal Hot-Spot Analysis: The Role of Local Urban Features Layers
Authors: Guerri Giulia , Crisci Alfonso , Messeri Alessandro , Congedo Luca , Munafò Michele , Morabito Marco
Published: February 2021

This study was focused on the metropolitan area of Florence in Tuscany (Italy) with the aim of mapping and evaluating thermal summer diurnal hot- and cool-spots in relation to the features of greening, urban surfaces, and city morphology. The work was driven by Landsat 8 land surface temperature (LST) data related to 2015–2019 summer daytime periods. Hot-spot analysis was performed adopting Getis-Ord Gi* spatial statistics applied on mean summer LST datasets to obtain location and boundaries of hot- and cool-spot areas. Each hot- and cool-spot was classified by using three significance threshold levels: 90% (LEVEL-1), 95% (LEVEL-2), and 99% (LEVEL-3). A set of open data urban elements directly or indirectly related to LST at local scale were calculated for each hot- and cool-spot area: (1) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), (2) tree cover (TC), (3) water bodies (WB), (4) impervious areas (IA), (5) mean spatial albedo (ALB), (6) surface areas (SA), (7) Shape index (SI), (8) Sky View Factor (SVF), (9) theoretical solar radiation (RJ), and (10) mean population density (PD). A General Dominance Analysis (GDA) framework was adopted to investigate the relative importance of urban factors affecting thermal hot- and cool-spot areas. The results showed that 11.5% of the studied area is affected by cool-spots and 6.5% by hot-spots. The average LST variation between hot- and cold-spot areas was about 10 °C and it was 15 °C among the extreme hot- and cool-spot levels (LEVEL-3). Hot-spot detection was magnified by the role of vegetation (NDVI and TC) combined with the significant contribution of other urban elements. In particular, TC, NDVI and ALB were identified as the most significant predictors (p-values < 0.001) of the most extreme cool-spot level (LEVEL-3). NDVI, PD, ALB, and SVF were selected as the most significant predictors (p-values < 0.05 for PD and SVF; p-values < 0.001 for NDVI and ALB) of the hot-spot LEVEL-3. In this study, a reproducible methodology was developed applicable to any urban context by using available open data sources.
Erratum: Zekoll, F., et al. Comparison of Masking Algorithms for Sentinel-2 Imagery. Remote Sens. 2021, 13, 137
Authors: Zekoll Viktoria , Main-Knorn Magdalena , Alonso Kevin , Louis Jerome , Frantz David , Richter Rudolf , Pflug Bringfried
Published: February 2021

The authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper [...]
Sustainable Approach in IT Project Management—Methodology Choice vs. Client Satisfaction
Authors: Woźniak Monika
Published: January 2021

Major elaborations on sustainable development relating to the general economic sphere of various issue-related areas. Surprisingly little explicit guidance presenting this topic from the organizational side exists. To fill this gap, this paper attempts to propose and verify the concept of a sustainable approach to IT project management by involving the client at the stage of choosing the project management methodology. The research scope constitute IT projects, the subject of which was the development of software commissioned by the organization. The study aims to assess how the internal perspective of sustainability in IT projects, manifested in the matching of IT project management methodology to the client, affects the overall client’s satisfaction with the IT project, its products, and results. In the study, 64 IT projects implemented in Polish SME organizations were analyzed throughout their life cycle. The study has proved that introducing and improving the internal perspective of sustainability in IT projects, by matching an IT project management methodology to the client type is one of the key factors determining the level of client satisfaction and thus the assessment of the project’s success. The evaluation was made using the Servperv method by developing a measurement instrument dedicated to the IT project management area. Researches can use the proposed approach and the Servperv measuring tool to carry out similar analyses with different sample groups across other countries. The software industry can find results valuable and useful with regard to the IT project management improvement.
Education for Sustainable Development in Spanish University Education Degrees
Authors: Sánchez-Carracedo Fermín , Moreno-Pino Francisco Manuel , Romero-Portillo Daniel , Sureda Bárbara
Published: January 2021

This work presents an analysis of student perception of Spanish university education degrees regarding their training in sustainable development. A sample of 942 students was used. The methodology consists of analyzing the results of a survey answered by the first- and fourth-year students from nine education degree courses in four Spanish universities. Comparison of the perception of learning by fourth-year students against those of the first year enables improvements in learning regarding sustainability to be ascertained. The questionnaire consists of 18 questions concerning four sustainability competencies: C1-Critical contextualization of knowledge, C2-Sustainable use of resources, C3-Participation in community processes, and C4-Ethics. Two composite indicators are defined to analyze the absolute learning (achieved on completion of their studies) and the relative learning (achieved with respect to what should have been achieved) declared by the students in each competency, degree and university. The results show that students declare an improvement in all their sustainability competencies, although the results of the final learning are far from those expected: they have learned only 27% of what they should have learned. Moreover, the learning achieved in the four competencies depends on the degree and the university.
Prediction of Future Natural Suitable Areas for Rice under Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs)
Authors: Su Peng , Zhang Anyu , Wang Ran , Wang Jing’ai , Gao Yuan , Liu Fenggui
Published: February 2021

Extreme temperature events, which are part of global climate change, are a growing threat to crop production, especially to such temperature-sensitive crops as rice. As a result, the traditional rice-growing areas are also likely to shift. The MaxEnt model was used for predicting the areas potentially suitable for rice in the short term (2016–2035) and in the medium term (2046–2065) and under two scenarios developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, namely representative concentration pathway (RCP) 4.5 (the intermediate scenario) and RCP 8.5 (sometimes referred to as the worst-case scenario). The predictions, on verification, were seen to be highly accurate: the AUC—area under the curve—value of the MaxEnt model was > 0.85. The model made the following predictions. (1) Areas highly suitable for rice crops will continue to be concentrated mainly in the current major rice-production areas, and areas only marginally suitable will be concentrated mainly in the rainforest region. (2) Overall, although the current pattern of the distribution of such areas would remain more or less unchanged, their extent will mainly decrease in the subtropics but increase in the tropics and in high-latitude regions. (3) The extent of such areas will decrease in the short term but increase in the medium term.
Designed to Be Noticed: A Reconceptualization of Carbon Food Labels as Warning Labels
Authors: Carrero Isabel , Valor Carmen , Díaz Estela , Labajo Victoria
Published: February 2021

Carbon labels are considered a fundamental tool for reducing emissions associated with grocery products. Although the prior literature has shown that both limited motivation and understanding of carbon labels explain the effectiveness of carbon labels, knowledge regarding how to improve the label design to increase noticeability is limited. Given the limited motivation of mainstream consumers to use carbon labels, this exploratory paper proposes that the label design should trigger bottom-up (or sensory-driven) attention mechanisms. Using grounded theory for the data collection and analysis of six focus groups, this study tests six features (i.e., location, size, color, icons, a colored background or border, and textual anchors) and identifies four design criteria (i.e., vividness, incongruity, simplicity, and clarity) that may increase label noticeability. The main conclusion of this qualitative study is that carbon labels are noticed when they are perceived as a cue of hazard. Based on this finding, we propose that carbon labels could be designed as warning labels; therefore, the insights already proven in the warning label literature should be applied to carbon label design to increase its noticeability and use.
Micro-Hydropower in Nepal: Analysing the Project Process to Understand Drivers that Strengthen and Weaken Sustainability
Authors: Butchers Joe , Williamson Sam , Booker Julian
Published: February 2021

Evaluating the sustainable operation of community-owned and community-operated renewable energy projects is complex. The development of a project often depends on the actions of diverse stakeholders, including the government, industry and communities. Throughout the project cycle, these interrelated actions impact the sustainability of the project. In this paper, the typical project cycle of a micro-hydropower plant in Nepal is used to demonstrate that key events throughout the project cycle affect a plant’s ability to operate sustainably. Through a critical analysis of the available literature, policy and project documentation and interviews with manufacturers, drivers that affect the sustainability of plants are found. Examples include weak specification of civil components during tendering, quality control issues during manufacture, poor quality of construction and trained operators leaving their position. Opportunities to minimise both the occurrence and the severity of threats to sustainability are identified. For the micro-hydropower industry in Nepal, recommendations are made for specific actions by the relevant stakeholders at appropriate moments in the project cycle. More broadly, the findings demonstrate that the complex nature of developing community energy projects requires a holistic consideration of the complete project process.
Consumer Neuroscience Techniques in Advertising Research: A Bibliometric Citation Analysis
Authors: Sánchez-Fernández Juan , Casado-Aranda Luis-Alberto , Bastidas-Manzano Ana-Belén
Published: February 2021

The limitations of self-report techniques (i.e., questionnaires or surveys) in measuring consumer response to advertising stimuli have necessitated more objective and accurate tools from the fields of neuroscience and psychology for the study of consumer behavior, resulting in the creation of consumer neuroscience. This recent marketing sub-field stems from a wide range of disciplines and applies multiple types of techniques to diverse advertising subdomains (e.g., advertising constructs, media elements, or prediction strategies). Due to its complex nature and continuous growth, this area of research calls for a clear understanding of its evolution, current scope, and potential domains in the field of advertising. Thus, this current research is among the first to apply a bibliometric approach to clarify the main research streams analyzing advertising persuasion using neuroimaging. Particularly, this paper combines a comprehensive review with performance analysis tools of 203 papers published between 1986 and 2019 in outlets indexed by the ISI Web of Science database. Our findings describe the research tools, journals, and themes that are worth considering in future research. The current study also provides an agenda for future research and therefore constitutes a starting point for advertising academics and professionals intending to use neuroimaging techniques.
Cost–Benefit Analysis of HELE and Subcritical Coal-Fired Electricity Generation Technologies in Southeast Asia
Authors: Ali Hassan , Phoumin Han , Weller Steven R. , Suryadi Beni
Published: February 2021

A large potential exists in the Southeast Asia region for deployment of high-efficiency, low-emission (HELE) electricity generation technologies. A cost–benefit analysis of HELE technologies compared to the less efficient subcritical electricity generation plants is thus carried out to find a persuasive scenario supporting quicker transition from subcritical stations towards HELE technologies in the region. A levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) analysis is carried out for both technologies under four potential policy scenarios. Scenario 1 does not take into consideration any carbon pricing or costs associated with the desulphurization (deSOx) and denitrification (deNOx) facilities. Scenario 2 (Scenario 3) incorporates carbon pricing (costs associated with the deSOx and deNOx facilities), and Scenario 4 includes both carbon pricing and costs associated with the deSOx and deNOx facilities. Under each scenario, a sensitivity analysis is performed to evaluate the uncertainty affecting the future coal prices. This study demonstrates that HELE technologies are competitive against the subcritical plants under all four scenarios and both the technologies derive benefit from lifetime extensions and low coal prices. It is revealed that future deployments of HELE technologies can be best expedited by factoring in carbon pricing in LCOE costs of coal-fired power plants under Scenario 2.
Benefits of Non-Planar Printing Strategies Towards Eco-Efficient 3D Printing
Authors: Cendrero Adrián Martínez , Fortunato Gabriele Maria , Munoz-Guijosa Juan Manuel , De Maria Carmelo , Díaz Lantada Andrés
Published: February 2021

The present work focuses on studying and demonstrating the potential benefits of non-planar printing, as compared to conventional 3D printing, in terms of improved eco-impacts. To this end, a case study of a medical or ergonomic device, which may benefit from non-planar printing in different ways, is completely developed and manufactured employing alternative approaches, which are quantified, as regards production costs and environmental impacts. Three 3D printing processes are used: two of them relying on non-planar printing, one using conventional 2D printing trajectories. Relevant benefits are achieved thanks to the possibility, enabled by non-planar 3D printing, of manufacturing products upon reusable rapid tools. These support tools constitute an interesting alternative to the support meshes generally employed in additive manufacturing, which are normally a relevant source of waste and involve costly post-processes.
Mechanisms of Environmental Regulation’s Impact on Green Technological Progress—Evidence from China’s Manufacturing Sector
Authors: Liu Weijiang , Du Mingze , Bai Yuxin
Published: February 2021

As the world’s largest developing country, and as the home to many of the world’s factories, China plays a crucial role in the sustainable development of the world economy regarding environmental protection, energy conservation, and emission reduction issues. Based on the data from 2003–2015, this paper examined the green total factor productivity and the technological progress in the Chinese manufacturing industry. A slack-based measure (SBM) Malmquist productivity index was used to measure the bias of technological change (BTC), input-biased technological change (IBTC), and output-biased technological change (OBTC) by decomposing the technological progress. It also investigated the mechanism of environmental regulation, property right structure, enterprise-scale, energy consumption structure, and other factors on China’s technological progress bias. The empirical results showed the following: (1) there was a bias of technological progress in the Chinese manufacturing industry during the research period; (2) although China’s manufacturing industry’s output tended to become greener, it was still characterized by a preference for overall CO2 output; and (3) the impact of environmental regulations on the Chinese manufacturing industry’s technological progress had a significant threshold effect. The flexible control of environmental regulatory strength will benefit the Chinese manufacturing industry’s technological development. (4) R&D investment, export delivery value, and structure of energy consumption significantly contributed to promoting technological progress. This study provides further insight into the sustainable development of China’s manufacturing sector to promote green-biased technological progress and to achieve the dual goal of environmental protection and healthy economic growth.
The Stem Cell Revolution Revealing Protozoan Parasites’ Secrets and Paving the Way towards Vaccine Development
Authors: Pance Alena
Published: January 2021

Protozoan infections are leading causes of morbidity and mortality in humans and some of the most important neglected diseases in the world. Despite relentless efforts devoted to vaccine and drug development, adequate tools to treat and prevent most of these diseases are still lacking. One of the greatest hurdles is the lack of understanding of host–parasite interactions. This gap in our knowledge comes from the fact that these parasites have complex life cycles, during which they infect a variety of specific cell types that are difficult to access or model in vitro. Even in those cases when host cells are readily available, these are generally terminally differentiated and difficult or impossible to manipulate genetically, which prevents assessing the role of human factors in these diseases. The advent of stem cell technology has opened exciting new possibilities to advance our knowledge in this field. The capacity to culture Embryonic Stem Cells, derive Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells from people and the development of protocols for differentiation into an ever-increasing variety of cell types and organoids, together with advances in genome editing, represent a huge resource to finally crack the mysteries protozoan parasites hold and unveil novel targets for prevention and treatment.