bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nuclear Expression of Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 1 A1 in Breast Cancer
Authors: Flores Mariana López , Franco Emiliano Honrado , Cousido Luis Felipe Sánchez , Carazo Carlos Minguito , Guadarrama Oscar Sanz , González Laura López , Pascual María Eva Vallejo , Torre Antonio José Molina de la , Palomo Andrés García , González Ana López
Published: February 2022

Background: ﻿Cytoplasmatic expression of Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 A1 (ALDH1A1) has been identified as a cancer stem cell marker and related to an unfavorable prognosis. However, nuclear expression of ALDH1A1 has not been described in breast cancer (BC) patients yet. Methods: A retrospective, historical cohort study of patients diagnosed with early or locally advanced triple negative (TN) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive (HER2+) BC treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy was conducted. Patients who had an available tumor sample from the diagnosis and who underwent surgery after the neoadjuvant treatment were included. Metastatic patients and non-evaluative biopsy sample cases were excluded. Immunostaining against ALDH1A1 was performed. The aim of this study was to assess the expression of nuclear ALDH1A1 in BC and its relation with clinicopathological features and outcomes.Results: 75 patients were analyzed (100% women, mean age 53.6±11.7 years, 42.7% TN, 57.3% HER2+ tumors). 28% had obesity, 32 (42.7%) had a tumor size ≤5 cm and 52 (69.3%) positive lymph nodes. 40 (53.3%) patients had cytoplasmatic ALDH1A1 expression. From them, 18 (24%) also expressed nuclear ALDH1A1 staining and 22 (29.3%) only had cytoplasmatic expression. 57 (76%) patients had negative nuclear ALDH1A1. At the end of the follow-up (54.4 [38.3-87.6] months), 47 patients (62.7%) remained disease free and 20 (26.7%) died. Patients with nuclear ALDH1A1 had higher prevalence of obesity when comparing to exclusively positive cytoplasmatic ALDH1A1 (p = 0.003) and versus those with negative ALDH1A1 expression (p = 0.017); and also, smaller size compared to those without nuclear ALDH1A1 staining (p = 0.044). Furthermore, in patients with positive nuclear ALDH1A1 a tendency to superior disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) was observed when compared to positive cytoplasmatic and negative ALDH1A1 tumors, albeit not statistically significant. Conclusions: In this cohort, nuclear positive expression of ALDH1A1 was higher in patients with obesity and smaller tumors. Patients with positive nuclear ALDH1A1 carcinomas appear to have better DFS and OS, although this was not statistically significant. Further research studies are needed to understand the functions of this enzyme and its possible role as a predictive and prognostic marker in BC.
Physicochemical Properties Importance For Type Classification of Wines Using Machine Learning Techniques
Authors: Mor Nuriel Shalom
Published: February 2022

As a subfield of artificial intelligence, machine learning designed to learn the structure of the data. Machine learning has been widely used in many scientific problems. In this study, we used machine learning techniques to figure out the most important physicochemical properties for type classification of red wines. We used a wines' dataset with 13 physicochemical properties. We used a Random Forest classifier to predict wine’s type from its features, and permutation feature importance, in order to detect the most important properties of the wine for type classification. The properties: flavanoids, proline, and color intensity were found to be most important for type classification. Additional 4 classifiers: Laso classifier, Ridge classifier, Decision Tree classifier, and Support Vector classifier were used and examined for classification and feature importance. Flavanoids and proline were very important across all classifiers.
Impacts of an urban density gradient on land-atmosphere thermodynamic fluxes across seasonal timescales
Authors: Reed David Edwin , Lei Cheyenne , Baule William , Shirkey Gabriela , Chen Jiquan , Czajkowski Kevin P. , Ouyang Zutao
Published: February 2022

Surface energy partitioning directly connects to the urban heat island effect, which consequently changes regional climate, the health of the urban population, and anthropogenic energy use. In order to quantify land-atmosphere fluxes from urban areas and the impact of the level of intensity of development, we use seven site-years of land-atmosphere flux data from three locations averaged to seasonal timescales. Additionally, all three of our study sites include urban rivers, allowing us to examine urban areas with high and low amounts of potential evapotranspiration. As expected, the urban river decreases the Bowen Ratio of observed fluxes, primarily through lowering sensible heat fluxes. Urban density is positively correlated with sensible and latent heat fluxes when fluxes are coming from non-river areas and negatively correlated with heat fluxes when coming from the urban river. We conclude that effective urban redevelopment guidelines can adopt this knowledge to decrease the urban heat island effect and reach sustainability targets to counteract increased temperatures from climate change.
Early immune responses have long-term associations with clinical, virologic, and immunologic outcomes in patients with COVID-19
Authors: Hu Zicheng , Ploeg Kattria van der , Chakraborty Saborni , Arunachalam Prabhu , Mori Diego , Jacobson Karen , Bonilla Hector , Parsonnet Julie , Andrews Jason , Hedlin Haley , Parte Lauren de la , Dantzler Kathleen , Ty Maureen , Tan Gene , Blish Catherine , Takahashi Saki , Rodriguez-Barraquer Isabel , Greenhouse Bryan , Butte Atul , Singh Upinder , Pulendran Bali , Wang Taia , Jagannathan Prasanna
Published: February 2022

The great majority of SARS-CoV-2 infections are mild and uncomplicated, but some individuals with initially mild COVID-19 progressively develop more severe symptoms. Furthermore, there is substantial heterogeneity in SARS-CoV-2-specific memory immune responses following infection. There remains a critical need to identify host immune biomarkers predictive of clinical and immunologic outcomes in SARS-CoV-2-infected patients. Leveraging longitudinal samples and data from a clinical trial in SARS-CoV-2 infected outpatients, we used host proteomics and transcriptomics to characterize the trajectory of the immune response in COVID-19 patients within the first 2 weeks of symptom onset. We identify early immune signatures, including plasma RIG-I levels, early interferon signaling, and related cytokines (CXCL10, MCP1, MCP-2 and MCP-3) associated with subsequent disease progression, control of viral shedding, and the SARS-CoV-2 specific T cell and antibody response measured up to 7 months after enrollment. We found that several biomarkers for immunological outcomes are shared between individuals receiving BNT162b2 (Pfizer–BioNTech) vaccine and COVID-19 patients. Finally, we demonstrate that machine learning models using 7-10 plasma protein markers measured early within the course of infection are able to accurately predict disease progression, T cell memory, and the antibody response post-infection in a second, independent dataset.
The Impacts of Humans And Dogs On The Spatial And Temporal Activity of Wildlife In Urban Woodlands
Authors: Beasley Rachael Marie , Carbone Chris , Brooker Adrian , Waage Jeff
Published: February 2022

Humans can derive enormous benefit from the natural environment and the wildlife they see there, but increasing human use may negatively impact wildlife, particularly in urban green spaces. Few studies have focused on the trade-offs between intensive human use and wildlife use of shared green spaces in urban areas. In this paper we investigate the impacts of humans and their dogs on wildlife within an urban green space using camera trap data from Hampstead Heath, London. Spatial and temporal activity of common woodland wildlife species were compared between sites with low and high frequency of visits by humans and dogs. Blackbirds (Turdus merula) were found to be significantly more active at sites with lower visitation rates, while red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) were observed more in areas with higher visitation rates. Birds and grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) showed evidence of temporal displacement away from peak periods of human and dog visits in areas where visitation rates were high. Responses observed to human and dog visits could have implications for wildlife species persistence and community composition in urban woodlands.
Advanced machine learning algorithms for flood susceptibility modeling - comparison of their performance: Safaga-Ras Gharib area, Red Sea, Egypt
Authors: Youssef Ahmed M. , Pourghasemi Hamid Reza , El-Haddad Bosy A.
Published: February 2022

Floods are among the most devastating environmental hazards that directly and indirectly affect people's lives and activities. In many countries, sustainable environmental management requires identifying inundated-prone areas to avoid potential hazards. In this study, the performance and capabilities of seven machine learning algorithms (MLAs) were tested, evaluated, and compared for flood susceptibility mapping. These MLAs include support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), multivariate adaptive regression spline (MARS), boosted regression tree (BRT), functional data analysis (FDA), general linear model (GLM), and multivariate discriminant analysis (MDA). In this study, machine learning algorithms (using R open source software) and spatial datasets (extracted using GIS) for flood susceptibility modeling were conducted between the cities of Safaga and Ras Gharib, Red Sea, Egypt. Initially, 420 actual inundated areas were collected from the study area to create a flood inventory map. Different sources were utilized, including remote sensing data (high and medium resolution), geologic and topographic maps, previous documents, and field investigations. The inventory data were divided randomly into two training groups: 70% and validation group: 30%. Ten flood-related factors were generated for flood susceptibility modeling: altitude, slope aspect, lithology, land use/land cover (LULC), slope length (LS), topographic wetness index (TWI), slope angle, profile curvature, plan curvature, stream power index (SPI), and hydrolithology units. Flood-related factors were tested using a multicollinearity test, variance inflation factors (VIF), and tolerance (TOL), and their importance was evaluated using a partial least squares (PLS) technique. In addition, model performances and comparisons were calculated using the area under the curve (AUC-ROC) approach. Our findings showed that the AUC values for these seven MLTs were divided into two groups: high fitness models (AUC > 80%), including RF, MARS, and GLM, and moderate performance models (AUC between 70% and 80%), including BRT, FDA, and SVM. The results of this study and the flood susceptibility maps could be useful for mitigating environmental problems, future development activities in the area, and flood control areas.
Recurrent Glioblastoma is Associated with a Closed DNA Conformation
Authors: Garrett Matthew , Albano Rebecca , Carnwath Troy , Shah Sanjit , Woo Daniel , Lamba Michael , Plas David , Paranjpe Aditi , Roskin Krishna , Zhao Chuntao , Lu Richard
Published: February 2022

Introduction: The pathological changes in epigenetics and gene regulation that accompany the progression of low-grade to high-grade gliomas are under-studied. The authors use a large set of paired atac-seq and RNA-seq data from surgically resected glioma specimens to infer gene regulatory relationships in glioma.Methods: Thirty-eight glioma patient samples underwent atac-seq sequencing and sixteen samples underwent additional RNA-seq analysis. Using an atac-seq/RNA-seq correlation matrix, atac-seq peaks were paired with genes based on high correlation values (|r2|>0.6). Results: Samples clustered by IDH1 status but not by grade. Surprisingly there was a trend for IDH1 mutant samples to have more peaks. The majority of peaks are positively correlated with survival and positively correlated with gene expression. Constructing a model of the top six atac-seq peaks created a highly accurate survival prediction model (r2=0.68). Four of these peaks were still significant after controlling for age, grade, pathology, IDH1 status and gender. Grade II, III, and IV (primary) samples have similar transcription factors and gene modules. However, grade IV (recurrent) samples have strikingly few peaks. Patient-derived glioma cultures showed decreased peak counts following radiation indicating that this may be radiation-induced.Conclusions: This study supports the notion that IDH1 mutant and IDH1 wildtype gliomas have different epigenetic landscapes and that accessible chromatin sites mapped by atac-seq peaks tend to be positively correlated with expression. The data in this study leads to a new model of treatment response wherein glioma cells respond to radiation therapy by closing open regions of DNA.
Supervised machine learning for automatic classification of in vivo burn injuries using the terahertz Portable Handheld Spectral Reflection (PHASR) scanner
Authors: Khani Mahmoud E. , Harris Zachery B. , Osman Omar B. , Zhou Juin W. , Chen Andrew , Singer Adam J. , Arbab M. Hassan
Published: February 2022

We present an automatic classification strategy for early and accurate assessment of burn injuries using terahertz (THz) time-domain spectroscopic imaging. Burn injuries of different severity grades, representing superficial partial-thickness (SPT), deep partial-thickness (DPT), and full-thickness (FT) wounds, were created by a standardized porcine scald model. THz spectroscopic imaging was performed using our new fiber-coupled Portable HAndheld Spectral Reflection (PHASR) scanner, incorporating a telecentric beam steering configuration and an f-\theta scanning lens. ASynchronous Optical Sampling (ASOPS) in a dual-fiber-laser THz spectrometer with 100 MHz repetition rate enabled high-speed spectroscopic measurements. Given twenty-four different samples composed of ten scald and ten contact burns and four healthy samples, supervised machine learning algorithms using THz-TDS spectra achieved areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of 0.88, 0.93, and 0.93 when differentiating between SPT, DPT, and FT burns, respectively, as determined by independent histological assessments. These results show the potential utility of our new broadband THz PHASR scanner for early and accurate triage of burn injuries.
Highly Active and Cheap Graphite/PTFE Composite Coating Cathodes for Electrogeneration of Hydrogen Peroxide
Authors: Wang Kang , Zhu Zhaolian , Xu Dan , Li Muyao , Yuan Shiyu , Wang Hailing
Published: February 2022

Using cheap graphite powder as catalyst and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) as binder, graphite/PTFE composite coating cathodes were fabricated for efficient electrochemical synthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in a no-diaphragm electrolysis system. A series of experiments were conducted to examine the influence of different factors, such as cathode thickness, cathode area, solution pH, and current density on H2O2 electrogeneration. Adjusting the thickness and area of the cathode was demonstrated to be effective in optimizing the electrocatalytic properties in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Among the cathodes investigated, the cathode with the thickness of 0.75 mm and area of 16 cm2 achieved the highest H2O2 accumulation and current efficiency (CE). The H2O2 accumulation reached 207.5 mg·L–1 and CE reached 34.1% in 180 min when the current density is 5 mA·cm−2 and the initial pH is 3.0. The present work successfully develops a simple approach to enhance the H2O2 electrogeneration, as well as the corresponding CE, through optimization of cathode geometric parameters and operation conditions.
A Lightweight Neural Network Model For Battery State Of Health
Authors: Zhou Danhua
Published: February 2022

Accurate estimation of the state of health (SOH) of lithium-ion batteries is the key to ensure the safe use of lithium-ion batteries. In practice, the application of traditional health features is hindered by incomplete charge and discharge. When the battery is stably charged, the voltage and temperature of the battery under different health states show similar spatial degradation trends. Therefore, the degradation trend of voltage and temperature is directly taken as the health characteristic sequence through the dynamic time warping barycenter averaging (DBA) clustering. In addition, a new model attention depthwise temporal convolutional network (AD-TCN) considering health characteristics is proposed for SOH estimation. Depthwise separable convolution operation is used to extend temporal convolutional network (TCN) to a model suitable for multivariate prediction. Depthwise convolution is used as feature extractor, and pointwise convolution recombines all features for regression prediction. In addition, the convolutional block attention module is used in the channel dimension and spatial dimension to selectively enhance or suppress the details. Experiments on NASA data sets show that this method has strong reliability and high prediction accuracy.
Bipolar Cell Targeted Optogenetic Gene Therapy Restores Parallel Retinal Signaling And High-Level Vision In The Degenerated Retina
Authors: Kralik Jakub , Wyk Michiel van , Stocker Nino , Kleinlogel Sonja
Published: February 2022

Optogenetic gene therapies to restore vision are in clinical trials. Whilst current clinical approaches target the ganglion cells, the output neurons of the retina, new molecular tools enable efficient targeting of the first order retinal interneurons, the bipolar cells, with the potential to restore a higher quality of vision. Here we investigate retinal signaling and behavioral vision in blind mice treated with bipolar cell targeted optogenetic gene therapies. All tested tools, including medium-wave opsin, Opto-mGluR6 and two new melanopsin based chimeras restored visual acuity and contrast sensitivity. The best performing opsin was a novel melanopsin-mGluR6 chimera, which in some cases restored visual acuities and contrast sensitivities that match wild-type animals. Light re- sponses from the ganglion cells were robust with diverse receptive-field types, inferring elaborate inner retinal signaling. Our results highlight the potential of bipolar cell targeted optogenetics to recover high-level vision in human patients with end-stage retinal degenerations.
Percepção dos Pais de Pacientes com Transtorno do Espectro Autista sobre o Atendimento Odontológico com Sedação Leve à Moderada
Authors: De Lima Suellen Pestana Moreira Ribeiro , Silva Wandersson Marcone e Barbosa , Silva Herrison Félix Valeriano da , Da Silva Thauany Vasconcelos Soares , Cabral Gloria Maria Pimenta , Leite Rafaella Bastos
Published: February 2022

O Transtorno do Espectro Autista (TEA) é uma alteração do desenvolvimento neurológico com início precoce, caracterizado por comprometimento das habilidades sociais e da linguagem, além de comportamentos estereotipados. Pacientes com TEA são indivíduos que representam um grande desafio para os cirurgiões-dentistas, devido às suas manifestações clínicas complexas e variadas, sendo assim, o tratamento odontológico para este grupo, muitas vezes, é considerado desafiador para os pais e para os profissionais. Esse trabalho objetivou-se avaliar a percepção dos pais de pacientes com TEA sobre o uso da sedação leve à moderada no atendimento odontológico. Foi realizado uma pesquisa com estudo descritivo e uma abordagem qualitativa para responder às questões dinâmicas e complexas propostas aos pais sobre sedação leve à moderada em pacientes com Transtorno do Espectro autista. A pesquisa foi realizada em um consultório particular, na cidade de João Pessoa, Paraíba. Os sujeitos do estudo foram pais de pacientes com autismo que tenham sido sedados ao menos uma vez em consulta odontológica. Os entrevistados demonstraram bastante satisfação com o uso da sedação no atendimento odontológico de pacientes com TEA. A pesquisa irá contribuir proporcionando uma realidade mais assertiva devido à experiência pessoal com os filhos submetidos a sedação durante atendimento odontológico.
Dynamics in futures and spot markets: A panel study of advanced and emerging economies of Asia
Authors: Wats Sangeeta , Sikdar Chandrima
Published: February 2022

The study explores the underpinning interlinkages in the spot and futures markets across nine Asian advanced and emerging economies, and examines whether development status has any impact on the nature and speed of adjustments in the information transmission. By applying Panel VECM to the data set from the very day futures trading was initiated on the respective exchange till February 2020, the results highlight that in the long run, over the entire period, the futures market adjusts 69.7% more than the spot market and there is a bidirectional causality in the short run. Even in the sub-periods, the same phenomena were observed, and in the short run, there was a unidirectional causality from futures to spot during the crisis period. An identical trend was observed for country groups in three sub-periods. However, in the short run, during the crisis period, a unidirectional causality from futures to spot was found in advanced economies, while the opposite pattern was found in emerging economies. The paper establishes that the spot market dominates the information dissemination process. The results also demonstrate that traders prefer liquidity over leverage as their trading venue, the existence of potential index arbitrage opportunities, and validate that development status has no impact on the information transmission pattern amongst the markets, except during turbulent times. The study offers insights to market participants to develop their specific trading strategies in these markets at various economic stages, thereby increasing their expected returns.
Corruption, political instability and their impact on investment: An FMOLS approach
Authors: K. Gharaibeh Omar , Kharabsheh Buthiena
Published: February 2022

Due to the lack of studies in the financial literature on indicators of corruption and political instability relative to investment, this paper is considered one of the first studies that examines the impact of two-corruption indicators and political instability on investment in Jordan over the period 1987–2020. Using Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) based on annual data, the corruption effect as measured by the corruption score index is a negative and statistically significant impact on investment in Jordan. The second measure of corruption, which is the corruption rank index, confirmed the previous result that corruption has a negative and statistically significant effect. Political instability measured in this study as a dummy variable by wars in the region has a positive and statistically significant effect on investment. For macroeconomic variables, the results show that current government expenditure and interest rate have a negative and significant impact on investment in Jordan. The interest rate factor was the highest coefficient among the negative effects. The study also shows that the investment in Jordan is positively and significantly affected by growth domestic product, imports and local revenue. The gross domestic product showed the highest coefficient among the positive effects. This study concludes that policy makers attempt to apply transparency and minimize the corruption through flexibility, facilitation of procedures and reduced transactions using automation. The study also concludes that decision makers should rationalize current government expenditure and direct banks in Jordan to give greater priority to credit facilities for productive sectors.
Additive Manufacturing towards the Fabrication of Greener Electrochemical Sensors for Antioxidants
Authors: Inoque Nélio , de Faria Lucas , Muñoz Rodrigo
Published: February 2022

Additive manufacturing is an emerging tool that has contributed to the sustainable fabrication of devices in several areas based on the concept of “zero waste”. Considering extrusionbased manufacturing (or 3D printing), polylactic acid (PLA) has been highlighted due to its biodegradability, obtention from renewable sources, and compatibility for 3D printing. Composites of PLA with conducting fillers, such as carbon-black (CB/PLA), are commercially-available and compatible with extrusion-based 3D printers and 3D pen. Herein, we investigate the electrochemical behavior of several antioxidant species (catechol, hydroquinone, propyl-gallate, octyl-gallate, dopamine, gallic acid and pyrogallol (PY)) on 3D-printed electrodes. Experiments by cyclic voltammetry demonstrated that electrochemical surface treatment in NaOH aqueous solution is an important strategy to improve the response of all antioxidants. Thus, PY was selected to evaluate the analytical performance of the proposed 3D-printed sensor. For this, a fast and simple method using batch-injection analysis with amperometric detection (BIA-AD) has been developed, which showed a limit of detection of 0.15 µmol L-1, wide linear range (0.5 to 300 µmol L-1), good precision (relative standard deviation (RSD) < 3.4%) and selectivity. This method was applied in biodiesel samples, after dilution (400-fold) in electrolyte. Recovery percentages ranging from 82 to 119% attested absence of matrix effect and good accuracy.
Pengembangan Media Pembelajaran Berbasis Android pada Materi Sistem Imunitas
Authors: Alawiyah Tuti , Muttaqien Muhammad , Hadiansah Hadiansah
Published: February 2022

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui kelayakan media pembelajaran, dan untuk mendeskripsikan respon siswa terhadap media pembelajaran berbasis android pada materi sistem imunitas. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah metode penelitian dan pengembangan dengan tahapan pengembangan 3D (Define, Design, dan Development). Penelitian dilaksanakan di SMAN 1 Palabuhanratu pada peserta didik kelas XI MIPA yang berjumlah 15 peserta didik. Instrumen yang digunakan adalah lembar validasi media pembelajaran. Teknik analisis data yang digunakan adalah analisis data kualitatif yaitu validasi media pembelajaran dan teknik data analisis respon angket siswa terhadap media pembelajaran dengan menggunakan skala pengukuran rating scale. Indikator penilaian media oleh ahli materi meliputi kurikulum, penyajian materi, penggunaan Bahasa dan evaluasi, dan indikator oleh ahli media meliputi desain tampilan, aksesbilitas, penggunaan Bahasa dan keterlaksanaan. Hasil uji validasi media pembelajaran oleh ahli media dan ahli materi memperoleh persentase sebesar 79,90% dengan kriteria valid dan layak dan 81,84% dengan kriteria valid dan sangat layak, dan respon siswa terhadap penggunaan media pembelajaran memperoleh hasil sebesar 79,65% dengan kriteria valid dan baik.
Cytotoxic Activity of Ethanol Extract in Namnam Leaves (cynometra cauliflora l.) to Hela Cell
Authors: Anliza Syarah , Rachmawati Nurmeily
Published: February 2022

Cervical cancer is one of the most prominent death cases after breast cancer for a woman in Indonesia. Several treatments can be conducted to cure cancer such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, tumor surgery, and others. In addition, people can consume some medicines or natural substances that can suppress cancer growth. The natural substances contain active compounds that have the potential as anticancer. One of the natural substances used in this research is the Namnam leaves which grow in Southeast Asia.  The purpose of this research was to determine the potential compounds in Namnam leaves extract by cytotoxic activity testing by using HeLa cells. The active compound in the Namnam leaves extract was obtained by using the maceration method with ethanol for 3x24 hours. The extract was then tested by BSLT method and proliferation by using HeLa cancer cells (ATCC CCL-2). The toxicity results showed that LC50 value was 125,89 μg/mL. This result indicated that the extract belongs to the moderate toxic category and has potential as an anticancer agent. Proliferation test in inhibiting of HeLa cancer cells used Microculture Tetrazolium Technique (MTT) method. The result showed that the extract with a concentration of 25 μg/mL could inhibit the proliferation of HeLa cancer cells by 57,51%.
Phytochemical Test and Antioxidant Activity of Methanol Extract in Arabica Coffee Leaves by Using DPPH Method (1,1-Diphenyl-2-Picrylhydrazyl)
Authors: Kurang Rosalina Yuliana , Kamengon Rinda Yunita
Published: February 2022

The use of coffee plants is more focused on the coffee beans as a brewing drink or as a food additive. Parts of the coffee plant, such as leaves, are considered waste and have not been properly utilized. This study aimed to determine the phytochemical content and antioxidant activity of the methanol extract in Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica) leaves. The method used in this study was the extraction and DPPH method (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl). The results showed that the Arabica coffee leaves contained flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, and phenolic compounds. The antioxidant activity test showed an IC50 value of 57.699 ppm with the strong antioxidant category.
Editorial
Authors: Núñez-Lahuerta Carmen , Alonso Antonio , Ferratges Fernando A. , Galán Julia , García-Penas Álvaro , Gilabert Vicente , Laita Elisa , Medrano-Aguado Eduardo , Moya-Costa Raquel , Pérez-Pueyo Manuel
Published: February 2022

In 2003 a group of early stage researchers in palaeontology from the University of Zaragoza organizedthe first EJIP Encuentro de Jóvenes Investigadores en Paleontologia (Meeting for early stage researchers inpalaeontology) in the Spanish region of Aragón. The meeting was a success, and the proof is that it has been helduninterrupted for 18 years, organized by different teams, it has been held in Spain and Portugal, and the formathas been exported to the rest of Europe, as the IMERP (International Meeting of Early Stage Researchers inPalaeontology). The idea of this organizing committee, composed by pre and postdoctoral researchers from the Universidadde Zaragoza, Museo de Ciencias de Zaragoza (in Spain) and the Universidade Nova de Lisboa (in Portugal), wasbringing back the XVIII EJIP to Aragon for third time, after Ariño in 2003, and Boltaña in 2014, and celebrateit in the locality of Andorra, in Teruel. This town is located in the Bajo Aragon area, between the valleys of theMartin and Guadalope Rivers. The area has a mining tradition, focused in the lignite exploitation, but it alsohas a tremendous paleontological heritage, with several sites of global importance… but were sadly surprisedby the current global situation, and we had to cancel the meeting in its traditional format. We are nowadaysliving the Covid-19 pandemic, and we had to adapt to survive. With the priceless help of our colleagues of the 2ndPalaeontological Virtual Congress we are going the celebrate the XVIII EJIP as a Virtual Congress. Nonetheless,we encourage all the participants not to miss the chance of visiting the locality of Andorra in the future and toenjoy the beauty and heritage of the area.
The Design of Multi-target Drugs to Treat Cardiovascular Diseases: Two
(or more) Birds on One Stone
Authors: Caruso Lucas , Nadur Nathalia Fonseca , da Fonseca Marina Brandão , Peixoto Ferreira Larissa de Almeida , Lacerda Renata Barbosa , Graebin Cedric Stephan , Kümmerle Arthur Eugen
Published: February 2022

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) comprise a group of diseases and disorders of the heart
and blood vessels, which together are the number one cause of death worldwide, being associated
with multiple genetic and modifiable risk factors, and that may directly arise from different etiologies.
For a long time, the search for cardiovascular drugs was based on the old paradigm “one compound -
one target”, aiming to obtain a highly potent and selective molecule with only one desired molecular
target. Although historically successful in the last decades, this approach ignores the multiple causes
and the multifactorial nature of CVDs. Thus, over time, treatment strategies for cardiovascular diseases
have changed, and, currently, pharmacological therapies for CVD are mainly based on the association
of two or more drugs to control symptoms and reduce cardiovascular death. In this context,
the development of multitarget drugs, i.e., compounds having the ability to act simultaneously at multiple
sites, is an attractive and relevant strategy that can be even more advantageous to achieve predictable
pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics correlations as well as better patient compliance. In
this review, we aim to highlight the efforts and rational pharmacological bases for the design of some
promising multitargeted compounds to treat important cardiovascular diseases like heart failure, atherosclerosis,
acute myocardial infarction, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and arrhythmia.
DNA Methylation in Depression and Depressive-Like Phenotype: Biomarker
or Target of Pharmacological Intervention?
Authors: Musazzi Laura , Paoli Caterina , Misztak Paulina , Mazzini Giulia
Published: February 2022

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a debilitating psychiatric disorder, third leading global cause of disability. As regards aetiopathogenetic mechanisms involved in the onset of depressive disorders, the interaction between genetic vulnerability traits and environmental factors is believed to play a major role. Although much is still to be elucidated about the mechanisms through which environment can interact with genetic background shaping the disease risk, there is a general agreement about a key role of epigenetic marking.
In this narrative review we focused on the association between changes in DNA methylation patterns and MDD or depressive-like phenotype in animal models, as well as mechanisms of response to antidepressant drugs. W e discussed studies presenting DNA methylation changes at specific genes of interest and profiling analyses, in both patients and animal models of depression.
Overall, we collected evidence showing that DNA methylation could not only be considered as a promising epigenetic biomarker of pathology but could also help in predicting antidepressant treatment efficacy. Finally, we discussed the hypothesis that specific changes in DNA methylation signature could play a role in aetiopathogenetic processes as well as in the induction of antidepressant effect.
The Role of Inflammation as a Preponderant Risk Factor in Cardiovascular
Diseases
Authors: García Rodrigo Damián , Asensio Joana Antonela , Perdicaro Diahann Jeanette , de los Ángeles Peral María
Published: February 2022

Cardiovascular diseases cause considerable health and economic burden, as they are the leading
cause of disability and death in the western world. Inactivity, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and
smoking are among the classic risk factors for cardiovascular disease. From a pathophysiological point
of view, the arteries of our body bear the harmful stimuli produced by these factors and respond to them
with a series of intricate adaptive mechanisms. Vascular remodeling constitutes an adaptive response to
hemodynamic and inflammatory alterations associated with hypertension, diabetes, and other illnesses.
Thickening of the arterial walls leads to endothelial dysfunction and increases the risk of cerebrovascular
and coronary events. During the last decades, antiplatelet, lipid-lowering, and antihypertensive
therapies have been the cornerstone of primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular events.
However, it is still unknown whether their efficacy is strictly associated with the control of the classical
risk factors or their additive effects on vascular inflammation. Since inflammation of arterial walls is
related to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, it has been hypothesized that anti-inflammatory therapies
could prevent and treat vascular remodeling. Clinical trials based on canakinumab or hydroxychloroquine
provide further insight into the role of inflammation in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular
diseases. In this review, we have analyzed evidence and suggested that inflammation may play an important
role in the final pathway of many cardiovascular risk factors.
Zinc, Copper, Magnesium Levels in Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Patients
Authors: Kharb Simmi , Goel Rajni , Nanda Smiti , Bhatotiya Chetna , Gaur Shweta , Khadelwal Aparna
Published: February 2022

Background:

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine
diseases, and the status of trace elements is not clear.

Aim and Objectives:

In the present cross-sectional study, the potential relationships between serum
levels of zinc, copper, magnesium, and PCOS were explored.

Materials and Methods:

One hundred participants with PCOS and 100 healthy controls were
studied. They were in the age group (15-35 years) with the same socio-demographic characteristics.
Blood samples were drawn to estimate serum zinc, copper, and magnesium levels by autoanalyzer.

Results:

Serum zinc and magnesium levels were found significantly higher among the study
group as compared to the control group. Serum copper levels were significantly lower in the
study group. Serum copper levels were significantly correlated with age and BMI among PCOS
women. Serum magnesium and zinc levels had a maximum area under the ROC curve, and the
high discriminating power of serum magnesium correlated with zinc levels for PCOS.

Conclusion:

These results suggest that trace elements have a role in the pathogenesis of PCOS
and that supplementation may help manage the disease.
Comparison of Two Types of Amino Acid Solutions on 177Lu-Dotatate
Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics in Patients with Metastatic Gastroenteropancreatic
Neuroendocrine Tumors
Authors: Chatelut Etienne , Lambert Marie , Dierickx Lawrence , Brillouet Séverine , Courbon Frédéric
Published: February 2022

Background:

177Lu-Dotatate is used in the treatment of somatostatin-receptor-positive inoperable
progressive gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. A co-infusion of amino acids
(AAs) is administered to prevent renal toxicity.

Objective:

This study aimed to quantify the impact of two types of AA cocktails on the pharmacokinetics
and toxicity of 177Lu-Dotatate.

Method:

Four injections of 7400 MBq 177Lu-Dotatate were given per patient with administration
of either Primene® 10% (containing a cocktail of 20 AAs with 22g of Lysine and 16.8 g of
Arginine) or Lysakare® (containing 25 g of Lysine and 25 g of Arginine). Nine blood samples were
collected at each cycle. Radioactivity-time data were analyzed according to a population-based
model using NONMEM (version 7.4.1). Renal and hematological toxicity was evaluated after each
cycle.

Result:

1,678 177Lu-Dotatate plasma concentrations versus time were analyzed from 83 consecutive
patients with Primene® (n= 45 pts) or Lysakare® (n= 36 pts). Population pharmacokinetic analysis
showed that Primene® significantly increased the elimination rate constant of 177Lu-Dotatate as
opposed to Lysakare®. Primene® also significantly lowered Lutathera® plasma exposure (AUC) by
34%, whereas Lysakare® increased AUC by 7%. There was no renal toxicity in either case. Lymphopenia
significantly correlated with AUC (p=0.021) with a trend towards higher toxicity with
Lysakare®.

Conclusions::

Unlike Primene®, Lysakare® does not increase 177Lu-Dotatate elimination. This difference
is associated with a significant impact on AUC. The latter parameter has a high interpatient
variability but a low intrapatient variability, which could have important clinical implications for
treatment tailoring.
Serving to parents perspective azhar's quranic interpretation
Authors: Nirwana AN Andri , Wahid Abd. , Shomad Bukhori Abdul , Akhyar Sayed , Hayati Hayati , Saifudin Saifudin , Nashrulloh Fauzan
Published: February 2022

Today, the problem that cannot be solved is about the pious deeds of a child to his parents. There are still many children from Muslim families who ignore their parents. The purpose of this study is to describe Buya Hamka's interpretation of the concept of birrul walidain in the Qur'an, which is described in QS A-Baqarah (2): 83, An-Nis?' (4): 36, Al-An'?m (6): 151, Al-Isr?' (17): 23, Al-'Ankab?t (29): 8, Luqm?n (31): 14, and Al-Ahq?f (46): 15. This research is a literature study using an interpretive approach thematic. The primary source of this research is the book of Tafsir Al-Azhar by Buya Haji Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah and assisted by books, previous research, and scientific works according to the object of study. The data analysis technique in this study used descriptive analysis.
The Racial Interface: The Computational Origins of Minority Modeling
Authors: He Huan
Published: February 2022

This article compares two so-called “success stories”: Asian/Americans and computers. In the late 1960s and 1970s, as computers transformed from threatening, wartime machines to user-friendly personal devices, so too did Asian/Americans shift from “yellow peril” to “model minority” citizens. Engaging histories of Asian/America, media art, and information technologies, this article explores the interpenetration of racial and computational forms, logics, and operations within the structures of US liberal capitalism. It examines the discourse surrounding computer scientist Jeffrey Chuan Chu, Japanese American model minorities, and Douglas Engelbart’s Graphic User Interface (GUI) alongside a central case study of Nam June Paik’s drawing Untitled (TV Face) (1980) and digital artwork Confused Rain (1967). By tracking the emergence of two visual abstractions—the model minority and the computer interface—I theorize “minority modeling” as a racial interface, a representational myth that promotes the dual operations of individualist empowerment and structural obfuscation. While liberal histories of race and computation prop up narratives of social progress and assimilation, Paik’s art offers an aesthetics of indeterminacy that emphasizes the irresolvable contradictions linking Asian/American racialization and computational technologies.
Runaway Slave Portraiture, Aesthetic Culture, and the Emergence of Racial Sense
Authors: Shon Sue
Published: February 2022

Runaway slave newspaper advertisements constitute some of the earliest visual formulations of supposedly legible racial meaning in the Americas. Numbering in the thousands, these missing persons reports contain rare pre-photographic portrayals of self-emancipated individuals “seen” by a public. By reading the advertisements with and against the grain, this essay explores the logic of seeing in these early forms of racial profiling and speculates about how descriptive language makes race feel as if it is and ought to be visible and transparent to the beholder. Racial visibility was and is produced by the layers of abstraction undertaken to represent what could already be recognized as “racial” in public culture and affirms a perceptual experience I call racial sense. A theory of racial sense is developed in this essay by reading Immanuel Kant’s aesthetic philosophy alongside Sylvia Wynter’s critique of the human. This theory of racial sense challenges the distinction between aesthetics and science as staged by the modern project of the human.
Is My DNA Mine?
Authors: Dong Yuxiang
Published: February 2022

A review of the online exhibition Forking PiraGene, co-presented by Rhizome and C-Lab Taiwan.
High-Tech Orientalism and Science Fiction Futures in Astria Suparak’s "Virtually Asian" (2021)
Authors: Forcier Kaitlin
Published: February 2022

Multimedia artist Astria Suparak’s short video essay, Virtually Asian (2021) presents an astute critique of the racism embedded in pop-culture imaginings of the future. Weaving together footage culled from forty years of science fiction blockbusters, the supercut reveals not only how Asian actors have been used as an orientalist backdrop for white characters in these films, but that these Asian bodies are often dematerialized, represented as projections, holograms, and digital images. The piece comprises a trenchant follow-up to scholar Wendy Chun’s observations about “High-tech Orientalism,” a trope which represents a technologically-advanced future as an exotic Asian landscape. Commissioned by the Berkeley Art Center as part of an online exhibition launched while the gallery was closed by the pandemic, Virtually Asian is part of Suparak's ongoing project, “Asian futures, without Asians.” Despite its sharp critique, Virtually Asian ultimately strikes a hopeful tone. These are after all collective visions of the future: we have the capacity to imagine futures that are less racist, less sexist, more accurate reflections of the world we hope to inhabit.
Identifying Frames of the COVID-19 Infodemic: Thematic Analysis of Misinformation Stories Across Media
Authors: Mohammadi Ehsan , Tahamtan Iman , Mansourian Yazdan , Overton Holly
Published: February 2022

Background

The word “infodemic” refers to the deluge of false information about an event, and it is a global challenge for today’s society. The sheer volume of misinformation circulating during the COVID-19 pandemic has been harmful to people around the world. Therefore, it is important to study different aspects of misinformation related to the pandemic.

Objective

This paper aimed to identify the main subthemes related to COVID-19 misinformation on various platforms, from traditional outlets to social media. This paper aimed to place these subthemes into categories, track the changes, and explore patterns in prevalence, over time, across different platforms and contexts.

Methods

From a theoretical perspective, this research was rooted in framing theory; it also employed thematic analysis to identify the main themes and subthemes related to COVID-19 misinformation. The data were collected from 8 fact-checking websites that formed a sample of 127 pieces of false COVID-19 news published from January 1, 2020 to March 30, 2020.

Results

The findings revealed 4 main themes (attribution, impact, protection and solutions, and politics) and 19 unique subthemes within those themes related to COVID-19 misinformation. Governmental and political organizations (institutional level) and administrators and politicians (individual level) were the 2 most frequent subthemes, followed by origination and source, home remedies, fake statistics, treatments, drugs, and pseudoscience, among others. Results indicate that the prevalence of misinformation subthemes had altered over time between January 2020 and March 2020. For instance, false stories about the origin and source of the virus were frequent initially (January). Misinformation regarding home remedies became a prominent subtheme in the middle (February), while false information related to government organizations and politicians became popular later (March). Although conspiracy theory web pages and social media outlets were the primary sources of misinformation, surprisingly, results revealed trusted platforms such as official government outlets and news organizations were also avenues for creating COVID-19 misinformation.

Conclusions

The identified themes in this study reflect some of the information attitudes and behaviors, such as denial, uncertainty, consequences, and solution-seeking, that provided rich information grounds to create different types of misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some themes also indicate that the application of effective communication strategies and the creation of timely content were used to persuade human minds with false stories in different phases of the crisis. The findings of this study can be beneficial for communication officers, information professionals, and policy makers to combat misinformation in future global health crises or related events.