bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Thyroid and Molecular Testing. Advances in Thyroid Molecular Cytopathology
Authors: Rossi Esther Diana , Vielh Philippe
Published: March 2021

Thyroid nodules are a common finding in the adult population including the fact that more than 50% of individuals, over the age of 60, have thyroid nodules. The majority have been mostly detected with ultrasonography and 10% by palpation. The majority of these nodules are benign, whereas 5–15% of them are malignant. The pre-operative diagnosis of cancer is a critical challenge in order to ensure that each patient can be treated with the best tailored management with a reduction of unnecessary surgery for benign lesions. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) represents the first and most important diagnostic tool for the evaluation of thyroid lesions. According to the literature, FNAC is able to render a conclusive diagnosis in up to 70–80% of all cases. For the remaining 20–30% of nodules, cytological diagnoses fall into the category of indeterminate lesions mostly due to the lack of specific morphological features. According to the Bethesda system for reporting thyroid cytopathology (TBSRTC), indeterminate lesions can be sub-stratified into three different subcategories including “atypia of undetermined significance/follicular lesion of undetermined significance-AUS/FLUS”; “follicular or Hürthle cell neoplasm/suspicious for follicular or Hürthle cell neoplasm-FN/SFN”; and “suspicious for malignancy-SFM”. Many of these indeterminate lesions undergo repetition or diagnostic lobectomy. Nonetheless, the majority of these cases will have a benign diagnosis due to the fact that the rate of cancer ranges between 6 and 30%. It stands to reason that the application of ancillary technique, mostly molecular testing, emerged as a critical additional tool for those thyroid indeterminate lesions. Since the early 1990s, material collected from cytological samples yields sufficient and adequate cells for the detection of point mutation or gene fusions. Nonetheless, the further availability of new sequencing technologies such as next-generation sequencing (NGS) has led to more comprehensive molecular applications adopted now in clinical use. The current review investigates the multiple advances in the field of molecular testing applied in thyroid cytology.
Is Metformin a Possible Beneficial Treatment for Psoriasis? A Scoping Review
Authors: Stanescu Ana Maria Alexandra , Simionescu Anca Angela , Florea Mira , Diaconu Camelia Cristina
Published: March 2021

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory condition with genetic, immunological, and metabolic etiology. The link between psoriasis and diabetes mellitus has been shown in genetic predisposition, environmental influences, inflammatory pathways, and insulin resistance, resulting in end-organ damage in both conditions. Because comorbidities often accompany psoriasis, the therapeutic management of the disease must also take into consideration the comorbidities. Given that metformin’s therapeutic role in psoriasis is not yet fully elucidated, we raised the question of whether metformin is a viable alternative for the treatment of psoriasis. We conducted this scoping review by searching for evidence in PubMed, Cochrane, and Scopus databases, and we used an extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Current evidence suggests that metformin is safe to use in psoriasis. Studies have shown an excellent therapeutic response to metformin in patients with psoriasis and comorbidities such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and obesity. There is no clear evidence supporting metformin monotherapy in patients with psoriasis without comorbidities. There is a need to further evaluate metformin in larger clinical trials, as a therapy in psoriasis.
Business E-NeGotiAtion: A Method Using a Genetic Algorithm for Online Dispute Resolution in B2B Relationships
Authors: Simkova Nikola , Smutny Zdenek
Published: March 2021

An opportunity to resolve disputes as an out-of-court settlement through computer-mediated communication is usually easier, faster, and cheaper than filing an action in court. Artificial intelligence and law (AI & Law) research has gained importance in this area. The article presents a design of the E-NeGotiAtion method for assisted negotiation in business to business (B2B) relationships, which uses a genetic algorithm for selecting the most appropriate solution(s). The aim of the article is to present how the method is designed and contribute to knowledge on online dispute resolution (ODR) with a focus on B2B relationships. The evaluation of the method consisted of an embedded single-case study, where participants from two countries simulated the realities of negotiation between companies. For comparison, traditional negotiation via e-mail was also conducted. The evaluation confirms that the proposed E-NeGotiAtion method quickly achieves solution(s), approaching the optimal solution on which both sides can decide, and also very importantly, confirms that the method facilitates negotiation with the partner and creates a trusted result. The evaluation demonstrates that the proposed method is economically efficient for parties of the dispute compared to negotiation via e-mail. For a more complicated task with five or more products, the E-NeGotiAtion method is significantly more suitable than negotiation via e-mail for achieving a resolution that favors one side or the other as little as possible. In conclusion, it can be said that the proposed method fulfills the definition of the dual-task of ODR—it resolves disputes and builds confidence.
Interfacial Structure of Carbide-Coated Graphite/Al Composites and Its Effect on Thermal Conductivity and Strength
Authors: Jia Hao , Fan Jianzhong , Liu Yanqiang , Zhao Yuehong , Nie Junhui , Wei Shaohua
Published: March 2021

Graphite/Al composites had attracted significant attention for thermal management applications due to their excellent thermal properties. However, the improvement of thermal properties was restricted by the insufficient wettability between graphite and Al. In this study, silicon carbide and titanium carbide coatings have been uniformly coated on the graphite by the reactive sputtering method, and Graphite/Al laminate composites were fabricated by a hot isostatic pressing process to investigate the influence on thermal conductivity and mechanical properties. The results show that carbide coating can effectively improve the interfacial thermal conductance of SiC@Graphite/Al and TiC@Graphite/Al composites by 9.8 times and 3.4 times, respectively. After surface modification, the in-plane thermal conductivity (TC) of the composites with different volume fractions are all exceeding the 90% of the predictions. In comparison, SiC is more conducive to improving the thermal conductivity of composite materials, since the thermal conductivity of the 28.7 vol.% SiC@Graphite/Al reached the highest value of 499 W/m·K, while TiC is favorable for improving the mechanical properties. The finding is beneficial to the understanding of carbide coating engineering in the Graphite/Al composites.
A Method for Integration of Preferences to a Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm Using Ordinal Multi-Criteria Classification
Authors: Castellanos-Alvarez Alejandro , Cruz-Reyes Laura , Fernandez Eduardo , Rangel-Valdez Nelson , Gómez-Santillán Claudia , Fraire Hector , Brambila-Hernández José Alfredo
Published: March 2021

Most real-world problems require the optimization of multiple objective functions simultaneously, which can conflict with each other. The environment of these problems usually involves imprecise information derived from inaccurate measurements or the variability in decision-makers’ (DMs’) judgments and beliefs, which can lead to unsatisfactory solutions. The imperfect knowledge can be present either in objective functions, restrictions, or decision-maker’s preferences. These optimization problems have been solved using various techniques such as multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs). This paper proposes a new MOEA called NSGA-III-P (non-nominated sorting genetic algorithm III with preferences). The main characteristic of NSGA-III-P is an ordinal multi-criteria classification method for preference integration to guide the algorithm to the region of interest given by the decision-maker’s preferences. Besides, the use of interval analysis allows the expression of preferences with imprecision. The experiments contrasted several versions of the proposed method with the original NSGA-III to analyze different selective pressure induced by the DM’s preferences. In these experiments, the algorithms solved three-objectives instances of the DTLZ problem. The obtained results showed a better approximation to the region of interest for a DM when its preferences are considered.
25CN-NBOMe Metabolites in Rat Urine, Human Liver Microsomes and C. elegans—Structure Determination and Synthesis of the Most Abundant Metabolites
Authors: Šuláková Anna , Nykodemová Jitka , Palivec Petr , Jurok Radek , Rimpelová Silvie , Leonhardt Tereza , Šíchová Klára , Páleníček Tomáš , Kuchař Martin
Published: March 2021

N-Benzylphenethylamines are novel psychedelic substances increasingly used for research, diagnostic, or recreational purposes. To date, only a few metabolism studies have been conducted for N-2-methoxybenzylated compounds (NBOMes). Thus, the available 2,5-dimethoxy-4-(2-((2-methoxybenzyl)amino)ethyl)benzonitrile (25CN-NBOMe) metabolism data are limited. Herein, we investigated the metabolic profile of 25CN-NBOMe in vivo in rats and in vitro in Cunninghamella elegans (C. elegans) mycelium and human liver microsomes. Phase I and phase II metabolites were first detected in an untargeted screening, followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) identification of the most abundant metabolites by comparison with in-house synthesized reference materials. The major metabolic pathways described within this study (mono- and bis-O-demethylation, hydroxylation at different positions, and combinations thereof, followed by the glucuronidation, sulfation, and/or N-acetylation of primary metabolites) generally correspond to the results of previously reported metabolism of several other NBOMes. The cyano functional group was either hydrolyzed to the respective amide or carboxylic acid or remained untouched. Differences between species should be taken into account in studies of the metabolism of novel substances.
Toward the Next Generation of Passive Micromixers: A Novel 3-D Design Approach
Authors: Okuducu Mahmut Burak , Aral Mustafa M.
Published: March 2021

Passive micromixers are miniaturized instruments that are used to mix fluids in microfluidic systems. In microchannels, combination of laminar flows and small diffusion constants of mixing liquids produce a difficult mixing environment. In particular, in very low Reynolds number flows, e.g., Re < 10, diffusive mixing cannot be promoted unless a large interfacial area is formed between the fluids to be mixed. Therefore, the mixing distance increases substantially due to a slow diffusion process that governs fluid mixing. In this article, a novel 3-D passive micromixer design is developed to improve fluid mixing over a short distance. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations are used to investigate the performance of the micromixer numerically. The circular-shaped fluid overlapping (CSFO) micromixer design proposed is examined in several fluid flow, diffusivity, and injection conditions. The outcomes show that the CSFO geometry develops a large interfacial area between the fluid bodies. Thus, fluid mixing is accelerated in vertical and/or horizontal directions depending on the injection type applied. For the smallest molecular diffusion constant tested, the CSFO micromixer design provides more than 90% mixing efficiency in a distance between 260 and 470 µm. The maximum pressure drop in the micromixer is found to be less than 1.4 kPa in the highest flow conditioned examined.
Competitive Real-Time Near Infrared (NIR) Vein Finder Imaging Device to Improve Peripheral Subcutaneous Vein Selection in Venipuncture for Clinical Laboratory Testing
Authors: Francisco Mark D. , Chen Wen-Fan , Pan Cheng-Tang , Lin Ming-Cheng , Wen Zhi-Hong , Liao Chien-Feng , Shiue Yow-Ling
Published: March 2021

In this study, near-infrared (NIR) technology was utilized to develop a low-cost real-time near infrared (NIR) guiding device for cannulation. A portable device that can be used by medical practitioners and also by students for their skills development training in performing cannulation. Methods. First, is the development of a reflectance type optical vein finder using three (3) light emitting diode (LED) lights with 960 nm wavelength, complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor-infrared (CMOS-IR) sensor camera with 1920 × 1080 UXGA (1080P), IR filter set for the given wavelength, and an open-source image processing software. Second, is the actual in-vitro human testing in two sites: the arm and dorsal hand of 242 subjects. The following parameters were included, such as gender, age, mass index (BMI), and skin tone. In order to maximize the assessment process towards the device, the researchers included the arm circumference. This augmented subcutaneous vein imaging study using the develop vein finder device compared the difference in the captured vein images through visual and digital imaging approaches. The human testing was performed in accordance with the ethical standards of the Trinity University of Asia—Institutional Ethics Review Committee (TUA—IERC). Results. The NIR imaging system of the developed vein finder in this study showed its capability as an efficient guiding device through real-time vein pattern recognition, for both sites. Improved captured vein images were observed, having 100% visibility of vein patterns on the dorsal hand site. Fourteen (5.79%) out of 242 subjects reported non-visible peripheral subcutaneous veins in the arm sites. Conclusions. The developed vein finder device with the NIR technology and reflected light principle with low-energy consumption was efficient for real-time peripheral subcutaneous vein imaging without the application of a tourniquet. This might be utilized as a guiding device in locating the vein for the purpose of cannulation, at a very low cost as compared to the commercially available vein finders. Moreover, it may be used as an instructional device for student training in performing cannulation.
Comprehensive Thermal Characteristics of Different Cultivars of Flaxseed Oil (Linum usittatissimum L.)
Authors: Tomaszewska-Gras Jolanta , Islam Mahbuba , Grzeca Liliana , Kaczmarek Anna , Fornal Emilia
Published: March 2021

The aim of this study was to describe the thermal properties of selected cultivars of flaxseed oil by the use of the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) technique. The crystallization and melting profiles were analyzed depending on different scanning rates (1, 2, 5 °C/min) as well as oxidative induction time (OIT) isothermally at 120 °C and 140 °C, and oxidation onset temperatures (Ton) at 2 and 5 °C/min were measured. The crystallization was manifested as a single peak, differing for a cooling rate of 1 and 2 °C/min. The melting curves were more complex with differences among the cultivars for a heating rate of 1 and 2 °C/min, while for 5 °C/min, the profiles did not differ, which could be utilized in analytics for profiling in order to assess the authenticity of the flaxseed oil. Moreover, it was observed that flaxseed oil was highly susceptible to thermal oxidation, and its stability decreased with increasing temperature and decreasing heating rate. Significant negative linear correlations were found between unsaturated fatty acid content (C18:2, C18:3 n-3) and DSC parameters (OIT, Ton). Principal component analysis (PCA) also established a strong correlation between total oxidation value (TOTOX), peroxide value (PV) and all DSC parameters of thermo-oxidative stability.
L-Glutaminase Synthesis by Marine Halomonas meridiana Isolated from the Red Sea and Its Efficiency against Colorectal Cancer Cell Lines
Authors: Mostafa Yasser S. , Alamri Saad A. , Alfaifi Mohammad Y. , Alrumman Sulaiman A. , Elbehairi Serag Eldin I. , Taha Tarek H. , Hashem Mohamed
Published: March 2021

L-glutaminase is an important anticancer agent that is used extensively worldwide by depriving cancer cells of L-glutamine. The marine bacterium, Halomonas meridian was isolated from the Red Sea and selected as the more active L-glutaminase-producing bacteria. L-glutaminase fermentation was optimized at 36 h, pH 8.0, 37 °C, and 3.0% NaCl, using glucose at 1.5% and soybean meal at 2%. The purified enzyme showed a specific activity of 36.08 U/mg, and the molecular weight was found to be 57 kDa by the SDS-PAGE analysis. The enzyme was highly active at pH 8.0 and 37 °C. The kinetics’ parameters of Km and Vmax were 12.2 × 10−6 M and 121.95 μmol/mL/min, respectively, which reflects a higher affinity for its substrate. The anticancer efficiency of the enzyme showed significant toxic activity toward colorectal adenocarcinoma cells; LS 174 T (IC50 7.0 μg/mL) and HCT 116 (IC50 13.2 μg/mL). A higher incidence of cell death was observed with early apoptosis in HCT 116 than in LS 174 T, whereas late apoptosis was observed in LS 174 T more than in HCT 116. Also, the L-glutaminase induction nuclear fragmentation in HCT 116 was more than that in the LS 174T cells. This is the first report on Halomonas meridiana as an L-glutaminase producer that is used as an anti-colorectal cancer agent.
Mechanical, Structural, and Biological Properties of Chitosan/Hydroxyapatite/Silica Composites for Bone Tissue Engineering
Authors: Adamski Robert , Siuta Dorota
Published: March 2021

The aim of this work was to fabricate novel bioactive composites based on chitosan and non-organic silica, reinforced with calcium β-glycerophosphate (Ca-GP), sodium β-glycerophosphate pentahydrate (Na-GP), and hydroxyapatite powder (HAp) in a range of concentrations using the sol–gel method. The effect of HAp, Na-GP, and Ca-GP contents on the mechanical properties, i.e., Young’s modulus, compressive strength, and yield strain, of hybrid composites was analyzed. The microstructure of the materials obtained was visualized by SEM. Moreover, the molecular interactions according to FTIR analysis and biocompatibility of composites obtained were examined. The CS/Si/HAp/Ca-GP developed from all composites analyzed was characterized by the well-developed surface of pores of two sizes: large ones of 100 μm and many smaller pores below 10 µm, the behavior of which positively influenced cell proliferation and growth, as well as compressive strength in a range of 0.3 to 10 MPa, Young’s modulus from 5.2 to 100 MPa, and volumetric shrinkage below 60%. This proved to be a promising composite for applications in tissue engineering, e.g., filling small bone defects.
High-Performance Wearable Strain Sensor Based on MXene@Cotton Fabric with Network Structure
Authors: Liu Lu , Wang Libo , Liu Xuqing , Yuan Wenfeng , Yuan Mengmeng , Xia Qixun , Hu Qianku , Zhou Aiguo
Published: March 2021

Flexible and comfortable wearable electronics are as a second skin for humans as they can collect the physiology of humans and show great application in health and fitness monitoring. MXene Ti3C2Tx have been used in flexible electronic devices for their unique properties such as high conductivity, excellent mechanical performance, flexibility, and good hydrophilicity, but less research has focused on MXene-based cotton fabric strain sensors. In this work, a high-performance wearable strain sensor composed of two-dimensional (2D) MXene d-Ti3C2Tx nanomaterials and cotton fabric is reported. Cotton fabrics were selected as substrate as they are comfortable textiles. As the active material in the sensor, MXene d-Ti3C2Tx exhibited an excellent conductivity and hydrophilicity and adhered well to the fabric fibers by electrostatic adsorption. The gauge factor of the MXene@cotton fabric strain sensor reached up to 4.11 within the strain range of 15%. Meanwhile, the sensor possessed high durability (>500 cycles) and a low strain detection limit of 0.3%. Finally, the encapsulated strain sensor was used to detect subtle or large body movements and exhibited a rapid response. This study shows that the MXene@cotton fabric strain sensor reported here have great potential for use in flexible, comfortable, and wearable devices for health monitoring and motion detection.
Therapeutic Potential of Green Synthesized Copper Nanoparticles Alone or Combined with Meglumine Antimoniate (Glucantime®) in Cutaneous Leishmaniasis
Authors: Albalawi Aishah E. , Abdel-Shafy Sobhy , Khudair Khalaf Amal , Alanazi Abdullah D. , Baharvand Parastoo , Ebrahimi Katrin , Mahmoudvand Hossein
Published: March 2021

Background: In recent years, the focus on nanotechnological methods in medicine, especially in the treatment of microbial infections, has increased rapidly. Aim: The present study aims to evaluate in vitro and in vivo antileishmanial effects of copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) green synthesized by Capparis spinosa fruit extract alone and combined with meglumine antimoniate (MA). Methods: CuNPs were green synthesized by C. spinosa methanolic extract. The in vitro antileishmanial activity of CuNPs (10–200 µg/mL) or MA alone (10–200 µg/mL), and various concentrations of MA (10–200 μg/mL) along with 20 μg/mL of CuNPs, was assessed against the Leishmania major (MRHO/IR/75/ER) amastigote forms and, then tested on cutaneous leishmaniasis induced in male BALB/c mice by L. major. Moreover, infectivity rate, nitric oxide (NO) production, and cytotoxic effects of CuNPs on J774-A1 cells were evaluated. Results: Scanning electron microscopy showed that the particle size of CuNPs was 17 to 41 nm. The results demonstrated that CuNPs, especially combined with MA, significantly (p < 0.001) inhibited the growth rate of L. major amastigotes and triggered the production of NO (p < 0.05) in a dose-dependent manner. CuNPs also had no significant cytotoxicity in J774 cells. The mean number of parasites was significantly (p < 0.05) reduced in the infected mice treated with CuNPs, especially combined with MA in a dose-dependent response. The mean diameter of the lesions decreased by 43 and 58 mm after the treatment with concentrations of 100 and 200 mg/mL of CuNPs, respectively. Conclusion: The findings of the present study demonstrated the high potency and synergistic effect of CuNPs alone and combined with MA in inhibiting the growth of amastigote forms of L. major, as well as recovery and improving cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) induced by L. major in BALB/c mice. Additionally, supplementary studies, especially in clinical settings, are required.
Blood Pressure-Lowering Effect of Wine Lees: Dose-Response Study, Effect of Dealcoholization and Possible Mechanisms of Action
Authors: López-Fernández-Sobrino Raúl , Soliz-Rueda Jorge R. , Suárez Manuel , Mulero Miquel , Arola Lluís , Bravo Francisca Isabel , Muguerza Begoña
Published: March 2021

The antihypertensive effect of wine lees (WL) has been previously evidenced. In this study, the antihypertensive properties of different doses of WL were evaluated in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). In addition, the blood pressure (BP)-lowering effect of dried (dealcoholized) WL powder (WLPW) and the mechanisms involved in its functionality were investigated. Furthermore, a possible hypotensive effect of WLPW was discarded in Wistar–Kyoto (WKY) rats. The administration of WL at different doses caused a dose-dependent decrease in BP of SHR up to 5.0 mL/kg bw, exhibiting the maximum decrease at 6 h post-administration. WLPW caused a greater drop in BP than WL, showing an antihypertensive effect higher and more prolonged than the drug Captopril. Moreover, the BP-lowering effect of WLPW was specific to the hypertensive state since an undesirable hypotensive effect in normotensive WKY rats was ruled out. Finally, WLPW improved oxidative stress and increased the activity of the antioxidant endogen system of SHR. These results suggest that WLPW could be used as functional ingredient for foods or nutraceuticals to ameliorate hypertension. Nevertheless, further clinical studies are needed to evaluate its long-term antihypertensive efficiency.
Coffee and Lower Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: Arguments for a Causal Relationship
Authors: Kolb Hubert , Martin Stephan , Kempf Kerstin
Published: March 2021

Prospective epidemiological studies concur in an association between habitual coffee consumption and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Several aspects of these studies support a cause–effect relationship. There is a dependency on daily coffee dose. Study outcomes are similar in different regions of the world, show no differences between sexes, between obese versus lean, young versus old, smokers versus nonsmokers, regardless of the number of confounders adjusted for. Randomized controlled intervention trials did not find a consistent impact of drinking coffee on acute metabolic control, except for effects of caffeine. Therefore, lowering of diabetes risk by coffee consumption does not involve an acute effect on the post-meal course of blood glucose, insulin or insulin resistance. Several studies in animals and humans find that the ingestion of coffee phytochemicals induces an adaptive cellular response characterized by upregulation and de novo synthesis of enzymes involved in cell defense and repair. A key regulator is the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) in association with the aryl hydrocarbon receptor, AMP-activated kinase and sirtuins. One major site of coffee actions appears to be the liver, causing improved fat oxidation and lower risk of steatosis. Another major effect of coffee intake is preservation of functional beta cell mass via enhanced mitochondrial function, lower endoplasmic reticulum stress and prevention or clearance of aggregates of misfolded proinsulin or amylin. Long-term preservation of proper liver and beta cell function may account for the association of habitual coffee drinking with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, rather than acute improvement of metabolic control.
Plasma Free Fatty Acids and Metabolic Effect in Type 2 Diabetes, an Ancillary Study from a Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Mitri Joanna , Tomah Shaheen , Furtado Jeremy , Tasabehji Mhd Wael , Hamdy Osama
Published: March 2021

Most nutrition studies looking at the association of food with cardiometabolic markers rely on food frequency questionnaires, which are prone to recall bias. Pentadecanoic acid, heptadecanoic acid and trans-palmitoleic acid are fatty acids that are not synthesized endogenously but are obtained from the diet, particularly dairy, making them reasonable biomarkers of dairy consumption. We investigated the association of dairy fatty acid biomarkers with glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes (T2D). In a clinical trial, 111 participants with T2D (age 58.5 ± 8.9 years, HbA1c 8.09 ± 0.96%) were randomized into three groups: a control group that maintained baseline dairy intake, a low-fat (LF) group that incorporated ≥3 servings/day of LF dairy and a high-fat (HF) group that incorporated ≥3 servings/day of HF dairy. We compared the fatty acids (FA) composition between the three groups at 24 weeks. Pentadecanoic acid and trans-palmitoleic acid increased in the HF group by 14.1% ± 5.4% and 17.5% ± 5.1%, respectively, but not in the control and LF groups (p = 0.0474 and p = 0.0025 for group-by-time interaction, respectively). Those increases were positively associated with changes in total cholesterol, very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol VLDL-C and triglycerides but were not associated with changes in HbA1c from baseline to 24 weeks. These results suggest that the intervention was successful and that participants were likely compliant, which supports the validity of the main trial.
Plasma 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentrations and Serum and Salivary C-Reactive Protein in the Osteoporosis and Periodontal Disease Study
Authors: Twardowski Sarah E. , Wactawski-Wende Jean , Hovey Kathleen M. , Andrews Christopher A. , Banack Hailey R. , LaMonte Michael J. , Millen Amy E.
Published: March 2021

Vitamin D has been hypothesized to play an important role in preventing the development and progression of periodontal disease, but the underlying immune modulatory mechanisms remain understudied. We examined the cross-sectional association between biomarkers of vitamin D status and C-reactive protein (CRP) among postmenopausal women aged 53–81 years. Linear regression was used to examine the association between plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) concentrations, a biomarker of vitamin D status, and both salivary and serum CRP concentrations in 567 women from the Buffalo Osteoporosis and Periodontal Disease (OsteoPerio) Study (1997–2000). CRP concentrations were measured with multiplex arrays and transformed for normality using the natural log. Concentrations above and below the limit of detection were included in analysis as right- and left-censored observations. An inverse association was observed between 25(OH)D and salivary CRP in a model adjusted for age, smoking status, frequency of tooth brushing and flossing, and hormone therapy use (−7.56% difference in salivary CRP concentrations per 10 nmol/L increase in 25(OH)D, 95% CI: −12.78 to −2.03). Further adjustment for percent body fat attenuated this association (−2.48%, 95% CI: −7.88 to 3.24). No significant associations were found between 25(OH)D and serum CRP. Plasma vitamin D concentrations were not associated with salivary or serum CRP concentrations in this cohort of postmenopausal women.
Factors Associated with the Use of Pasteurized Donor Milk for Healthy Newborns: Experience from the First Human Milk Bank in Vietnam
Authors: Tran Hoang Thi , Nguyen Tuan T , Giang Hoang Thi Nam , Huynh Le Thi , Barnett Debbie , Mathisen Roger , Murray John C. S.
Published: March 2021

Background: Pasteurized donor milk (PDM) is typically prescribed to preterm or low birthweight newborns when their mother’s own milk is unavailable. In surplus, PDM is prescribed to meet the nutritional needs of healthy newborns in the first few days of life. However, its overuse can undermine efforts to promote and support breastfeeding, waste resources, and reduce the availability of PDM for at-risk newborns. We conducted this study to examine factors associated with the prescription and prolonged use (>48 h) of privately purchased PDM to healthy newborns. Methods: Prospective observational study of 2440 mothers of healthy, term, and normal birthweight newborns born at Da Nang Hospital for Women and Children between April and August 2019. In addition to the descriptive analysis, we performed multiple logistic regressions to examine factors associated with the prescription of PDM (n = 2440) and prolonged PDM use among those who used PDM (n = 566). Results: Twenty-three percent (566/2440) of healthy, term, and birthweight ≥2500 g newborns received PDM and were included in the study. The prevalence of PDM use was higher for cesarean births (OR: 2.05; 95% CI: 1.66, 2.55) and among male newborns (OR: 1.33; 95% CI: 1.09, 1.62), but lower for farmers or workers (vs. other jobs; OR: 0.71; 95% CI: 0.54, 0.93), family income <10 million VND (vs. ≥10 million VND; OR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.55, 0.82), and duration of skin-to-skin ≥90 min (vs. <90 min; OR: 0.54; 95% CI: 0.39, 0.76). Prolonged PDM use (12.4% of 566 newborns who used PDM) was associated with the mother having a higher socioeconomic status job (professional, small trader or homemaker; OR: 4.00; 95% CI: 1.39, 12.5), being a first-time mother (OR: 3.39; 95% CI: 1.92, 6.01) or having a cesarean birth (OR: 2.09; 95% CI: 1.02, 4.28). Conclusions: The prescription and prolonged use of privately purchased PDM was associated with non-medical factors unrelated to the ability to breastfeed effectively. The findings suggest the need for improved breastfeeding communication, counseling and support skills for health staff, development, and application of strict criteria on PDM use for healthy newborns and better routine monitoring of PDM use over time.
Twenty Years after Bovine Vaccinia in Brazil: Where We Are and Where Are We Going?
Authors: José da Silva Domingos Iago , Silva de Oliveira Jaqueline , Lorene Soares Rocha Kamila , Bretas de Oliveira Danilo , Geessien Kroon Erna , Barbosa Costa Galileu , de Souza Trindade Giliane
Published: March 2021

Orthopoxvirus (OPV) infections have been present in human life for hundreds of years. It is known that Variola virus (VARV) killed over 300 million people in the past; however, it had an end thanks to the physician Edward Jenner (who developed the first vaccine in history) and also thanks to a massive vaccination program in the 20th century all over the world. Although the first vaccine was created using the Cowpox virus (CPXV), it turned out later that the Vaccinia virus was the one used during the vaccination program. VACV is the etiological agent of bovine vaccinia (BV), a zoonotic disease that has emerged in Brazil and South America in the last 20 years. BV has a great impact on local dairy economies and is also a burden to public health. In this review, we described the main events related to VACV and BV emergence in Brazil and South America, the increase of related scientific studies, and the issues that science, human and animal medicine are going to face if we do not be on guard to this virus and its disease.
Macromolecular Model of the Pectic Polysaccharides Isolated from the Bark of Norway Spruce (Picea abies)
Authors: Le Normand Myriam , Rietzler Barbara , Vilaplana Francisco , Ek Monica
Published: March 2021

The bark of Norway spruce (Picea abies) contains up to 13% pectins that can be extracted by pressurized hot water, which constitute a valuable renewable resource in second-generation lignocellulosic biorefineries. This article proposes, for the first time, structural molecular models for the pectins present in spruce bark. Pectin fractions of tailored molar masses were obtained by fractionation of the pressurized hot water extract of the inner bark using preparative size-exclusion chromatography. The monosaccharide composition, average molar mass distribution, and the glycosidic linkage patterns were analyzed for each fraction. The pectin fraction with high molecular weight (Mw of 59,000 Da) contained a highly branched RG-I domain, which accounted for 80% of the fraction and was mainly substituted with arabinan and arabinogalactan (type I and II) side chains. On the other hand, the fractions with lower molar masses (Mw = 15,000 and 9000 Da) were enriched with linear homogalacturonan domains, and also branched arabinan populations. The integration of the analytical information from the macromolecular size distributions, domain composition, and branch lengths of each pectin fraction, results in a comprehensive understanding of the macromolecular architecture of the pectins extracted from the bark of Norway spruce. This paves the way for the valorization of spruce bark pectic polymers in targeted applications based on their distinct polymeric structures and properties.
The Characteristics of Natural Rubber Composites with Klason Lignin as a Green Reinforcing Filler: Thermal Stability, Mechanical and Dynamical Properties
Authors: Intapun Jutharat , Rungruang Thipsuda , Suchat Sunisa , Cherdchim Banyat , Hiziroglu Salim
Published: March 2021

The objective of this work was to investigate the influences of Klason lignin as a filler on the thermal stability and properties of natural rubber composites. The modulus and tensile strength of stabilized vulcanizates were measured before and after thermo-oxidative aging. It was determined that lignin filled natural rubber had significantly enhanced thermo-oxidative aging and mechanical properties compared to those of controlled samples. The reinforcement effect of lignin increased stress with lignin loading but it decreased at 20 phr, suggesting that the reinforcement mechanism of lignin was via strain-induced crystallization. The composite samples with 10 phr filler loading had the highest mechanical properties as well as thermo-oxidative degradation resistance. Such a finding could be due to interactions between the Klason lignin filler and natural rubber matrix. Based on the findings in this work, the degradation temperature of Klason lignin occurred at 420 °C. The absorption peaks at wavenumbers 1192 and 1374 cm−1 indicated that C–O stretching vibrations of the syringyl and guaiacyl rings of hardwood lignin existed. It was also found that the Klason lignin–rubber composite containing 10 phr had the highest stress–strain, 100% modulus, and tensile strength, while lignin showed increasing aging resistance of the composite comparable with commercial antioxidant at 1.5 phr. It appears that Klason lignin from rubberwood could be used as a green antioxidant and alternative reinforcing filler and for high performance eco-friendly natural rubber biocomposites.
FE-YOLO: A Feature Enhancement Network for Remote Sensing Target Detection
Authors: Xu Danqing , Wu Yiquan
Published: March 2021

In the past few decades, target detection from remote sensing images gained from aircraft or satellites has become one of the hottest topics. However, the existing algorithms are still limited by the detection of small remote sensing targets. Benefiting from the great development of computing power, deep learning has also made great breakthroughs. Due to a large number of small targets and complexity of background, the task of remote sensing target detection is still a challenge. In this work, we establish a series of feature enhancement modules for the network based on YOLO (You Only Look Once) -V3 to improve the performance of feature extraction. Therefore, we term our proposed network as FE-YOLO. In addition, to realize fast detection, the original Darknet-53 was simplified. Experimental results on remote sensing datasets show that our proposed FE-YOLO performs better than other state-of-the-art target detection models.
Monitoring Dynamic Evolution of the Glacial Lakes by Using Time Series of Sentinel-1A SAR Images
Authors: Zhang Bo , Liu Guoxiang , Zhang Rui , Fu Yin , Liu Qiao , Cai Jialun , Wang Xiaowen , Li Zhilin
Published: March 2021

As an approach with great potential, the interpretation of space-borne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images has been applied for monitoring the dynamic evolution of the glacial lakes in recent years. Considering unfavorable factors, such as inherent topography-induced effects and speckle noise in SAR images, it is challenging to accurately map and track the dynamic evolution of the glacial lakes by using multi-temporal SAR images. This paper presents an improved neighborhood-based ratio method utilizing a time series of SAR images to identify the boundaries of the glacial lakes and detect their spatiotemporal changes. The proposed method was applied to monitor the dynamic evolution of the two glacial lakes with periodic water discharge at the terminus of the Gongba Glacier in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau by utilizing 144 Sentinel-1A SAR images collected between October of 2014 and November of 2020. We first generated the reference intensity image (RII) by averaging all the SAR images collected when the water in the glacial lakes was wholly discharged, then calculated the neighborhood-based ratio between RII and each SAR intensity image, and finally identified the boundaries of the glacial lakes by a ratio threshold determined statistically. The time series of areas of the glacial lakes were estimated in this way, and the dates for water recharging and discharging were accordingly determined. The testing results showed that the water of the two glacial lakes began to be recharged in April and reached their peak in August and then remained stable dynamically until they began to shrink in October and were discharged entirely in February of the following year. We observed the expansion process with annual growth rates of 3.19% and 12.63% for these two glacial lakes, respectively, and monitored a glacial lake outburst flood event in July 2018. The validation by comparing with the results derived from Sentinel-2A/B optical images indicates that the accuracy for identifying the boundaries of the glacial lakes with Sentinel-1A SAR images can reach up to 96.49%. Generally, this contribution demonstrates the reliability and precision of SAR images to provide regular updates for the dynamic monitoring of glacial lakes.
A High-Dimensional Indexing Model for Multi-Source Remote Sensing Big Data
Authors: Zhu Lilu , Su Xiaolu , Tai Xianqing
Published: March 2021

With continuous improvement of earth observation technology, source, and volume of remote sensing data are gradually enriched. It is critical to realize unified organization and to form data sharing service capabilities for massive remote sensing data effectively. We design a hierarchical multi-dimensional hybrid indexing model (HMDH), to address the problems in underlying organization and management, and improve query efficiency. Firstly, we establish remote sensing data grid as the smallest unit carrying and processing spatio-temporal information. We implement the construction of the HMDH in two steps, data classification based on fuzzy clustering algorithm, and classification optimization based on recursive neighborhood search algorithm. Then, we construct a hierarchical “cube” structure, filled with continuous space filling curves, to complete the coding of the HMDH. The HMDH reduces the amount of data to 6–17% and improves the accuracy to more than eight times than traditional grid model. Moreover, it can reduce the query time to 25% in some query scenarios than algorithms selected as the baseline in this paper. The HMDH model proposed can be used to solve the efficiency problems of fast and joint retrieval of remote sensing data. It extends the pattens of data sharing service and has a high application value.
Evaluations of Surface PM10 Concentration and Chemical Compositions in MERRA-2 Aerosol Reanalysis over Central and Eastern China
Authors: Ma Xiaodan , Yan Peng , Zhao Tianliang , Jia Xiaofang , Jiao Jian , Ma Qianli , Wu Dongqiao , Shu Zhuozhi , Sun Xiaoyun , Habtemicheal Birhanu Asmerom
Published: March 2021

The chemical composition dataset of Aerosol Reanalysis of NASA’s Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Application, version 2 (MERRAero) has not been thoroughly evaluated with observation data in mainland China due to the lack of long-term chemical components data. Using the 5-year data of PM10 mass concentrations and chemical compositions obtained from the routine sampling measurements at the World Meteorological Organization the Global Atmosphere Watch Programme regional background stations, Jing Sha (JS) and Lin’An (LA), in central and eastern China, we comprehensively evaluate the surface PM10 concentrations and chemical compositions such as sulfate (SO42−), organic carbon (OC) and black carbon (BC) derived from MERRAero. Overall, the concentrations of PM10, SO42−, OC and BC from the MERRAero agreed well with the measurements, despite a slight and consistent overestimation of BC concentrations and a moderate and persistent underestimation of PM10 concentrations throughout the study period. The MERRAero reanalysis of aerosol compositions performs better during the summertime than wintertime. By considering the nitrate particles in PM10 reconstruction, MERRAero performance can be significantly improved. The unreasonable seasonal variations of PM10 chemical compositions at station LA by MERRAero could be causative factors for the larger MERRAero discrepancies during 2016–2017 than the period of 2011–2013.
Self-Adaptive Aspect Ratio Anchor for Oriented Object Detection in Remote Sensing Images
Authors: Hou Jie-Bo , Zhu Xiaobin , Yin Xu-Cheng
Published: March 2021

Object detection is a significant and challenging problem in the study of remote sensing. Since remote sensing images are typically captured with a bird’s-eye view, the aspect ratios of objects in the same category may obey a Gaussian distribution. Generally, existing object detection methods ignore exploring the distribution character of aspect ratios for improving performance in remote sensing tasks. In this paper, we propose a novel Self-Adaptive Aspect Ratio Anchor (SARA) to explicitly explore aspect ratio variations of objects in remote sensing images. To be concrete, our SARA can self-adaptively learn an appropriate aspect ratio for each category. In this way, we can only utilize a simple squared anchor (related to the strides of feature maps in Feature Pyramid Networks) to regress objects in various aspect ratios. Finally, we adopt an Oriented Box Decoder (OBD) to align the feature maps and encode the orientation information of oriented objects. Our method achieves a promising mAP value of 79.91% on the DOTA dataset.
Land Subsidence Susceptibility Mapping Using Persistent Scatterer SAR Interferometry Technique and Optimized Hybrid Machine Learning Algorithms
Authors: Ranjgar Babak , Razavi-Termeh Seyed Vahid , Foroughnia Fatemeh , Sadeghi-Niaraki Abolghasem , Perissin Daniele
Published: March 2021

In this paper, land subsidence susceptibility was assessed for Shahryar County in Iran using the adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) machine learning algorithm. Another aim of the present paper was to assess if ensembles of ANFIS with two meta-heuristic algorithms (imperialist competitive algorithm (ICA) and gray wolf optimization (GWO)) would yield a better prediction performance. A remote sensing synthetic aperture radar (SAR) dataset from 2019 to 2020 and the persistent-scatterer SAR interferometry (PS-InSAR) technique were used to obtain a land subsidence inventory of the study area and use it for training and testing models. Resulting PS points were divided into two parts of 70% and 30% for training and testing the models, respectively. For susceptibility analysis, eleven conditioning factors were taken into account: the altitude, slope, aspect, plan curvature, profile curvature, topographic wetness index (TWI), distance to stream, distance to road, stream density, groundwater drawdown, and land use/land cover (LULC). A frequency ratio (FR) was applied to assess the correlation of factors to subsidence occurrence. The prediction power of the models and their generated land subsidence susceptibility maps (LSSMs) were validated using the root mean square error (RMSE) value and area under curve of receiver operating characteristic (AUC-ROC) analysis. The ROC results showed that ANFIS-ICA had the best accuracy (0.932) among the models (ANFIS-GWO (0.926), ANFIS (0.908)). The results of this work showed that optimizing ANFIS with meta-heuristics considerably improves LSSM accuracy although ANFIS alone had an acceptable result.