bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Severe hypoxia exposure inhibits larval brain development but does not affect the capacity to mount a cortisol stress response in zebrafish
Authors: Mikloska Kristina V. , Zrini Zoe A. , Bernier Nicholas J.
Published: December 2021

Fish nursery habitats are increasingly hypoxic and the brain is recognized as highly hypoxia sensitive, yet there is a lack of information on the effects of hypoxia on the development and function of the larval fish brain. Here, we tested the hypothesis that by inhibiting brain development, larval exposure to severe hypoxia has persistent functional effects on the cortisol stress response in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Exposing 5 days post-fertilization (dpf) larvae to 10% dissolved O2 (DO) for 16 h only marginally reduced survival, but it decreased forebrain neural proliferation by 55%, and reduced the expression of neurod1, gfap and mbpa, markers of determined neurons, glia and oligodendrocytes, respectively. The 5 dpf hypoxic exposure also elicited transient increases in whole-body cortisol and in crf, uts1 and hsd20b2 expression, key regulators of the endocrine stress response. Hypoxia exposure at 5 dpf also inhibited the cortisol stress response to hypoxia in 10 dpf larvae and increased hypoxia tolerance. However, 10% DO exposure at 5 dpf for 16 h did not affect the cortisol stress response to a novel stressor in 10 dpf larvae or the cortisol stress response to hypoxia in adult fish. Therefore, while larval exposure to severe hypoxia can inhibit brain development, it also increases hypoxia tolerance. These effects may transiently reduce the impact of hypoxia on the cortisol stress response but not its functional capacity to respond to novel stressors. We conclude that the larval cortisol stress response in zebrafish has a high capacity to cope with severe hypoxia-induced neurogenic impairment.
Shortening the preparation time of the single prolonged breath-hold for radiotherapy sessions
Authors: Parkes Michael John , Green Stuart , Cashmore Jason , Ghafoor Qamar , Clutton-Brock Thomas
Published: December 2021

Objective:

Single prolonged breath-holds of >5 min can be obtained in cancer patients. Currently, however, the preparation time in each radiotherapy session is a practical limitation for clinical adoption of this new technique. Here, we show by how much our original preparation time can be shortened without unduly compromising breath-hold duration.

Methods:

44 healthy subjects performed single prolonged breath-holds from 60% O2 and mechanically induced hypocapnia. We tested the effect on breath-hold duration of shortening preparation time (the durations of acclimatization, hyperventilation and hypocapnia) by changing these durations and or ventilator settings.

Results:

Mean original breath-hold duration was 6.5 ± 0.2 (standard error) min. The total original preparation time (from connecting the facemask to the start of the breath-hold) was 26 ± 1 min. After shortening the hypocapnia duration from 16 to 5 min, mean breath-hold duration was still 6.1 ± 0.2 min (ns vs the original). After abolishing the acclimatization and shortening the hypocapnia to 1 min (a total preparation time now of 9 ± 1 min), a mean breath-hold duration of >5 min was still possible (now significantly shortened to 5.2 ± 0.6 min, p < 0.001). After shorter and more vigorous hyperventilation (lasting 2.7 ± 0.3 min) and shorter hypocapnia (lasting 43 ± 4 s), a mean breath-hold duration of >5 min (5.3 ± 0.2 min, p < 0.05) was still possible. Here, the final total preparation time was 3.5 ± 0.3 min.

Conclusions:

These improvements may facilitate adoption of the single prolonged breath-hold for a range of thoracic and abdominal radiotherapies especially involving hypofractionation.

Advances in knowledge:

Multiple short breath-holds improve radiotherapy for thoracic and abdominal cancers. Further improvement may occur by adopting the single prolonged breath-hold of >5 min. One limitation to clinical adoption is its long preparation time. We show here how to reduce the mean preparation time from 26 to 3.5 min without compromising breath-hold duration
Correlation between contrast-enhanced cone-beam breast computed tomography features and prognostic staging in breast cancer
Authors: Ma Wei-mei , Li Jiao , Chen Shuang-gang , Cai Pei-qiang , Chen Shen , Chen Jie-ting , Zhou Chun-yan , He Ni , Wu Yaopan
Published: December 2021

Objective:

To evaluate whether contrast-enhanced cone-beam breast CT (CE-CBBCT) features can risk-stratify prognostic stage in breast cancer.

Methods:

Overall, 168 biopsy-proven breast cancer patients were analysed: 115 patients in the training set underwent scanning using v. 1.5 CE-CBBCT between August 2019 and December 2019, whereas 53 patients in the test set underwent scanning using v. 1.0 CE-CBBCT between May 2012 and August 2014. All patients were restaged according to the American Joint Committee on Cancer eighth edition prognostic staging system. Following the combination of CE-CBBCT imaging parameters and clinicopathological factors, predictors that were correlated with stratification of prognostic stage via logistic regression were analysed. Predictive performance was assessed according to the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Goodness-of-fit of the models was assessed using the Hosmer-Lemeshow test.

Results:

As regards differentiation between prognostic stage (PS) I and II/III, increased tumour-to-breast volume ratio (TBR), rim enhancement pattern, and the presence of penetrating vessels were significant predictors for PS II/III disease (p < 0.05). The AUCs in the training and test sets were 0.967 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.938–0.996; p < 0.001] and 0.896 (95% CI, 0.809–0.983; p = 0.001), respectively. Two features were selected in the training set of PS II vs III, including tumour volume [odds ratio (OR)=1.817, p = 0.019] and calcification (OR = 4.600, p = 0.040), achieving an AUC of 0.790 (95% CI, 0.636–0.944, p = 0.001). However, there was no significant difference in the test set of PS II vs III (P＞0.05).

Conclusion:

CE-CBBCT imaging biomarkers may provide a large amount of anatomical and radiobiological information for the pre-operative distinction of prognostic stage.

Advances in knowledge:

CE-CBBCT features have distinctive promise for stratification of prognostic stage in breast cancer.
Διερεύνηση της αντιολισθητικής ικανότητας των οδοστρωμάτων στο πλαίσιο της βιωσιμότητας των έργων οδικής υποδομής
Authors: Πομόνη Μαρία
Published: December 2021

Σύμφωνα με το διεθνές γίγνεσθαι, πολλές έρευνες που αφορούν στην οδική ασφάλεια επικεντρώνονται κυρίως στα χαρακτηριστικά του γεωμετρικού σχεδιασμού των οδών και στη μελέτη συμπεριφοράς των οδηγών, χωρίς να αποτυπώνεται αναλυτικά η συμβολή των χαρακτηριστικών του οδοστρώματος και συγκεκριμένα της επιφάνειάς του. Παρά ταύτα, η αλληλεπίδραση των οχημάτων με το οδόστρωμα, μέσω της επιφάνειας επαφής ελαστικών-οδοστρώματος, συμβάλλει καθοριστικά στην αποτελεσματική κύλιση και κυρίως πέδηση των οχημάτων. Ως εκ τούτου, η ανάγκη διατήρησης της οδικής ασφάλειας σε βάθος χρόνου λειτουργίας ενός οδοστρώματος προϋποθέτει τη συνεχή παρακολούθηση και αξιολόγηση της συμπεριφοράς του ως προς την παρεχόμενη αντιολισθητική ικανότητα, στοιχείο που συνάδει επίσης με την ενίσχυση της βιωσιμότητας των οδικών υποδομών. Ταυτόχρονα, οι μηχανικοί οδοστρωμάτων και οι φορείς διαχείρισης των οδικών υποδομών έρχονται συνεχώς αντιμέτωποι με νέες προκλήσεις σε επίπεδο επιλογής εναλλακτικών υλικών, τόσο για κατασκευή νέων οδοστρωμάτων, αλλά κυρίως για ανακατασκευή του υφιστάμενου οδικού δικτύου με σκοπό τη μείωση της εκμετάλλευσης φυσικών πόρων. Υπό το πρίσμα αυτό, στο πλαίσιο της παρούσας διδακτορικής διατριβής διεξάγεται έρευνα που επικεντρώνεται στη διερεύνηση της αντιολισθητικής ικανότητας των ασφαλτικών οδοστρωμάτων αποσκοπώντας στη δημιουργία ενός πλαισίου για την αξιολόγηση της συμπεριφοράς, αφενός των υλικών που προορίζονται για την κατασκευή αντιολισθηρών στρώσεων και αφετέρου, των επιμέρους χαρακτηριστικών που επηρεάζουν την αντιολισθητική ικανότητα μακροπρόθεσμα στο πεδίο, με στόχο την ενίσχυση της βιωσιμότητας των οδοστρωμάτων και της οδικής ασφάλειας. Η διερεύνηση που πραγματοποιείται συντίθεται από δύο βασικούς πυλώνες και συγκεκριμένα, την εργαστηριακή διερεύνηση επί συμβατικών ασφαλτομιγμάτων (Hot Mix Asphalt, HMA) και μη συμβατικών, βιώσιμων ασφαλτομιγμάτων (με προσθήκη ανακτώμενου – επαναχρησιμοποιούμενου ασφαλτομίγματος ή με προσθήκη τριμμάτων από ανακυκλωμένο ελαστικό) και τη διερεύνηση σε συνθήκες πεδίου λαμβάνοντας υπόψη στοιχεία πολυετών μετρήσεων αντιολισθητικής ικανότητας και μακροϋφής. Συνολικά, πιστεύεται ότι τα αποτελέσματα της παρούσας έρευνας παρουσιάζουν ιδιαίτερο ενδιαφέρον και δημιουργούν ισχυρές προϋποθέσεις αξιοποίησής τους σε θέματα που αφορούν (α) σε μίγματα αντιολισθηρών στρώσεων στο πλαίσιο κατασκευής και ανακατασκευής οδοστρωμάτων, αξιοποιώντας ενδεχομένως εναλλακτικά υλικά και αποσκοπώντας στη μείωση της χρήσης φυσικών πόρων και (β) σε συνθήκες βελτιστοποίησης της παρακολούθησης της συμπεριφοράς οδοστρωμάτων και της διαχείρισής τους αποσκοπώντας στην ενίσχυση της βιωσιμότητάς τους και της παρεχόμενης οδικής ασφάλειας.
The genome sequence of the red admiral, Vanessa atalanta (Linnaeus, 1758)
Authors: Lohse Konrad , García-Berro Aurora , Talavera Gerard ,   Darwin Tree of Life Barcoding collective,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life programme,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations: DNA Pipelines collective,   Tree of Life Core Informatics collective,   Darwin Tree of Life Consortium
Published: December 2021

We present a genome assembly from an individual female Vanessa atalanta (the red admiral; Arthropoda; Insecta; Lepidoptera; Nymphalidae). The genome sequence is 370 megabases in span. The majority of the assembly (99.44%) is scaffolded into 32 chromosomal pseudomolecules, with the W and Z sex chromosome assembled. Gene annotation of this assembly on Ensembl has identified 12,493 protein coding genes.
Introductory Note
Authors: Talvet Jüri
Published: December 2021

Introductory Note
The "Dimensionality principle" and semiotic analysis
Authors: Danesi Marcel
Published: December 2021

The "Dimensionality principle" and semiotic analysis
Ecosemiotics
Authors: Nöth Winfried
Published: December 2021

Ecosemiotics
On the history of joining bio with semio: F.S.Rothschild and the biosemiotic rules
Authors: Kull Kalevi
Published: December 2021

On the history of joining bio with semio: F.S.Rothschild and the biosemiotic rules
Archiwalia „pionierskiego” okresu powojennej cenzury. Literatura w poufnych biuletynach urzędu cenzury (1945–1951)
Authors: Wiśniewska-Grabarczyk Anna
Published: December 2021

W artykule omówiono zagadnienia literackie i kulturalne zamieszczane na łamach poufnych biuletynów urzędu cenzury zdeponowanych w przechowywanej w Archiwum Państwowym w Poznaniu teczce o tytule Biuletyny Instrukcyjno-Szkoleniowe 1945–1951. Jak się wydaje, zbiór nie został dotąd opracowany. W teczce znajduje się dziewięć numerów biuletynów z „pionierskiego” okresu powojennej cenzury: zbiór otwierają dwa biuletyny z 1945 roku – z maja i czerwca, dwa z 1948 roku i dwa z 1949 roku oraz po jednym numerze z 1950 i 1951 roku, poza tym jeden biuletyn niedatowany, jednak sporządzony z pewnością po listopadzie 1946 roku, a przed 30 października 1948 roku.
Redakcja periodyku zamieszczała różnego rodzaju materiały na temat działalności Urzędu Kontroli, artykuły, recenzje cenzorskie, sprawozdania oraz wskazówki i wytyczne mające przyjść z pomocą pracownikom oceniającym różne typy piśmiennictwa. Mimo że pismo szukało nadal swojej formuły, od początku realizowało szkoleniowo-instruktażowe zadania, kładąc nacisk na wykształcenie wzorowego pracownika „Mysiej” i delegatur terenowych.
First Woman Philosopher with a Doctorate: Elena Cornaro Piscopia
Authors: Kalnická Zdeňka
Published: December 2021

The study analyses the circumstances under which Elena Cornaro Piscopia became the first woman in the world to earn a Doctor degree in Philosophy, which she received from the University of Padua in 1678. The author presents the broader context of the outstanding accomplishment. She points out that, although universities did not allow women to enrol to study, Elena Cornaro managed to earn a doctorate thanks to several favourable circumstances. Of these, the author emphasises the tradition of intellectual centres at Renaissance courts in Italy, which were led by educated women-aristocrats; the development of the Venetian Republic in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, which affected the position of women, particularly those from aristocratic families; the openness of universities, namely the Universities of Padua and Bologna. Special attention is given to the family background, life, and studies of Elena Cornaro. The final part of the paper deals with other women philosophers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
Eleonora Ziemięcka, the First Polish Woman Philosopher: On the Essence and the Role of Philosophical Thinking
Authors: Usakiewicz Joanna
Published: December 2021

Eleonora Ziemięcka (1815-1869) is considered the first Polish woman philosopher. She represented Christian philosophy. She expressed her philosophical views most profoundly in a work Zarysy filozofii katolickiej w czterech poglądach zawarte [Outlines of Catholic Philosophy Included in Four Views]. She also spoke about the education of women, to which she devoted the work Myśli o wychowaniu kobiet [Thoughts on Education of Women]. In the text Myśli o filozofii [Thoughts on Philosophy], published in 1840, she presented her thoughts on the essence and role of philosophy. It is this issue that is discussed in this article.
The Choice of Language for Note-taking for the Purposes of Consecutive Interpreting
Authors: Hanusiak Dariusz
Published: December 2021

The subject of the article is the choice of language that is used for notetaking for consecutive interpreting. The paper is based on a small-scale empirical case study analysis of note-taking by interpreting students. The analysis was aimed at determining which language – source language (SL) or target language (TL) – was preferred by students, who were given freedom of choice regarding the selection of language that they would use for the preparation of notes to help with consecutive interpreting tasks. The study group consisted of three cohorts of translation and interpreting students who were at the end of their first semester of work with consecutive. The students were asked to prepare notes for a regular consecutive task, from English into Polish; Polish was the mother tongue for all of the students. The outcomes of the analysis may show what might be the “natural” choice of language for notation and may provide suggestions about improving the system of teaching notation in the case of novice interpreters.
Platform Service Offering to Business Customers: Strategic Considerations in Engendering Seller Use of Marketing Tools
Authors: Yang Botao , Yang Sha , Dutta Shantanu
Published: December 2021

Strategic consideration of competitor and consumer reactions in third-party sellers’ use of marketing tools on e-commerce platforms.
Optimal Scheduling of Proactive Service with Customer Deterioration and Improvement
Authors: Hu Yue , Chan Carri W. , Dong Jing
Published: December 2021

Service systems are typically limited resource environments where scarce capacity is reserved for the most urgent customers. However, there has been a growing interest in the use of proactive service when a less urgent customer may become urgent while waiting. On one hand, providing service for customers when they are less urgent could mean that fewer resources are needed to fulfill their service requirement. On the other hand, using limited capacity for customers who may never need the service in the future takes the capacity away from other more urgent customers who need it now. To understand this tension, we propose a multiserver queueing model with two customer classes: moderate and urgent. We allow customers to transition classes while waiting. In this setting, we characterize how moderate and urgent customers should be prioritized for service when proactive service for moderate customers is an option. We identify an index, the modified [Formula: see text]-index, which plays an important role in determining the optimal scheduling policy. This index lends itself to an intuitive interpretation of how to balance holding costs, service times, abandonments, and transitions between customer classes.

This paper was accepted by David Simchi-Levi, stochastic models and simulation.
Profitability and Financial Leverage: Evidence from a Quasi-Natural Experiment
Authors: Heath Davidson , Sertsios Giorgo
Published: December 2021

The relationship between profitability and leverage is controversial in the capital structure literature. We revisit this relation in light of a novel quasi-natural experiment that increases market power for a subset of firms. We find that treated firms increase their profitability throughout the treatment period. However, they only transiently reduce financial leverage, gradually reverting to their preshock level. Firms respond differently according to size with large firms gradually adjusting their leverage toward a new target and small firms reducing it. The patterns are broadly consistent with dynamic trade-off models with both fixed and variable adjustment costs.

This paper was accepted by Gustavo Manso, finance.

Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2021.4235 .
Fluid Limits for Multiclass Many-Server Queues with General Reneging Distributions and Head-of-the-Line Scheduling
Authors: Puha Amber L. , Ward Amy R.
Published: December 2021

We describe a fluid model with time-varying input that approximates a multiclass many-server queue with general reneging distribution and multiple customer classes (specifically, the multiclass G/GI/N+GI queue). The system dynamics depend on the policy, which is a rule for determining when to serve a given customer class. The class of admissible control policies are those that are head-of-the-line (HL) and nonanticipating. For a sequence of many-server queues operating under admissible HL control policies and satisfying some mild asymptotic conditions, we establish a tightness result for the sequence of fluid scaled queue state descriptors and associated processes and show that limit points of such sequences are fluid model solutions almost surely. The tightness result together with the characterization of distributional limit points as fluid model solutions almost surely provides a foundation for the analysis of particular HL control policies of interest. We leverage these results to analyze a set of admissible HL control policies that we introduce, called weighted random buffer selection (WRBS), and an associated WRBS fluid model that allows multiple classes to be partially served in the fluid limit (which is in contrast to previously analyzed static priority policies).
Functional Properties of Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares) Skin Collagen Hydrolysate Fraction obtained by Ultrafiltration Purification
Authors: Nguyen Binh Cong , Xuan Nguyen Hong Minh , Nam Nguyen Kha Hoang , Chan Kha Tuyen
Published: December 2021

Hydrolyzed collagen with different fractions is broadly applied in various industries due to its functional properties. The study aimed to purify and fractionate the hydrolyzed collagen from yellowfin tuna skin by ultrafiltration and evaluate the functional properties of its fractions. The effect of temperature, pH, and pressure on membrane flux, nitrogen recovery efficiency, and degree of separation was investigated. Afterward, several functional properties of hydrolyzed collagen fractions including solubility, emulsification, foaming, and antioxidant properties were evaluated. The optimum ultrafiltration conditions for hydrolyzed collagen were temperature 25 °C, pH 6.5 and pressure 12 psi provided optimum membrane flux (3.4 L/m2.h) and nitrogen recovery efficiency (80.81%), and the smallest degree of separation (27.45%). The products after ultrafiltration were separated into two fractions, F1 (< 3 kDa), and F2 (3-5 kDa), with the volume of 10% and 90%, respectively. Both hydrolyzed collagen fractions were more than 96% soluble at pH below 8.0, where the F2 fraction dissolved better than F1. As pH was higher than 8.0, both fractions were almost completely dissolved. In addition, the emulsifying and foaming abilities of the F1 fraction were better than the F2. However, the F2 fraction was more resistant to oxidation with higher antioxidant activity. In conclusion, this research indicates that different fractions from hydrolyzed collagen from yellowfin tuna skin have various functional properties that could be applied in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.
Microalgae as a Potential Source of Bioactive Food Compounds
Authors: Mahendran Manishaa Sri , Antony Dhanapal Anto Cordelia Tanislaus , Wong Ling Shing , Kasivelu Govindaraju , Djearamane Sinouvassane
Published: December 2021

Microalgae are unicellular, photosynthethic organisms that can grow on diverse aquatic habitatss like ponds, lakes, rivers, oceans, waste water and humid soils. Recently, microalgae are gaining importance as renewable sources of biologically active food compounds such as polysaccharides, proteins, essential fatty acids, biopigments such as chlorophylls, carotenoids, astaxanthin, as well as vitamins and minerals.The bioactive food compounds of microalgae enable them to be part of multitude of applications in numerous industrial products for healthy life and ecosystem. This review article summarizes the applications of biologically active food compounds derived from microalgae as nutraceuticals, healthy dietary supplements, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Further, this review article highlights the importance of research focus on the identification and extraction of bioactive food compounds from the huge numbers of microlage that exist in nature for sustainable global food security and economy.
Rapid High-Performance Liquide Chromatographic Method for Quantitative Determination of Caffeine in Different Soft and Energy Drinks Available in Bangladesh
Authors: Mirza Juthi , Sultana Masuda , Esrafil Md. , Akter Shamoli , Alam Md. Jahangir , Haque Khan Md. Shahinul , Zubair Md. Abu
Published: December 2021

Caffeine is one of the commonly used food additives, which has unique flavor characteristics and bitter taste and used in soft drinks as flavor enhancer. An experimental study was designed to determine the concentration of caffeine in different brands of soft drinks and energy drinks available in Bangladesh by using HPLC. For chromatographic analysis, A Luna 5 C18 (2) 100A column (250×4.6 mm) was used at 37°C temperature at the wavelength of 272nm. Chromatographic separation was determined using buffer of sodium acetate and acetic acid with acetonitrile at a ratio of 80:20 (pH=4.0; flow rate of 1.0 ml/min). The results of this study showed that caffeine content in soft drinks ranged from 19.63 to 101.73 mg/100ml and highest concentration of caffeine found in brand 3 samples while lowest concentration found in brand 2 samples. Significantly higher concentration of caffeine (p<0.05) found in six soft drinks sample when compared to BSTI and FDA reference value except brand 2 sample (p>0.05). Quantification of caffeine in different brands of energy drink sample revealed that, four brand sample contained caffeine; among them brand 3 sample showed the highest levels of caffeine 295.86 mg/100ml and lowest amount found in brand 1 sample (101.74 mg/100ml). Concentration of Caffeine in soft and energy drinks exceeded the national and international standard recommended range hence this proposed HPLC method can be used for routine determination and control of caffeine content in different drinks.
Use of the PROMIS Mobility score in assessing function in adolescents and adults previously affected by childhood hip disease
Authors: Luo Weisang , Ali Mohammed S. , Limb Richard , Cornforth Christine , Perry Daniel C.
Published: December 2021

Aims

The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) has demonstrated faster administration, lower burden of data capture and reduced floor and ceiling effects compared to traditional Patient Reported Outcomes Measurements (PROMs). We investigated the suitability of PROMIS Mobility score in assessing physical function in the sequelae of childhood hip disease.

Methods

In all, 266 adolscents (aged ≥ 12 years) and adults were identified with a prior diagnosis of childhood hip disease (either Perthes’ disease (n = 232 (87.2%)) or Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis (n = 34 (12.8%)) with a mean age of 27.73 years (SD 12.24). Participants completed the PROMIS Mobility Computer Adaptive Test, the Non-Arthritic Hip Score (NAHS), EuroQol five-dimension five-level questionnaire, and the Numeric Pain Rating Scale. We investigated the correlation between the PROMIS Mobility and other tools to assess use in this population and any clustering of outcome scores.

Results

There was a strong correlation between the PROMIS Mobility and other established PROMs; NAHS ( rs = 0.79; p < 0.001). There was notable clustering in PROMIS at the upper end of the distribution score (42.5%), with less seen in the NAHS (20.3%). However, the clustering was broadly similar between PROMIS Mobility and the comparable domains of the NAHS; function (53.6%), and activity (35.0%).

Conclusion

PROMIS Mobility strongly correlated with other tools demonstrating convergent construct validity. There was clustering of physical function scores at the upper end of the distributions, which may reflect truncation of the data caused by participants having excellent outcomes. There were elements of disease not captured within PROMIS Mobility alone, and difficulties in differentiating those with the highest levels of function. Cite this article: Bone Jt Open 2021;2(12):1089–1095.
Significant reduction of patellar height affected lower clinical outcomes and knee flexion over five-year follow-up after total knee arthroplasty
Authors: Suthar Ashish , Yukata Kiminori , Azuma Yoshikazu , Suetomi Yutaka , Yamazaki Kazuhiro , Seki Kazushige , Sakai Takashi , Fujii Hiroshi
Published: December 2021

Aims

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between changes in patellar height and clinical outcomes at a mean follow-up of 7.7 years (5 to 10) after fixed-bearing posterior-stabilized total knee arthroplasty (PS-TKA).

Methods

We retrospectively evaluated knee radiographs of 165 knees, which underwent fixed-bearing PS-TKA with patella resurfacing. The incidence of patella baja and changes in patellar height over a minimum of five years of follow-up were determined using Insall-Salvati ratio (ISR) measurement. We examined whether patella baja (ISR < 0.8) at final follow-up affected clinical outcomes, knee joint range of motion (ROM), and Knee Society Score (KSS). We also assessed inter- and intrarater reliability of ISR measurements and focused on the relationship between patellar height reduction beyond measurement error and clinical outcomes.

Results

The ISR gradually decreased over five years after TKA, and finally 33 patients (20.0%) had patella baja. Patella baja at the final follow-up was not related to passive knee ROM or KSS. Interestingly, when we divided into two groups - patella baja and patella normal-alta (ISR ≥ 0.8) - the patella baja group already had a lower patellar height before surgery, compared with the patella normal-alta group. The ISR measurement error in this study was 0.17. Both passive knee flexion and KSS were significantly decreased in the group with a decrease in ISR of ≥ 0.17 at final follow-up.

Conclusion

Patellar height gradually decreased over five years of follow-up after TKA. The reduction in patellar height beyond measurement error following TKA was associated with lower clinical outcomes. Cite this article: Bone Jt Open 2021;2(12):1075–1081.
Effect of Mushroom-Garlic Mixed Extract on Bioactivity and Immune Enhancement
Authors: Sohn Jun Youn , Na Haeng Yo , Sohn Jeong Sun
Published: December 2021

As the world becomes an aging society, various geriatric diseases are induced, posing a tremendous social burden. For the development of healthy food, mushrooms and garlic, which are natural medicinal resource materials, and their mixed extracts were prepared, while the contents of general components, β-glucan, free sugar, and organic acid, were confirmed. In the case of garlic, the contents of alline and heavy metals were confirmed. The presence or absence of toxicity in each sample was checked through MTT assay in vitro, while the appropriate treatment concentration was established to confirm each extract's immune activation and anticancer effects. As a result of examining the anticancer effect from the thymus and lymph node cells of experimental mice administered orally, each extract in vivo confirmed that the CD4 T cells of thymocytes and lymph node cells were increased at all concentrations of the mixed two extracts, and they exhibit immunity activation and anticancer properties.
Physicochemicla Porperties of Carassius carassius and C. cuvieri Based on Years
Authors: Kim Gye-Woong , Joe Sung-Duck , Kim Hack-Youn
Published: December 2021

This study investigated physicochemical properties of Carassius caracius and C. cuvieri based on years. The ash of a two-year carassius showed low-level properties, but that of a five-year carassius showed higher-level properties (p<0.05). The ash and pH of a one-year cuvieri, registered 1.24% and 7.32, respectively (p<0.05). The general compositions and pH of cuvieri did not significantly differ (p>0.05). The WHC of a three and four-year carassius was 65.30% and 62.41%, respectively (p<0.05). Cooking loss of a two-year carassius significantly had the highest value compared with the other groups (21.46%). The WHC of a three-year cuvieri significantly had the highest value (60.08%). Meanwhile, a five-year fish significantly had the lowest value (53.34%). The significant difference of L* values was not shown in the four treatment groups (p>0.05). However, the values of a* and b* significantly showed the highest levels in a five-year carassius (1.96 and 4.07, respectively). Moreover, the a* and b* values of cuvieri showed the lowest values at 9.94 and -0.54 in a five-year fish. The shear force of a five-year carassius was significantly high at 52.32 kg, whereas that of a five-year cuvieri was 49.60 kg (p<0.05).
Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Peucedanum japonicum Grown in the Plant Factory with Artificial Lights
Authors: Kim Si Hyun , Lee Eun Byeol , Kim Ji Su , Choi Ji Hye , Jeong Un Yul , Wook Heo Jeong , Shim Chang Ki , Lee Sung Hyen
Published: December 2021

This study investigated the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities of Peucedanum japonicum (PJ) grown in outfield and the plant factory with artificial lights (BRW; Blue (B) + Red (R) + White (W) LED), BW (B+W LED), Fluorescent (FL), BRFL (B + R LED + FL), and WFL (White LED + FL). It was found that the outfield PJ extract had the highest antioxidant levels (DPPH, ABTS, polyphenol). Among the extracts of PJ grown in the plant factory, the BW PJ extract showed the highest antioxidant activity. In xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity, the IC50 value of the FL PJ extract was 0.75 μg/mL, which was superior to that of the outfield extract (2.35 μg/mL). BW and outfield PJ extracts significantly increased SOD and CAT activities compared to the control without any PJ. The concentrations of TNF-α and IL-6 significantly and dose dependently decreased in PJ treated groups. The results suggest that the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of the PJ grown in the plant factory are good as those of the outfield PJ, and may be a great help in future research on functional activities for the plants grown in the plant factory with artificial lights.
Development of Dry Aging Period Shortening with Radio Frequency
Authors: Kim Jinse , Son Jae Yong , Choi Dong Soo , Kim Yong Hoon , Park Chun Wan
Published: December 2021

In order to improve the long aging period and the risk of microbial contamination, the development of technology to safely shorten the dry aging period is required. In this study, a new aging device using radio frequency (RF) heating in a cold chamber was introduced to shorten the dry aging period and suppress the growth of microorganisms during aging. Beef striploin cuts were placed between RF electrodes in a -20°C freezer and heated with 30 and 40 W/kg of RF power. The shear force of beef was decreased by about 12% from 24 h 40 W/kg RF power and 55% from 24 h 30 W/kg RF power. In the case of RF aging in a freezing chamber without defrosting, the growth of aerobic bacteria and coliforms could be inhibited. Chicken breast and pork loin did not show any tenderization by RF aging. Considering that conventional dry aging of beef improves tenderness by 17% for 21 days, RF aging, which improves tenderness by more than 12% in 24 h without microbial growth significantly shortens the dry aging period.
Data-driven Business Model Innovation for 6G
Authors: Rao Sriganesh K.
Published: December 2021

Futuristic disruptive technologies like 6G, could further transform the way we live and work, beyond what was enabled by 5G. The expected features could enable massive high-speed and low-latency connectivity across diverse devices giving rise to new applications enabling instant availability of data related to Smart Cities, Industries 4.0, Intelligent Transport Systems, Utilities, Healthcare, Security, Media & Entertainment, etc. They will further make it possible to scale current real-time data collection strategies, adding more devices without the need for wired connections or fear of interference. Data is considered as the new oil due to tremendous possibilities it can bring in the business world through predictive and prescriptive analytics. This gives rise to the importance of data-driven business model innovation to provide actionable insights to the business owners, helping them to develop sustainable business models. Organizations using big data and analytics within their innovation process are more likely to remain competitive and sustainable. This paper discusses the importance of harnessing “Real-time Data” to create value, the challenges in harnessing value from data especially “dark data,” the role of “Data-driven Business Model Innovation” in creating sustainable business and Intelligent Transport System Data-driven Business Model Innovation as an example.
Coarse-to-fine optical MEMS accelerometer design and simulation
Authors: Rahimi Mojtaba , Taghavi Majid , Malekmohammad Mohammad
Published: December 2021

A coarse-to-fine optical microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) accelerometer based on the Fabry–Pérot (FP) interferometer is proposed. The mechanical structure consists of a proof mass that is suspended by four L-shaped springs. The deflection of the proof mass due to the applied acceleration is detected using two FP cavities that comprise the system’s optical system. Using coarse-to-fine measurement and the dual wavelength method simultaneously increases the sensitivity of the accelerometer as well as the linear measurement range. The optical simulation shows that the sensitivity of the proposed device is 10 times as high as that of a similar optical MEMS accelerometer with one FP cavity. In addition, the proposed optical system is insensitive to the displacements of the proof mass in the orthogonal directions, which considerably reduced the cross-axis sensitivity. The minimum feature size of the structure is 15 µm and the optical signal is conducted completely through the optical fibers, facilitating the device fabrication. Here are the results of the simulation: mechanical sensitivity of 190 nm/g, optical sensitivity of 8 nm/g, linear measurement of

±
5

g

, and first resonance frequency of 1141 Hz.
Robustness of diffuse reflectance spectra analysis by inverse adding doubling algorithm
Authors: Tomanič Tadej , Rogelj Luka , Milanič Matija
Published: December 2021

Analysing diffuse reflectance spectra to extract properties of biological tissue requires modelling of light transport within the tissue, considering its absorption, scattering, and geometrical properties. Due to the layered skin structure, skin tissue models are often divided into multiple layers with their associated optical properties. Typically, in the analysis, some model parameters defining these properties are fixed to values reported in the literature to speed up the fitting process and improve its performance. In the absence of consensus, various studies use different approaches in fixing the model parameters. This study aims to assess the effect of fixing various model parameters in the skin spectra fitting process on the accuracy and robustness of a GPU-accelerated two-layer inverse adding-doubling (IAD) algorithm. Specifically, the performance of the IAD method is determined for noiseless simulated skin spectra, simulated spectra with different levels of noise applied, and in-vivo measured reflectance spectra from hyperspectral images of human hands recorded before, during, and after the arterial occlusion. Our results suggest that fixing multiple parameters to a priori known values generally improves the robustness and accuracy of the IAD algorithm for simulated spectra. However, for in-vivo measured spectra, these values are unknown in advance and fixing optical parameters to incorrect values significantly deteriorates the overall performance. Therefore, we propose a method to improve the fitting performance by pre-estimating model parameters. Our findings could be considered in all future research involving the analysis of diffuse reflectance spectra to extract optical properties of skin tissue.
Fan-ring interpolation method applied to the panorama unwrapping of the deep-hole parts
Authors: Feng Xuan , Jing Wenbo , Li Lijie , Zhang Weiyin , Wang Shuzhen
Published: December 2021

Image interpolation is a critical step in panoramic image unwrapping studies. Information calculated in the Cartesian coordinates, although broadly applied, applies to operation between rectangles that will destroy the compressed depth information. The polar coordinates, in contrast, can store depth information by handing between rectangle and circle to obtain more true images. A fan-ring interpolation based on the polar coordinates is proposed for unwrapping panoramic images in this study through replanning the pixel search path in the panorama, and is then supported by redefining third-order interpolation. We validate our method on synthetic and practical images. Compared with competitor models, the unwrapping image obtained from the fan-ring interpolation can provide better quality in subjective and objective evaluation with guaranteed accuracy.
Detection strategies for an optical communication system using Gaussian vortex beams
Authors: Eyyuboğlu Halil Tanyer
Published: December 2021

In this paper, we describe the details of different detection strategies of a communication system using Gaussian vortex beams. These are listed as (a) simultaneous transmission of actual data symbol and reference signals (no multiplexing), (b) transmission of data symbol and reference signals in a wavelength division multiplexed manner, and (c) transmission of data symbol and reference signals in a time-division multiplexed manner. The performance of each one is evaluated for strong turbulence regimes with the help of an appropriately arranged random phase screen setup. It is found that the first two detection strategies work error-free within the source and propagation parameters chosen. In the last detection strategy, performance depends on the transverse wind velocity.
Computational hyperspectral light-sheet microscopy
Authors: Crombez S , Leclerc P , Ray C , Ducros N
Published: December 2021

We describe a computational light-sheet microscope designed for hyperspectral acquisition at high spectral resolution. The fluorescence light emitted from the full field-of-view is focused along the entrance slit of an imaging spectrometer using a cylindrical lens. To acquire the spatial dimension orthogonal to the slit of the spectrometer, we propose to illuminate the specimen with a sequence of structured light patterns and to solve the image reconstruction problem. Beam shaping is obtained simply using a digital micromirror device in conjunction with a traditional selective plane illumination microscopy setup. We demonstrate the feasibility of this method and report the first results in vivo in hydra specimens labeled using two fluorophores.
Designing high-performance propagation-compressing spaceplates using thin-film multilayer stacks
Authors: Pagé Jordan T. R. , Reshef Orad , Boyd Robert W. , Lundeen Jeff S.
Published: December 2021

The development of metasurfaces has enabled unprecedented portability and functionality in flat optical devices. Spaceplates have recently been introduced as a complementary element to reduce the space between individual metalenses, which will further miniaturize entire imaging devices. However, spaceplates necessitate an optical response which depends on the transverse spatial frequency component of a light field — therefore making it challenging both to design them and to assess their ultimate performance and potential. Here, we employ inverse-design techniques to explore the behaviour of general thin-film-based spaceplates. We observe a tradeoff between the compression factor

R

and the numerical aperture NA of such devices; we obtained a compression factor of

R

=
5.5

for devices with an NA = 0.42, and up to a record

R

=
340

with NA of 0.017. Our work illustrates that even simple designs consisting of realistic materials (i.e., silicon and glass) permit capable spaceplates for monochromatic applications.
RoF-based indoor distributed antenna system that can simultaneously support 5G mmWave and 6G terahertz services
Authors: Moon Sang-Rok , Sung Minkyu , Kim Eon-Sang , Lee Joon Ki , Cho Seung-Hyun , Kim Joonyoung
Published: December 2021

The telecommunication society is paving the way toward ultra-high frequency regions, including the millimeter wave (mmWave) and sub-terahertz (sub-THz) bands. Such high-frequency electromagnetic waves induce a variety of physical constraints when they are used in wireless communications. Inevitably, the fiber-optic network is deeply embedded in the mobile network to resolve such challenges. In particular, the radio-over-fiber (RoF)-based distributed antenna system (DAS) can enhance the accessibility of next-generation mobile networks. The inherent benefits of RoF technology enhance the DAS network in terms of practicality and transmission performance by enabling it to support the 5G mmWave and 6G THz services simultaneously in a single optical transport link. Furthermore, the RoF allows the indoor network to be built based on the cascade architecture; thus, a service zone can be easily added on request. This study presents an RoF-based multi-service DAS network and experimentally investigates the feasibility of the proposed system.
Second and cascaded harmonic generation of pulsed laser in a lithium niobate on insulator ridge waveguide
Authors: Lu Chuanyi , Li Hao , Qiu Jing , Zhang Yuting , Liu Shijie , Zheng Yuanlin , Chen Xianfeng
Published: December 2021

Nonlinear crystalline ridge waveguides, e.g., lithium niobate-on-insulator ridge waveguides, feature high index contrast and strong optical confinement, thus dramatically enhancing nonlinear interaction and facilitating various nonlinear effects. Here, we experimentally demonstrate efficient second-harmonic generation (SHG) and cascaded fourth-harmonic generation (FHG) in a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) ridge waveguide pumped with pulsed laser at the quasi-phase matching (QPM) wavelength, as well as simultaneous SHG and cascaded third-harmonic generation (THG) waves when pumped at the non-QPM wavelength. Furthermore, the ridge waveguide achieves an efficient single-pass SHG conversion efficiency of picosecond pulsed laser at ∼62%. These results may be beneficial for on-chip nonlinear frequency conversion.
Multiple gamma rhythms carry distinct spatial frequency information in primary visual cortex
Authors: Han Chuanliang , Wang Tian , Yang Yi , Wu Yujie , Li Yang , Dai Weifeng , Zhang Yange , Wang Bin , Yang Guanzhong , Cao Ziqi , Kang Jian , Wang Gang , Li Liang , Yu Hongbo , Yeh Chun-I , Xing Dajun
Published: December 2021

Gamma rhythms in many brain regions, including the primary visual cortex (V1), are thought to play a role in information processing. Here, we report a surprising finding of 3 narrowband gamma rhythms in V1 that processed distinct spatial frequency (SF) signals and had different neural origins. The low gamma (LG; 25 to 40 Hz) rhythm was generated at the V1 superficial layer and preferred a higher SF compared with spike activity, whereas both the medium gamma (MG; 40 to 65 Hz), generated at the cortical level, and the high gamma HG; (65 to 85 Hz), originated precortically, preferred lower SF information. Furthermore, compared with the rates of spike activity, the powers of the 3 gammas had better performance in discriminating the edge and surface of simple objects. These findings suggest that gamma rhythms reflect the neural dynamics of neural circuitries that process different SF information in the visual system, which may be crucial for multiplexing SF information and synchronizing different features of an object.
Evolutionary pathways to SARS-CoV-2 resistance are opened and closed by epistasis acting on ACE2
Authors: Castiglione Gianni M. , Zhou Lingli , Xu Zhenhua , Neiman Zachary , Hung Chien-Fu , Duh Elia J.
Published: December 2021

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infects a broader range of mammalian species than previously predicted, binding a diversity of angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) orthologs despite extensive sequence divergence. Within this sequence degeneracy, we identify a rare sequence combination capable of conferring SARS-CoV-2 resistance. We demonstrate that this sequence was likely unattainable during human evolution due to deleterious effects on ACE2 carboxypeptidase activity, which has vasodilatory and cardioprotective functions in vivo. Across the 25 ACE2 sites implicated in viral binding, we identify 6 amino acid substitutions unique to mouse—one of the only known mammalian species resistant to SARS-CoV-2. Substituting human variants at these positions is sufficient to confer binding of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein to mouse ACE2, facilitating cellular infection. Conversely, substituting mouse variants into either human or dog ACE2 abolishes viral binding, diminishing cellular infection. However, these same substitutions decrease human ACE2 activity by 50% and are predicted as pathogenic, consistent with the extreme rarity of human polymorphisms at these sites. This trade-off can be avoided, however, depending on genetic background; if substituted simultaneously, these same mutations have no deleterious effect on dog ACE2 nor that of the rodent ancestor estimated to exist 70 million years ago. This genetic contingency (epistasis) may have therefore opened the road to resistance for some species, while making humans susceptible to viruses that use these ACE2 surfaces for binding, as does SARS-CoV-2.