bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A New Comparative Study of Dimensionality Reduction Methods in Large-Scale Image Retrieval
Authors: Belarbi Mohammed Amin , Mahmoudi Saïd , Belalem Ghalem , Mahmoudi Sidi Ahmed , Cools Aurélie
Published: May 2022

Indexing images by content is one of the most used computer vision methods, where various techniques are used to extract visual characteristics from images. The deluge of data surrounding us, due the high use of social and diverse media acquisition systems, has created a major challenge for classical multimedia processing systems. This problem is referred to as the ‘curse of dimensionality’. In the literature, several methods have been used to decrease the high dimension of features, including principal component analysis (PCA) and locality sensitive hashing (LSH). Some methods, such as VA-File or binary tree, can be used to accelerate the search phase. In this paper, we propose an efficient approach that exploits three particular methods, those being PCA and LSH for dimensionality reduction, and the VA-File method to accelerate the search phase. This combined approach is fast and can be used for high dimensionality features. Indeed, our method consists of three phases: (1) image indexing within SIFT and SURF algorithms, (2) compressing the data using LSH and PCA, and (3) finally launching the image retrieval process, which is accelerated by using a VA-File approach.
Virtual Reality Adaptation Using Electrodermal Activity to Support the User Experience
Authors: Chiossi Francesco , Welsch Robin , Villa Steeven , Chuang Lewis , Mayer Sven
Published: May 2022

Virtual reality is increasingly used for tasks such as work and education. Thus, rendering scenarios that do not interfere with such goals and deplete user experience are becoming progressively more relevant. We present a physiologically adaptive system that optimizes the virtual environment based on physiological arousal, i.e., electrodermal activity. We investigated the usability of the adaptive system in a simulated social virtual reality scenario. Participants completed an n-back task (primary) and a visual detection (secondary) task. Here, we adapted the visual complexity of the secondary task in the form of the number of non-player characters of the secondary task to accomplish the primary task. We show that an adaptive virtual reality can improve users’ comfort by adapting to physiological arousal regarding the task complexity. Our findings suggest that physiologically adaptive virtual reality systems can improve users’ experience in a wide range of scenarios.
l-Serine Biosensor-Controlled Fermentative Production of l-Tryptophan Derivatives by Corynebacterium glutamicum
Authors: Ferrer Lenny , Elsaraf Mahmoud , Mindt Melanie , Wendisch Volker F.
Published: May 2022

l-Tryptophan derivatives, such as hydroxylated or halogenated l-tryptophans, are used in therapeutic peptides and agrochemicals and as precursors of bioactive compounds, such as serotonin. l-Tryptophan biosynthesis depends on another proteinogenic amino acid, l-serine, which is condensed with indole-3-glycerophosphate by tryptophan synthase. This enzyme is composed of the α-subunit TrpA, which catalyzes the retro-aldol cleavage of indole-3-glycerol phosphate, yielding glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate and indole, and the β-subunit TrpB that catalyzes the β-substitution reaction between indole and l-serine to water and l-tryptophan. TrpA is reported as an allosteric actuator, and its absence severely attenuates TrpB activity. In this study, however, we showed that Corynebacterium glutamicum TrpB is catalytically active in the absence of TrpA. Overexpression of C. glutamicumtrpB in a trpBA double deletion mutant supported growth in minimal medium only when exogenously added indole was taken up into the cell and condensed with intracellularly synthesized l-serine. The fluorescence reporter gene of an l-serine biosensor, which was based on the endogenous transcriptional activator SerR and its target promoter PserE, was replaced by trpB. This allowed for l-serine-dependent expression of trpB in an l-serine-producing strain lacking TrpA. Upon feeding of the respective indole derivatives, this strain produced the l-tryptophan derivatives 5-hydroxytryptophan, 7-bromotryptophan, and 5-fluorotryptophan.
Extracellular Vesicles from Steatotic Hepatocytes Provoke Pro-Fibrotic Responses in Cultured Stellate Cells
Authors: Koenen Maria Teresa , Brandt Elisa Fabiana , Kaczor Dawid Marcin , Caspers Tim , Heinzmann Alexandra Catharina Anna , Fischer Petra , Heinrichs Daniel , Wirtz Theresa Hildegard , Trautwein Christian , Koenen Rory R , Berres Marie-Luise
Published: May 2022

Hepatic steatosis and chronic hepatocyte damage ultimately lead to liver fibrosis. Key pathophysiological steps are the activation and transdifferentiation of hepatic stellate cells. We assessed the interplay between hepatocytes and hepatic stellate cells under normal and steatotic conditions. We hypothesized that hepatocyte-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) modify the phenotype of stellate cells. By high speed centrifugation, EVs were isolated from conditioned media of the hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2 under baseline conditions (C-EVs) or after induction of steatosis by linoleic and oleic acids for 24 h (FA-EVs). Migration of the human stellate cell line TWNT4 and of primary human stellate cells towards the respective EVs and sera of MAFLD patients were investigated using Boyden chambers. Phenotype alterations after incubation with EVs were determined by qRT-PCR, Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining. HepG2 cells released more EVs after treatment with fatty acids. Chemotactic migration of TWNT4 and primary hepatic stellate cells was increased, specifically towards FA-EVs. Prolonged incubation of TWNT4 cells with FA-EVs induced expression of proliferation markers and a myofibroblast-like phenotype. Though the expression of the collagen type 1 α1 gene did not change after FA-EV treatment, expression of the myofibroblast markers, e.g., α-smooth-muscle-cell actin and TIMP1, was significantly increased. We conclude that EVs from steatotic hepatocytes can influence the behavior, phenotypes and expression levels of remodeling markers of stellate cells and guides their directed migration. These findings imply EVs as operational, intercellular communicators in the pathophysiology of steatosis-associated liver fibrosis and might represent a novel diagnostic parameter and therapeutic target.
Microbial Resistance to Antibiotics and Effective Antibiotherapy
Authors: Chiș Adriana Aurelia , Rus Luca Liviu , Morgovan Claudiu , Arseniu Anca Maria , Frum Adina , Vonica-Țincu Andreea Loredana , Gligor Felicia Gabriela , Mureșan Maria Lucia , Dobrea Carmen Maximiliana
Published: May 2022

Currently, the efficacy of antibiotics is severely affected by the emergence of the antimicrobial resistance phenomenon, leading to increased morbidity and mortality worldwide. Multidrug-resistant pathogens are found not only in hospital settings, but also in the community, and are considered one of the biggest public health concerns. The main mechanisms by which bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics include changes in the drug target, prevention of entering the cell, elimination through efflux pumps or inactivation of drugs. A better understanding and prediction of resistance patterns of a pathogen will lead to a better selection of active antibiotics for the treatment of multidrug-resistant infections.
Visualizing 3D Embryo and Tissue Morphology—A Decade of Using High-Resolution Episcopic Microscopy (HREM) in Biomedical Imaging
Authors: Geyer Stefan H. , Weninger Wolfgang J.
Published: May 2022

High-resolution episcopic microscopy (HREM) [...]
Human Umbilical Mesenchymal Stem Cell Xenografts Repair UV-Induced Photokeratitis in a Rat Model
Authors: Fu Yu-Show , Chen Po-Ru , Yeh Chang-Ching , Pan Jian-Yu , Kuo Wen-Chuan , Tseng Kuang-Wen
Published: May 2022

Most patients with a corneal injury are administered anti-inflammatory medications and antibiotics, but no other treatments are currently available. Thus, the corneal injury healing is unsatisfactory, affects the vision, and has a risk of blindness in severe cases. Human umbilical mesenchymal stem cells exhibit pluripotent and anti-inflammatory properties and do not cause immunological rejection in the host. Rats were irradiated with type B ultraviolet (UVB) light to generate a stable animal model of photokeratitis. After irradiation-induced photokeratitis, human umbilical mesenchymal stem cells were implanted into the subconjunctival space of the lateral sclera, and the changes in the corneal pathology were evaluated. Three weeks after implantation, many mesenchymal stem cells were visible in the subconjunctival space. These mesenchymal stem cells effectively reduced the extent of injury to the adjacent corneal tissue. They accelerated the epithelial layer repair, reduced the inflammatory response and neovascularization, and improved the disorganization of collagen and fibronectin in the corneal stroma caused by the injury. In conclusion, xenografted human umbilical mesenchymal stem cells can survive in rat eye tissues for a long time, effectively support the structural integrity of injured corneal tissues, restore corneal permeability, and reduce abnormal neovascularization. This study provides a new approach to the treatment of photokeratitis.
Faecalibacterium prausnitzii Ameliorates Colorectal Tumorigenesis and Suppresses Proliferation of HCT116 Colorectal Cancer Cells
Authors: Dikeocha Ifeoma Julieth , Al-Kabsi Abdelkodose Mohammed , Chiu Hsien-Tai , Alshawsh Mohammed Abdullah
Published: May 2022

Faecalibacterium prausnitzii is one of the most abundant commensals of gut microbiota that is not commonly administered as a probiotic supplement. Being one of the gut’s major butyrate-producing bacteria, its clinical significance and uses are on the rise and it has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and gut microbiota-modulating properties in the treatment of inflammatory bowel illness, Crohn’s disease, and colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a silent killer disease that has become one of the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-tumorigenic and antiproliferative role of F. prausnitzii as well as to study its effects on the diversity of gut microbiota in rats. Findings showed that F. prausnitzii probiotic significantly reduced the colonic aberrant crypt foci frequency and formation in Azoxymethane (AOM)-induced CRC in rats. In addition, the administration of F. prausnitzii lowered the lipid peroxidation levels in the colon tissues. For in vitro 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, the cell-free supernatant of F. prausnitzii suppressed the growth of HCT116 colorectal cancer cells in a time/dose-dependent manner. 16S rRNA gene sequencing using rat stool samples showed that the administration of F. prausnitzii modulated the gut microbiota of the rats and enhanced its diversity. Hence, these findings suggest that F. prausnitzii as a probiotic supplement can be used in CRC prevention and management; however, more studies are warranted to understand its cellular and molecular mechanisms of action.
The Mechanistic Perspective of Bilobetin Protective Effects against Cisplatin-Induced Testicular Toxicity: Role of Nrf-2/Keap-1 Signaling, Inflammation, and Apoptosis
Authors: Negm Walaa A. , El-Kadem Aya H. , Hussein Ismail A. , Alqahtani Moneerah J.
Published: May 2022

Cisplatin (CP) is a productive anti-tumor used to treat numerous tumors. However, multiple toxicities discourage prolonged use, especially toxicity on the reproductive system. This experiment was mapped out to determine the potential therapeutic impact of Bilobetin on CP-induced testicular damage. Herein, Bilobetin was isolated from Cycas thouarsii leaves R. Br ethyl acetate fractions for the first time. A single dose of CP (7 mg/kg, IP) was used to evoke testicular toxicity on the third day. Rats were classified into five groups; Normal control, Bilobetin 12 mg/kg, Untreated CP, and CP treated with Bilobetin (6 and 12 mg/kg, respectively) orally daily for ten days. Bilobetin treatment ameliorated testicular injury. In addition, it boosted serum testosterone levels considerably and restored relative testicular weight. Nevertheless, apoptosis biomarkers such as P53, Cytochrome-C, and caspase-3 decreased significantly. Additionally, it enhanced the testes’ antioxidant status via the activation of Nrf-2, inhibition of Keap-1, and significant elevation of SOD activity in addition to a reduction in lipid peroxidation. Histopathologically, Bilobetin preserved testicular architecture and improved testicular immunostaining of Ki67 substantially, showing evidence of testicular regeneration. Bilobetin’s beneficial effects on CP-induced testicular damage are associated with enhanced antioxidant effects, lowered apoptotic signals, and the restoration of testes’ regenerative capability. In addition, Bilobetin may be used in combination with CP in treatment protocols to mitigate CP-induced testicular injury.
Are Fish Markets in Central Malawi Profitable and Efficient? Performance of Diploxatodon spp. (Ndunduma) Markets in Salima and Lilongwe Districts
Authors: Phiri Wedson , Limuwa Moses , Dzanja Joseph
Published: May 2022

The production of underexploited small fish species has surpassed that of bigger and more valuable species, such as Oreochromis species. However, profitability and efficiency of the key players in the marketing chain and system associated with these small fish species are yet to be understood. Therefore, this article aims to analyze the profitability and efficiency of Diplotaxodon spp. (an example of a small fish species) fish marketing systems in Malawi. The analysis was based on data collected in 2019 through field surveys from 265 respondents, which included fishers, processors, wholesalers, and retailers. Gross margin, return on capital employed (ROCE), and the Acharya and Agarwal’s market efficiency index were used in our empirical strategy. The results reveal that Diplotaxodon spp. trading was profitable to all actors. Firm-level efficiency showed that all actors used their capital efficiently, except for fishers, who had lowest return on capital employed, while retailers had the highest return on capital employed. All marketing channels identified were inefficient, due to high marketing margins and low fisher’s share of the consumer price, attributed to high transportation cost. The study concludes that, unless efforts are taken to improve efficiency of Ndunduma marketing system, through improving marketing margins and fisher’s share of consumer price, Diplotaxodon spp. will continue to be under-exploited, thereby sustaining or exacerbating the fish supply gap.
Distinct Effector Programs of Brain-Homing CD8+ T Cells in Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Koetzier Steven C. , van Langelaar Jamie , Melief Marie-José , Wierenga-Wolf Annet F. , Corsten Cato E. A. , Blok Katelijn M. , Hoeks Cindy , Broux Bieke , Wokke Beatrijs , van Luijn Marvin M. , Smolders Joost
Published: May 2022

The effector programs of CD8+ memory T cells are influenced by the transcription factors RUNX3, EOMES and T-bet. How these factors define brain-homing CD8+ memory T cells in multiple sclerosis (MS) remains unknown. To address this, we analyzed blood, CSF and brain tissues from MS patients for the impact of differential RUNX3, EOMES and T-bet expression on CD8+ T cell effector phenotypes. The frequencies of RUNX3- and EOMES-, but not T-bet-expressing CD8+ memory T cells were reduced in the blood of treatment-naïve MS patients as compared to healthy controls. Such reductions were not seen in MS patients treated with natalizumab (anti-VLA-4 Ab). We found an additional loss of T-bet in RUNX3-expressing cells, which was associated with the presence of MS risk SNP rs6672420 (RUNX3). RUNX3+EOMES+T-bet− CD8+ memory T cells were enriched for the brain residency-associated markers CCR5, granzyme K, CD20 and CD69 and selectively dominated the MS CSF. In MS brain tissues, T-bet coexpression was recovered in CD20dim and CD69+ CD8+ T cells, and was accompanied by increased coproduction of granzyme K and B. These results indicate that coexpression of RUNX3 and EOMES, but not T-bet, defines CD8+ memory T cells with a pre-existing brain residency-associated phenotype such that they are prone to enter the CNS in MS.
Characterizing the Properties of Anion-Binding Bis(cyclopeptides) with Solvent-Independent Energy Increments
Authors: Kubik Stefan
Published: May 2022

The binding energies of 121 complexes between anions and bis(cyclopeptides) differing in the structure and the number of linking units between the two cyclopeptide rings were analyzed. These Gibbs free energies were obtained in earlier work for different anions, under different conditions, and with different methods. The multiparametric analysis of a subset of 42 binding energies afforded linear relationships that allowed the relatively reliable estimation of the iodide and sulfate affinity of three structurally related bis(cyclopeptides) in water/methanol and water/acetonitrile mixtures at different solvent compositions. Three parameters were required to achieve a satisfactory correlation, namely, the Gibbs free energy of transferring the respective anion from water into the solvent mixture in which complex stability was determined, and the Kamlet–Taft parameters α and β. Based on these relationships, the anion affinities of the other bis(cyclopeptides) were evaluated, giving rise to a set of energy increments that allow quantifying the effects of the linker structure or the nature of the anion on binding affinity relative to the reference system.
Prematurity and Pulmonary Vein Stenosis: The Role of Parenchymal Lung Disease and Pulmonary Vascular Disease
Authors: Vyas-Read Shilpa , Varghese Nidhy P. , Suthar Divya , Backes Carl , Lakshminrusimha Satyan , Petit Christopher J. , Levy Philip T.
Published: May 2022

Pulmonary vein stenosis (PVS) has emerged as a critical problem in premature infants with persistent respiratory diseases, particularly bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). As a parenchymal lung disease, BPD also influences vascular development with associated pulmonary hypertension recognized as an important comorbidity of both BPD and PVS. PVS is commonly detected later in infancy, suggesting additional postnatal factors that contribute to disease development, progression, and severity. The same processes that result in BPD, some of which are inflammatory-mediated, may also contribute to the postnatal development of PVS. Although both PVS and BPD are recognized as diseases of inflammation, the link between them is less well-described. In this review, we explore the relationship between parenchymal lung diseases, BPD, and PVS, with a specific focus on the epidemiology, clinical presentation, risk factors, and plausible biological mechanisms in premature infants. We offer an algorithm for early detection and prevention and provide suggestions for research priorities.
The Use of Foetal Doppler Ultrasound to Determine the Neonatal Heart Rate Immediately after Birth: A Systematic Review
Authors: Hutchon David
Published: May 2022

Determining the neonatal heart rate immediately after birth is unsatisfactory. Auscultation is inaccurate and provides no documented results. The use of foetal Doppler ultrasound has been recognised as a possible method of determining the neonatal heart rate after birth over the last nine years. This review includes all published studies of this approach, looking at accuracy, speed of results, and practical application of the approach. Precordial Doppler ultrasound has been shown to be as accurate as ECG and more accurate than oximetry for the neonatal heart rate, and provides quicker results than either ECG or oximetry. There is the potential for a much improved determination and documentation of the neonatal heart rate using this approach.
The Most Common Location of Schools with Viral Upper Respiratory Tract Infection Clusters in Taiwan, 2011–2019
Authors: Lin Fu-Huang , Chou Yu-Ching , Chien Wu-Chien , Chung Chi-Hsiang , Hsieh Chi-Jeng , Yu Chia-Peng
Published: May 2022

Clusters of acute upper respiratory tract infections are mainly caused by type A or B influenza virus. Numerous factors modify the risk of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) cluster transmission. The purpose of this study was to investigate the epidemiological characteristics, differences, and epidemic trends in influenza viruses and in non-influenza respiratory pathogens, and the distribution of the sites of URTI cluster events in Taiwan from 2011 to 2019. We examined the publicly available annual summary data on 1864 confirmed URTI clusters in the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) from 2011 to 2019. URTI clusters were mainly divided into 1295 clusters of influenza virus infections, 149 clusters of non-influenza respiratory pathogen infections, 341 clusters of pathogens not detected by routine tests, and 79 clusters of unchecked samples. There were statistically significant differences (p < 0.001) in the event numbers of URTI clusters among influenza and non-influenza respiratory pathogens between 2011 and 2019. There were statistically significant differences (p = 0.01) in instances of URTI clusters among non-influenza respiratory pathogens between 2011 and 2019. There were also statistically significant differences (p < 0.001) in instances of URTI clusters in different locations between 2011 and 2019. In all the pathogens of URTI clusters (odds ratio (OR) = 1.89–2.25, p = 0.002–0.004), most single infections were influenza A viruses (64.9%, 937/1444). Respiratory syncytial virus single infections were most numerous (43.0%, 64/149) among the non-influenza respiratory pathogens of URTI clusters. Of the institutions where URTI clusters occurred, schools had the most cases (50.1%, 933/1864) (OR = 1.41–3.02, p < 0.001–0.04). After the categorization of isolated virus strains by gene sequencing, it was found that, of the seasonal influenza A viruses, the H1N1 subtype viruses were predominantly A/California/07/2009, A/Michigan/45/2015, and A/Brisbane/02/2018, and the H3N2 subtype viruses were predominantly A/Hong Kong/4801/2014, A/Singapore/INFIMH-16–0019/2016, and A/Switzerland/8060/2017, during 2017–2019. Of the influenza B viruses, B/Brisbane/60/2008 (B/Vic) was the dominant type, and some were B/Massachusetts/02/2012 (B/Yam) and B/PHUKET/3073/2013 (B/Yam). This study is the first report of confirmed events of URTI clusters from surveillance data provided by the Taiwan CDC (2011–2019). This study highlights the importance of long-term, geographically extended studies, particularly for highly fluctuating pathogens, for understanding the implications of the transmission of URTI clusters in Taiwanese populations. Knowledge gaps and important data have been identified to inform future surveillance and research efforts in Taiwan.
3,3′,4,5′-Tetramethoxy-trans-stilbene Improves Insulin Resistance by Activating the IRS/PI3K/Akt Pathway and Inhibiting Oxidative Stress
Authors: Tan Yi , Miao Lingchao , Xiao Jianbo , Cheang Wai San
Published: May 2022

The potential anti-diabetic effect of resveratrol derivative, 3,3′,4,5′-tetramethoxy-trans-stilbene (3,3′,4,5′-TMS) and its underlying mechanism in high glucose (HG) and dexamethasone (DXMS)-stimulated insulin-resistant HepG2 cells (IR-HepG2) were investigated. 3,3′,4,5′-TMS did not reduce the cell viability of IR-HepG2 cells at the concentrations of 0.5–10 µM. 3,3′,4,5′-TMS increased the potential of glucose consumption and glycogen synthesis in a concentration-dependent manner in IR-HepG2 cells. 3,3′,4,5′-TMS ameliorated insulin resistance by enhancing the phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK3β), inhibiting phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1), and activating phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) pathway in IR-HepG2 cells. Furthermore, 3,3′,4,5′-TMS significantly suppressed levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) with up-regulation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) expression. To conclude, the beneficial effect of 3,3′,4,5′-TMS against insulin resistance to increase glucose consumption and glycogen synthesis was mediated through activation of IRS/PI3K/Akt signaling pathways in the IR-HepG2 cells, accomplished with anti-oxidative activity through up-regulation of Nrf2.
Design of a Cattle-Health-Monitoring System Using Microservices and IoT Devices
Authors: Shabani Isak , Biba Tonit , Çiço Betim
Published: May 2022

This article proposes a new concept of microservice-based architecture for the future of distributed systems. This architecture is a bridge between Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices and applications that are used to monitor cattle health in real time for the physical and health parameters of cattle, where microservice architecture is introduced that enables this form of monitoring. Within this architecture, machine-learning algorithms were used to predict cattle health and inform farmers about the health of each cattle in real time. Within this architecture, six microservices were proposed that had the tasks of receiving, processing, and sending data upon request. In addition, within the six microservices, a microservice was developed for the prediction of cattle health using algorithms from machine learning using the LightGBM algorithm. Through this algorithm, it is possible to determine the percentage value of the health of each head of cattle in the moment, based on the parameters that are sent from the mobile node. If health problems are identified in the cattle, the architecture notifies the farmer in real time about the problems that the cattle have. Based on the proposed solution, farmers will have 24 h online access to monitor the following parameters for each head of cattle: body temperature, heart rate, humidity, and position.
Monoclonal Antibodies as Potential COVID-19 Therapeutic Agents
Authors: Plichta Jacek , Kuna Piotr , Panek Michał
Published: May 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause tremendous loss of life and put massive strain on the functioning of societies worldwide. Despite the cataclysmic proportions of this viral outbreak, as of yet, no effective curative treatment is available. COVID-19 vaccines, while effective and a scientific achievement of historical proportions, can only be utilized in prophylaxis and require vaccination of the majority of a given population. Convalescent plasma therapies require blood group testing and patient hospitalization and are difficult to put into place in the scale of a population. Monoclonal antibodies can be mass produced with hybridoma cell culture and are highly specific to viral antigens. What is more, monoclonal antibodies produce far more reproducible effects than other approaches to active immunization and can be further enhanced through engineering. Currently, there exist two approaches to COVID-19 treatment with use of monoclonal antibodies, each with several antibodies currently under development or in clinical testing. The first of the approaches utilizes monoclonal antibodies, which target viral spike proteins to block viral entry into host cell and mark viral particles for destruction by host immune cells. The second approach utilizes antibodies that neutralize cytokines, which take part in cytokine release syndrome, which is responsible for many of the most damaging symptoms associated with COVID-19, thus reducing systemic inflammation and ultimately—patient morbidity and mortality. There yet remain several challenges to overcome if monoclonal antibodies are to become mainstream therapeutic agents in the treatment of COVID-19. Despite this, this field of research is experiencing a massive forward leap and the exceptional amount of clinical data gathered so far can serve as groundwork for the development of effective and widely available antiviral monoclonal antibody treatments.
A Deep Learning Framework for Detection of COVID-19 Fake News on Social Media Platforms
Authors: Tashtoush Yahya , Alrababah Balqis , Darwish Omar , Maabreh Majdi , Alsaedi Nasser
Published: May 2022

The fast growth of technology in online communication and social media platforms alleviated numerous difficulties during the COVID-19 epidemic. However, it was utilized to propagate falsehoods and misleading information about the disease and the vaccination. In this study, we investigate the ability of deep neural networks, namely, Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), Bi-directional LSTM, Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), and a hybrid of CNN and LSTM networks, to automatically classify and identify fake news content related to the COVID-19 pandemic posted on social media platforms. These deep neural networks have been trained and tested using the “COVID-19 Fake News” dataset, which contains 21,379 real and fake news instances for the COVID-19 pandemic and its vaccines. The real news data were collected from independent and internationally reliable institutions on the web, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the United Nations (UN), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and their official accounts on Twitter. The fake news data were collected from different fact-checking websites (such as Snopes, PolitiFact, and FactCheck). The evaluation results showed that the CNN model outperforms the other deep neural networks with the best accuracy of 94.2%.
Mothers’ Perception about Mediated Learning Strategies Used in the Home Environment for Supporting the Transfer Ability in Children with Down Syndrome: An Exploratory Investigation
Authors: Granone Francesca , Stokke Martin , Damnotti Sandra , Chicco Chiara , Pollarolo Enrico
Published: May 2022

Down syndrome (DS) is the most identified genetic form of disability. Individuals with DS have cognitive and linguistic impairments that vary from severe to mild, although they may show strengths in imitation, social learning, and the use of body language. Many studies have shown that early interventions for sustaining the development of children with DS (physically, linguistically, and cognitively) provide important results, enhance their abilities, and improve their life. Children with DS benefit when supported in their linguistic and cognitive development in the family context, for example, through the ability to compare and relate objects or situations (i.e., transfer competence). Although many studies have shown mediated learning strategies applied in a home environment to enhance children’s analogical, analytical, or inferential thinking, including for people with disabilities, there remains a lack of studies of these strategies for children younger than three years of age. This is in contrast with studies that present analogical thinking (i.e., transfer ability) as one of the fundamental approaches developed before the age of three. The present study aims to highlight mothers’ perceptions about mediated learning strategies used in the home environment to support the transfer ability in children with DS. Five mothers of children with DS who were younger than 3 years of age were involved in the project. They carried out two activities with their child, participated in an online workshop, and answered a questionnaire. The questionnaire’s answers were subjected to thematic analysis. This analysis revealed four main themes: motivation for learning and applying mediational strategies in a family environment, mediational styles applied during activities, language and cognition, and the family as a part of the educational environment. Based on the findings, new lines of future research are suggested.
Natural Bioactive Products and Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology: Lessons from Caenorhabditis elegans Transgenic Models
Authors: Navarro-Hortal María D. , Romero-Márquez Jose M. , Osta Safa , Jiménez-Trigo Victoria , Muñoz-Ollero Pedro , Varela-López Alfonso
Published: May 2022

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an age-dependent, progressive disorder affecting millions of people. Currently, the therapeutics for AD only treat the symptoms. Although they have been used to discover new products of interest for this disease, mammalian models used to investigate the molecular determinants of this disease are often prohibitively expensive, time-consuming and very complex. On the other hand, cell cultures lack the organism complexity involved in AD. Given the highly conserved neurological pathways between mammals and invertebrates, Caenorhabditis elegans has emerged as a powerful tool for the investigation of the pathophysiology of human AD. Numerous models of both Tau- and Aβ-induced toxicity, the two prime components observed to correlate with AD pathology and the ease of performing RNA interference for any gene in the C. elegans genome, allow for the identification of multiple therapeutic targets. The effects of many natural products in main AD hallmarks using these models suggest promising health-promoting effects. However, the way in which they exert such effects is not entirely clear. One of the reasons is that various possible therapeutic targets have not been evaluated in many studies. The present review aims to explore shared therapeutical targets and the potential of each of them for AD treatment or prevention.
Formal vs. Informal Institutional Distances and the Competitive Advantage of Foreign Subsidiaries in Latin America
Authors: Correa da Cunha Henrique , Amal Mohamed , Viminitz James Mark
Published: May 2022

By focusing on the tacit and explicit characteristics of informal and formal institutional distances, this study investigates the competitive advantage of foreign subsidiary firms from developed countries and emerging markets operating in Latin America. Following recent research on distances in international management, this study measured the size and direction of distances and computed formal institutional distances based on the world governance indicators from the World Bank, whereas informal institutional distances are calculated using the four original dimensions of Hofstede. Considering that culture is tacit, whereas formal institutions are explicit, it is argued that these differences affect the ability to convert experience dealing with cultural and formal institutional conditions in the home country into firm specific advantages (FSAs) in a foreign host country. These assumptions are tested quantitatively using data from the Orbis database, a sample that includes over 4200 firm-year observations covering 10 of the largest economies in Latin America. In a departure from previous studies investigating the implications of FID direction, it is shown that the effects in specific directions are different for foreign subsidiaries from developed countries and from emerging markets. The results reveal that emerging market firms are at an advantage when operating in less developed host countries, whereas foreign subsidiaries from developed countries can adjust more positively when operating in host countries with strong formal institutions. On the other hand, the effects of the different CD dimensions depend on the direction towards host countries with specific cultural profiles. These findings indicate that foreign subsidiaries from emerging markets have a clear advantage in dealing with institutional voids in Latin America (i.e., FID towards less developed host countries), whereas the effects of CD are the same for all firms. This suggests that the cultural profile of the host country is what really matters.
Efficient Ring-Topology Decentralized Federated Learning with Deep Generative Models for Medical Data in eHealthcare Systems
Authors: Wang Zhao , Hu Yifan , Yan Shiyang , Wang Zhihao , Hou Ruijie , Wu Chao
Published: May 2022

By leveraging deep learning technologies, data-driven-based approaches have reached great success with the rapid increase of data generated for medical applications. However, security and privacy concerns are obstacles for data providers in many sensitive data-driven scenarios, such as rehabilitation and 24 h on-the-go healthcare services. Although many federated learning (FL) approaches have been proposed with DNNs for medical applications, these works still suffer from low usability of data due to data incompleteness, low quality, insufficient quantity, sensitivity, etc. Therefore, we propose a ring-topology-based decentralized federated learning (RDFL) scheme for deep generative models (DGM), where DGM is a promising solution for solving the aforementioned data usability issues. Our RDFL schemes provide communication efficiency and maintain training performance to boost DGMs in target tasks compared with existing FL works. A novel ring FL topology and a map-reduce-based synchronizing method are designed in the proposed RDFL to improve the decentralized FL performance and bandwidth utilization. In addition, an inter-planetary file system (IPFS) is introduced to further improve communication efficiency and FL security. Extensive experiments have been taken to demonstrate the superiority of RDFL with either independent and identically distributed (IID) datasets or non-independent and identically distributed (Non-IID) datasets.
Optimal Query Expansion Based on Hybrid Group Mean Enhanced Chimp Optimization Using Iterative Deep Learning
Authors: Kumar Ram , Tripathi Kuldeep Narayan , Sharma Subhash Chander
Published: May 2022

The internet is surrounded by uncertain information which necessitates the usage of natural language processing and soft computing techniques to extract the relevant documents. The relevant results are retrieved using the query expansion technique which is mainly formulated using the machine learning or deep learning concepts in the existing literature. This paper presents a hybrid group mean-based optimizer-enhanced chimp optimization (GMBO-ECO) algorithm for pseudo-relevance-based query expansion, whereby the actual queries are expanded with their related keywords. The hybrid GMBO-ECO algorithm mainly expands the query based on the terms that have a strong interrelationship with the actual query. To generate the word embeddings, a Word2Vec paradigm is used which learns the word association from large text corpora. The useful context in the text is identified using the improved iterative deep learning framework which determines the user’s intent for the current web search. This step reduces the mismatch of the words and improves the performance of query retrieval. The weak terms are eliminated and the candidate query terms for optimal query expansion are improved via an Okapi measure and cosine similarity techniques. The proposed methodology has been compared to the state-of-the-art methods with and without a query expansion approach. Moreover, the proposed optimal query expansion technique has shown a substantial improvement in terms of a normalized discounted cumulative gain of 0.87, a mean average precision of 0.35, and a mean reciprocal rank of 0.95. The experimental results show the efficiency of the proposed methodology in retrieving the appropriate response for information retrieval. The most common applications for the proposed method are search engines.
Advances in Machine Condition Monitoring and Fault Diagnosis
Authors: Yang Wenxian , Zimroz Radoslaw , Papaelias Mayorkinos
Published: May 2022

In the past few decades, with the great progress made in the field of computer technology, non-destructive testing, signal and image processing, and artificial intelligence, machine condition monitoring and fault diagnosis technology have also achieved great technological progress and played an active and important role in various industries to ensure the efficient and reliable operation of machines, lower the operation and maintenance costs, and improve the reliability and availability of large critical equipment [...]
Inter-continental Data Centre Power Load Balancing for Renewable Energy Maximisation
Authors: Rahmani Rasoul , Moser Irene , Cricenti Antonio L.
Published: May 2022

The ever increasing popularity of Cloud and similar services pushes the demand for data centres, which have a high power consumption. In an attempt to increase the sustainability of the power generation, data centres have been fed by microgrids which include renewable generation—so-called ‘green data centres’. However, the peak load of data centres often does not coincide with solar generation, because demand mostly peaks in the evening. Shifting power to data centres incurs transmission losses; shifting the data transmission has no such drawback. We demonstrate the effectivity of computational load shifting between data centres located in different time zones using a case study that balances demands between three data centres on three continents. This study contributes a method that exploits the opportunities provided by the varied timing of peak solar generation across the globe, transferring computation load to data centres that have sufficient renewable energy whenever possible. Our study shows that balancing computation loads between three green data centres on three continents can improve the use of renewables by up to 22%. Assuming the grid energy does not include renewables, this amounts to a 13% reduction in CO2 emissions.
Transient Stability Analysis and Post-Fault Restart Strategy for Current-Limited Grid-Forming Converter
Authors: Zhang Ziqian , Lehmal Carina , Hackl Philipp , Schuerhuber Robert
Published: May 2022

Grid-forming converters are attracting attention for their significant advantages in terms of stability in a weak grid and simulated inertia. However, while they offer great flexibility due to the use of power semiconductors, they are also affected by their low current-carrying capacity. This means that during a fault, instead of the usual voltage control, a current limiting control is active, which changes the dynamic performance of the converter and influences transient stability. This manuscript focuses on the dynamic performance of grid-forming converters during the restart phase at the post-fault period, and proposes an initial phase threshold to prevent the converter from going into current saturation. Based on this, the manuscript proposes several restart strategies during the post-fault period, by using some fast resynchronization methods in order to meet the requirements of the converter’s stable operation and fast active power restoration. Finally, the above findings and the proposed strategies are validated by a joint control hardware-in-the-loop system.
Comparative Assessment of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Pig Farming Using Tier Inventories
Authors: Akamati Konstantina , Laliotis George P. , Bizelis Iosif
Published: May 2022

Although pig meat accounts for nearly half of total meat production in Europe, less attention has been focused on the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of pig farming. The aim of this study was to assess and compare the impact of pig livestock on GHG emissions during the period 2015–2020 in major European countries, including Greece, using different computational approaches (Tier 1, Tier 2, Gleam-i software v. 2.0 developed by FAO, Rome, Italy). A semi-extensive pig farm was also used as a small-scale scenario. The ranking of the countries related to GHG emissions was not affected by the applied methodology. Spain had the highest emissions due to the higher number of farming animals. The noted numeric differences in the estimations can be attributed to the elaborated and different equational approach that Tier 2 methodology and Gleam-i followed, considering many livestock parameters. Additionally, the semi-extensive farm had lower emissions/fewer animal compared to the average intensive pig farm in the Greek territory. The Tier 1 approach revealed that breeding animals produces more to the emissions, contrary to Tier 2, which showed that fattening pigs is responsible for the majority of GHG emissions. Therefore, specific animal categories could be targeted (i.e., fattening gilts) in a more specialized manner apart from general strategies (i.e., animal improvement).
High Incidence Rate of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Health Care Workers at a Dedicated COVID-19 Hospital: Experiences of the Pandemic from a Large Mexican Hospital
Authors: Bueno-Hernández Nallely , Carrillo-Ruíz José Damian , Méndez-García Lucía A. , Rizo-Téllez Salma A. , Viurcos-Sanabria Rebeca , Santoyo-Chávez Alisson , Márquez-Franco René , Aguado-García Alejandro , Baltazar-López Neyla , Tomita-Cruz Yoshio , Barrón Eira Valeria , Sánchez Ana Laura , Márquez Edna , Fossion Ruben , Rivera Ana Leonor , Ruelas Luis , Lecona Octavio A. , Martínez-Mekler Gustavo , Müller Markus , Arroyo-Valerio América G. , Escobedo Galileo
Published: May 2022

Health care workers (HCW) are at high risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in HCW has been examined in cross-sectional studies by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) tests, which may lead to underestimating exact incidence rates. We thus investigated the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a group of HCW at a dedicated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) hospital in a six-month follow-up period. We conducted a prospective cohort study on 109 participants of both sexes working in areas of high, moderate, and low SARS-CoV-2 exposure. qPCR tests in nasopharyngeal swabs and anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG serum antibodies were assessed at the beginning and six months later. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory parameters were analyzed according to IgG seropositivity by paired Student’s T-test or the chi-square test. The incidence rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection was considerably high in our cohort of HCW (58%), among whom 67% were asymptomatic carriers. No baseline risk factors contributed to the infection rate, including the workplace. It is still necessary to increase hospital safety procedures to prevent virus transmissibility from HCW to relatives and non-COVID-19 patients during the upcoming waves of contagion.
The Updated NICE Guidance Exposed the Serious Flaws in CBT and Graded Exercise Therapy Trials for ME/CFS
Authors: Vink Mark , Vink-Niese Alexandra
Published: May 2022

The British National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recently published its updated guidelines for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). NICE concluded, after an extensive review of the literature, that graded exercise therapy (GET) is harmful and should not be used, and that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is only an adjunctive and not a curative treatment. Leading proponents of the cognitive behavioural model (CBmodel) find it difficult to accept this paradigm shift. In, for example, an article in The Lancet, they try to argue that the new NICE guideline is based on ideology instead of science. In this article we reviewed the evidence they used to support their claims. Our analysis shows that the trials they used in support suffered from serious flaws which included badly designed control groups, relying on subjective primary outcomes in non-blinded studies, including patients in their trials who didn’t have the disease under investigation or had a self-limiting disease, selective reporting, outcome switching and making extensive endpoint changes, which created an overlap in entry and recovery criteria, using a post-hoc definition of recovery which included the severely ill, not publishing results that contradict their own conclusion, ignoring their own (objective) null effect, etc. The flaws in these trials all created a bias in favour of the interventions. Despite all these flaws, treatments that are said to lead to recovery in reality do not lead to objective improvement. Therefore, these studies do not support the claim that CBT and GET are effective treatments. Moreover, the arguments that are used to claim that NICE was wrong, in reality, highlight the absence of evidence for the safety and efficacy of CBT and GET and strengthen the decision by NICE to drop CBT and GET as curative treatments for ME/CFS.