bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ultrasound of the Uterosacral Ligament, Parametrium, and Paracervix: Disagreement in Terminology between Imaging Anatomy and Modern Gynecologic Surgery
Authors: Scioscia Marco , Scardapane Arnaldo , Virgilio Bruna A. , Libera Marco , Lorusso Filomenamila , Noventa Marco
Published: January 2021

Ultrasound is an effective tool to detect and characterize lesions of the uterosacral ligament, parametrium, and paracervix. They may be the site of diseases such as endometriosis and the later stages of cervical cancer. Endometriosis and advanced stages of cervical cancer may infiltrate the parametrium and may also involve the ureter, resulting in a more complex surgery. New functional, surgical anatomy requires the complete diagnostic description of retroperitoneal spaces and tissues that contain vessels and nerves. Most endometriosis lesions and cervical cancer spread involve the cervical section of the uterosacral ligament, which is close to tissues, namely the parametrium and paracervix, which contain vessels and important nerves and nerve anastomoses of the inferior hypogastric plexus. Efferent fibers of the plexus travel to the rectum, uterus, rectovaginal ligament, deep vesicouterine ligament, and bladder. These efferent fibers are essential for bladder and rectal functionality so tailored nerve-sparing surgery became a standard approach for treating deep infiltrating endometriosis and cervical cancer. An accurate diagnosis by ultrasound has significant clinical impact and is important for appropriate treatment. In this article, we try to establish a common terminology between imaging diagnostic and modern surgical anatomy.
Opioids and Sickle Cell Disease: From Opium to the Opioid Epidemic
Authors: Ballas Samir K.
Published: January 2021

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited disorder of hemoglobin structure. The clinical effects of the sickle gene are pleiotropic in nature causing multiple phenotypic expressions associated with the various complications of the disease. The hallmark of the disease is pain that could be acute, chronic, nociceptive, or neuropathic that could occur singly or in various combinations. The acute vaso-occlusive painful crisis (VOC) is the most common cause of admissions to the Emergency Department and/or the hospital. Although progress has been made in understanding the pathophysiology of SCD as well as in developing preventive and curative therapies, effective pain management continues to lag behind and depend mostly on the use of opioids. This review describes the history of opioids from the ancient times of opium to the current use of the many controversial opioids. In addition, the major cause of death of patients with SCD is the complications of the disease itself and not the use of opioids. The use of opioids by patients with SCD has been stable over the years. Judicious use of opioids to treat sickle cell pain according to available guidelines could minimize the unnecessary suffering experienced by patients with SCD.
T Cell Peptides Derived from Invasive Stages of Schistosoma mansoni as Potential Schistosomiasis Vaccine
Authors: López-Abán Julio , Vicente Belén , Kabbas-Piñango Elías , Hernández-Goenaga Juan , Sánchez-Montejo Javier , Aguiriano María , del Olmo Esther , Vanegas Magnolia , Patarroyo Manuel Alfonso , Muro Antonio
Published: January 2021

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease that affects 143 million people in endemic countries. This work analyzed overexpressed sequences from the cercaria phase to the early schistosomulum phase using bioinformatics tools to predict host interaction and selected proteins for predicting T cell epitopes. The final peptides were chemically synthesized, and their toxicity was evaluated in vitro. Peptides were formulated in the Adjuvant Adaptation (ADAD) vaccination system and injected into BALB/c mice that were challenged with S. mansoni cercariae to assess protection and immunogenicity. A total of 39 highly expressed S.mansoni proteins were identified as being of potential interest. Three T cell peptides predicted to bind MHC mouse and human class II were synthesized and formulated for vaccination. SmGSP and SmIKE reduced the number of eggs trapped in the liver by more than 50% in challenged BALB/c mice. The liver of mice vaccinated with either SmGSP or SmTNP had a significantly reduced affected liver surface. Transcriptome-based T cell peptides elicit partial protection and could be candidates for a multiantigen vaccine.
Kidney Replacement Treatment in South-Western Italy (Campania): Population-Based Study on Gender and Residence Inequalities in Health Care Access
Authors: Cirillo Massimo , Palladino Raffaele , Ciacci Carolina , Atripaldi Lidia , Fumo Maria Grazia , Giordana Roberta , Triassi Maria
Published: January 2021

The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiology of kidney replacement treatment (KRT) in Italy with a focus on gender and residence. As a population-based study using administrative databases from the Campania region of Italy between 2015 and 2018, the study outcomes included diagnoses of haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, kidney transplant, and mortality. A total of 11,713 residents in Campania were on KRT from 2015 to 2018. The annual prevalence ranged between 1000 and 1015 patients per million population (pmp) for haemodialysis, between 115 and 133 pmp for peritoneal dialysis, and between 2081 and 2245 pmp for kidney transplant. The annual incidence ranged between 160 and 185 pmp for de novo haemodialysis and between 59 and 191 pmp for kidney transplant. Annual mortality ranged between 12.8% and 14.2% in haemodialysis, between 5.2% and 13.8% in peritoneal dialysis, and between 2.4% and 3.3% in kidney transplant. In Cox regression targeting mortality, significant HRs were found for age (95%CI = 1.05/1.05), kidney transplant (compared to haemodialysis: 0.37/0.47), residence in suburban areas (1.03/1.24), and de novo dialysis incidence in years 2015–2018 (1.01/1.17). The annual rate of kidney transplant was 2.6%. In regression targeting kidney transplant rate, significant HRs were found for female gender (0.67/0.92), age (0.93/0.94), residence in suburban areas (0.65/0.98), and de novo incidence of dialysis in 2015–2018 (0.49/0.71). The existence of socioeconomic inequities in KRT is suggested by the evidence that gender and suburban residence predicted mortality and/or access to kidney transplant.
Gene Expression in Pancreatic Cancer-Like Cells and Induced Pancreatic Stem Cells Generated by Transient Overexpression of Reprogramming Factors
Authors: Miyagi-Shiohira Chika , Saitoh Issei , Watanabe Masami , Noguchi Hirofumi
Published: January 2021

We previously reported that transient overexpression of reprogramming factors can be used to generate induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, induced tissue-specific stem (iTS) cells, and fibroblast-like (iF) cells from pancreatic tissue. iF cells have tumorigenic ability and behave similarly to pancreatic cancer cells. In this study, we analyzed gene expression in iF cells and iTS-P cells (iTS cells from pancreatic tissue) via microarray analysis and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The expression levels of the Mybl2 and Lyn genes, which are reported to be oncogenes, were significantly higher in iF cells than in iTS-P cells. The expression level of Nestin, which is expressed in not only pancreatic progenitor cells but also pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas, was also higher in iF cells than in iTS-P cells. Itgb6 and Fgf13, which are involved in the pathogenesis of diseases such as cancer, exhibited higher expression levels in iF cells than in iTS-P cells. Unexpectedly, the expression levels of genes related to epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), except Bmp4, were lower in iF cells than in iTS-P cells. These data suggest that the Mybl2, Lyn, Nestin, Itgb6, and Fgf13 genes could be important biomarkers to distinguish iTS-P cells from iF cells.
Usability of Indocyanine Green in Robot-Assisted Hepatic Surgery
Authors: Mehdorn Anne-Sophie , Beckmann Jan Henrik , Braun Felix , Becker Thomas , Egberts Jan-Hendrik
Published: January 2021

Recent developments in robotic surgery have led to an increasing number of robot-assisted hepatobiliary procedures. However, a limitation of robotic surgery is the missing haptic feedback. The fluorescent dye indocyanine green (ICG) may help in this context, which accumulates in hepatocellular cancers and around hepatic metastasis. ICG accumulation may be visualized by a near-infrared camera integrated into some robotic systems, helping to perform surgery more accurately. We aimed to test the feasibility of preoperative ICG application and its intraoperative use in patients suffering from hepatocellular carcinoma and metastasis of colorectal cancer, but also of other origins. In a single-arm, single-center feasibility study, we tested preoperative ICG application and its intraoperative use in patients undergoing robot-assisted hepatic resections. Twenty patients were included in the final analysis. ICG staining helped in most cases by detecting a clear lesion or additional metastases or when performing an R0 resection. However, it has limitations if applied too late before surgery and in patients suffering from severe liver cirrhosis. ICG staining may serve as a beneficial intraoperative aid in patients undergoing robot-assisted hepatic surgery. Dose and time of application and standardized fluorescence intensity need to be further determined.
New Model for Predicting the Presence of Coronary Artery Calcification
Authors: Park Samel , Hong Min , Lee HwaMin , Cho Nam-jun , Lee Eun-Young , Lee Won-Young , Rhee Eun-Jung , Gil Hyo-Wook
Published: January 2021

Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is a feature of coronary atherosclerosis and a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). As the absence of CAC is associated with a lower incidence rate of CVD, measurement of a CAC score is helpful for risk stratification when the risk decision is uncertain. This was a retrospective study with an aim to build a model to predict the presence of CAC (i.e., CAC score = 0 or not) and evaluate the discrimination and calibration power of the model. Our data set was divided into two set (80% for training set and 20% for test set). Ten-fold cross-validation was applied with ten times of interaction in each fold. We built prediction models using logistic regression (LRM), classification and regression tree (CART), conditional inference tree (CIT), and random forest (RF). A total of 3302 patients from two cohorts (Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital and Kangbuk Samsung Health Study) were enrolled. These patients’ ages were between 40 and 75 years. All models showed acceptable accuracies (LRM, 70.71%; CART, 71.32%; CIT, 71.32%; and RF, 71.02%). The decision tree model using CART and CIT showed a reasonable accuracy without complexity. It could be implemented in real-world practice.
Neural Network Approach for Predicting Ship Speed and Fuel Consumption
Authors: Moreira Lúcia , Vettor Roberto , Guedes Soares Carlos
Published: January 2021

In this paper, simulations of a ship travelling on a given oceanic route were performed by a weather routing system to provide a large realistic navigation data set, which could represent a collection of data obtained on board a ship in operation. This data set was employed to train a neural network computing system in order to predict ship speed and fuel consumption. The model was trained using the Levenberg–Marquardt backpropagation scheme to establish the relation between the ship speed and the respective propulsion configuration for the existing sea conditions, i.e., the output torque of the main engine, the revolutions per minute of the propulsion shaft, the significant wave height, and the peak period of the waves, together with the relative angle of wave encounter. Additional results were obtained by also using the model to train the relationship between the same inputs used to determine the speed of the ship and the fuel consumption. A sensitivity analysis was performed to analyze the artificial neural network capability to forecast the ship speed and fuel oil consumption without information on the status of the engine (the revolutions per minute and torque) using as inputs only the information of the sea state. The results obtained with the neural network model show very good accuracy both in the prediction of the speed of the vessel and the fuel consumption.
Potential Neurophysiological Mechanisms of 1Hz-TMS to the Right Prefrontal Cortex for Depression: An Exploratory TMS-EEG Study in Healthy Participants
Authors: Noda Yoshihiro
Published: January 2021

Background: The present study aimed to examine the acute neurophysiological effects of 1Hz transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) administered to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in healthy participants. Methods: TMS combined with simultaneous electroencephalography (EEG) recording was conducted for 21 healthy participants. For the right DLPFC, 1Hz-TMS (100 pulses/block × 17 sessions) was applied in the resting-state, while for the left DLPFC, 1Hz-TMS (100 pulses/block × 2 sessions) was administered during the verbal fluency tasks (VFTs). For TMS-EEG data, independent component analysis (ICA) was applied to extract TMS-evoked EEG potentials to calculate TMS-related power as well as TMS-related coherence from the F4 and F3 electrode sites during the resting-state and VFTs. Results: TMS-related power was significantly increased in alpha, beta, and gamma bands by 1Hz-TMS at the stimulation site during the resting-state, while TMS-related power was significantly increased in alpha and beta bands but not in the gamma band during the VFTs. On the other hand, TMS-related coherence in alpha and beta bands significantly increased but not in gamma band by 1Hz-TMS that was administered to the right DLPFC in resting-state, whereas there were no significant changes in coherence for all frequency bands by 1Hz-TMS that applied to the left DLPFC during the VFTs. Conclusions: Collectively, 1Hz-repetitive TMS (rTMS) to the right DLPFC may rapidly neuromodulate EEG activity, which might be associated with a therapeutic mechanism for depression.
Proteotoxicity: A Fatal Consequence of Environmental Pollutants-Induced Impairments in Protein Clearance Machinery
Authors: Devi Shweta , Kim Jong-Joo , Singh Anand Prakash , Kumar Surendra , Dubey Ashish Kant , Singh Sandeep Kumar , Singh Ravi Shankar , Kumar Vijay
Published: January 2021

A tightly regulated protein quality control (PQC) system maintains a healthy balance between correctly folded and misfolded protein species. This PQC system work with the help of a complex network comprised of molecular chaperones and proteostasis. Any intruder, especially environmental pollutants, disrupt the PQC network and lead to PQCs disruption, thus generating damaged and infectious protein. These misfolded/unfolded proteins are linked to several diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and cataracts. Numerous studies on proteins misfolding and disruption of PQCs by environmental pollutants highlight the necessity of detailed knowledge. This review represents the PQCs network and environmental pollutants’ impact on the PQC network, especially through the protein clearance system.
A Green Routing Protocol with Wireless Power Transfer for Internet of Things
Authors: Chiti Francesco , Fantacci Romano , Pierucci Laura
Published: January 2021

The usually constrained resources and lossy links scenarios of Internet of Things (IoT) applications require specific protocol suite, as the IPv6 Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks (RPL). Due to its flexibility, RPL can support efficiently vertical applications such as environmental monitoring, smart city and Industry 4.0. In this paper, we propose a new Objective Function (OF) for RPL based on a composite metric considering jointly the residual energy of a node (parent) together with the energy that a neighbor node (child) can transfer to the parent according to the Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) concept. Specifically, we consider simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT) technique, which enables both the energy harvesting and information decoding from the same radio frequency (RF) signal, in order to influence the selection of the best path according to the proposed energy efficient metric in RPL. Performance evaluation on a realistic scenario pointed out a remarkable energy saving to prolong the network lifetime, by selecting the best path toward the sink node, with respect to the OFs usually considered in the literature.
Influence of Permafrost Landscapes Degradation on Livelihoods of Sakha Republic (Yakutia) Rural Communities
Authors: Lytkin Vasylii , Suleymanov Alexander , Vinokurova Lilia , Grigorev Stepan , Golomareva Victoriya , Fedorov Svyatoslav , Kuzmina Aitalina , Syromyatnikov Igor
Published: January 2021

Climate change and the degradation of permafrost prove to be severe challenges for humanity. At present, the northern communities and those living in rural areas are already facing the consequences. This article is based on field research conducted in the Yunkyur, Olyokminsky, and Amginsky Districts of Sakha Republic (Yakutia) during 2018–2020. These settlements have one of the richest agricultural traditions in the region; however, the inhabitants of these villages now face serious consequences of permafrost degradation. The authors rely on a mixed set of methods and approaches, including sociological surveys, expert and in-depth interviewing, and appropriate archival and museum materials. Methodology of remote sensing and landscape–geocryological research was integrated. The resulting studies made it possible to demonstrate increasingly widespread thermokarst processes in the key areas studied. The authors determined that the degradation of permafrost has led to problems with the safety and development of the housing stock, especially deformation of houses and outbuildings, and reduction of areas suitable for construction. Territories affected by thermokarst also drop out of agricultural use. Finally, the authors identify some adaptation mechanisms to mitigate the effects of changes in permafrost landscapes.
Farm Size, Risk Aversion and Overuse of Fertilizer: The Heterogeneity of Large-Scale and Small-Scale Wheat Farmers in Northern China
Authors: Wu Haixia , Hao Hantao , Lei Hongzhen , Ge Yan , Shi Hengtong , Song Yan
Published: January 2021

The excessive use of fertilizer has resulted in serious environmental degradation and a high health cost in China. Understanding the reasons for the overuse of fertilizer is critical to the sustainable development of Chinese agriculture, and large-scale operation is considered as one of the measures to deal with the excessive fertilizer use. Under the premise of fully considering the resource endowment and heterogeneity of large-scale farmers and small-scale farmers in production and management, different production decision-making frameworks were constructed. Based on the 300 large-scale farmers and 480 small-scale farmers in eight provinces of northern China wheat region, we analyzed the optimal fertilizer use amount and its deviation as well as the influencing factors of small-scale and large-scale farmers, then further clarified whether the development of scale management could solve the problem of excessive fertilizer use. The empirical results show that: (1) both small-scale farmers and large-scale farmers deviated from the optimal fertilizer application amount, where the deviation degree of optimal fertilizer application of small-scale farmers is significantly higher than that of large-scale farmers, with a deviation degree of 35.43% and 23.69% for small and large scale farmers, respectively; (2) not all wheat growers in North China had the problem of excessive use of chemical fertilizer, as the optimal level of chemical fertilizer application in Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia are 346.5 kgha−1 and 335.25 kgha−1, while the actual fertilizer use amount was 337.2 kgha−1 and 324.6 kgha−1, respectively; and (3) the higher the risk aversion level, farmers tended to apply more fertilizer to ensure grain output. Therefore, increasing farm size should be integrated into actions such as improving technological innovation and providing better information transfer to achieve the goal of zero-increase in Chinese fertilizer use.
Economic Consequences of Adopting Local Spatial Development Plans for the Spatial Management System: The Case of Poland
Authors: Śleszyński Przemysław , Nowak Maciej , Sudra Paweł , Załęczna Magdalena , Blaszke Małgorzata
Published: January 2021

The spatial management system in Poland struggles with serious costs as a consequence of local planning. The problem is the lack of appropriate value capturing mechanisms and cost compensation for municipalities, along with significant burdens. Private property is subject to special protection, but the public good is less valued. The article attempts to assess the situation in Poland, recalling also the experiences of spatial management systems from other European countries. It combines legal, economic, and geographical perspectives. The specific objectives were demonstration of geographical (interregional and functional) regularities related to the economic (financial) consequences of adopting local plans and identification of financial effects resulting from the implementation of local plans in communes, i.e., in particular, their size, structure of revenues (income), and expenditures, in relations with the budgets of municipalities and the population living in communes. First, the determinants of spatial policy were defined in the context of institutional economics and the real estate market. Then, a unique database of forecasted and realized budgetary revenues and expenditures of 2477 communes in Poland related to spatial development (infrastructure construction, land transformation, purchase, etc.) was analyzed statistically. Additionally, for five selected communes of different functional types, this issue was examined in detail. It has been shown that municipalities do not derive adequate income from spatial development, and improper policy of local self-governments results in heavy burdens, threatening to disturb their financial balance. The formulated conclusions regarding the legal, economic, and spatial mechanisms may contribute to building tools (instruments) for more effective spatial management in various countries.
Mitochondrial Kinases and the Role of Mitochondrial Protein Phosphorylation in Health and Disease
Authors: Kotrasová Veronika , Keresztesová Barbora , Ondrovičová Gabriela , Bauer Jacob A. , Havalová Henrieta , Pevala Vladimír , Kutejová Eva , Kunová Nina
Published: January 2021

The major role of mitochondria is to provide cells with energy, but no less important are their roles in responding to various stress factors and the metabolic changes and pathological processes that might occur inside and outside the cells. The post-translational modification of proteins is a fast and efficient way for cells to adapt to ever changing conditions. Phosphorylation is a post-translational modification that signals these changes and propagates these signals throughout the whole cell, but it also changes the structure, function and interaction of individual proteins. In this review, we summarize the influence of kinases, the proteins responsible for phosphorylation, on mitochondrial biogenesis under various cellular conditions. We focus on their role in keeping mitochondria fully functional in healthy cells and also on the changes in mitochondrial structure and function that occur in pathological processes arising from the phosphorylation of mitochondrial proteins.
Factors Affecting a Short-Term Response to Anti-VEGF Therapy in Diabetic Macular Edema
Authors: Usui-Ouchi Ayumi , Tamaki Asaka , Sakanishi Yoshihito , Tamaki Kazunori , Mashimo Keitaro , Sakuma Toshiro , Ebihara Nobuyuki
Published: January 2021

Diabetic macular edema (DME) is a common cause of visual impairment in patients with diabetes. Although intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections were efficacious in clinical trials, several patients exhibited a poor response. This study aimed to compare clinical features between patients who were susceptible to intravitreal anti-VEGF injections for DME and those who were not. A single-center, retrospective study of 102 such patients was conducted (123 eyes; mean ± standard deviation age, 63.4 ± 10.8 years; 57.8% males). Systemic and ocular data, assessed at baseline and after a month, were compared between good (>20% decrease in central macular thickness (CMT)) and poor (≤20% decrease in CMT) responders using the Mann–Whitney U test/Fisher’s exact test. Eighty-one eyes (65.9%) were good responders. The glycosylated hemoglobin level was higher (p = 0.011) in poor (7.5% ± 0.94%) than in good (7.04% ± 1.19%) responders. The foveal avascular zone was larger (p = 0.0003) in poor (0.67 ± 0.33 μm2) than in good (0.47 ± 0.23 μm2) responders. The number of microaneurysms in the pericapillary network was higher (p = 0.0007) in poor (2.7 ± 2.2) than in good (1.4 ± 2.0) responders. Baseline glycemic control and macular ischemia may be associated with the short-term response to intravitreal anti-VEGF injections.
Warsaw Glacial Quartz Sand with Different Grain-Size Characteristics and Its Shear Wave Velocity from Various Interpretation Methods of BET
Authors: Gabryś Katarzyna , Soból Emil , Sas Wojciech , Šadzevičius Raimondas , Skominas Rytis
Published: January 2021

After obtaining the value of shear wave velocity (VS) from the bender elements test (BET), the shear modulus of soils at small strains (Gmax) can be estimated. Shear wave velocity is an important parameter in the design of geo-structures subjected to static and dynamic loading. While bender elements are increasingly used in both academic and commercial laboratory test systems, there remains a lack of agreement when interpreting the shear wave travel time from these tests. Based on the test data of 12 Warsaw glacial quartz samples of sand, primarily two different approaches were examined for determining VS. They are both related to the observation of the source and received BE signal, namely, the first time of arrival and the peak-to-peak method. These methods were performed through visual analysis of BET data by the authors, so that subjective travel time estimates were produced. Subsequently, automated analysis methods from the GDS Bender Element Analysis Tool (BEAT) were applied. Here, three techniques in the time-domain (TD) were selected, namely, the peak-to-peak, the zero-crossing, and the cross-correlation function. Additionally, a cross-power spectrum calculation of the signals was completed, viewed as a frequency-domain (FD) method. Final comparisons between subjective observational analyses and automated interpretations of BET results showed good agreement. There is compatibility especially between the two methods: the first time of arrival and the cross-correlation, which the authors considered the best interpreting techniques for their soils. Moreover, the laboratory tests were performed on compact, medium, and well-grained sand samples with different curvature coefficient and mean grain size. Investigation of the influence of the grain-size characteristics of quartz sand on shear wave velocity demonstrated that VS is larger for higher values of the uniformity coefficient, while it is rather independent of the curvature coefficient and the mean grain size.
The Role of Metal Ions in Biology, Biochemistry and Medicine
Authors: Moustakas Michael
Published: January 2021

Metal ions are fundamental elements for the maintenance of the lifespan of plants, animals and humans [...]
Electrothermal Modeling and Analysis of Polypyrrole-Coated Wearable E-Textiles
Authors: Kaynak Akif , Zolfagharian Ali , Featherby Toby , Bodaghi Mahdi , Mahmud M. A. Parvez , Kouzani Abbas Z
Published: January 2021

The inhomogeneity of the resistance of conducting polypyrrole-coated nylon–Lycra and polyester (PET) fabrics and its effects on surface temperature were investigated through a systematic experimental and numerical work including the optimization of coating conditions to determine the lowest resistivity conductive fabrics and establish a correlation between the fabrication conditions and the efficiency and uniformity of Joule heating in conductive textiles. For this purpose, the effects of plasma pre-treatment and molar concentration analysis of the dopant anthraquinone sulfonic acid (AQSA), oxidant ferric chloride, and monomer pyrrole was carried out to establish the conditions to determine the sample with the lowest electrical resistance for generating heat and model the experiments using the finite element modeling (FEM). Both PET and nylon-Lycra underwent atmospheric plasma treatment to functionalize the fabric surface to improve the binding of the polymer and obtain coatings with reduced resistance. Both fabrics were compared in terms of average electrical resistance for both plasma treated and untreated samples. The plasma treatment induced deep black coatings with lower resistance. Then, heat-generating experiments were conducted on the polypyrrole (PPy) coated fabrics with the lowest resistance using a variable power supply to study the distribution and maximum value of the temperature. The joule heating model was developed to predict the heating of the conductive fabrics via finite element analysis. The model was based on the measured electrical resistance at different zones of the coated fabrics. It was shown that, when the fabric was backed with neoprene insulation, it would heat up quicker and more evenly. The average electrical resistance of the PPy-PET sample used was 190 Ω, and a maximum temperature reading of 43 °C was recorded. The model results exhibited good agreement with thermal camera data.
The Use of Acoustic Emission and Neural Network in the Study of Phase Transformation below MS
Authors: Łazarska Małgorzata , Wozniak Tadeusz Z. , Ranachowski Zbigniew , Trafarski Andrzej , Marciniak Szymon
Published: January 2021

Acoustic emission and dilatometry were applied to investigate the characteristics of phase transformations in bearing steel 100CrMnSi6-4 during austempering below the martensite start temperature (MS 175 °C) at 150 °C. The aim of this study is to characterize the product of transformation occurring below the MS temperature using various research methods. Analysis of the dilatometric curves shows that, after the formation of athermal martensite below the MS temperature, the austenite continues to undergo isothermal transformation, indicating the formation of bainite. Additionally, tests were carried out with the use of acoustic emission during isothermal hardening of the adopted steel. The obtained acoustic emission signals were analyzed using an artificial neural network. The results, in the form of a graph of the frequency of acoustic emission (AE) event occurrence as a function of time, make it possible to infer about the bainite isothermal transformation. The results of this research may be used in the future to design optimal heat treatment methods and, consequently, may enable desired microstructure shaping.
The Role of Electrospun Nanomaterials in the Future of Energy and Environment
Authors: Baghali Mitra , Jayathilaka W.A.D.M. , Ramakrishna Seeram
Published: January 2021

Electrospinning is one of the most successful and efficient techniques for the fabrication of one-dimensional nanofibrous materials as they have widely been utilized in multiple application fields due to their intrinsic properties like high porosity, large surface area, good connectivity, wettability, and ease of fabrication from various materials. Together with current trends on energy conservation and environment remediation, a number of researchers have focused on the applications of nanofibers and their composites in this field as they have achieved some key results along the way with multiple materials and designs. In this review, recent advances on the application of nanofibers in the areas—including energy conversion, energy storage, and environmental aspects—are summarized with an outlook on their materials and structural designs. Also, this will provide a detailed overview on the future directions of demanding energy and environment fields.
Iterative Variable Selection for High-Dimensional Data: Prediction of Pathological Response in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Authors: Laria Juan C. , Aguilera-Morillo M. Carmen , Álvarez Enrique , Lillo Rosa E. , López-Taruella Sara , del Monte-Millán María , Picornell Antonio C. , Martín Miguel , Romo Juan
Published: January 2021

Over the last decade, regularized regression methods have offered alternatives for performing multi-marker analysis and feature selection in a whole genome context. The process of defining a list of genes that will characterize an expression profile remains unclear. It currently relies upon advanced statistics and can use an agnostic point of view or include some a priori knowledge, but overfitting remains a problem. This paper introduces a methodology to deal with the variable selection and model estimation problems in the high-dimensional set-up, which can be particularly useful in the whole genome context. Results are validated using simulated data and a real dataset from a triple-negative breast cancer study.
Mean Squared Variance Portfolio: A Mixed-Integer Linear Programming Formulation
Authors: Fernández-Navarro Francisco , Martínez-Nieto Luisa , Carbonero-Ruz Mariano , Montero-Romero Teresa
Published: January 2021

The mean-variance (MV) portfolio is typically formulated as a quadratic programming (QP) problem that linearly combines the conflicting objectives of minimizing the risk and maximizing the expected return through a risk aversion profile parameter. In this formulation, the two objectives are expressed in different units, an issue that could definitely hamper obtaining a more competitive set of portfolio weights. For example, a modification in the scale in which returns are expressed (by one or percent) in the MV portfolio, implies a modification in the solution of the problem. Motivated by this issue, a novel mean squared variance (MSV) portfolio is proposed in this paper. The associated optimization problem of the proposed strategy is very similar to the Markowitz optimization, with the exception of the portfolio mean, which is presented in squared form in our formulation. The resulting portfolio model is a non-convex QP problem, which has been reformulated as a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) problem. The reformulation of the initial non-convex QP problem into an MILP allows for future researchers and practitioners to obtain the global solution of the problem via the use of current state-of-the-art MILP solvers. Additionally, a novel purely data-driven method for determining the optimal value of the hyper-parameter that is associated with the MV and MSV approaches is also proposed in this paper. The MSV portfolio has been empirically tested on eight portfolio time series problems with three different estimation windows (composing a total of 24 datasets), showing very competitive performance in most of the problems.
New Generalizations and Results in Shift-Invariant Subspaces of Mixed-Norm Lebesgue Spaces \({L_{\vec{p}}(\mathbb{R}^d)}\)
Authors: Zhao Junjian , Du Wei-Shih , Chen Yasong
Published: January 2021

In this paper, we establish new generalizations and results in shift-invariant subspaces of mixed-norm Lebesgue spaces Lp→(Rd). We obtain a mixed-norm Hölder inequality, a mixed-norm Minkowski inequality, a mixed-norm convolution inequality, a convolution-Hölder type inequality and a stability theorem to mixed-norm case in the setting of shift-invariant subspace of Lp→(Rd). Our new results unify and refine the existing results in the literature.
On a Metric Affine Manifold with Several Orthogonal Complementary Distributions
Authors: Rovenski Vladimir , Stepanov Sergey E.
Published: January 2021

A Riemannian manifold endowed with k>2 orthogonal complementary distributions (called here an almost multi-product structure) appears in such topics as multiply twisted or warped products and the webs or nets composed of orthogonal foliations. In this article, we define the mixed scalar curvature of an almost multi-product structure endowed with a linear connection, and represent this kind of curvature using fundamental tensors of distributions and the divergence of a geometrically interesting vector field. Using this formula, we prove decomposition and non-existence theorems and integral formulas that generalize results (for k=2) on almost product manifolds with the Levi-Civita connection. Some of our results are illustrated by examples with statistical and semi-symmetric connections.
Extremal p-Adic L-Functions
Authors: Molina Santiago
Published: January 2021

In this note, we propose a new construction of cyclotomic p-adic L-functions that are attached to classical modular cuspidal eigenforms. This allows for us to cover most known cases to date and provides a method which is amenable to generalizations to automorphic forms on arbitrary groups. In the classical setting of GL2 over Q, this allows for us to construct the p-adic L-function in the so far uncovered extremal case, which arises under the unlikely hypothesis that p-th Hecke polynomial has a double root. Although Tate’s conjecture implies that this case should never take place for GL2/Q, the obvious generalization does exist in nature for Hilbert cusp forms over totally real number fields of even degree, and this article proposes a method that should adapt to this setting. We further study the admissibility and the interpolation properties of these extremal p-adic L-functionsLpext(f,s), and relate Lpext(f,s) to the two-variable p-adic L-function interpolating cyclotomic p-adic L-functions along a Coleman family.
How to Evaluate the STEM Curriculum in Spain?
Authors: Estévez-Mauriz Laura , Baelo Roberto
Published: January 2021

There is a wide demand for professionals related to the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) field; nevertheless, the number of students is decreasing every day, and the presence of women is also scarce. Within the Spanish context, different programs are promoting measures for STEM skills’ development; however, they are neither collected nor evaluated under a common umbrella. For that reason, it seems appropriate to investigate the possibilities of carrying out a STEM certification, involving the management and teaching practice of secondary and high school education centers. The present work has developed an evaluation instrument based on the work by The Friday Institute for Educational Innovation from the North Carolina State University (USA). The model proposed looking at obtaining a high-quality STEM Center certification in the Spanish context, seeking to guarantee that the efforts made are systematically collected and evaluated in a common framework. This model includes an evaluation rubric with 5 dimensions and a series of indicators, classifying the centers in 4 levels of development. The aim is to provide a framework to establish, monitor and guide their STEM culture development with a global perspective, counting with the entire educational community, working on STEM skills in a transversal manner.
Optimization of Porphyran Extraction from Pyropia yezoensis by Response Surface Methodology and Its Lipid-Lowering Effects
Authors: He Dan , Yan Liping , Hu Yingxia , Wu Qifang , Wu Mingjiang , Choi Jong-il , Tong Haibin
Published: January 2021

Macroalgae polysaccharides are phytochemicals that are beneficial to human health. In this study, response surface methodology was applied to optimize the extraction procedure of Pyropia yezoensis porphyran (PYP). The optimum extraction parameters were: 100 °C (temperature), 120 min (time), and 29.32 mL/g (liquid–solid ratio), and the maximum yield of PYP was 22.15 ± 0.55%. The physicochemical characteristics of PPYP, purified from PYP, were analyzed, along with its lipid-lowering effect, using HepG2 cells and Drosophila melanogaster larvae. PPYP was a β-type sulfated hetero-rhamno-galactan-pyranose with a molecular weight of 151.6 kDa and a rhamnose-to-galactose molar ratio of 1:5.3. The results demonstrated that PPYP significantly reduced the triglyceride content in palmitic acid (PA)-induced HepG2 cells and high-sucrose-fed D. melanogaster larvae by regulating the expression of lipid metabolism-related genes, reducing lipogenesis and increasing fatty acid β-oxidation. To summarize, PPYP can lower lipid levels in HepG2 cells and larval fat body (the functional homolog tissue of the human liver), suggesting that PPYP may be administered as a potential marine lipid-lowering drug.
Microbiota, a New Playground for the Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Cardiovascular Diseases
Authors: Rousseau Guy
Published: January 2021

Several cardioprotective mechanisms attributed to Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been studied and widely documented. However, in recent years, studies have supported the concept that the intestinal microbiota can play a much larger role than we had anticipated. Microbiota could contribute to several pathologies, including cardiovascular diseases. Indeed, an imbalance in the microbiota has often been reported in patients with cardiovascular disease and produces low-level inflammation. This inflammation contributes to, more or less, long-term development of cardiovascular diseases. It can also worsen the symptoms and the consequences of these pathologies. According to some studies, omega-3 PUFAs in the diet could restore this imbalance and mitigate its harmful effects on cardiovascular diseases. Many mechanisms are involved and included: (1) a reduction of bacteria producing trimethylamine (TMA); (2) an increase in bacteria producing butyrate, which has anti-inflammatory properties; and (3) a decrease in the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Additionally, omega-3 PUFAs would help maintain better integrity in the intestinal barrier, thereby preventing the translocation of intestinal contents into circulation. This review will summarize the effects of omega-3 PUFAs on gut micro-biota and the potential impact on cardiac health.
Metabolites with Anti-Inflammatory Activity from the Mangrove Endophytic Fungus Diaporthe sp. QYM12
Authors: Chen Yan , Zou Ge , Yang Wencong , Zhao Yingying , Tan Qi , Chen Lin , Wang Jinmei , Ma Changyang , Kang Wenyi , She Zhigang
Published: January 2021

One new diterpenoid, diaporpenoid A (1), two new sesquiterpenoids, diaporpenoids B–C (2,3) and three new α-pyrone derivatives, diaporpyrones A–C (4–6) were isolated from an MeOH extract obtained from cultures of the mangrove endophytic fungus Diaporthe sp. QYM12. Their structures were elucidated by extensive analysis of spectroscopic data. The absolute configurations were determined by electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations and a comparison of the specific rotation. Compound 1 had an unusual 5/10/5-fused tricyclic ring system. Compounds 1 and 4 showed potent anti-inflammatory activities by inhibiting the production of nitric oxide (NO) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 cells with IC50 values of 21.5 and 12.5 μM, respectively.
The Protect Effects of Chitosan Oligosaccharides on Intestinal Integrity by Regulating Oxidative Status and Inflammation under Oxidative Stress
Authors: Lan Ruixia , Chang Qingqing , Wei Linlin , Zhao Zhihui
Published: January 2021

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the dietary supplementation of chitosan oligosaccharides (COS) on intestinal integrity, oxidative status, and the inflammation response with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) challenge. In total, 30 rats were randomly assigned to three groups with 10 replications: CON group, basal diet; AS group, basal diet + 0.1% H2O2 in drinking water; ASC group, basal diet + 200 mg/kg COS + 0.1% H2O2 in drinking water. The results indicated that COS upregulated (p < 0.05) villus height (VH) of the small intestine, duodenum, and ileum; mucosal glutathione peroxidase activity; jejunum and ileum mucosal total antioxidant capacity; duodenum and ileum mucosal interleukin (IL)-6 level; jejunum mucosal tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α level; duodenum and ileum mucosal IL-10 level; the mRNA expression level of zonula occludens (ZO)-1 in the jejunum and ileum, claudin in the duodenum, nuclear factor-erythroid 2-like 2 in the jejunum, and heme oxygenase-1 in the duodenum and ileum; and the protein expression of ZO-1 and claudin in jejunum; however, it downregulated (p < 0.05) serum diamine oxidase activity and D-lactate level; small intestine mucosal malondialdehyde content; duodenum and ileum mucosal IL-6 level; jejunum mucosal TNF-α level; and the mRNA expression of IL-6 in the duodenum and jejunum, and TNF-α in the jejunum and ileum. These results suggested COS could maintain intestinal integrity under oxidative stress by modulating the intestinal oxidative status and release of inflammatory cytokines.
Metabolic and Functional Improvements in a Patient with Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease Type 2 after EGCG Administration: A Case Report
Authors: Bustos Antonio , Selvi Sabater Pablo , Benlloch María , Drehmer Eraci , López-Rodríguez María Mar , Platero Felix , Platero Jose Luis , Escribá-Alepuz Jesús , de la Rubia Ortí Jose Enrique
Published: January 2021

Background and objectives: The aim of this study was to report a case of a patient with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2 (CMT2) treated with epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) for 4 months in order to assess its therapeutic potential in CMT2. Materials and Methods: The study included a brother and a sister who have CMT2. The sister received 800 mg of EGCG for 4 months, while her brother received placebo for the same period of time. Both participants were assessed before and after daily administration by means of anthropometry; analysis of inflammatory and oxidation markers of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and paraoxonase 1 (PON1) in the blood sample; and motor tests: 2-min walk test (2MWT), 10-m walk test (10MWT), nine-hole peg test (9HPT) and handgrip strength measurement using a handheld Jamar dynamometer. Results: Regarding muscular and motor functions associated with higher inflammation and oxidation, improvements only observed in the woman in all analysed parameters (both biochemical and clinical associated with the metabolism and functionality) after 4 months of treatment with EGCG are noteworthy. Thus, this treatment is proposed as a good candidate to treat the disease.
Resolution of Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation in a Patient with COVID-19 and Associated Sepsis—Induced Neutropenia
Authors: Di Micco Pierpaolo , Imparato Michele , Lubrano Giuseppe , Iannuzzo Donatella , Fontanella Luca , Improta Lucio , Poggiano Maria Rita , Salzano Ciro , Rodolico Alessio , Fontanella Andrea
Published: January 2021

COVID-19 has been associated with a hypercoagulable state and thrombotic events. Venous thromboembolism has been the most commonly reported type of thrombosis but also arterial thrombosis and disseminated intravascular coagulation in inpatients have been described frequently in several clinical experiences. Patients with COVID-19, because of its tendency to induce leucopenia and overlapping of bacterial infection, may experience sudden disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), as in the case that we report here. However, early diagnosis and treatment may be associated with positive resolution of these severe complications.