bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exploring Contraindications for Thrombolysis: Risk of Hemorrhagic Transformation and Neurological Deterioration after Thrombolysis in Mice with Recent Ischemic Stroke and Hyperglycemia
Authors: Gelhard Sarah , Kestner Roxane-Isabelle , Armbrust Moritz , Steinmetz Helmuth , Foerch Christian , Bohmann Ferdinand O.
Published: June 2022

(1) Intravenous thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) in patients with acute ischemic stroke is limited because of several contraindications. In routine clinical practice, patients with a recent stroke are typically not treated with rt-PA in case of a recurrent ischemic event. The same applies to its use in the context of pulmonary artery embolism and myocardial infarction with a recent stroke. In this translational study, we evaluated whether rt-PA treatment after experimental ischemic stroke with or without additional hyperglycemia increases the risk for hemorrhagic transformation (HT) and worsens functional outcome regarding the old infarct area. (2) In total, 72 male C57BL/6N mice were used. Ischemic stroke (index stroke) was induced by transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO). Mice received either rt-PA or saline 24 h or 14 days after index stroke to determine whether a recent ischemic stroke predisposes to HT. In addition to otherwise healthy mice, hyperglycemic mice were analyzed to evaluate diabetes as a second risk factor for HT. Mice designated to develop hyperglycemia were pre-treated with streptozotocin. (3) The neurological outcome in rt-PA and saline-treated normoglycemic mice did not differ significantly, either at 24 h or at 14 days. In contrast, hyperglycemic mice treated with rt-PA had a significantly worse neurological outcome (at 24 h, p = 0.02; at 14 days, p = 0.03). At 24 h after rt-PA or saline treatment, HT scores differed significantly (p = 0.02) with the highest scores within hyperglycemic mice treated with rt-PA, where notably only small petechial hemorrhages could be detected. (4) Thrombolysis after recent ischemic stroke does not increase the risk for HT or worsen the functional outcome in otherwise healthy mice. However, hyperglycemia as a second risk factor leads to neurological deterioration after rt-PA treatment, which cannot be explained by an increase of HT alone. Direct neurotoxic effects of rt-PA may play a role.
Mental Stress and Cardiovascular Health—Part I
Authors: Vancheri Federico , Longo Giovanni , Vancheri Edoardo , Henein Michael Y.
Published: June 2022

Epidemiological studies have shown that a substantial proportion of acute coronary events occur in individuals who lack the traditional high-risk cardiovascular (CV) profile. Mental stress is an emerging risk and prognostic factor for coronary artery disease and stroke, independently of conventional risk factors. It is associated with an increased rate of CV events. Acute mental stress may develop as a result of anger, fear, or job strain, as well as consequence of earthquakes or hurricanes. Chronic stress may develop as a result of long-term or repetitive stress exposure, such as job-related stress, low socioeconomic status, financial problems, depression, and type A and type D personality. While the response to acute mental stress may result in acute coronary events, the relationship of chronic stress with increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) is mainly due to acceleration of atherosclerosis. Emotionally stressful stimuli are processed by a network of cortical and subcortical brain regions, including the prefrontal cortex, insula, amygdala, hypothalamus, and hippocampus. This system is involved in the interpretation of relevance of environmental stimuli, according to individual’s memory, past experience, and current context. The brain transduces the cognitive process of emotional stimuli into hemodynamic, neuroendocrine, and immune changes, called fight or flight response, through the autonomic nervous system and the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis. These changes may induce transient myocardial ischemia, defined as mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia (MSIMI) in patients with and without significant coronary obstruction. The clinical consequences may be angina, myocardial infarction, arrhythmias, and left ventricular dysfunction. Although MSIMI is associated with a substantial increase in CV mortality, it is usually underestimated because it arises without pain in most cases. MSIMI occurs at lower levels of cardiac work than exercise-induced ischemia, suggesting that the impairment of myocardial blood flow is mainly due to paradoxical coronary vasoconstriction and microvascular dysfunction.
Deep Learning Network for Speckle De-Noising in Severe Conditions
Authors: Tahon Marie , Montrésor Silvio , Picart Pascal
Published: June 2022

Digital holography is well adapted to measure any modifications related to any objects. The method refers to digital holographic interferometry where the phase change between two states of the object is of interest. However, the phase images are corrupted by the speckle decorrelation noise. In this paper, we address the question of de-noising in holographic interferometry when phase data are polluted with speckle noise. We present a new database of phase fringe images for the evaluation of de-noising algorithms in digital holography. In this database, the simulated phase maps present characteristics such as the size of the speckle grains and the noise level of the fringes, which can be controlled by the generation process. Deep neural network architectures are trained with sets of phase maps having differentiated parameters according to the features. The performances of the new models are evaluated with a set of test fringe patterns whose characteristics are representative of severe conditions in terms of input SNR and speckle grain size. For this, four metrics are considered, which are the PSNR, the phase error, the perceived quality index and the peak-to-valley ratio. Results demonstrate that the models trained with phase maps with a diversity of noise characteristics lead to improving their efficiency, their robustness and their generality on phase maps with severe noise.
Computational Analysis of Correlations between Image Aesthetic and Image Naturalness in the Relation with Image Quality
Authors: Le Quyet-Tien , Ladret Patricia , Nguyen Huu-Tuan , Caplier Alice
Published: June 2022

The main purpose of this paper is the study of the correlations between Image Aesthetic (IA) and Image Naturalness (IN) and the analysis of the influence of IA and IN on Image Quality (IQ) in different contexts. The first contribution is a study about the potential relationships between IA and IN. For that study, two sub-questions are considered. The first one is to validate the idea that IA and IN are not correlated to each other. The second one is about the influence of IA and IN features on Image Naturalness Assessment (INA) and Image Aesthetic Assessment (IAA), respectively. Secondly, it is obvious that IQ is related to IA and IN, but the exact influence of IA and IN on IQ has not been evaluated. Besides that, the context impact on those influences has not been clarified, so the second contribution is to investigate the influence of IA and IN on IQ in different contexts. The results obtained from rigorous experiments prove that although there are moderate and weak correlations between IA and IN, they are still two different components of IQ. It also appears that viewers’ IQ perception is affected by some contextual factors, and the influence of IA and IN on IQ depends on the considered context.
Impact Analysis of Marinas on Nautical Tourism in Andalusia
Authors: Martínez-Vázquez Rosa María , de Pablo Valenciano Jaime , Milán-García Juan
Published: June 2022

Marinas are the key infrastructures for satisfying the complex and growing demand for nautical tourism. The significant number of auxiliary industries derived from the operation of the port itself are integrated within the sectors belonging to the Blue Economy. The aim of this article is to determine what marinas provide in Andalusia (Spain) and how they affect the development of the municipalities where they are located. The methodology used relies on a panel of experts who provide in-depth information about the sector by means of the Pestel and Swot diagnosis. The results obtained underline the importance of the marinas in Andalusia for the tourism sector, which are an international point of reference but which are currently exposed to a series of threats derived from the competition of ports in other Spanish regions (Levante, Catalonia, Balearic Islands, etc.), and other countries (Morocco, Croatia, etc.). In conclusion, the ports of Andalusia are well-consolidated and form a fundamental part of the economic development of the area through nautical tourism.
Dynamic Response Analysis of Anchor Piles for Marine Aquaculture under Cyclic Loading
Authors: Kong Jianqiao , Zhang Tianyuan , Gui Fukun , Qu Xiaoyu , Feng Dejun
Published: June 2022

The anchor pile is widely used in marine aquaculture, and its uplift resistance capacity determines the safety performance of the marine aquaculture structure. Cyclic loads such as wind, waves, and currents in the marine environment affect the uplift resistance capacity of anchor piles. By carrying out a cyclic loading model test of anchor piles for marine aquaculture, the influence of loading amplitude, initial tension angle, and other factors on the uplift resistance of anchor piles was investigated. The experimental results showed that with an increase in the loading amplitude, the cumulative displacement and elastic displacement of the anchor pile under vertical and oblique loading increase, and the stiffness of the soil around the anchor piles decreases. The stability of the anchor piles is reduced. When the loading amplitude is the same, with the increase in the initial loading angle, the lateral cumulative displacement of the anchor pile increases. Meanwhile, the vertical cumulative displacement decreases, the stiffness of the soil around the anchor pile decreases, and the stability decreases.
TAR-Based Domino Effect Model for Maritime Accidents
Authors: Ma Xiao-Fei , Shi Guo-You , Liu Zheng-Jiang
Published: June 2022

To thoroughly figure out the distribution and formation mechanism of maritime accidents, this study proposes a domino effect model based on temporal association rules (TAR) to analyze and mine the secrets behind the accident—the formation mechanism of accident chains. In this study, the British Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) accident reports are gathered and examined. Of which, Ro-Ro ships, general cargo ships, and container ships are the top three ship types discussed. The domino effect model is applied to the detected accidents, yielding a series of results. These show that the resulting values from unsafe working practices to death while working are very high and are 8.622 (Ro-Ro ship), 5.920 (General cargo ship) and 6.441 (Container ship), respectively. It indicates that unsafe working practices are very prone to accidents involving death while working. The approach is ubiquitous, and the accident chains compiled from them may be widely employed in marine accident prevention and proactive safety management.
Synergistic Effect of Elevated Temperature and Light Stresses on Physiology of Pocillopora acuta from Different Environments
Authors: Sinutok Sutinee , Chotikarn Ponlachart , Saengsakda Pattaratumrong Manasawan , Moungkeaw Pimrak , Pramneechote Pathompong , Yucharoen Mathinee
Published: June 2022

Increasing levels of greenhouse gases lead to ocean warming, which affects a range of marine organisms. Corals live in a narrow temperature range and become stressed when the temperatures change. Bleaching occurs when the temperature exceeds the coral’s threshold, and can be severe when this is combined with other stressors such as light. In order to understand how temperature and light affect corals in their physiological responses and photosynthetic performance, Pocillopora acuta from Maiton Island (MT) and Panwa Cape (PW), representing different environments, were investigated. The results show that light and temperature had by regime different effects on Symbiodiniaceae photosynthesis and the coral growth rate. There was a synergistic effect of elevated temperature and light on photosynthesis, as observed in the photochemical efficiency and pigment contents, suggesting photo-damage. A higher growth rate in Panwa corals was observed in control, and while elevated temperature reduced coral growth. Elevated temperature affected the Panwa coral less, suggesting that corals from this regime might be able to recover when the temperature returns to normal. This information is important for predicting the coral responses to elevated temperature especially in the summer, as regards the possibility of coral bleaching.
The Influence of Bathymetry on Regional Marine Geoid Modeling in Northern Europe
Authors: Varbla Sander
Published: June 2022

Although Northern Europe has been the target area in many regionwide geoid determination studies, the research has been land-focused, neglecting bathymetry information. With new projects, such as the Baltic Sea Chart Datum 2000, the attention is shifting toward the marine geoid. Hence, consideration for bathymetry has become relevant, the influence of which is studied. In the relatively shallow Baltic Sea, accounting for bathymetry-based residual terrain model reduction during gravity data processing induces marine geoid modeling differences (relative to neglecting bathymetry) mainly within 2 cm. However, the models can deviate up to 3–4 cm in some regions. Rugged Norwegian coastal areas, on the other hand, had modeling improvements around a decimeter. Considering bathymetry may thus help improve geoid modeling outcomes in future Northern Europe geoid determination projects. Besides using the conventional precise GNSS-leveling control points, the paper also demonstrates the usefulness of shipborne GNSS and airborne laser scanning-derived geoidal heights in validating geoid modeling results. A total of 70 gravimetric geoid solutions are presented, for instance, by varying the used reference global geopotential models. According to the comparisons, GOCO05c-based solutions generally perform the best, where modeling agreement with GNSS-leveling control points reached 2.9 cm (standard deviation) from a one-dimensional fit.
Elicitor-Induced Metabolomics Analysis of Halodule pinifolia Suspension Culture for an Alternative Antifungal Screening Approach against Candida albicans
Authors: Alghuthaymi Mousa A. , Danaraj Jeyapragash , Albarakaty Fawziah M. , Periakaruppan Rajiv , Vajravelu Manigandan , Ayyappan Saravanakumar , Selvaraj Kumaralingam , Abd-Elsalam Kamel A.
Published: June 2022

Elicitors are the agents that stimulate the defense responses of plants, and accumulate specialized metabolites in plant tissue culture. This study investigated the elicitor-feeding response of H. pinifolia suspension cell cultures (SCC) for metabolomics analysis and screening of specialized compounds against Candida albicans. Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) was used as an elicitor, and treatment of SCC at a concentration of 20 µM MeJA resulted in the maximum rosmarinic acid (RA) accumulation (117 mg/g dry weight), with transcript levels of RA biosynthetic genes HpPAL, HpC4H, and Hp4CL being 4.2, 2.5, and 3.7-fold higher, respectively, than the controls. GC-MS-based metabolomics analysis revealed a total of 47 metabolites, including 30 organic acids, six amino acids, six flavonoids, two sugars, two plant growth regulators, and one vitamin, which were significantly different between control and MeJA-treated cells. Furthermore, five phenolic acids were discovered at higher concentrations, including p-anisic acid, p-coumaric acid, caffeic acid, vanillic acid, and rosmarinic acid, and were purified and structurally elucidated for alternative antifungal screening against C. albicans and the evaluation of ADMET properties. The results from antifungal screening revealed that RA at MIC of 31.25 mg/L exhibited the lowest growth percentage of C. albicans (1.99%), with higher inhibition of isocitrate lyase 1 (ICL 1) enzyme (93.1%), followed by p-anisic acid (86.2%) and caffeic acid (85.1%), respectively. The drug likeliness and ADMET properties of RA exhibited promising results, with a bioactivity score of 0.57, 0.15, and 0.24 for nuclear receptor ligand, protease inhibitor, and enzyme inhibitor, respectively. Therefore, MeJA appears to have a significant effect on enhanced RA accumulation in H. pinifoia cells with phenylpropanoid transcript expression, and acts as an ICL1 inhibitor of C. albicans.
Bile Acid Regulates Mononuclear Phagocytes and T Helper 17 Cells to Control Candida albicans in the Intestine
Authors: Datta Abhishek , Hernandez-Franco Juan F. , Park Sungtae , Olson Matthew R. , HogenEsch Harm , Thangamani Shankar
Published: June 2022

Invasive Candida albicans (CA) infections often arise from the intestine and cause life-threatening infections in immunocompromised individuals. The role of gut commensal microbiota, metabolites, and host factors in the regulation of CA colonization in the intestine is poorly understood. Previous findings from our lab indicate that taurocholic acid (TCA), a major bile acid present in the intestine, promotes CA colonization and dissemination. Here, we report that oral administration of TCA to CA-infected mice significantly decreased the number of mononuclear phagocytes and CD4+ IL17A+ T helper 17 cells that play a critical role in controlling CA in the intestine. Collectively, our results indicate that TCA modulates mucosal innate and adaptive immune responses to promote CA colonization in the intestine.
Four New Species of Harringtonia: Unravelling the Laurel Wilt Fungal Genus
Authors: Araújo João P. M. , Li You , Duong Tuan A. , Smith Matthew E. , Adams Sawyer , Hulcr Jiri
Published: June 2022

Symbiosis between beetles and fungi arose multiple times during the evolution of both organisms. Some of the most biologically diverse and economically important are mutualisms in which the beetles cultivate and feed on fungi. Among these are bark beetles and Harringtonia, a fungal genus that produces Raffaelea-like asexual morph and hosts the causal agent of laurel wilt, H. lauricola (formerly Raffaelea lauricola). In this study, we propose four new species of Harringtonia associated with beetles from Belize and Florida (USA). We hope to contribute towards a more robust and inclusive phylogenetic framework for future studies on these beetle-fungi relationships and their potential impact in crops and forests worldwide.
Comparative Research on Metabolites of Different Species of Epichloë Endophytes and Their Host Achnatherum sibiricum
Authors: Deng Yongkang , Gao Yuan , Li Chenxi , Zhang Junzhen , Fan Xiaowen , Zhao Nianxi , Gao Yubao , Ren Anzhi
Published: June 2022

Achnatherum sibiricum can be infected by two species of fungal endophytes, Epichloë gansuensis (Eg) and Epichloë sibirica (Es). In this study, the metabolites of Eg, Es, and their infected plants were studied by GC–MS analysis. The results showed that the metabolic profiles of Eg and Es were similar in general, and only six differential metabolites were detected. The direct effect of endophyte infection on the metabolites in A. sibiricum was that endophyte-infected plants could produce mannitol, which was not present in uninfected plants. Epichloë infection indirectly caused an increase in the soluble sugars in A. sibiricum related to growth and metabolites related to the defense against pathogens and herbivores, such as α-tocopherol, α-linolenic acid and aromatic amino acids. Epichloë infection could regulate galactose metabolism, starch and sucrose metabolism, tyrosine metabolism and phenylalanine metabolism of host grass. In addition, there was a significant positive correlation in the metabolite contents between the endophyte and the host.
Post-Translational Modifications of PCNA: Guiding for the Best DNA Damage Tolerance Choice
Authors: Bellí Gemma , Colomina Neus , Castells-Roca Laia , Lorite Neus P.
Published: June 2022

The sliding clamp PCNA is a multifunctional homotrimer mainly linked to DNA replication. During this process, cells must ensure an accurate and complete genome replication when constantly challenged by the presence of DNA lesions. Post-translational modifications of PCNA play a crucial role in channeling DNA damage tolerance (DDT) and repair mechanisms to bypass unrepaired lesions and promote optimal fork replication restart. PCNA ubiquitination processes trigger the following two main DDT sub-pathways: Rad6/Rad18-dependent PCNA monoubiquitination and Ubc13-Mms2/Rad5-mediated PCNA polyubiquitination, promoting error-prone translation synthesis (TLS) or error-free template switch (TS) pathways, respectively. However, the fork protection mechanism leading to TS during fork reversal is still poorly understood. In contrast, PCNA sumoylation impedes the homologous recombination (HR)-mediated salvage recombination (SR) repair pathway. Focusing on Saccharomyces cerevisiae budding yeast, we summarized PCNA related-DDT and repair mechanisms that coordinately sustain genome stability and cell survival. In addition, we compared PCNA sequences from various fungal pathogens, considering recent advances in structural features. Importantly, the identification of PCNA epitopes may lead to potential fungal targets for antifungal drug development.
Risk of Infertility in Males with Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Nationwide, Population-Based, Nested Case-Control Study
Authors: Lin Pin-Yao , Ting Hua , Lu Yen-Ting , Huang Jing-Yang , Lee Tsung-Hsien , Lee Maw-Sheng , Wei James Cheng-Chung
Published: June 2022

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) yields intermittent hypoxia, hypercapnia, and sleep fragmentation. OSA is associated with chronic medical conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, and neurocognitive dysfunction. However, the risk of infertility in OSA remains unclear due to limited data and lack of long-term population-based studies. The study aims to assess the risk of infertility in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) by means of a population-based cohort study. The data was utilized from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) to conduct a population-based cohort study (1997–2013). Compared with the Non-OSA group, the male with OSA and surgery group has the OR (odds ratio) of infertility of 2.70 (95% CI, 1.46–4.98, p = 0.0015), but no significance exists in females with OSA. When the data was stratified according to age and gender, some associations in the specific subgroups were significant. Respectively, males aged 20–35 years old and aged 35–50 years old with a history of OSA and surgery both had a positive association with infertility. (aOR: 3.19; 95% CI, 1.18–8.66, p = 0.0227; aOR: 2.57; 95% CI, 1.18–5.62 p = 0.0176). Male patients with OSA suffer from reduced fertility, but no significant difference was noted in females with OSA. The identification of OSA as a risk factor for male infertility will aid clinicians to optimize long-term medical care. Furthermore, more studies will be encouraged to clarify the effect of OSA on female fertility.
Prognostic Significance of Lymphocyte Infiltrate Localization in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Authors: Čeprnja Toni , Mrklić Ivana , Perić Balja Melita , Marušić Zlatko , Blažićević Valerija , Spagnoli Giulio Cesare , Juretić Antonio , Čapkun Vesna , Tečić Vuger Ana , Vrdoljak Eduard , Tomić Snježana
Published: June 2022

High infiltration by tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) is associated with favorable prognosis in different tumor types, but the clinical significance of their spatial localization within the tumor microenvironment is debated. To address this issue, we evaluated the accumulation of intratumoral TILs (itTILs) and stromal TILs (sTILs) in samples from 97 patients with early triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) in the center (sTIL central) and periphery (sTIL peripheral) of tumor tissues. Moreover, the presence of primary and secondary lymphoid aggregates (LAs) and the expression levels of the cancer testis antigen (CTA), NY-ESO-1, and PD-L1 were explored. High infiltration by itTILs was observed in 12/97 samples (12.3%), unrelated to age, Ki67 expression, tumor size, histologic type and grade, and LA presence. NY-ESO-1 was expressed in tumor cells in 37 samples (38%), with a trend suggesting a correlation with itTIL infiltration (p = 0.0531). PD-L1 expression was detected in immune cells in 47 samples (49%) and was correlated with histologic grade, sTILs, and LA formation. The presence of primary LAs was significantly correlated with better disease-free survival (DFS) (p = 0.027). Moreover, no tumor progression was observed during >40 months of clinical follow up in the 12 patients with high itTILs or in the 14 patients with secondary LAs. Thus, careful evaluation of lymphoid infiltrate intratumoral localization might provide important prognostic information.
Xanthogranuloma of the Sellar Region: A Comprehensive Review of Neuroimaging in a Rare Inflammatory Entity
Authors: Lozovanu Vera , Georgescu Carmen Emanuela , Florescu Lavinia Maria , Georgiu Carmen , Silaghi Horatiu , Fratea Andrian , Silaghi Cristina Alina
Published: June 2022

Xanthogranuloma of the sellar region is a rare chronic inflammatory lesion resulting from secondary hemorrhage, inflammation, infarction, and necrosis of an existing Rathke’s cleft cyst, craniopharyngioma, or pituitary adenoma. Sellar xanthogranulomas are challenging to differentiate from other cystic lesions preoperatively due to the lack of characteristic imaging features. We performed a literature overview of the clinical and paraclinical features, treatment options, and long-term outcomes of patients with sellar xanthogranuloma, focusing on the preoperative radiological diagnosis. The hyperintense signal in both T1- and T2-weighted sequences, cystic or partially cystic morphology, ovoid shape, sellar epicenter, intra- and suprasellar location, intratumoral calcifications, linear rim contrast enhancement, and the absence of cavernous sinus invasion suggest xanthogranuloma in the preoperative differential diagnosis. An endoscopic endonasal gross total resection without radiotherapy is the preferred first-line treatment. Given the low rate of recurrence rate and low chance of endocrinological recovery, a mass reduction with decompression of the optic apparatus may represent an appropriate surgical goal. Identifying the xanthogranulomas’ mutational profile could complement histopathological diagnosis and give insight into their histo-pathogenesis. A better preoperative neuroimagistic diagnosis of sellar xanthogranulomas and differentiation from lesions with a poorer prognosis, such as craniopharyngioma, would result in an optimal personalized surgical approach.
A Machine Learning Approach for Predicting Wage Workers’ Suicidal Ideation
Authors: Park Hwanjin , Lee Kounseok
Published: June 2022

(1) Background: Workers spend most of their days working. One’s working environment can be a risk factor for suicide. In this study, we examined whether suicidal ideation can be predicted using individual characteristics, emotional states, and working environments. (2) Methods: Nine years of data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey were used. A total of 12,816 data points were analyzed, and 23 variables were selected. The random forest technique was used to predict suicidal thoughts. (3) Results: When suicidal ideation cases were predicted using all of the independent variables, 98.9% of cases were predicted, and 97.4% could be predicted using only work-related conditions. (4) Conclusions: It was confirmed that suicide risk could be predicted efficiently when machine learning techniques were applied using variables such as working environments.
Machine Learning-Assisted FTIR Analysis of Circulating Extracellular Vesicles for Cancer Liquid Biopsy
Authors: Di Santo Riccardo , Vaccaro Maria , Romanò Sabrina , Di Giacinto Flavio , Papi Massimiliano , Rapaccini Gian Ludovico , De Spirito Marco , Miele Luca , Basile Umberto , Ciasca Gabriele
Published: June 2022

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are abundantly released into the systemic circulation, where they show remarkable stability and harbor molecular constituents that provide biochemical information about their cells of origin. Due to this characteristic, EVs are attracting increasing attention as a source of circulating biomarkers for cancer liquid biopsy and personalized medicine. Despite this potential, none of the discovered biomarkers has entered the clinical practice so far, and novel approaches for the label-free characterization of EVs are highly demanded. In this regard, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) has great potential as it provides a quick, reproducible, and informative biomolecular fingerprint of EVs. In this pilot study, we investigated, for the first time in the literature, the capability of FTIR spectroscopy to distinguish between EVs extracted from sera of cancer patients and controls based on their mid-IR spectral response. For this purpose, EV-enriched suspensions were obtained from the serum of patients diagnosed with Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) of nonviral origin and noncancer subjects. Our data point out the presence of statistically significant differences in the integrated intensities of major mid-IR absorption bands, including the carbohydrate and nucleic acids band, the protein amide I and II bands, and the lipid CH stretching band. Additionally, we used Principal Component Analysis combined with Linear Discriminant Analysis (PCA-LDA) for the automated classification of spectral data according to the shape of specific mid-IR spectral signatures. The diagnostic performances of the proposed spectral biomarkers, alone and combined, were evaluated using multivariate logistic regression followed by a Receiving Operator Curve analysis, obtaining large Areas Under the Curve (AUC = 0.91, 95% CI 0.81–1.0). Very interestingly, our analyses suggest that the discussed spectral biomarkers can outperform the classification ability of two widely used circulating HCC markers measured on the same groups of subjects, namely alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), and protein induced by the absence of vitamin K or antagonist-II (PIVKA-II).
Genetic Variations of the DPYD Gene and Its Relationship with Ancestry Proportions in Different Ecuadorian Trihybrid Populations
Authors: Farinango Camila , Gallardo-Cóndor Jennifer , Freire-Paspuel Byron , Flores-Espinoza Rodrigo , Jaramillo-Koupermann Gabriela , López-Cortés Andrés , Burgos Germán , Tejera Eduardo , Cabrera-Andrade Alejandro
Published: June 2022

Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase is one of the main pharmacological metabolizers of fluoropyrimidines, a group of drugs widely used in clinical oncology. Around 20 to 30% of patients treated with fluoropyrimidines experience severe toxicity caused by a partial or total decrease in enzymatic activity. This decrease is due to molecular variants in the DPYD gene. Their prevalence and allelic frequencies vary considerably worldwide, so their description in heterogeneous groups such as the Ecuadorian population will allow for the description of pharmacogenetic variants and proper characterization of this population. Thus, we genotyped all the molecular variants with a predictive value for DPYD in a total of 410 Ecuadorian individuals belonging to Mestizo, Afro-Ecuadorian, and Indigenous ethnic groups. Moreover, we developed a genetic ancestry analysis using 46 autosomal ancestry informative markers. We determined 20 genetic variations in 5 amplified regions, including 3 novel single nucleotide variants. The allele frequencies for DPYD variants c.1627G>A (*5, rs1801159), c.1129-15T>C (rs56293913), c.1218G>A (rs61622928), rs1337752, rs141050810, rs2786783, rs2811178, and g.97450142G>A (chr1, GRCh38.p13) are significantly related to Native American and African ancestry proportions. In addition, the FST calculated from these variants demonstrates the closeness between Indigenous and Mestizo populations, and evidences genetic divergence between Afro-Ecuadorian groups when compared with Mestizo and Indigenous ethnic groups. In conclusion, the genetic variability in the DPYD gene is related to the genetic component of ancestral populations in different Ecuadorian ethnic groups. The absence and low frequency of variants with predictive value for fluoropyrimidine toxicity such as DPYD *2A, HapB3, and c.2846A>T (prevalent in populations with European ancestry) is consistent with the genetic background found.
Consumer Responses to Selected Activities: Price Increases, Lack of Product Information and Numerical Way of Expressing Product Prices
Authors: Martinčić Mirela , Vuković Dijana , Hunjet Anica
Published: June 2022

The importance of constant consumer testing is emphasized in order for companies to deliver the highest value for the quality of products and services. To explain the psychological impact of price on product selection, and other factors that determine consumer behavior, a survey method was applied. When deciding to buy a product, the consumer’s perception of the value of selected re-search products (clothing, footwear, children’s equipment) is crucial and it can often differ from the value derived from the price set by the seller. The conducted research proved that sellers can really influence consumers’ decision to buy a product with their price, and that a large number of consumers perceive the price incorrectly and thus buy more than they planned. Having in mind the subject of this paper, the basic scientific goal was to define a consumer model that integrates factors (variables) influencing consumer behavior to answer the question of how and why con-sumers react to rising product prices, how much they use the importance of information about product quality as a parameter of the decision, and how much consumers when choosing a product notice the price ending in a different number from the number of zeros. As consumer behavior is strongly influenced by a number of factors, it can be defined that the consumer’s response to selected activities: price increases, lack of product information and numerical way of expressing product prices may not contain all factors and their relationships and simplifies the picture of the consumer model. In order to test hypotheses about the extent to which customers are sensitive and willing to replace a product with certain substitutes, i.e., how willing they are to conclude about a product they buy based on price if they do not have enough information about the product and how much zeros are favored by consumers when shopping, an empirical study was conducted on a sample of 214 respondents. The results of the research indicate that in moments when respondents do not have enough information about the product, they are not inclined to draw conclusions solely on the basis of price, and prices ending in odd numbers or non-zero are not more attractive than those ending in zero.
The Effects of CSR Report Mandatory Policy on Analyst Forecasts: Evidence from Taiwan
Authors: Tseng Tzu-Yun , Shih Nien-Su
Published: June 2022

The Taiwanese government altered its corporate social responsibility (CSR) report management policy from voluntary disclosure and assurance of CSR reports to partial mandatory disclosure and partial mandatory assurance. This paper examines this policy’s effects on analyst forecast. The empirical results showed that the mandatory disclosure policy on CSR reports significantly increased analyst forecast accuracy and reduced analyst forecast dispersion. Furthermore, the study found that analyst forecast accuracy was further increased when CSR reports were forced to undergo accountant assurance than those without mandatory accountant assurance which means that the mandatory assurance policy on CSR reports significantly further increased analyst forecast accuracy.
Influence of the Emotion of Fear on Patterns of Consumer Behavior toward Dietary Supplements during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Vuković Dijana , Jurič Boris , Krnjak Iva
Published: June 2022

The focus of this paper is placed on the role of emotions in consumer behavior, specifically in the process of purchasing dietary supplements during the COVID-19 pandemic. The theoretical part is based on current knowledge from relevant Croatian and foreign scientific and professional literature on dietary supplements, the COVID-19 pandemic, consumer behavior, decision-making and the impact of emotions on it, while the empirical research portion of this paper details the attitudes of consumers who buy food supplements, the role and importance of different emotions that have a greater or a lesser impact on the purchase of food supplements, with special reference to the timing of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the factors that make consumers decide to purchase food supplements. This research was conducted in the form of a survey that included 257 respondents who were actual users of dietary supplements. It showed that the main drive for buying dietary supplements during the COVID-19 pandemic is the emotion of fear, as the consumers perceived this new disease as a threat to their health and life.
Residual State Ownership and Firm Performance: A Case of Vietnam
Authors: Nguyen Manh Hoang , Vo Thi Quy
Published: June 2022

Privatization has played an important role in national economic reform in Vietnam. However, unlike other transitional countries in Central and Eastern Europe, Vietnam has chosen a partial and gradual privatization where the government still holds significant ownership in most privatized firms. Whether partial privatization can enhance privatized firms’ performance or full privatization should have been implemented is a critical question that needs to be answered. This paper utilizes semiparametric regressions to study the relationship between residual state ownership and firm performance. The results indicate an inverted U relationship between state ownership and firm performance. We show that the performance of privatized firms improves with an increase in the level of state ownership until around 40%, after which the effect of state ownership on firm performance tends to decline. This demonstrates that in a transitional context, relinquishing governmental control via privatization can significantly benefit privatized firm performance. However, further reduction of state ownership may decrease the performance of privatized firms. Overall, the study contributes significantly to the growing body of evidence on the nonlinear effects of state ownership. This suggests that in the transitional context of Vietnam, due to weak corporate governance and limited protection of minority shareholders, there could be a temporary optimal position where state and private investors hold balanced ownership to simultaneously supervise operations and promote the performance of privatized firms.
Quantification and Simulation of Landscape Anthropization around the Mining Agglomerations of Southeastern Katanga (DR Congo) between 1979 and 2090
Authors: Muteya Héritier Khoji , Nghonda Dieu-Donné N’Tambwe , Malaisse François , Waselin Salomon , Sambiéni Kouagou Raoul , Kaleba Sylvestre Cabala , Kankumbi François Munyemba , Bastin Jean-François , Bogaert Jan , Sikuzani Yannick Useni
Published: June 2022

In Southeastern Katanga, mining activities are (in)directly responsible for deforestation, ecosystem degradation and unplanned building densification. However, little is known about these dynamics at the local level. First, we quantify the landscape anthropization around four agglomerations of Southeastern Katanga (Lubumbashi, Likasi, Fungurume and Kolwezi) in order to assess the applicability of the Nature–Agriculture-Urbanization model based on the fact that natural landscapes are replaced by anthropogenic landscapes, first dominated by agricultural production, and then built-up areas. Secondly, we predict evolutionary trends of landscape anthropization by 2090 through the first-order Markov chain. Mapping coupled with landscape ecology analysis tools revealed that the natural cover that dominated the landscape in 1979 lost more than 60% of its area in 41 years (1979–2020) around these agglomerations in favor of agricultural and energy production, the new landscape matrix in 2020, but also built-up areas. These disturbances, amplified between 2010 and 2020, are more significant around Lubumbashi and Kolwezi agglomerations. Built-up areas which spread progressively will become the dominant process by 2060 in Lubumbashi and by 2075 in Kolwezi. Our results confirm the applicability of the Nature–Agriculture-Urbanization model to the tropical context and underline the urgency to put in place a territorial development plan and alternatives regarding the use of charcoal as a main energy source in order to decrease the pressure on natural ecosystems, particularly in peri-urban areas.
The Guidance and Control of Urban Planning for Reuse of Industrial Heritage: A Study of Nanjing
Authors: Wu Yanming , Pottgiesser Uta , Quist Wido , Zhou Qi
Published: June 2022

Industrial heritage is among the products of modern urban development, and the influencing factors of its regeneration and development are often complex. Due to different national conditions, the research progress and approaches in industrial heritage reuse in China are different from other countries. While industrial heritage sites in Europe have become part of urban redevelopment in several regions, China still focuses mostly on single objects, lacking systematic analysis, especially at the urban scale. Regarding the city of Nanjing, an operational approach to complex urban dynamics is proposed based on a simplified analysis of official statistics, maps and GIS technology. The influence mechanisms of Nanjing’s urban planning on industrial heritage regeneration and development after 1990 are analyzed. The results show that urban growth boundaries, traffic accessibility, eco-environmental policies, population distribution, industrial renovation investment and natural resource change all have a significant impact on the abandonment and regeneration of Nanjing industrial heritage. This study expands the research perspective of industrial heritage reuse in China and proposes a clearer systematic planning strategy for the future of industrial heritage in cities.
Village Evaluation and Classification Guidance of a County in Southeast Gansu Based on the Rural Revitalization Strategy
Authors: Wang Yongzhen , Cao Xianzhong
Published: June 2022

The rural revitalization strategy is a key strategic deployment to resolve the “San Nong” (Agriculture, Rural Areas, and Farmers) issue and attain agricultural and rural modernization in the new era. The strategy has practical significance in determining the differentiation principle of rural areas, identifying their development types, and elucidating the goal orientation of rural revitalization. Starting from the current situation of villages in Gangu County, this study thoroughly analyzes and evaluates the functions of the village system using the ArcGIS spatial analysis method, with urban–rural overall planning as the core concept and various function and correcting factor evaluations as the basis. Based on the functional characteristics of different dimensions, villages in Gangu County were categorized as follows: Weihe River Valley high-efficiency economic zone, Sandu River Taiwan grain and vegetable multi-characteristic economic zone, North Front Mountain grain, vegetable, medicine, and oil zone, South Front Mountain grain, vegetable, and oil zone, North Back Mountain grain, oil, and medicine zone, and South Back Mountain grain and economic zone as corresponding planning strategies for classified development guidance.
The Spatiotemporal Evolution and Prediction of Carbon Storage: A Case Study of Urban Agglomeration in China’s Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region
Authors: He Yingting , Xia Chuyu , Shao Zhuang , Zhao Jing
Published: June 2022

Due to rapid urban expansion, urban agglomerations face enormous challenges on their way to carbon neutrality. Regarding China’s urban agglomerations, 25% of the land contains 75% of the population, and all types of land are used efficiently and intensively. However, few studies have explored the spatiotemporal link between changes in land use and land cover (LULC) and carbon storage. In this work, the carbon storage changes from 1990 to 2020 were estimated using the InVEST model in China’s Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region. By coupling the Future Land Use Simulation (FLUS) model and InVEST model, the LULC and carbon storage changes in the BTH region in 2035 and 2050 under the natural evolution scenario (NES), economic priority scenario (EPS), ecological conservation scenario (ECS), and coordinated development scenario (CDS). Finally, the spatial autocorrelation analysis of regional carbon storage was developed for future zoning management. The results revealed the following: (1) the carbon storage in the BTH region exhibited a cumulative loss of 3.5 × 107 Mg from 1990 to 2020, and the carbon loss was serious between 2000 and 2010 due to rapid urbanization. (2) Excluding the ECS, the other three scenarios showed continued expansion of construction land. Under the EPS, the carbon storage was found to have the lowest value, which decreased to 16.05 × 108 Mg in 2035 and only 15.38 × 108 Mg in 2050; under the ECS, the carbon storage was predicted to reach the highest value, 18.22 × 108 Mg and 19.00 × 108 Mg, respectively; the CDS exhibited a similar trend as the NES, but the carbon storage was found to increase. (3) The carbon storage under the four scenarios was found to have a certain degree of similarity in terms of its spatial distribution; the high-value areas were found to be clustered in the northwestern part of Beijing and the northern and western parts of Hebei. As for the number of areas with high carbon storage, the ECS was found to be the most abundant, followed by the CDS, and the EPS was found to be the least. The findings of this study can help the BTH region implement the “dual carbon” target and provide a leading example for other urban agglomerations.
Policy Innovation of Life Cycle Management of Industrial Land Supply in China
Authors: Luo Yao , Li Chen , Zhi Junjun , Wu Qun , Yao Jiajing
Published: June 2022

With the expansion of the scale of industrial land, China’s industrial economy continues to grow at a high speed, but the long-term homogeneous land supply policy has led to low land use efficiency. Exploring differentiated industrial land supply policy (DILSP) innovations can effectively address this issue. However, due to the limited practical cases, there are few studies on the policy innovations of industrial land supply. Based on the life cycle management (LCM) of industrial land (LCMIL), this study uses the policy analysis method to reform and innovate industrial land supply policy to solve the disadvantages of the current industrial land supply policy and proposes the DILSP as its basis. The research shows the following: (1) there are many problems in China’s current land supply policy, but policy innovation in some economically developed cities has achieved positive results, indicating that an effective institutional supply is the best way to solve these problems; (2) the process of industrial land utilization has obvious cyclical characteristics, and a complete process and differentiated supply policy framework based on “differentiated access evaluation, differentiated supply method, differentiated supply period, differentiated supply price, differentiated post-supply supervision” has a certain rationality and feasibility. This study provides an innovative solution to the shortcomings of China’s existing industrial land supply policy, and the idea of applying LCM theory to government policy-making also has a certain reference significance.