bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Coreolanceolins A–E, New Flavanones from the Flowers of Coreopsis lanceolate, and Their Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Effects
Authors: Kim Hyoung-Geun , Jung Young Sung , Oh Seon Min , Oh Hyun-Ji , Ko Jung-Hwan , Kim Dae-Ok , Kang Se Chan , Lee Yeong-Geun , Lee Dae Young , Baek Nam-In
Published: June 2020

(1) Background: Many flavonoids derived from natural sources have been reported to exhibit antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Our preliminary study suggested that Coreopsis lanceolata flowers (CLFs) include high flavonoid content; (2) Methods: CLFs were extracted in 80% (v/v) aqueous methanol and fractionated into ethyl acetate, n-butanol, and water fractions. Repeated column chromatographies for the organic fractions led to the isolation of seven flavanones. Quantitative analysis of the flavanones was carried out using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. All flavanones were evaluated for their antioxidant and pro-inflammatory inhibition effects; (3) Results: Spectroscopic analyses revealed the chemical structure of five new flavanones, coreolanceolins A–E, and two known ones. The content of the seven flavanones in extracts were determined from 0.8 ± 0.1 to 38.8 ± 0.3 mg/g. All flavanones showed radical scavenging activities (respectively 104.3 ± 1.9 to 20.5 ± 0.3 mg vitamin C equivalents (VCE)/100 mg and 1278.6 ± 26.8 to 325.6 ± 0.2 mg VCE/100 mg) in the DPPH and 2,2′-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assays and recovery activities in Caco-2 (59.7 to 41.1%), RAW264.7 (87.8 to 56.0%), and PC-12 (100.5 to 69.9%) cells against reactive oxygen species. Furthermore, all flavanones suppressed nitric oxide production (99.5% to 37.3%) and reduced iNOS and COX-2 expression in lipopolysaccharide-treated RAW 264.7 cells; (4) Conclusions: Five new and two known flavanones were isolated from CLF, and most of them showed high antioxidant and pro-inflammatory inhibition effects.
Targeting the Heme-Heme Oxygenase System to Prevent Severe Complications Following COVID-19 Infections
Authors: Wagener Frank A. D. T. G. , Pickkers Peter , Peterson Stephen J. , Immenschuh Stephan , Abraham Nader G.
Published: June 2020

SARS-CoV-2 is causing a pandemic resulting in high morbidity and mortality. COVID-19 patients suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are often critically ill and show lung injury and hemolysis. Heme is a prosthetic moiety crucial for the function of a wide variety of heme-proteins, including hemoglobin and cytochromes. However, injury-derived free heme promotes adhesion molecule expression, leukocyte recruitment, vascular permeabilization, platelet activation, complement activation, thrombosis, and fibrosis. Heme can be degraded by the anti-inflammatory enzyme heme oxygenase (HO) generating biliverdin/bilirubin, iron/ferritin, and carbon monoxide. We therefore postulate that free heme contributes to many of the inflammatory phenomena witnessed in critically ill COVID-19 patients, whilst induction of HO-1 or harnessing heme may provide protection. HO-activity not only degrades injurious heme, but its effector molecules possess also potent salutary anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. Until a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 becomes available, we need to explore novel strategies to attenuate the pro-inflammatory, pro-thrombotic, and pro-fibrotic consequences of SARS-CoV-2 leading to morbidity and mortality. The heme-HO system represents an interesting target for novel “proof of concept” studies in the context of COVID-19.
Electrodeposition Patterned Copper Foam with Micro/Nanostructures for Reducing Supercooling in Water-Based Cool Storage Phase-Change Materials
Authors: Xu Mou , Chen Yu-Feng , Liang Jian-Yang , Mo Dong-Chuan , Lyu Shu-Shen
Published: June 2020

Copper foam is widely used in industrial catalysis, flow boiling, and latent heat storage systems. It is expected that a multi-level topology copper foam with micro/nanostructures can further enhance performance. In this study, an electrochemically patterned copper foam with micro/nanostructures was fabricated and used to reduce supercooling in water-based cool storage phase-change materials. By controlling the reaction time (e.g., 195 s, 255 s, and 300 s), the pattern on the copper foam skeleton appeared as granular, dendritic, and coral-like structures, respectively. Compared with a blank group with supercooling of 11 °C during the solidification process, the unmodified copper foam (CF#0s) can reduce it to 7.7 °C. Electrodeposition-patterned copper foam with micro/nanostructures can further reduce supercooling. The average supercooling degree for CF#195s, CF#255s, and CF#300s was further reduced to 5.6 °C, 4.8 °C, and 4.6 °C, respectively. Among them, CF#300s reduced the supercooling and delay time by 60%. This occurred because the micro-nanostructure on the skeleton of copper foam provides abundant nucleation sites for the solidification of water, and surface roughness increases the nucleation rate.
Application of a Prediction Model for Ambient Noise Levels and Acoustical Capacity for Living Rooms in Nursing Homes Hosting Older People with Dementia
Authors: Devos Paul , Aletta Francesco , Thomas Pieter , Vander Mynsbrugge Tara , Petrovic Mirko , Van de Velde Dominique , De Vriendt Patricia , Botteldooren Dick
Published: June 2020

Acoustic comfort is becoming an increasingly important dimension for practitioners in the context of design of care facilities for older adults, namely nursing homes. Defining the quality of these spaces based on room acoustics criteria alone might be challenging if aspects related to their functioning (e.g., speech-based activities) are not taken into account. The acoustical capacity concept has been previously proposed for eating establishments as a way to provide a quality assessment based on both physical characteristics of the space and the perceived quality of verbal communication. In this study, a revised version of a prediction model for ambient noise levels based on occupancy and an estimation of acoustical capacity are proposed for nursing homes hosting people with dementia, and the corresponding parameters of slope, group size and absorption per person are optimized for the specific application, using a Nursing Home in Flanders (Belgium) participating to the AcustiCare project as case study. Results show that, compared to normal eating establishments, lower absorption per person values and higher group size values should be used in nursing homes to reduce errors in ambient noise levels prediction. Furthermore, using a retrofit intervention carried out in the living room of the Nursing Home, the enhanced acoustical capacity of the space was analysed. Results, in this case, show that, prior to the retrofit intervention, the acoustical capacity was already exceeded with average occupancy (i.e., saturated in normal functioning conditions), while the reduction in reverberation time achieved with the retrofit increased considerably the acoustical capacity of the space, shifting the quality of verbal communication in the living room from insufficient to satisfactory.
An Innovative Approach on Directed Energy Deposition Optimization: A Study of the Process Environment’s Influence on the Quality of Ti-6Al-4V Samples
Authors: Carrozza Alessandro , Aversa Alberta , Mazzucato Federico , Lombardi Mariangela , Biamino Sara , Valente Anna , Fino Paolo
Published: June 2020

Blown powder additive manufacturing technologies are not restricted to the use of a process chamber. This feature allows to build larger components with respect to conventional powder bed processes. This peculiarity is mostly promising for manufacturing large components or repairing/rebuilding parts of large systems. The main downside of using an open environment, even if a protective shielding gas system is adopted, is the lack of control of process atmosphere. This is particularly critical for titanium alloys which are very sensitive to oxygen/nitrogen pick-up; they have a detrimental effect on ductility, by causing embrittlement and possibly leading to the formation of cracks. It is then important to address how environmental factors, such as process atmosphere and platform temperature, impact not only on the processability but also on the final component properties, both from a compositional and mechanical point of view. The correlations between these environmental factors and microstructure, interstitials content, grain size, and hardness were investigated. Moreover, the Hall–Petch equation was then adopted to additive manufacturing microstructures, characterized by a columnar grain morphology, and used to further investigate the relationship intercurring between grains and hardness and how different microstructures might influence this correlation.
Effect of Ultraviolet Irradiation on Osseointegration of Dental Implants: A Comparative Histomorphometric Study in Canine Models
Authors: Lee Chunui , Jeong Seung-Mi , Yang Hyun-Woo , Choi Byung-Ho
Published: June 2020

Recent studies have focused on achieving sound osseointegration applying methods of surface reprocessing of dental implants using ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. However, there have been few reports on the effect of UV irradiation on osseointegration in both the short and long term, and experimental studies using the canine model do not exist. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the short- and long-term degree of osseointegration of dental implants according to UV irradiation using a histometric analysis in canine models. Four beagles were used for this study and 24 dental implants were placed. Six implants were inserted with flapless protocols in each mandible. Half of the implants were UV-irradiated prior to implantation. UV-treated and untreated implants were placed one after the other; implant stability was recorded using the implant stability test (IST) immediately after implantation and every seven days thereafter. Two of the beagles were sacrificed after four weeks and the other two after 12 weeks. The implants were removed in block sections and were evaluated histomorphologically and statistically. As a result, we found no statistically significant differences in the mean IST values and in bone-to-implant contact (BIC) in all groups at 4 and 12 weeks.
Fragility Analysis of Gantry Crane Subjected to Near-Field Ground Motions
Authors: Peng Qihui , Cheng Wenming , Jia Hongyu , Guo Peng
Published: June 2020

A gantry crane located in a near-field earthquake-prone area is selected in this paper as an example, and the nonlinear finite element (FE) model is used considering the material nonlinearity including plastic hinges and the second order (P − Δ ) effect with a comprehensive consideration of the components including sill beams, support beams, legs, and trolley girders. The local displacement ratio (LDR) and deflection ratio (DR) are proposed as demand measures (DMs) of the gantry crane, which are utilized to construct a probabilistic seismic demand model (PSDM). Then, the capacity limit states for the gantry crane are defined in this study by performing pushover analysis (POA), known as serviceability, damage control, and collapse prevention, respectively. Moreover, the operating capacity of the crane during an earthquake is further investigated and quantified by operating seismic peak ground acceleration, which is defined as the maximum acceleration when the failure probability is 50%. Finally, the fragility curves and the failure probability of the gantry crane are derived by the above definitions, all of which are pioneering in the seismic design of gantry cranes subjected to near-field ground motions. Some major conclusions are drawn that the horizontal component of an earthquake has a more notable effect on the structural damage of the gantry crane compared to the vertical component, and incremental dynamic analysis can take seismic uncertainty into account and quantify the deformation of gantry crane in more detail.
An Active-Clamp Forward Inverter Featuring Soft Switching and Electrical Isolation
Authors: Chang Chien-Hsuan , Cheng Chun-An , Cheng Hung-Liang , Wu Yen-Ting
Published: June 2020

Traditional photovoltaic (PV) grid-connection inverters with sinusoidal pulse-width modulation (SPWM) control suffer the problem of buck-typed conversion. Additional line-frequency transformers or boost converters are required to step-up output voltage, leading to low system efficiency and high circuit complexity. Therefore, many flyback inverters with electrical isolation have been proposed by adopting a flyback converter to generate a rectified sine wave, and then connecting with a bridge unfolder to control polarity. However, all energy of a flyback inverter must be temporarily stored in the magnetizing inductor of transformer so that the efficiency and the out power are limited. This paper presents a high-efficiency active-clamp forward inverter with the features of zero-voltage switching (ZVS) and electrical isolation. The proposed inverter circuit is formed by adopting a forward converter to generate a rectified sine wave, and combining with the active-clamp circuit to reset the residual magnetic flux of the transformer. Due to the boost capability of the transformer, this inverter is suitable for the PV grid-connection power systems with wide input-voltage variation. The operation principles at steady-state are analyzed, and the mathematical equations for circuit design are conducted. Finally, a laboratory prototype is built as an illustration example according to proper analysis and design. Based on the experimental results, the feasibility and satisfactory performance of the proposed inverter circuit are verified.
Combination of Different Approaches to Infer Local or Regional Contributions to PM2.5 Burdens in Graz, Austria
Authors: Kirchsteiger Bernadette , Kistler Magdalena , Steinkogler Thomas , Herzig Christopher , Limbeck Andreas , Schmidt Christian , Rieder Harald , Kasper-Giebl Anne
Published: June 2020

In early 2017 high particulate matter (PM) levels were observed across mid-Europe, including Austria. Here we characterize PM pollution in the city of Graz during January to March 2017, a period with substantial exceedances (34 days) of the European Union (EU) PM10 short time limit value. This study evaluates whether the observed exceedances can be attributed to the accumulation of pollutants emitted by local sources or to a larger scale pollution episode including transport. The analyses are based on the ratios of PM10 concentrations determined at an urban and background site, and the analyses of chemical composition of PM2.5 samples (i.e., water soluble ions, organic and elemental carbon, anhydro-sugars, humic-like substances, aluminum, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons). Source apportionment was realized using a macro-tracer model. Overall, the combination of different approaches (PM10 ratios, chemical composition, and macro-tracer derived source apportionment) enabled a conclusive identification of time periods characterized by the accumulation of emissions from local sources or regional pollution episodes.
An Accurate and Efficient Approach to Calculating the Wheel Location and Orientation for CNC Flute-Grinding
Authors: Fang Yang , Wang Liming , Yang Jianping , Li Jianfeng
Published: June 2020

The profile of flutes has a great influence on the stiffness and chip-removal capacity of end-mills. Generally, the accuracy of flute parameters is determined by the computer numerical control (CNC) grinding machine through setting the wheel’s location and orientation. In this work, a novel algorithm was proposed to optimize the wheel’s location and orientation for the flute-grinding to achieve higher accuracy and efficiency. Based on the geometrical constraint that the grinding wheel should always intersect with the bar-stock while grinding the flutes, the grinding wheel and bar-stock were simplified as an ellipse and circle via projecting in the cross-section. In light of this, we re-formulated the wheel’s determination model and analyzed the geometrical constraints for interference, over-cut and undercut in a unified framework. Then, the projection model and geometrical constraints were integrated with the evolution algorithm (i.e., particle swarm optimization (PSO), genetic algorithm (GA) for the population initialization and local search operator so as to optimize the wheel’s location and orientation. Numerical examples were given to confirm the validity and efficiency of the proposed approach. Compared with the existing approaches, the present approach improves the flute-grinding accuracy and robustness with a wide range of applications for various flute sizes. The proposed algorithm could be used to facilitate the general flute-grinding operations. In the future, this method could be extended to more complex grinding operations with the requirement of high accuracy, such as various-section cutting-edge resharpening.
Exploring Benefits of Using Blending Splines as Transition Curves
Authors: Brustad Tanita Fossli , Dalmo Rune
Published: June 2020

Track geometry is a fundamental subject in railway construction. With the demand for increased capacity in terms of load and speed, the need for suitable transitions between consecutive track sections is highly relevant. Properly constructed transition curves lead to improved travel comfort, increased safety, and reduced wear. The well known clothoid curve is widely used as a transition curve; however, the linear curvature is not sufficiently smooth to meet the requirements for railways carrying high speed trains or heavy hauls. Blending spline curves are flexible spline constructions possessing favourable smoothness properties at the end points, which makes them considerable for use as transition curves. This paper demonstrates some selected blending splines applied as transition curves between two existing circular arc segments selected from the Ofotbanen railway. The main results in this paper are related to the smoothness at the end points and the behaviour of the curvature of the curves, where the new transition curves were shown to be smoother than the original clothoid. Another new result is the observation that the proposed method allows for the improvement of existing railways without forcing extensive changes to the original track. Some representative examples are included to highlight the flexibility of this first instance of blending splines as transition curves.
Bridge Crack Detection Based on SSENets
Authors: Li Haotian , Xu Hongyan , Tian Xiaodong , Wang Yi , Cai Huaiyu , Cui Kerang , Chen Xiaodong
Published: June 2020

Bridge crack detection is essential to prevent transportation accidents. However, the surrounding environment has great interference with the detection of cracks, which makes it difficult to ensure the accuracy of the detection. In order to accurately detect bridge cracks, we proposed an end-to-end model named Skip-Squeeze-and-Excitation Networks (SSENets). It is mainly composed of the Skip-Squeeze-Excitation (SSE) module and the Atrous Spatial Pyramid Pooling (ASPP) module. The SSE module uses skip-connection strategy to enhance the gradient correlation between the shallow network and deeper network, alleviating the vanishing gradient caused by the deepening of the network. The ASPP module can extract multi-scale contextual information of images, while the depthwise separable convolution reduces computational complexity. In order to avoid destroying the topology of crack, we used atrous convolution instead of the pooling layer. The proposed SSENets achieved a detection accuracy of 97.77%, which performed better than the models we compared it with. The designed SSE module which used skip-connection strategy can be embedded in other convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to improve their performance.
Outdoor Thermal Comfort and Building Energy Use Potential in Different Land-Use Areas in Tropical Cities: Case of Kuala Lumpur
Authors: Aktas Yasemin D. , Wang Kai , Zhou Yu , Othman Murnira , Stocker Jenny , Jackson Mark , Hood Christina , Carruthers David , Latif Mohd Talib , D’Ayala Dina , Hunt Julian
Published: June 2020

High air temperature and high humidity, combined with low wind speeds, are common trends in the tropical urban climates, which collectively govern heat-induced health risks and outdoor thermal comfort under the given hygrothermal conditions. The impact of different urban land-uses on air temperatures is well-documented by many studies focusing on the urban heat island phenomenon; however, an integrated study of air temperature and humidity, i.e., the human-perceived temperatures, in different land-use areas is essential to understand the impact of hot and humid tropical urban climates on the thermal comfort of urban dwellers for an appraisal of potential health risks and the associated building energy use potential. In this study, we show through near-surface monitoring how these factors vary in distinct land-use areas of Kuala Lumpur city, characterized by different morphological features (high-rise vs. low-rise; compact vs. open), level of anthropogenic heating and evapotranspiration (built-up vs. green areas), and building materials (concrete buildings vs. traditional Malay homes in timber) based on the calculated heat index (HI), apparent temperature (TApp) and equivalent temperature (TE) values in wet and dry seasons. The results show that the felt-like temperatures are almost always higher than the air temperatures in all land-use areas, and this difference is highest in daytime temperatures in green areas during the dry season, by up to about 8 °C (HI)/5 °C (TApp). The TE values are also up to 9% higher in these areas than in built-up areas. We conclude that tackling urban heat island without compromising thermal comfort levels, hence encouraging energy use reduction in buildings to cope with outdoor conditions requires a careful management of humidity levels, as well as a careful selection of building morphology and materials.
On the Buoyancy Subrange in Stratified Turbulence
Authors: Avsarkisov Victor
Published: June 2020

This study is motivated by the importance of the stratified turbulence in geophysical flows. We present a theoretical analysis of the buoyancy subrange based on the theory of strongly stratified turbulence. Some important turbulent scales and their relations are explored. Scaling constants of the buoyancy subrange scaling laws for both kinetic and potential energy spectra are derived and analyzed. It is found that these constants are functions of the horizontal Froude number F r h . For the potential energy spectrum, the scaling constant also depends on the turbulent flux coefficient of Γ .
Deep Learning of Cancer Stem Cell Morphology Using Conditional Generative Adversarial Networks
Authors: Aida Saori , Okugawa Junpei , Fujisaka Serena , Kasai Tomonari , Kameda Hiroyuki , Sugiyama Tomoyasu
Published: June 2020

Deep-learning workflows of microscopic image analysis are sufficient for handling the contextual variations because they employ biological samples and have numerous tasks. The use of well-defined annotated images is important for the workflow. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are identified by specific cell markers. These CSCs were extensively characterized by the stem cell (SC)-like gene expression and proliferation mechanisms for the development of tumors. In contrast, the morphological characterization remains elusive. This study aims to investigate the segmentation of CSCs in phase contrast imaging using conditional generative adversarial networks (CGAN). Artificial intelligence (AI) was trained using fluorescence images of the Nanog-Green fluorescence protein, the expression of which was maintained in CSCs, and the phase contrast images. The AI model segmented the CSC region in the phase contrast image of the CSC cultures and tumor model. By selecting images for training, several values for measuring segmentation quality increased. Moreover, nucleus fluorescence overlaid-phase contrast was effective for increasing the values. We show the possibility of mapping CSC morphology to the condition of undifferentiation using deep-learning CGAN workflows.
Anti-Inflammatory and Chondroprotective Effects of Vanillic Acid and Epimedin C in Human Osteoarthritic Chondrocytes
Authors: Ziadlou Reihane , Barbero Andrea , Martin Ivan , Wang Xinluan , Qin Ling , Alini Mauro , Grad Sibylle
Published: June 2020

In osteoarthritis (OA), inhibition of excessively expressed pro-inflammatory cytokines in the OA joint and increasing the anabolism for cartilage regeneration are necessary. In this ex-vivo study, we used an inflammatory model of human OA chondrocytes microtissues, consisting of treatment with cytokines (interleukin 1β (IL-1β)/tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α)) with or without supplementation of six herbal compounds with previously identified chondroprotective effect. The compounds were assessed for their capacity to modulate the key catabolic and anabolic factors using several molecular analyses. We selectively investigated the mechanism of action of the two most potent compounds Vanillic acid (VA) and Epimedin C (Epi C). After identification of the anti-inflammatory and anabolic properties of VA and Epi C, the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis showed that in both treatment groups, osteoarthritic signaling pathways were inhibited. In the treatment group with VA, nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) signaling was inhibited by attenuation of the nuclear factor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B-cells inhibitor alpha (IκBα) phosphorylation. Epi C showed a significant anabolic effect by increasing the expression of collagenous and non-collagenous matrix proteins. In conclusion, VA, through inhibition of phosphorylation in NF-κB signaling pathway and Epi C, by increasing the expression of extracellular matrix components, showed significant anti-inflammatory and anabolic properties and might be potentially used in combination to treat or prevent joint OA.
The Effect of Sleeve Gastrectomy on Oxidative Stress in Obesity
Authors: Metere Alessio , Graves Claire E. , Pietraforte Donatella , Casella Giovanni
Published: June 2020

High concentrations of free radicals are present in the blood of obese patients. Free radicals are associated with endothelial dysfunction, diabetes, and neoplastic transformation, all conditions that are closely related to obesity. The purpose of our study was to determine whether bariatric surgery modifies the production of free radicals in obese patients. In total, 20 patients with morbid obesity, who were candidates for laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (SG), and 18 controls were enrolled in the study. Oxidative stress was studied in obese subjects before and after sleeve gastrectomy. The evaluation of oxidative stress was carried out on blood samples using electron paramagnetic resonance, a refined spectroscopic technique used to identify and quantify the major free radicals, such as •OH, O2•, ONOO-, and NO. Oxidative stress was higher in subjects with morbid obesity prior to surgery, compared to the controls (CP• 9.9 ± 0.3 µM vs. 5.8 ± 0.2 µM). After SG, values decreased to levels comparable to those of controls (CP• 5.4 ± 0.2 µM). Further analysis identified O2• as the main free radical responsible for the oxidative stress. Obesity is associated with an increased blood concentration of free radicals. The normalization of free radicals after sleeve gastrectomy highlights another important benefit of this bariatric surgery technique.
Lacking Pace but Not Precision: Age-Related Information Processing Changes in Response to a Dynamic Attentional Control Task
Authors: Torrens-Burton Anna , Hanley Claire J. , Wood Rodger , Basoudan Nasreen , Norris Jade Eloise , Richards Emma , Tales Andrea
Published: June 2020

Age-related decline in information processing can have a substantial impact on activities such as driving. However, the assessment of these changes is often carried out using cognitive tasks that do not adequately represent the dynamic process of updating environmental stimuli. Equally, traditional tests are often static in their approach to task complexity, and do not assess difficulty within the bounds of an individual’s capability. To address these limitations, we used a more ecologically valid measure, the Swansea Test of Attentional Control (STAC), in which a threshold for information processing speed is established at a given level of accuracy. We aimed to delineate how older, compared to younger, adults varied in their performance of the task, while also assessing relationships between the task outcome and gender, general cognition (MoCA), perceived memory function (MFQ), cognitive reserve (NART), and aspects of mood (PHQ-9, GAD-7). The results indicate that older adults were significantly slower than younger adults but no less precise, irrespective of gender. Age was negatively correlated with the speed of task performance. Our measure of general cognition was positively correlated with the task speed threshold but not with age per se. Perceived memory function, cognitive reserve, and mood were not related to task performance. The findings indicate that while attentional control is less efficient in older adulthood, age alone is not a defining factor in relation to accuracy. In a real-life context, general cognitive function, in conjunction with dynamic measures such as STAC, may represent a far more effective strategy for assessing the complex executive functions underlying driving ability.
Identification of a Blood-Based Protein Biomarker Panel for Lung Cancer Detection
Authors: El-Khoury Victoria , Schritz Anna , Kim Sang-Yoon , Lesur Antoine , Sertamo Katriina , Bernardin François , Petritis Konstantinos , Pirrotte Patrick , Selinsky Cheryl , Whiteaker Jeffrey R. , Zhang Haizhen , Kennedy Jacob J. , Lin Chenwei , Lee Lik Wee , Yan Ping , Tran Nhan L. , Inge Landon J. , Chalabi Khaled , Decker Georges , Bjerkvig Rolf , Paulovich Amanda G. , Berchem Guy , Kim Yeoun Jin
Published: June 2020

Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer worldwide, mainly due to its advanced stage at the time of diagnosis. A non-invasive method for its early detection remains mandatory to improve patients’ survival. Plasma levels of 351 proteins were quantified by Liquid Chromatography-Parallel Reaction Monitoring (LC-PRM)-based mass spectrometry in 128 lung cancer patients and 93 healthy donors. Bootstrap sampling and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) penalization were used to find the best protein combination for outcome prediction. The PanelomiX platform was used to select the optimal biomarker thresholds. The panel was validated in 48 patients and 49 healthy volunteers. A 6-protein panel clearly distinguished lung cancer from healthy individuals. The panel displayed excellent performance: area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) = 0.999, positive predictive value (PPV) = 0.992, negative predictive value (NPV) = 0.989, specificity = 0.989 and sensitivity = 0.992. The panel detected lung cancer independently of the disease stage. The 6-protein panel and other sub-combinations displayed excellent results in the validation dataset. In conclusion, we identified a blood-based 6-protein panel as a diagnostic tool in lung cancer. Used as a routine test for high- and average-risk individuals, it may complement currently adopted techniques in lung cancer screening.
Exploring the Mechanism of Catalysis with the Unified Reaction Valley Approach (URVA)—A Review
Authors: Kraka Elfi , Zou Wenli , Tao Yunwen , Freindorf Marek
Published: June 2020

The unified reaction valley approach (URVA) differs from mainstream mechanistic studies, as it describes a chemical reaction via the reaction path and the surrounding reaction valley on the potential energy surface from the van der Waals region to the transition state and far out into the exit channel, where the products are located. The key feature of URVA is the focus on the curving of the reaction path. Moving along the reaction path, any electronic structure change of the reacting molecules is registered by a change in their normal vibrational modes and their coupling with the path, which recovers the curvature of the reaction path. This leads to a unique curvature profile for each chemical reaction with curvature minima reflecting minimal change and curvature maxima, the location of important chemical events such as bond breaking/forming, charge polarization and transfer, rehybridization, etc. A unique decomposition of the path curvature into internal coordinate components provides comprehensive insights into the origins of the chemical changes taking place. After presenting the theoretical background of URVA, we discuss its application to four diverse catalytic processes: (i) the Rh catalyzed methanol carbonylation—the Monsanto process; (ii) the Sharpless epoxidation of allylic alcohols—transition to heterogenous catalysis; (iii) Au(I) assisted [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of allyl acetate; and (iv) the Bacillus subtilis chorismate mutase catalyzed Claisen rearrangement—and show how URVA leads to a new protocol for fine-tuning of existing catalysts and the design of new efficient and eco-friendly catalysts. At the end of this article the pURVA software is introduced. The overall goal of this article is to introduce to the chemical community a new protocol for fine-tuning existing catalytic reactions while aiding in the design of modern and environmentally friendly catalysts.
Synthesis of Hierarchical Porous Ti-ZSM-5: A High Active Catalyst for Benzene Alkylation with Methanol
Authors: Cen Jie , Zhang Ning , Hu Hualei , Yao Nan , Li Zhengjia , Yang Linyan , Feng Feng , Lu Chunshan , Li Xiaonian
Published: June 2020

The major challenge in the production of xylene from benzene alkylation with methanol is to avoid the side reaction of methanol with olefins, and this leads to the low utilization efficiency of methanol and the generation of byproduct ethylbenzene. Hierarchical porous Ti-ZSM-5 with appropriate acidity was achieved by substituting part of Al by Ti in the synthesis process, which exhibited the high utilization efficiency of methanol and high suppression of the ethylbenzene formation by the efficient suppression of methanol to olefins.
Palm Oil Conversion to Bio-Jet and Green Diesel Fuels over Cobalt Phosphide on Porous Carbons Derived from Palm Male Flowers
Authors: Kaewtrakulchai Napat , Kaewmeesri Rungnapa , Itthibenchapong Vorranutch , Eiad-Ua Apiluck , Faungnawakij Kajornsak
Published: June 2020

Porous carbon was successfully synthesized from palm male flowers (PMFs), using microwave-assisted potassium hydroxide (KOH) activation and was used as a catalyst support for the conversion of palm oil into bio-hydrocarbons, in fractions of green diesel and bio-jet fuel. Palm male flower-derived porous carbon (PC), consolidated with well dispersed cobalt phosphide (CoP) nanoparticles, was synthesized by simple wet-impregnation with subsequent thermal treatment. The physicochemical properties of the synthesized CoP/PC catalysts were evaluated by various techniques including proximate and ultimate elemental analysis, FTIR, XRD, N2 sorption, SEM, TEM–EDS, and NH3-temperature programmed desorption (TPD). The effects of the pyrolysis temperatures (600−900 °C), used for the impregnated samples before the reduction process, on catalyst properties and catalytic performance were investigated. Moreover, the effect of a liquid hourly space velocity of 0.5–1.5 h−1 and reaction temperatures of 340–420 °C was studied in the palm oil conversion. The catalyst pyrolyzed at 600 °C possessed the greatest particle dispersion and surface area, and showed the highest yield of liquid hydrocarbon product (C9–C18). We also found that the high pyrolysis temperature above 800 °C partially transformed the Co2P phase into CoP one which significantly exhibited higher cracking activity and bio-jet selectivity, due to the improved acidity of the catalyst.
Heterochromatin Morphodynamics in Late Oogenesis and Early Embryogenesis of Mammals
Authors: Bogolyubova Irina , Bogolyubov Dmitry
Published: June 2020

During the period of oocyte growth, chromatin undergoes global rearrangements at both morphological and molecular levels. An intriguing feature of oogenesis in some mammalian species is the formation of a heterochromatin ring-shaped structure, called the karyosphere or surrounded “nucleolus”, which is associated with the periphery of the nucleolus-like bodies (NLBs). Morphologically similar heterochromatin structures also form around the nucleolus-precursor bodies (NPBs) in zygotes and persist for several first cleavage divisions in blastomeres. Despite recent progress in our understanding the regulation of gene silencing/expression during early mammalian development, as well as the molecular mechanisms that underlie chromatin condensation and heterochromatin structure, the biological significance of the karyosphere and its counterparts in early embryos is still elusive. We pay attention to both the changes of heterochromatin morphology and to the molecular mechanisms that can affect the configuration and functional activity of chromatin. We briefly discuss how DNA methylation, post-translational histone modifications, alternative histone variants, and some chromatin-associated non-histone proteins may be involved in the formation of peculiar heterochromatin structures intimately associated with NLBs and NPBs, the unique nuclear bodies of oocytes and early embryos.
Bromodomain Protein BRD4 Accelerates Glucocorticoid Dysregulation of Bone Mass and Marrow Adiposis by Modulating H3K9 and Foxp1
Authors: Wang Feng-Sheng , Chen Yu-Shan , Ko Jih-Yang , Kuo Chung-Wen , Ke Huei-Jing , Hsieh Chin-Kuei , Wang Shao-Yu , Kuo Pei-Chen , Jahr Holger , Lian Wei-Shiung
Published: June 2020

Glucocorticoid provokes bone mass loss and fatty marrow, accelerating osteoporosis development. Bromodomain protein BRD4, an acetyl–histone-binding chromatin reader, regulates stem cell and tissue homeostasis. We uncovered that glucocorticoid inhibited acetyl Lys-9 at the histone 3 (H3K9ac)-binding Runx2 promoter and decreased osteogenic differentiation, whereas bromodomain protein 4 (BRD4) and adipocyte formation were upregulated in bone-marrow mesenchymal progenitor cells. BRD4 knockdown improved H3K9ac occupation at the Runx2 promoter and osteogenesis, but attenuated glucocorticoid-mediated adipocyte formation together with the unaffected H3K9ac-binding PPARγ2 promoter. BRD4 regulated epigenome related to fatty acid metabolism and the forkhead box P1 (Foxp1) pathway, which occupied the PPARγ2 promoter to modulate glucocorticoid-induced adipocytic activity. In vivo, BRD4 inhibitor JQ-1 treatment mitigated methylprednisolone-induced suppression of bone mass, trabecular microstructure, mineral acquisition, and osteogenic differentiation. Foxp1 signaling, marrow fat, and adipocyte formation in glucocorticoid-treated skeleton were reversed upon JQ-1 treatment. Taken together, glucocorticoid-induced H3K9 hypoacetylation augmented BRD4 action to Foxp1, which steered mesenchymal progenitor cells toward adipocytes at the cost of osteogenic differentiation in osteoporotic skeletons. BRD4 inhibition slowed bone mass loss and marrow adiposity. Collective investigations convey a new epigenetic insight into acetyl histone reader BRD4 control of osteogenesis and adipogenesis in skeleton, and highlight the remedial effects of the BRD4 inhibitor on glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis.
The Influence of Structure Parameters on Nanoantennas’ Optical Response
Authors: Marques Lameirinhas Ricardo A. , N. Torres João Paulo , Baptista António
Published: June 2020

Currently, huge opportunities for the inclusion of new optical devices in our lives have been appearing. There are evident and irrefutable examples for nanoantenna applications. They can be used to improve already developed devices or even be used as the device. In both cases, they can be applied in diverse areas, such as medicine, environment, energy, defense, and communications. A square arrayed metallic nanoantenna composed of circular holes is studied by performing simulations using COMSOL Multiphysics. This article aims to study the influence of the nanoantenna’s metal, silver, gold, copper and aluminum, but also the optical response dependence on the nanoantenna’s periodicity, its thickness, the hole diameter, and the number of holes. It is evidenced that the optical response can be tuned using the structure parameters and by choosing an appropriate material. This tuning will allow developers to fulfil the specifications, since it is proven that the response peak can be deliberately shifted, amplified, or attenuated.
Critical Review on Efficiency of Ground Heat Exchangers in Heat Pump Systems
Authors: Eswiasi Adel , Mukhopadhyaya Phalguni
Published: June 2020

Use of ground source heat pumps has increased significantly in recent years for space heating and cooling of residential houses and commercial buildings, in both heating (i.e., cold region) and cooling (i.e., warm region) dominated climates, due to its low carbon footprint. Ground source heat pumps exploit the passive energy storage capacity of the ground for heating and cooling of buildings. The main focus of this paper is to critically review how different construction and operation parameters (e.g., pipe configuration, pipe diameter, grout, heat injection rate, and volumetric flow rate) have an impact on the thermal efficiency of the vertical ground heat exchanger (VGHE) in a ground source heat pump (GSHP) system. The published literatures indicate that thermal performance of VGHEs increases with an increase of borehole diameter and/or pipe diameter. These literatures show that the borehole thermal resistance of VGHEs decreases within a range of 9% to 52% due to pipe configurations and grout materials. Furthermore, this paper also identifies the scope to increase the thermal efficiency of VGHE. The authors conclude that in order to enhance the heat transfer rate in VGHE, any attempt to increase the surface area of the pipe configuration would likely be an effective solution.
Urban Heat Island in Mediterranean Coastal Cities: The Case of Bari (Italy)
Authors: Martinelli Alessandra , Kolokotsa Dionysia-Denia , Fiorito Francesco
Published: June 2020

In being aware that some factors (i.e. increasing pollution levels, Urban Heat Island (UHI), extreme climate events) threaten the quality of life in cities, this paper intends to study the Atmospheric UHI phenomenon in Bari, a Mediterranean coastal city in Southern Italy. An experimental investigation at the micro-scale was conducted to study and quantify the UHI effect by considering several spots in the city to understand how the urban and physical characteristics of these areas modify air temperatures and lead to different UHI configurations. Air temperature data provided by fixed weather stations were first compared to assess the UHI distribution and its daily, monthly, seasonal and annual intensity in five years (from 2014 to 2018) to draw local climate information, and then compared with the relevant national standard. The study has shown that urban characteristics are crucial to the way the UHI phenomenon manifests itself. UHI reaches its maximum intensity in summer and during night-time. The areas with higher density (station 2—Local Climate Zone (LCZ) 2) record high values of UHI intensity both during daytime (4.0 °C) and night-time (4.2 °C). Areas with lower density (station 3—LCZ 5) show high values of UHI during daytime (up to 4.8 °C) and lower values of UHI intensity during night-time (up to 2.8 °C). It has also been confirmed that sea breezes—particularly noticeable in the coastal area—can mitigate temperatures and change the configuration of the UHI. Finally, by analysing the frequency distribution of current and future weather scenarios, up to additional 4 °C of increase of urban air temperature is expected, further increasing the current treats to urban liveability.
Facile Route for Synthesis of Novel Flame Retardant, Reinforcement and Antibacterial Textile Fabrics Coatings
Authors: Attia Nour F. , Soliman Mohamed H. , El-Sakka Sahar S.
Published: June 2020

New and innovative textile fabrics coatings were facilely developed. The coating was developed based on synthesis of novel charring and antibacterial organic agent in conjunction with chitosan. N-[2,3-dibromo-4-(4-methoxy-3-methylphenyl)-4-oxobutanoyl]anthranilic acid was synthesized as organic antibacterial, reinforcement, and charring agent (OA) and then, dispersed in chitosan solution followed by coating on textile fabrics using immersion route forming new flame retardant coating layer. The developed organic molecule structure was elucidated using spectroscopic techniques. The mass loadings of developed organic agent dispersed in chitosan solution were varied between 20–60 wt.%. The coated textile fabrics have special surface morphology of fiber shape aligned on textile fibers surface. The thermal stability and charring residues of the coated textile fabrics were enhanced when compared to blank and organic agent free coated samples. Furthermore, the flammability properties were evaluated using LOI (limiting oxygen index) and UL94 tests. Therefore, the coated textile fabrics record significant enhancement in flame retardancy achieving first class flame retardant textile of zero mm/min rate of burning and 23.8% of LOI value compared to 118 mm/min. rate of burning and 18.2% for blank textile, respectively. The tensile strength of the coated textile fabrics was enhanced, achieving 51% improvement as compared to blank sample. Additionally, the developed coating layer significantly inhibited the bacterial growth, recording 18 mm of clear inhibition zone for coated sample when compared to zero for blank and chitosan coated ones.
Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies Loci Associated with Sensitive Skin
Authors: Farage Miranda A. , Jiang Yunxuan , Tiesman Jay P. , Fontanillas Pierre , Osborne Rosemarie
Published: June 2020

Individuals suffering from sensitive skin often have other skin conditions and/or diseases, such as fair skin, freckles, rosacea, or atopic dermatitis. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been performed for some of these conditions, but not for sensitive skin. In this study, a total of 23,426 unrelated participants of European ancestry from the 23andMe database were evaluated for self-declared sensitive skin, other skin conditions, and diseases using an online questionnaire format. Responders were separated into two groups: those who declared they had sensitive skin (n = 8971) and those who declared their skin was not sensitive (controls, n = 14,455). A GWAS of sensitive skin individuals identified three genome-wide significance loci (p-value < 5 × 10−8) and seven suggestive loci (p-value < 1 × 10−6). Of the three most significant loci, all have been associated with pigmentation and two have been associated with acne.
Editorial for Special Issue “Meiofauna Biodiversity and Ecology”
Authors: Semprucci Federica , Sandulli Roberto
Published: June 2020

Meiofauna are a component of aquatic environments from polar to tropical regions. They may colonize all types of habitats and include very enigmatic and exclusive taxa. The biodiversity of this component in marine ecosystems is far from being accurately estimated, but this would be a new challenge given the importance that meiofaunal components may play in marine ecosystem functioning and processes. This Special Issue collects many interesting topics in research on meiofauna contributing to plugging a gap on several key issues in their biodiversity, distribution, and ecology, from numerous regions that include the USA, Brazil, French Guiana, Costa Rica, Mexico, Cuba, Italy, Kuwait, Vietnam, Madagascar, the Maldives, and South Korea.