bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Performance of Hydraulically Fractured Wells in Xinjiang Oilfield: Experimental and Simulation Investigations on Laumontite-Rich Tight Glutenite Formation
Authors: Yang Shuai , Jin Yan , Lu Yunhu , Zhang Yanru , Chen Beibei
Published: March 2021

PetroChina’s Xinjiang oilfield has a large quantity of tight oil reserves and hydraulic fracturing technology has been widely used to achieve commercial production. Some parts of this tight glutenite formation are laumontite-rich and the actual productivity of the hydraulically fractured wells is less than expected. To figure out the ways that laumontite affects tight glutenite well productivity, comprehensive experimental and numerical simulation studies have been conducted to investigate the rock mechanical properties, fluid flow behaviors and the major controlling factor of productivity. Laboratory results indicate that the tight glutenite formation with higher laumontite content has higher initial porosity, permeability but lower yield strength and more severe stress sensitivity in both permeability and fracture conductivity. For laumontite-rich glutenite rocks, there are commonly three types of rock deformation during the loading process: elastic compression, shear dilation and shear enhanced compaction. Both elastic compression and shear enhanced compaction will cause the reduction on rock porosity and permeability. A fully coupled finite element model (FEM) considering stress-induced permeability evolution was introduced to simulate the production process. Permeability evolution models of three different deformation stages were presented, respectively. Simulation results showed that our model is in good agreements with the well testing data. The simulated oil production characteristics for permeability evolution coupled and uncoupled models were discussed. Results showed the strong stress-induced permeability reduction is the major factor that laumontite causing the low and quickly declining oil rates. Initial permeability has a positive effect on productivity and stress-induced fracture conductivity reduction has slight influence on productivity. The results of this paper indicate that the stress-induced permeability evolution in the oil production process must be considered to accurately evaluating reservoirs in the studied area.
Hydraulic Fracturing Simulations with Real-Time Evolution of Physical Parameters
Authors: Qin Qiuping , Xue Qingfeng , Ma Zizhuo , Zheng Yikang , Zhai Hongyu
Published: March 2021

During hydraulic fracturing, expansion of internal micro-fractures deforms the rock to different extents. Numerical studies typically assume fixed parameters; however, in the field site, parameters are likely to vary. Error accumulation underlies deviation of simulation results from actual data. In this study, it was found that the mean velocity of an in-lab active source obtained from the hydraulic fracturing experiment decreased. To explain the effect of physical parameter (velocity) on numerical simulation results, we performed numerical simulations based on the extended finite element method (XFEM) of indoor hydraulic fracturing considering the velocity variation. The simulation results considering the change of the physical parameter (velocity) of the rock sample reflect the rock damage evolution more exactly. Consequently, the real-time evolution of physical parameters during hydraulic fracturing should be considered in numerical simulations. Rock damage evolution can be better captured using the offered modification of physical parameters. The present work provides theoretical guidance for hydraulic fracturing simulations to some extent.
Discriminant Canonical Analysis as a Validation Tool for Multivariety Native Breed Egg Commercial Quality Classification
Authors: González Ariza Antonio , Arando Arbulu Ander , Navas González Francisco Javier , Delgado Bermejo Juan Vicente , Camacho Vallejo María Esperanza
Published: March 2021

This study aimed to develop a tool to validate multivariety breed egg quality classification depending on quality-related internal and external traits using a discriminant canonical analysis approach. A flock of 60 Utrerana hens (Franciscan, White, Black, and Partridge) and a control group of 10 Leghorn hens were placed in individual cages to follow the traceability of the eggs and perform an individual internal and external quality assessment. Egg groups were determined depending on their commercial size (S, M, L, and XL), laying hen breed, and variety. Egg weight, major diameter, minor diameter, shell b*, albumen height, and the presence or absence of visual defects in yolk and/or albumen showed multicollinearity problems (variance inflation factor (VIF) > 5) and were discarded. Albumen weight, eggshell weight, and yolk weight were the most responsible traits for the differences among egg quality categories (Wilks’ lambda: 0.335, 0.539, and 0.566 for albumen weight, eggshell weight, and yolk weight, respectively). The combination of traits in the first two dimensions explained 55.02% and 20.62% variability among groups, respectively. Shared properties between Partridge and Franciscan varieties may stem from their eggs presenting heavier yolks and slightly lower weights, while White Utrerana and Leghorn hens’ similarities may be ascribed to hybridization reminiscences.
Characterization of Artisanal Spontaneous Sourdough Wheat Bread from Central Greece: Evaluation of Physico-Chemical, Microbiological, and Sensory Properties in Relation to Conventional Yeast Leavened Wheat Bread
Authors: Katsi Pavlina , Kosma Ioanna S. , Michailidou Sofia , Argiriou Anagnostis , Badeka Anastasia V. , Kontominas Michael G.
Published: March 2021

In the present study, both yeast leavened bread (YLB) and artisanal sourdough wheat bread (SDB) were prepared. The physico-chemical, microbiological, and sensory properties of breads were monitored as a function of storage time (T = 25 °C). As expected, the titratable acidity (TA) values of SDB were higher than those of YLB. The aroma profile of SDB was similar to that of YLB, including classes of compounds such as alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, esters, organic acids, terpenes, and sulfur compounds; however, the concentrations between the two were different. Aroma deterioration of bread during storage was partly related to the loss of several volatiles. Texture and sensory analysis showed that SDB was harder, less elastic, but richer in aroma and light sour taste than YLB. Mold growth was apparent when the population of yeasts/molds reached approximately 4 log cfu/g. This yeast/mold count was reached on days 4–5 for YLB and day 18 + for SDB. A 16S amplicon meta-barcoding analysis showed that the bacterial profile of SDB was dominated by a single genus, (Lactobacillus). Analysis of the eukaryotic load showed that at the genus level, Saccharomyces and Alternaria were the most abundant genera, independently of the gene sequenced (18S or ITS). Based primarily on mold growth and texture data, which proved to be the most sensitive quality parameters, the shelf life was ca. 4–5 days for YLB and 10 days for SDB.
Phenotypical Characterization and Neurogenic Differentiation of Rabbit Adipose Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Authors: Tirpáková Mária , Vašíček Jaromír , Svoradová Andrea , Baláži Andrej , Tomka Marián , Bauer Miroslav , Makarevich Alexander , Chrenek Peter
Published: March 2021

Although the rabbit is a frequently used biological model, the phenotype of rabbit adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (rAT-MSCs) is not well characterized. One of the reasons is the absence of specific anti-rabbit antibodies. The study aimed to characterize rAT-MSCs using flow cytometry and PCR methods, especially digital droplet PCR, which confirmed the expression of selected markers at the mRNA level. A combination of these methods validated the expression of MSCs markers (CD29, CD44, CD73, CD90 and CD105). In addition, cells were also positive for CD49f, vimentin, desmin, α-SMA, ALDH and also for the pluripotent markers: NANOG, OCT4 and SOX2. Moreover, the present study proved the ability of rAT-MSCs to differentiate into a neurogenic lineage based on the confirmed expression of neuronal markers ENO2 and MAP2. Obtained results suggest that rAT-MSCs have, despite the slight differences in marker expression, the similar phenotype as human AT-MSCs and possess the neurodifferentiation ability. Accordingly, rAT-MSCs should be subjected to further studies with potential application in veterinary medicine but also, in case of their cryopreservation, as a source of genetic information of endangered species stored in the gene bank.
Cytological Observation and Transcriptome Comparative Analysis of Self-Pollination and Cross-Pollination in Dendrobium Officinale
Authors: Chen Yaling , Hu Benchang , Zhang Fantao , Luo Xiangdong , Xie Jiankun
Published: March 2021

Dendrobium officinale is a rare and traditional medicinal plant with high pharmacological and nutritional value. The self-incompatibility mechanism of D. officinale reproductive isolation was formed in the long-term evolution process, but intraspecific hybridization of different germplasm resources leads to a large gap in the yield, quality, and medicinal value of D. officinale. To investigate the biological mechanism of self-incompatibility in D. officinale, cytological observation and the transcriptome analysis was carried out on the samples of self-pollination and cross-pollination in D. officinale. Results for self-pollination showed that the pollen tubes could grow in the style at 2 h, but most of pollen tubes stopped growing at 4 h, while a large number of cross-pollinated pollen tubes grew along the placental space to the base of ovary, indicating that the self-incompatibility of D. officinale may be gametophyte self-incompatibility. A total of 63.41 G basesum of D. officinale style samples from non-pollinated, self-pollination, and cross-pollination by RNA-seq were obtained, and a total of 1944, 1758, and 475 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the comparison of CK (non-pollinated) vs. HF (cross-pollination sample), CK vs. SF (self-pollination sample) and SF vs. HF were identified, respectively. Forty-one candidate genes related to self-incompatibility were found by function annotation of DEGs, including 6 Ca2+ signal genes, 4 armed repeat containing (ARC) related genes, 11 S-locus receptor kinase (SRK) related genes, 2 Exo70 family genes, 9 ubiquitin related genes, 1 fatty acid related gene, 6 amino acid-related genes, 1 pollen-specific leucine-rich repeat extensin-like protein (LRX) related gene and 1 lectin receptor-like kinases (RLKs) related gene, showed that self-incompatibility mechanism of D. officinale involves the interaction of multiple genes and pathways. The results can provide a basis for the study of the self-incompatibility mechanism of D. officinale, and provide ideas for the preservation and utilization of high-quality resources of D. officinale.
Squaring the Triangle: Queer Futures in Centlivre’s The Wonder
Authors: Kocher Ziona
Published: March 2021

Susanna Centlivre’s The Wonder: A Woman Keeps a Secret (1714) presents a model of female relations invested in queer futurity and queer temporality, disrupting the patriarchal geometry of courtship in order to provide the play’s heroines access to an alternate future grounded in their relationship with one another. Though the play ends with both women married, their relationship is central and is cemented by Violante’s marriage to Isabella’s brother, which transforms the friends into sisters. Their dedication opens up the possibility that a relationship between women might be more important than the marriages they strive for, illustrating an important intervention into the construction of plot in comedy from the early eighteenth century. The Wonder’s queer potential is developed in the language that both women use to describe their devotion and the actions that embody it. Violante and Isabella are able to expand the triangle of homosocial exchange into a more equitable square that not only allows for happy marriages but visible, loving relationships between the play’s heroines. As such, they manage to create a queer future where their relationship can remain at the forefront of their lives and rewrite the marriage plot as a means to an end.
Sudden Death from Primary Cerebral Melanoma: Clinical Signs and Pathological Observations
Authors: Maiellaro Alfonso , Perna Antonio , Giugliano Pasquale , Esposito Massimiliano , Vacchiano Giuseppe
Published: March 2021

Primary cerebral tumors rarely provoke sudden death. The incidence is often underestimated with reported frequencies in the range of 0.02 to 2.1% in medicolegal autopsy series. Furthermore, primary cerebral melanoma is an uncommon neoplasm. It represents approximately 1% of all melanoma cases and 0.07% of all brain tumors. This neoplasm is very aggressive, and its annual incidence is about 1 in 10 million people. In the present study, a 20-year-old male was admitted to hospital with vomiting, headache, paresthesia and aggressive behavior. A computed tomography (CT) scan of the head was performed showing a hyperdense nodule in the right parietal lobe with inflammation of the Silvian fissure. A complete autopsy was performed 48 h after death. A blackish material was displayed on the skull base, and posterior fossa. Microscopic examination diagnosed primary brain melanoma. A systematic review of the literature was also performed where no previous analogous cases were found. The forensic pathologist rarely encounters primary cerebral melanoma, and for these reasons, it seemed appropriate to describe this case as presenting aspecific clinical symptoms and leading to sudden unexpected death. Histopathological observations are reported and discussed to explain this surprising sudden death caused by a primary cerebral melanoma.
Evaluation of the Dissemination of the South African 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Birth to 5 Years
Authors: Draper Catherine E. , Silubonde Takana M. , Mukoma Gudani , van Sluijs Esther M. F.
Published: March 2021

South Africa (SA) launched their 24-h movement guidelines for birth to five years in December 2018. The guideline dissemination plan adopted a “train-the-trainer” strategy through dissemination workshops with community-based organisations (CBOs) working in early childhood development. The aim of this paper is to: (1) document this dissemination process; and (2) report on the feasibility of implementing the dissemination workshops, the acceptability of the workshops (and guidelines) for different end-user groups, and the extent to which CBO representatives disseminated the guidelines to end-users. Fifteen workshops were held in seven of SA’s nine provinces with a total of 323 attendees. Quantitative and qualitative findings (n = 281) indicate that these workshops were feasible for community-based dissemination of the guidelines and that this method of dissemination was acceptable to CBOs and end-users. Findings from follow-up focus groups (6 groups, n = 28 participants) indicate that the guidelines were shared with end-users of CBOs who participated in the focus groups. An additional musical storytelling resource, the “Woza, Mntwana” song, was well-received by participants; sharing via WhatsApp was believed to be the most effective way to disseminate this song. These findings confirm the feasibility and acceptability of culturally appropriate and context-specific community-based dissemination of behavioural guidelines in low-income settings.
Audiometric Tests without Booths
Authors: Behar Alberto
Published: March 2021

Audiometric booths are used to reduce background noise levels at testing locations to below values specified in the standards. As such, they are considered inherent parts of the audiometric testing equipment. This paper presents the results from a literature search of solutions that could ensure that background noise levels are acceptable outside booths. The technology used is especially valuable for survey tests and for locations where booths are unavailable or cannot be used for different reasons. However, its use is recommendable for only screening hearing tests but not for clinical or research applications.
Device-Measured Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviors, Built Environment, and Adiposity Gain in Older Women: A Seven-Year Prospective Study
Authors: Molina-Garcia Pablo , Medrano María , Pelclová Jana , Zając-Gawlak Izabela , Tlučáková Lenka , Přidalová Miroslava
Published: March 2021

The search for determinants of adiposity gain in older women has become vitally important. This study aimed to (1) analyze the adiposity gain based on the participants’ age and (2) determine the prospective associations of baseline intrapersonal, built environment, physical activity, and sedentary behavior variables with the adiposity gain in older women. This was a seven-year prospective study (baseline: 2009 to 2012; follow-up: 2016 to 2019) in older women (n = 178, baseline age = 62.8 ± 4.1 years). Baseline and follow-up adiposity (bioelectrical impedance) and baseline physical activity, sedentary behavior (accelerometers), and intrapersonal and built environment (Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale questionnaire) variables were included. The body mass index (BMI) increment tended to be inversely associated with the women’s age (p = 0.062). At follow-up, 48, 57, and 54% of the women had a relevant increase (d-Cohen > 0.2) in their BMI, percentage of body fat, and fat mass index, respectively. The women that spent ≥8 h/day being sedentary were 2.2 times (1.159 to 4.327 CI95%, p < 0.02) more likely to increase BMI (0.82 to 0.85 kg/m2) than non-sedentary women. No built environment variables were associated with seven-year adiposity gain (all ps > 0.05). A reduction in sedentary time should be promoted for adiposity gain prevention and health preservation in older women.
Effects of Value Perception, Environmental Regulation and Their Interaction on the Improvement of Herdsmen’s Grassland Ecological Policy Satisfaction
Authors: Li Mingyue , Zhao Pujie , Wu Lianbei , Chen Kai
Published: March 2021

Sustainable utilization of grassland resources was an important topic concerned by worldwide countries and regions, and ecological compensation had gradually become the main policy tool for grassland environmental management and ecological protection. This study adopted face-to-face interviews and questionnaires, and multiordered Logit model was then used to explore herdsmen’s satisfaction with Grassland Ecological Conservation Subsidy and Reward Policy (GECSRP) focusing on identifying the key factors behind it. Results showed that herdsmen were not satisfied with GECSRP on the whole, while value perception, environmental regulation and their interaction played a positive role on improving the satisfaction. Specifically, economic benefits had the strongest promotion impacts, followed by social identity in the two-dimensional variables of value perception. The guiding regulation had stronger promoting impacts, followed by the incentive regulation in the two-dimensional variables of environmental regulation. Interestingly, incentive regulation played an enhanced interaction on the influence of economic benefits and environmental value on herdsmen’s satisfaction, yet the interaction between guiding regulation and environmental value was not significant. These indicated that herdsmen paid more attention to substantial subsidies and rewards in the process of ecological livestock husbandry, and environmental regulation formulated by government had a phenomenon of “relative system failure”. Thus, the grassland ecological environment policy should be further adjusted and improved to promote the economic development of pastoral areas.
Mass Casualty Decontamination for Chemical Incidents: Research Outcomes and Future Priorities
Authors: Collins Samuel , James Thomas , Carter Holly , Symons Charles , Southworth Felicity , Foxall Kerry , Marczylo Tim , Amlôt Richard
Published: March 2021

Planning for major incidents involving the release of hazardous chemicals has been informed by a multi-disciplinary research agenda which has sought to inform all aspects of emergency response, but with a focus in recent years on mass casualty decontamination. In vitro and human volunteer studies have established the relative effectiveness of different decontamination protocols for a range of chemical agents. In parallel, a programme of research has focused on communicating with and managing large numbers of contaminated casualties at the scene of an incident. We present an accessible overview of the evidence underpinning current casualty decontamination strategies. We highlight where research outcomes can directly inform response planning, including the critical importance of beginning the decontamination process as soon as possible, the benefits of early removal of contaminated clothing, the evidence under-pinning dry and wet decontamination and how effective communication is essential to any decontamination response. We identify a range of priority areas for future research including establishing the significance of the ‘wash-in’ effect and developing effective strategies for the decontamination of hair. We also highlight several areas of future methodological development, such as the need for novel chemical simulants. Whilst considerable progress has been made towards incorporating research outcomes into operational policy and practice, we outline how this developing evidence-base might be used to inform future iterations of mass casualty decontamination guidance.
Automatic Sleep-Stage Scoring in Healthy and Sleep Disorder Patients Using Optimal Wavelet Filter Bank Technique with EEG Signals
Authors: Sharma Manish , Tiwari Jainendra , Acharya U. Rajendra
Published: March 2021

Sleep stage classification plays a pivotal role in effective diagnosis and treatment of sleep related disorders. Traditionally, sleep scoring is done manually by trained sleep scorers. The analysis of electroencephalogram (EEG) signals recorded during sleep by clinicians is tedious, time-consuming and prone to human errors. Therefore, it is clinically important to score sleep stages using machine learning techniques to get accurate diagnosis. Several studies have been proposed for automated detection of sleep stages. However, these studies have employed only healthy normal subjects (good sleepers). The proposed study focuses on the automated sleep-stage scoring of subjects suffering from seven different kind of sleep disorders such as insomnia, bruxism, narcolepsy, nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy (NFLE), periodic leg movement (PLM), rapid eye movement (REM) behavioural disorder and sleep-disordered breathing as well as normal subjects. The open source physionet’s cyclic alternating pattern (CAP) sleep database is used for this study. The EEG epochs are decomposed into sub-bands using a new class of optimized wavelet filters. Two EEG channels, namely F4-C4 and C4-A1, combined are used for this work as they can provide more insights into the changes in EEG signals during sleep. The norm features are computed from six sub-bands coefficients of optimal wavelet filter bank and fed to various supervised machine learning classifiers. We have obtained the highest classification performance using an ensemble of bagged tree (EBT) classifier with 10-fold cross validation. The CAP database comprising of 80 subjects is divided into ten different subsets and then ten different sleep-stage scoring tasks are performed. Since, the CAP database is unbalanced with different duration of sleep stages, the balanced dataset also has been created using over-sampling and under-sampling techniques. The highest average accuracy of 85.3% and Cohen’s Kappa coefficient of 0.786 and accuracy of 92.8% and Cohen’s Kappa coefficient of 0.915 are obtained for unbalanced and balanced databases, respectively. The proposed method can reliably classify the sleep stages using single or dual channel EEG epochs of 30 s duration instead of using multimodal polysomnography (PSG) which are generally used for sleep-stage scoring. Our developed automated system is ready to be tested with more sleep EEG data and can be employed in various sleep laboratories to evaluate the quality of sleep in various sleep disorder patients and normal subjects.
Physical Fitness and the Level of Technical and Tactical Training of Kickboxers
Authors: Rydzik Łukasz , Ambroży Tadeusz
Published: March 2021

Background: Kickboxing is a dynamically progressing combat sport based on various techniques of punches and kicks. The high level of physical fitness underlies the optimal development of technique in the competitors. The objective of this study was the assessment of the level of fitness of kickboxers and the relationships between fitness and technical and tactical training. Methods: The study included 20 kickboxers aged 18–32 demonstrating the highest level of sporting performance. Their body mass ranged from 75 to 92 kg and their height from 175 to 187 cm. The selection of the group was intentional, and the criteria included training experience and the sports level assessed by the observation of the authors and opinion of the coach. The level of fitness was evaluated with the use of selected trials of International Committee on the Standardization of Physical Fitness Tests and Eurofit tests. Aerobic capacity was tested and indicators of efficiency, activeness and effectiveness of attacks were calculated. Results: A significant correlation between the indicators of technical and tactical training and results of fitness tests was shown. Conclusions: There exists a correlation between efficiency, activeness and effectiveness of attacks and the speed of upper limbs, explosive strength, static strength of a hand, agility, VO2max and abdominal muscle strength.
Epidemiological Characteristics of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome from 2010 to 2019 in Mainland China
Authors: Huang Xiaoxia , Li Jiandong , Li Aqian , Wang Shiwen , Li Dexin
Published: March 2021

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging infectious disease and that is a severe threat to public health considering its high fatality and person-to-person transmission. In order to obtain an updated and deep understanding of the epidemiological characteristics of SFTS in mainland China, we used Pearson’s chi-squared test to compare the fatality rate and demographic characteristics in different groups. Data were analyzed in R3.6.1 (R Development Core Team 2018), while the visualization was performed in ArcGIS 10 (ESRI, Redlands, CA, USA), and the statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. A total of 13,824 SFTS cases involving 8899 lab-confirmed cases and 4925 probable cases were reported and included in the epidemiological analysis. Our study found that the number of SFTS cases showed an increasing trend with a small decrease in the past three years. The laboratory-confirmed rate was about 64.4%, which varied between different years and areas. Although most cases (99.3%) were distributed in 7 provinces (Henan, Shandong, Anhui, Hubei, Liaoning, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu), the regional distribution of SFTS gradually expanded from 5 provinces in 2010 to 25 provinces by 2019, especially at the town level. The SFTS cases were mainly sporadic. A total of 96.5% occurred from April to October, and 93.3% of cases were concentrated in middle-aged and elderly people (40–84 years old). Farmers were the main high-risk population. Female cases were slightly more than male cases; however, there were differences between different provinces. The mortality rate showed an increasing trend with age. Overall, the SFTS cases were mainly middle-aged and elderly farmers that sporadically distributed throughout seven provinces with a spatially expanding trend. The laboratory-confirmed rate varied in different years and provinces, which implied that the diagnosis and report criteria for SFTS should be further updated and unified in order to get a better understanding of its epidemiological characteristics and provide scientific data for SFTS control.
Spatial and Temporal Differences in the Green Efficiency of Water Resources in the Yangtze River Economic Belt and Their Influencing Factors
Authors: Huang Chong , Yin Kedong , Liu Zhe , Cao Tonggang
Published: March 2021

Using panel data from 11 regions (9 provinces and two cities) in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) during 2002–2017, the regional differences in and spatial characteristics of the green efficiency of water resources along the YREB were analyzed. The undesirable outputs slacks-based measure-data envelopment analysis, Malmquist index, and social network analysis models were employed. A dynamic panel using a system generalized method of moments model was established to empirically examine the main factors influencing green efficiency. The results show the following. First, temporally, green efficiency fluctuates while showing an overall decreasing trend; spatially, green efficiency generally decreases in this order: downstream, upstream, then midstream. Second, the change in the total factor productivity (TFP) index shows an overall increasing trend, with TFP improvement mainly attributable to technology. Third, green efficiency shows a significant spatial correlation. All provinces are in the spatial correlation network, and the network, as a whole, has strong stability. Finally, water resource endowment, water prices, government environmental control strength, and the water resources utilization structure have a significant impact on green efficiency.
Regulatory Flexibility of Sustaining Daily Routines and Mental Health in Adaptation to Financial Strain: A Vignette Approach
Authors: Hou Wai Kai , Liang Li , Hougen Clint , Bonanno George A.
Published: March 2021

A vignette approach was adopted to investigate flexibility of sustaining daily routines and whether and how this ability was related to mental health at different levels of financial strain. Three separate studies were conducted with community-dwelling adults (N = 1685) in the USA. In Study 1, we drafted, tested, and modified vignettes with reference to pilot data on the relevance of the scenarios and response options. In Study 2, regulatory flexibility of sustaining daily routines, as calculated in term of context sensitivity and responsiveness to feedback, was formulated correlations with self-reported instruments to demonstrate its concurrent validity, discriminant validity, and criterion-related validity. In Study 3, path analysis examined the associations of regulatory flexibility of sustaining daily routines with psychological distress and well-being, and the moderating effects of subjective financial strain on the associations. Results showed that the inverse associations of context sensitivity and responsiveness to feedback with depressive symptoms were stronger at medium/high levels relative to lower levels of perceived financial strain. The inverse association between context sensitivity and positive affect was significant only at higher levels of strain. Our findings could provide a feasible direction for developing scalable behavioral interventions for potential mental health problems, especially among those with a lower socioeconomic status.
Molecular Basis of AmpC β-Lactamase Induction by Avibactam in Pseudomonas aeruginosa: PBP Occupancy, Live Cell Binding Dynamics and Impact on Resistant Clinical Isolates Harboring PDC-X Variants
Authors: López-Argüello Silvia , Montaner María , Oliver Antonio , Moya Bartolome
Published: March 2021

Avibactam belongs to the new class of diazabicyclooctane β-lactamase inhibitors. Its inhibitory spectrum includes class A, C and D enzymes, including P. aeruginosa AmpC. Nonetheless, recent reports have revealed strain-dependent avibactam AmpC induction. In the present work, we wanted to assess the mechanistic basis underlying AmpC induction and determine if derepressed PDC-X mutated enzymes from ceftazidime/avibactam-resistant clinical isolates were further inducible. We determined avibactam concentrations that half-maximally inhibited (IC50) bocillin FL binding. Inducer β-lactams were also studied as comparators. Live cells’ time-course penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) occupancy of avibactam was studied. To assess the ampC induction capacity of avibactam and comparators, qRT-PCR was performed in wild-type PAO1, PBP4, triple PBP4, 5/6 and 7 knockout derivatives and two ceftazidime/avibactam-susceptible/resistant XDR clinical isolates belonging to the epidemic high-risk clone ST175. PBP4 inhibition was observed for avibactam and β-lactam comparators. Induction capacity was consistently correlated with PBP4 binding affinity. Outer membrane permeability-limited PBP4 binding was observed in the live cells’ assay. As expected, imipenem and cefoxitin showed strong induction in PAO1, especially for carbapenem; avibactam induction was conversely weaker. Overall, the inducer effect was less remarkable in ampC-derepressed mutants and nonetheless absent upon avibactam exposure in the clinical isolates harboring mutated AmpC variants and their parental strains.
Butyrate and the Fine-Tuning of Colonic Homeostasis: Implication for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
Authors: Gasaly Naschla , Hermoso Marcela A. , Gotteland Martín
Published: March 2021

This review describes current evidence supporting butyrate impact in the homeostatic regulation of the digestive ecosystem in health and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). Butyrate is mainly produced by bacteria from the Firmicutes phylum. It stimulates mature colonocytes and inhibits undifferentiated malignant and stem cells. Butyrate oxidation in mature colonocytes (1) produces 70–80% of their energetic requirements, (2) prevents stem cell inhibition by limiting butyrate access to crypts, and (3) consumes oxygen, generating hypoxia and maintaining luminal anaerobiosis favorable to the microbiota. Butyrate stimulates the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), the GPR41 and GPR109A receptors, and inhibits HDAC in different cell types, thus stabilizing the gut barrier function and decreasing inflammatory processes. However, some studies indicate contrary effects according to butyrate concentrations. IBD patients exhibit a lower abundance of butyrate-producing bacteria and butyrate content. Additionally, colonocyte butyrate oxidation is depressed in these subjects, lowering luminal anaerobiosis and facilitating the expansion of Enterobacteriaceae that contribute to inflammation. Accordingly, gut dysbiosis and decreased barrier function in IBD seems to be secondary to the impaired mitochondrial disturbance in colonic epithelial cells.
Unexpected Pleiotropic Effects of SGLT2 Inhibitors: Pearls and Pitfalls of This Novel Antidiabetic Class
Authors: Kaneto Hideaki , Obata Atsushi , Kimura Tomohiko , Shimoda Masashi , Kinoshita Tomoe , Matsuoka Taka-aki , Kaku Kohei
Published: March 2021

Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors facilitate urine glucose excretion by reducing glucose reabsorption, leading to ameliorate glycemic control. While the main characteristics of type 2 diabetes mellitus are insufficient insulin secretion and insulin resistance, SGLT2 inhibitors have some favorable effects on pancreatic β-cell function and insulin sensitivity. SGLT2 inhibitors ameliorate fatty liver and reduce visceral fat mass. Furthermore, it has been noted that SGLT2 inhibitors have cardio-protective and renal protective effects in addition to their glucose-lowering effect. In addition, several kinds of SGLT2 inhibitors are used in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus as an adjuvant therapy to insulin. Taken together, SGLT2 inhibitors have amazing multifaceted effects that are far beyond prediction like some emerging magical medicine. Thereby, SGLT2 inhibitors are very promising as relatively new anti-diabetic drugs and are being paid attention in various aspects. It is noted, however, that SGLT2 inhibitors have several side effects such as urinary tract infection or genital infection. In addition, we should bear in mind the possibility of diabetic ketoacidosis, especially when we use SGLT2 inhibitors in patients with poor insulin secretory capacity.
Biocatalytic Approach for Direct Esterification of Ibuprofen with Sorbitol in Biphasic Media
Authors: Zappaterra Federico , Rodriguez Maria Elena Maldonado , Summa Daniela , Semeraro Bruno , Costa Stefania , Tamburini Elena
Published: March 2021

Ibuprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) introduced in the 1960s and widely used as an analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic. In its acid form, the solubility of 21 mg/L greatly limits its bioavailability. Since the bioavailability of a drug product plays a critical role in the design of oral administration dosage, this study investigated the enzymatic esterification of ibuprofen as a strategy for hydrophilization. This work proposes an enzymatic strategy for the covalent attack of highly hydrophilic molecules using acidic functions of commercially available bioactive compounds. The poorly water-soluble drug ibuprofen was esterified in a hexane/water biphasic system by direct esterification with sorbitol using the cheap biocatalyst porcine pancreas lipase (PPL), which demonstrated itself to be a suitable enzyme for the effective production of the IBU-sorbitol ester. This work reports the optimization of the esterification reaction.
Early and Delayed Impact of Nanosilver on the Glutamatergic NMDA Receptor Complex in Immature Rat Brain
Authors: Dąbrowska-Bouta Beata , Sulkowski Grzegorz , Sałek Mikołaj , Frontczak-Baniewicz Małgorzata , Strużyńska Lidia
Published: March 2021

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are the one of the most extensively used nanomaterials. The strong antimicrobial properties of AgNPs have led to their use in a wide range of medical and consumer products. Although the neurotoxicity of AgNPs has been confirmed, the molecular mechanisms have not been extensively studied, particularly in immature organisms. Based on information gained from previous in vitro studies, in the present work, we examine whether ionotropic NMDA glutamate receptors contribute to AgNP-induced neurotoxicity in an animal model of exposure. In brains of immature rats subjected to a low dose of AgNPs, we identified ultrastructural and molecular alterations in the postsynaptic region of synapses where NMDA receptors are localized as a multiprotein complex. We revealed decreased expression of several NMDA receptor complex-related proteins, such as GluN1 and GluN2B subunits, scaffolding proteins PSD95 and SynGAP, as well as neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). Elucidating the changes in NMDA receptor-mediated molecular mechanisms induced by AgNPs, we also identified downregulation of the GluN2B-PSD95-nNOS-cGMP signaling pathway which maintains LTP/LTD processes underlying learning and memory formation during development. This observation is accompanied by decreased density of NMDA receptors, as assessed by a radioligand binding assay. The observed effects are reversible over the post-exposure time. This investigation reveals that NMDA receptors in immature rats are a target of AgNPs, thereby indicating the potential health hazard for children and infants resulting from the extensive use of products containing AgNPs.
Evaluation of a Novel Plasmid for Simultaneous Gene Electrotransfer-Mediated Silencing of CD105 and CD146 in Combination with Irradiation
Authors: Savarin Monika , Kamensek Urska , Znidar Katarina , Todorovic Vesna , Sersa Gregor , Cemazar Maja
Published: March 2021

Targeting tumor vasculature through specific endothelial cell markers represents a promising approach for cancer treatment. Here our aim was to construct an antibiotic resistance gene-free plasmid encoding shRNAs to simultaneously target two endothelial cell markers, CD105 and CD146, and to test its functionality and therapeutic potential in vitro when delivered by gene electrotransfer (GET) and combined with irradiation (IR). Functionality of the plasmid was evaluated by determining the silencing of the targeted genes using qRT-PCR. Antiproliferative and antiangiogenic effects were determined by the cytotoxicity assay tube formation assay and wound healing assay in murine endothelial cells 2H-11. The functionality of the plasmid construct was also evaluated in malignant melanoma tumor cell line B16F10. Additionally, potential activation of immune response was measured by induction of DNA sensor STING and proinflammatory cytokines by qRT-PCR in endothelial cells 2H-11. We demonstrated that the plasmid construction was successful and can efficiently silence the expression of the two targeted genes. As a consequence of silencing, reduced migration rate and angiogenic potential was confirmed in 2H-11 endothelial cells. Furthermore, induction of DNA sensor STING and proinflammatory cytokines were determined, which could add to the therapeutic effectiveness when used in vivo. To conclude, we successfully constructed a novel plasmid DNA with two shRNAs, which holds a great promise for further in vivo testing.
Systems Medicine Design for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer and Non-Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Based on Systems Identification and Carcinogenic Mechanisms
Authors: Yeh Shan-Ju , Hsu Bo-Jie , Chen Bor-Sen
Published: March 2021

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a heterogeneous subtype of breast cancers with poor prognosis. The etiology of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is involved in various biological signal cascades and multifactorial aberrations of genetic, epigenetic and microenvironment. New therapeutic for TNBC is urgently needed because surgery and chemotherapy are the only available modalities nowadays. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms would be a great challenge because they are triggered by cascade signaling pathways, genetic and epigenetic regulations, and drug–target interactions. This would allow the design of multi-molecule drugs for the TNBC and non-TNBC. In this study, in terms of systems biology approaches, we proposed a systematic procedure for systems medicine design toward TNBC and non-TNBC. For systems biology approaches, we constructed a candidate genome-wide genetic and epigenetic network (GWGEN) by big databases mining and identified real GWGENs of TNBC and non-TNBC assisting with corresponding microarray data by system identification and model order selection methods. After that, we applied the principal network projection (PNP) approach to obtain the core signaling pathways denoted by KEGG pathway of TNBC and non-TNBC. Comparing core signaling pathways of TNBC and non-TNBC, essential carcinogenic biomarkers resulting in multiple cellular dysfunctions including cell proliferation, autophagy, immune response, apoptosis, metastasis, angiogenesis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and cell differentiation could be found. In order to propose potential candidate drugs for the selected biomarkers, we designed filters considering toxicity and regulation ability. With the proposed systematic procedure, we not only shed a light on the differences between carcinogenetic molecular mechanisms of TNBC and non-TNBC but also efficiently proposed candidate multi-molecule drugs including resveratrol, sirolimus, and prednisolone for TNBC and resveratrol, sirolimus, carbamazepine, and verapamil for non-TNBC.
Conceptualising a Cloud Business Intelligence Security Evaluation Framework for Small and Medium Enterprises in Small Towns of the Limpopo Province, South Africa
Authors: Moyo Moses , Loock Marianne
Published: March 2021

The purpose of this study was to investigate security evaluation practices among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in small South African towns when adopting cloud business intelligence (Cloud BI). The study employed a quantitative design in which 57 SMEs from the Limpopo Province were surveyed using an online questionnaire. The study found that: (1) the level of cybersecurity threats awareness among decision-makers was high; (2) decision-makers preferred simple checklists and guidelines over conventional security policies, standards, and frameworks; and (3) decision-makers considered financial risks, data and application security, and cloud service provider reliability as the main aspects to consider when evaluating Cloud BI applications. The study conceptualised a five-component security framework for evaluating Cloud BI applications, integrating key aspects of conventional security frameworks and methodologies. The framework was validated for relevance by IT specialists and acceptance by SME owners. The Spearman correlational test for relevance and acceptance of the proposed framework was found to be highly significant at p < 0.05. The study concluded that SMEs require user-friendly frameworks for evaluating Cloud BI applications. The major contribution of this study is the security evaluation framework conceptualised from the best practices of existing security standards and frameworks for use by decision-makers from small towns in Limpopo. The study recommends that future research consider end-user needs when customising or proposing new solutions for SMEs in small towns.
A Data-Driven Approach for Video Game Playability Analysis Based on Players’ Reviews
Authors: Li Xiaozhou , Zhang Zheying , Stefanidis Kostas
Published: March 2021

Playability is a key concept in game studies defining the overall quality of video games. Although its definition and frameworks are widely studied, methods to analyze and evaluate the playability of video games are still limited. Using heuristics for playability evaluation has long been the mainstream with its usefulness in detecting playability issues during game development well acknowledged. However, such a method falls short in evaluating the overall playability of video games as published software products and understanding the genuine needs of players. Thus, this paper proposes an approach to analyze the playability of video games by mining a large number of players’ opinions from their reviews. Guided by the game-as-system definition of playability, the approach is a data mining pipeline where sentiment analysis, binary classification, multi-label text classification, and topic modeling are sequentially performed. We also conducted a case study on a particular video game product with its 99,993 player reviews on the Steam platform. The results show that such a review-data-driven method can effectively evaluate the perceived quality of video games and enumerate their merits and defects in terms of playability.
Genome-Wide Identification and Analysis of Chitinase-Like Gene Family in Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)
Authors: Peng Zhengke , Ren Jun , Su Qi , Zeng Yang , Tian Lixia , Wang Shaoli , Wu Qingjun , Liang Pei , Xie Wen , Zhang Youjun
Published: March 2021

Chitinases are of great importance in chitin degradation and remodeling in insects. However, the genome-wide distribution of chitinase-like gene family in Bemsia tabaci, a destructive pest worldwide, is still elusive. With the help of bioinformatics, we annotated 14 genes that encode putative chitinase-like proteins, including ten chitinases (Cht), three imaginal disk growth factors (IDGF), and one endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase (ENGase) in the genome of the whitefly, B. tabaci. These genes were phylogenetically grouped into eight clades, among which 13 genes were classified in the glycoside hydrolase family 18 groups and one in the ENGase group. Afterwards, developmental expression analysis suggested that BtCht10, BtCht5, and BtCht7 were highly expressed in nymphal stages and exhibit similar expression patterns, implying their underlying role in nymph ecdysis. Notably, nymphs exhibited a lower rate of survival when challenged by dsRNA targeting these three genes via a nanomaterial-promoted RNAi method. In addition, silencing of BtCht10 significantly resulted in a longer duration of development compared to control nymphs. These results indicate a key role of BtCht10, BtCht5, and BtCht7 in B. tabaci nymph molting. Our research depicts the differences of chitinase-like family genes in structure and function and identified potential targets for RNAi-based whitefly management.