bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
BuYangHuanWu decoction alleviates atherosclerosis by regulating intestinal microbiota and metabolites in ApoE-/- mice fed with HFD
Authors: Yu Qun , Zhang Yilin , Zeng Wenyun , Sun Yingxin , Zeng Miao , Yang Qiuyue , Guo Lin , Zhang Xiaolu , Zhang Yue , Yu Bin , Guo Maojuan , Wang Yu , Li Huhu , Suo Yanrong , Jiang Xijuan , Song Lili
Published: October 2022

Background Traditional Chinese herbal prescription BuYangHuanWu decoction (BHD) works well in treating atherosclerosis. However, the mechanism of BHD in atherosclerosis has not been fully elucidated. We aimed to determine whether BHD could alleviate atherosclerosis by altering the microbiome-associated metabolic changes in atherosclerotic mice. Methods An atherosclerotic model was induced in ApoE−/−mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD), and BHD were administered by gavage for 12 weeks at 8.4g/kg/d and 16.8g/kg/d. Atherosclerotic plaque size, composition, serum lipid profile, as well as inflammatory cytokines were assessed. Mechanistically, metabolomic and micro biota profiling were analyzed using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and 16S rRNA gene sequencing, respectively. Further, intestinal microbiota and atherosclerosis-related metabolic parameters were correlated using Spearman analysis. Results Atherosclerotic mice treated with BHD showed a reduction in plaque area, aortic lumen occlusion, and lipid accumulation in the aortic root. 9 perturbed serum metabolites were significantly restored along with the relative abundance of micro biota at the family and genus levels, but not at the phylum level. Gut microbiota improvements were strongly negatively correlated with improved metabolite levels. Conclusions BHD treatment effectively slows the progression of atherosclerosis by regulating altered intestinal microbiota and perturbed metabolites. Detailed analysis of these interactions between intestinal microbes and metabolites affected by BHD will help in the development of new anti-atherosclerosis medications.
Bessel beam beating-based spontaneous Raman tomography enables high-contrast deep tissue Raman measurements
Authors: Huang Zhiwei , Shu Chi , Gong Li
Published: October 2022

We report on the development of a novel Bessel beam beating-based spontaneous Raman tomography (B3-SRT) technique for depth-resolved deep tissue Raman characterization without a need of mechanical depth-scan. To accomplish B3-SRT, we conceive a unique method by designing a coaxial Bessel beam beating excitation scheme associated with the Bessel beam collection configuration, such that the depth-resolved Raman information is encoded by the Bessel beam beatings generated, and then the depth-encoded Raman spectra along the Bessel beam excitation region are collected simultaneously by a Bessel-shaped collection optical designed. The depth-resolved Raman spectra can be rapidly retrieved using inverse fast Fourier transform. We demonstrated the ability of B3-SRT technique for high contrast deep tissue Raman measurements in a highly scattering two-layer tissue phantom (e.g., fat-bone tissue model). Compared with conventional confocal Raman microscopy, B3-SRT provides ~ 3.7-fold improvement in deep tissue Raman detection as well as ~ 2.6-fold improvement in deeper bone tissue Raman spectral contrast in the highly scattering fat-bone tissue phantom. It is anticipated that B3-SRT technique developed has potential to facilitate high contrast depth-resolved deep tissue Raman measurements in biomedical systems.
Microfabricated Polymer-Metal Biosensors For Multifarious Data Collection From Electrogenic Cellular Models
Authors: Didier Charles , Orrico Julia , Torres Omar Cepeda , Castro Jorge Manrique , Baksh Aliyah , Rajaraman Swaminathan
Published: October 2022

Benchtop tissue cultures have become increasingly complex in recent years, as more “on-a-chip” biological technologies such as Microphysiological Systems (MPSs) work to incorporate cellular constructs that more accurately represent their respective biological systems. Such MPSs have begun providing major breakthroughs in biological research and are poised to shape the field in the coming decades. These biological systems necessitate integrated sensing modalities to procure complex, multiplexed datasets, with unprecedented combinatorial biological detail. In this work we expand on our polymer-metal biosensor approach by demonstrating a facile technology towards compound biosensing which are characterized through custom modeling approaches. Herein we develop a compound chip with 3D microelectrodes, 3D microfluidics, Interdigitated Electrodes (IDEs) and a micro-heater. The chip is subsequently tested using electrical/electrochemical characterization of 3D microelectrodes with 1kHz impedance and phase recordings, and IDE-based high frequency (~ 1MHz frequencies) impedimetric analysis of differential localized temperature recordings, both of which are modelled through equivalent electrical circuits for process parameter extraction. Additionally, a simplified antibody-conjugation strategy was employed for a similar IDE-based analysis of the implications for a key analyte (L-Glutamine) binding on the equivalent electrical circuit. Lastly, acute microfluidic perfusion modelling was performed to demonstrate ease of microfluidics integration into such a polymer-metal biosensor platform for potential complimentary localized chemical stimulation. Combined, our work demonstrates the design, development, and characterization of an accessibly designed, polymer-metal compound biosensor for electrogenic cellular constructs, geared towards comprehensive MPS data collection.
Social and Seismic Structural Vulnerability in Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, Mexico
Authors: Novelo-Casanova David A. , Suárez Gerardo
Published: October 2022

The spatial distribution of the social and seismic structural vulnerabilities in Zihuatanejo (ZIH), Guerrero, Mexico was estimated. Social vulnerability was assessed considering twelve indicators, including parameters such as access to health services, education, housing, employment, and unfavorable family conditions. Seismic structural vulnerability was estimated by characterizing the structural characteristics of local houses, assessing the type and age of construction, and the quality of building materials. Surveyed households were randomly selected from a statistically significant sample. Our findings indicate that in the western and eastern areas of ZIH the population has high and very high social vulnerability. The main factors that condition these high levels of social vulnerability are low-income female-headed families, and households with marginal access to information technology such as internet and telephone. Although seismic ground amplification in ZIH is relatively low, the areas to the west and southwest of the city are zones where the impact of strong earthquakes to constructions may be greater than in other areas. In particular, the districts of Lázaro Cárdenas, Benito Juárez, Cuauhtémoc, Emiliano Zapata, Las Mesas, Buenos Aires, Lomas del Quebrachal, and Lomas del Riscal would be affected. In general, houses susceptible to be damaged by the impact of an earthquake are in regions where the population is socially more vulnerable. More than 50% of the population and 30% of the houses have high and very high level of social and structural vulnerability. Our results provide information to the local and federal authorities to strengthen their civil protection and hazard mitigation plans.
Air traffic control forgetting prediction based on eye movement information and hybrid neural network
Authors: Jin Huibin , Gao Weipeng , Li Kun , Chu Mingjian
Published: October 2022

Control forgetting accounts for most of the current unsafe incidents. In the research field of radar surveillance control, how to avoid control forgetting to ensure the safety of flights is becoming a hot issue which attracts more and more attention. Meanwhile, aviation safety is substantially influenced by the way of eye movement. The exact relation of control forgetting to eye movement, however, still remains puzzling. Motivated by this, a control forgetting prediction method is proposed based on Convolutional Neural Networks and Long-Short Term Memory (CNN-LSTM). In this model, the eye movement characteristics are classified in terms of whether they are time-related, and then regulatory forgetting can be predicted by virtue of CNN-LSTM. The effectiveness of the method is verified by carrying out simulation experiments of eye movement during flight control. Results show that this method, using eye movement data, can provide control forgetting prediction with remarkably high accuracy. This work tries to explore an innovative way to associate control forgetting with eye movement, so as to guarantee the safety of civil aviation.
Using Generalized Structured Additive Regression Models to determine factors associated with and clusters for COVID-19 hospital deaths in South Africa
Authors: Maposa Innocent , Welch Richard , Ozougwu Lovelyn , Arendse Tracy , Mudara Caroline , Blumberg Lucille , Jassat Waasila
Published: October 2022

Background
The first case of COVID-19 in South Africa was reported in March 2020 and the country has since recorded over 3.6 million laboratory-confirmed cases and 100 000 deaths as of March 2022. Transmission and infection of SARS-CoV-2 virus and deaths in general due to COVID-19 have been shown to be spatially associated but spatial patterns in in-hospital deaths have not fully been investigated in South Africa. This study uses national COVID-19 hospitalization data to investigate the spatial effects on hospital deaths after adjusting for known mortality risk factors.
Methods
COVID-19 hospitalization data and deaths were obtained from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD). Generalized structured additive logistic regression model was used to assess spatial effects on COVID-19 in-hospital deaths adjusting for demographic and clinical covariates. Continuous covariates were modelled by assuming second-order random walk priors, while spatial autocorrelation was specified with Markov random field prior and fixed effects with vague priors respectively. The inference was fully Bayesian.
Results
The risk of COVID-19 in-hospital mortality increased with patient age, with admission to intensive care unit (ICU) (aOR = 4.16; 95% Credible Interval: 4.05–4.27), being on oxygen (aOR = 1.49; 95% Credible Interval: 1.46–1.51) and on invasive mechanical ventilation (aOR = 3.74; 95% Credible Interval: 3.61–3.87). Being admitted in a public hospital (aOR = 3.16; 95% Credible Interval: 3.10–3.21) was also significantly associated with mortality. Risk of in-hospital deaths increased in months following a surge in infections and dropped after months of successive low infections highlighting crest and troughs lagging the epidemic curve. After controlling for these factors, districts such as Vhembe, Capricorn and Mopani in Limpopo province, and Buffalo City, O.R. Tambo, Joe Gqabi and Chris Hani in Eastern Cape province remained with significantly higher odds of COVID-19 hospital deaths suggesting possible health systems challenges in those districts.
Conclusion
The results show substantial COVID-19 in-hospital mortality variation across the 52 districts. Our analysis provides information that can be important for strengthening health policies and the public health system for the benefit of the whole South African population. Understanding differences in in-hospital COVID-19 mortality across space could guide interventions to achieve better health outcomes in affected districts.
Experimental assessment of energy tower performance
Authors: mehdipour ramin , Habibi Mojtaba , Eydiyan Mohammad , Mohammadi Ehsan , Baniamerian Zahra
Published: October 2022

Solar energy is one of the most feasible options to produce energy in countries where unexploited desert areas or solar radiation are abundant. An energy tower is an effective system for electrical power generation that can perform more efficiently along with solar radiation. in this study, the efficiency of the energy tower system is investigated experimentally by an indoor fully adjustable apparatus. In this regard, a comprehensive set of influencing parameters like air velocity, humidity, and temperature and the effects of tower height on the performance of the energy tower is individually assessed. Based on the obtained results, by increasing humidification, the temperature difference increased between the inlet and outlet of the energy tower. In addition, the more the temperature difference between the inlet and outlet, the higher the airflow velocity in the outlet. The kinetic energy increases in the direction of airflow from top to bottom, and as the height of the tower lengthens, the kinetic energy enhances and subsequently increases the overall efficiency of the tower. Although the energy tower performs efficiently in the nighttime, airflow velocity increases averagely about 8% during the daytime and at the peak of the solar radiation, the airflow velocity enhances by 58% compared to nighttime.
How the COVID-19 pandemic influenced noise annoyance perception? A case study of Poznan, Poland
Authors: Felcyn Jan
Published: October 2022

A worldwide COVID-19 spread effected in many limitations in social life and made people spend much more time at their homes. This phenomenon had its reflection in changes in traffic intensity, social activities and other aspects of our life, influencing also our perception of noise in the place of living. In this research, we wanted to find out how people rate noise annoyance while being at home during the 3rd wave of the pandemic in Poland in spring of 2021. We asked inhabitants of Poznań about their feelings and attitudes towards noise, we also wanted them to rate noise annoyance of several different noise sources both before and during a lockdown. Our study shows that almost 80% of respondents found the noise as annoying and only 11% of them thought that noise was less annoying during the pandemic. There was a statistically significant difference in ratings for aircraft noise and events – both of them were rated lower during a lockdown. Among people who felt that noise was less annoying, also road traffic noise was rated lower significantly. On the other hand, people who claimed that noise became more annoying boosted their ratings of neighbouring noise. All these facts support a theory that the pandemic had a direct and significant influence on our perception of noise.
Relationship between meteorological conditions and atmospheric PM2.5 in a uranium mining area and analysis of pollution sources
Authors: Liu Zhirong , Li Xing , Shi Sufeng , Huang Min , Li Zhuyao , Zhou Limin
Published: October 2022

Combining the special facilities of uranium mine with villages and towns, this paper analyzed the correlation between PM2.5 and atmospheric temperature, humidity, air pressure, wind speed and air index analyzed by PM2.5. Humidity, atmospheric pressure and air quality index were positively correlated with PM2.5 concentration, while temperature and wind speed were negatively correlated with PM2.5 concentration, while altitude had no correlation with PM2.5 concentration. The seasonal variation of PM2.5 concentration in this area was as follows: winter (31.5 ㎍/m3) > spring (25.78 ㎍/m3) > autumn (15.59 ㎍/m3) > summer (10.61 ㎍/m3). PMF model (orthogonal matrix factor analysis) was used to analyze various pollution sources. It was found that the contribution of various pollution sources was soil source (33.7%), combustion source (19.2%), traffic source (18.2%), industrial source (15.0%) and natural source (3.3%).
Processing of Pinus sylvestris into remarkable heat- insulating, thermally stable, and flame-retarded materials by combining the flame retardant impregnation and densification treatment
Authors: Xu Zhisheng , Zhao Wenjun , Feng Yuwei , Tang Xinyu , Yan Long
Published: October 2022

Flame retardant impregnation and densification treatment as wood modification techniques both can improve the fire safety of the wood. Here, these two techniques are applied to prepare flame-retarded wood, aiming at further fire hazard reduction of wood. The delignated Pinus sylvestris wood was impregnated with boric acid (BA) and graphene oxide (GO) solutions to form BA-GO protective layer, then densified to prepare densified flame-retarded wood named BGO-DW sample. The results reveal that the BGO-DW sample obtains a limiting oxygen index (LOI) value of 47.5%, accompanied by a 56.1% reduction in thermal conductivity and a 48.6% decrease in equilibrium backside temperature at 1200 s compared to natural wood. Besides, the peak heat release rate (PHRR) and total heat release (THR) values of the BGO-DW sample are 72.0% and 62.5% lower than those of natural wood, which can be ascribed to the shorter pyrolysis interval and lower peak mass loss rate, as supported by thermogravimetric (TG) analysis. The outstanding flame retardancy of the BGO-DW sample is attributed to the generation of char rich in C = C aromatic structure, C–O–C cross-linked structure, and B2O3 glassy structure via the dehydration, carbonization, and cross-linking reactions. These fascinating features of densified flame-retarded wood offer a new method to enhance the thermal stability, heat insulation, and flame retardancy of wood.
Dermokine mutations contribute to epithelial-mesenchymal transition and advanced melanoma through ERK/MAPK pathways
Authors: Imani Saber , Ma Wenqiong , Wu Zexiu , Maghsoudloo Mazaher , Ijaz Iqra , Shasaltaneh Marzieh Dehghan , Zhang Yuqin , Weng Qiao , Fu Junjiang , Wen QingLian
Published: October 2022

In the present study, the vulnerability associated with dermokine (DMKN), as a new trigger for the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT)-driven melanoma, was assessed based on a genome-wide genetic screening using transgenic. The results suggested a significantly higher DMKN expression in human Malignant Melanoma (MM), which was correlated with poor overall survival among melanoma patients, especially BRAF-mutated MM samples. Additionally, an in vitro knockdown of DMKN inhibited the cell proliferation, invasion, and apoptosis of MM cancer cells by activating ERK/MAPK signaling pathways and regulating STAT3 in downstream molecules. The interrogation of in vitro melanoma dataset and characterization of advanced melanoma samples revealed that DMKN downregulated the EMT-like transcriptional program through disrupting MET/EMT cortical actin, enhanced the expression of epithelial markers, and decreased that of mesenchymal markers. Whole-exome sequencing was presented with p.E69D and p.V91A DMKN mutations as novel somatic loss-of-function mutations. Further, the purposeful proof-of-principle modeled the interaction of ERK with p.E69D and p.V91A DMKN mutations in the ERK-MAPK kinase signaling that may be naturally associated with the EMT triggering during the melanomagenesis. These results provided preclinical evidence for the role of DMKN in shaping the EMT-like melanoma phenotype and introduced DMKN as a new exceptional responder to personalized MM therapy.
Erbium-doped (Pb 0.9 −Er 0.01 -Zr 0.09 ) and (Pb 0.9 -Er 0.01 -Zr 0.045 - Ti 0.045 ) nano-crystalline films and nano-rods ceramic synthesis by sol-gel technique for energy-storage application
Authors: Ibrahim Faiza , El-Desoky Mohamed
Published: October 2022

The development of dielectric constant materials for energy storage applications is in high demand. Lead zirconate and lead zirconate titanate doping with erbium thin films and bulk -based devices with variant dielectric constant were created in this work. Pb(0.9) )-Er0.01 Zr(0.09 (PEZ) and Pb0.9-Er0.01-Zr0.045-Ti0.045 (PEZT) thin films were produced on a glass substrate using a sol-gel doctor blade technique at low temperature. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and electron diffraction (ED) were used to examine the structure of the produced nanocrystals. PEZ and PEZT films had nanocrystals that were 9.5 nm and 15 nm in size, respectively, whereas PEZ and PEZT bulk nano-rods had 455 ± 5 nm in length and 45 ± 1 nm in diameter. The TEM and XRD results were found to be completely consistent in terms of particle size. Ferroelectric properties and dielectric characteristics were found to be frequency dependent. Dielectric experiments revealed that the dielectric constant was decreasing for bulk samples as compared to film samples. The residual polarization of the Er-doped PEZ and PEZT films was the highest, reaching 36.25 µC/cm2 and 69.79 µC/cm2, respectively, and the coercive fields were 43kV/cm and 45.43 kV/cm, respectively. On the other hand, PEZ and PEZT bulk samples had residual polarizations of 27.15 µC/cm2 and 37.29 µC/cm2, respectively, while having coercive fields of 32.3 kV/cm and 39.3 kV/cm, respectively. On the other hand, (PEZ) and (PEZT) samples may have potential use in energy storage applications.
LncRNAs Involved in the Regulation of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation and Migration in Atherosclerosis
Authors: Zhang Hua , Liu Lixin , Chen Xueying
Published: October 2022

Atherosclerosis (AS) is a major cause of coronary artery disease, cerebral infarction,and peripheral vascular disease.Vascular smooth muscle cells（VSMCs）are oneof the major cell types in the vessel wall, and the abnormal proliferation and migration functions of VSMCs are critical in the process and stability of atherosclerotic plaque formation.In recently, an increasing number of studies have demonstrated that LncRNAs play an important role in the development of atherosclerotic disease. The purpose of thispaper is to summarize the LncRNAs involved in regulating the proliferation and migration of VSMCs in atherosclerosis, and to provide a scientific basis for the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis.
Deep Learning Based Diagnostic Quality Assessment of Choroidal OCT Features with Expert-Evaluated Explainability
Authors: Koidala Surya Prakash , Manne Shanmukh Reddy , Ozimba Kalah , Mohammed Abdul Rasheed , Bashar Sarforaz Bin , Mohammed Nasar Ibrahim , Selvam Amrish , Sahel Jose Alain , Chhablani Jay , Jana Soumya , Vupparaboina Kiran Kumar
Published: October 2022

Various vision-threatening eye diseases including age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and central serous chorioretinopathy(CSCR) are caused due to the dysfunctions manifested in the highly vascular choroid layer of the posterior segment of the eye.In the current clinical practice, screening choroidal structural changes is widely based on optical coherence tomography (OCT)images. Accordingly, to assist clinicians, several automated choroidal biomarker detection methods using OCT images aredeveloped. However, the performance of these algorithms is largely constrained by the quality of the OCT scan. Consequently,determining the quality of choroidal features in OCT scans is significant in building standardized quantification tools and henceconstitutes our main objective. This study includes a dataset of 1593 good and 2581 bad quality Spectralis OCT images gradedby an expert. Noting the efficacy of deep-learning (DL) in medical image analysis, we propose to train three state-of-the-artDL models: ResNet18, EfficientNet-B0 and EfficientNet-B3 to detect the quality of OCT images. The choice of these modelswas inspired by their ability to preserve the salient features across all the layers without information loss. To evaluate theattention of DL models on the choroid, we introduced color transparency maps (CTMs) based on GradCAM explanations.Further, we proposed two subjective grading scores: overall choroid coverage (OCC) and choroid coverage in the visibleregion(CCVR) based on CTMs to objectively correlate visual explanations vis-à-vis DL model attentions. We observed that theaverage accuracy and F-scores for the three DL models are greater than 96%. Further, the OCC and CCVR scores achievedfor the three DL models under consideration substantiate that they mostly focus on the choroid layer in making the decision. Inparticular, of the three DL models, EfficientNet-B3 is in close agreement with the clinician’s inference. The proposed DL-basedframework demonstrated high detection accuracy as well as attention on the choroid layer, where EfficientNet-B3 reportedsuperior performance. Our work assumes significance in bench-marking the automated choroid biomarker detection tools andfacilitating high-throughput screening. Further, the methods proposed in this work can be adopted for evaluating the attentionof DL-based approaches developed for other region-specific quality assessment tasks.
Identification of lncRNAs and immune-related prognostic genes as thyroid cancer microenvironment biomarkers
Authors: Xia Zhongbin , Huang Haiyue , Gao Feng , Han Guangyu , Hu Yuzhe , Yu Peng , Shen Shaochen
Published: October 2022

Although thyroid cancer is a frequent clinical tumor, it mostly affects young individuals, with an average age of around 40 years old, in contrast to the features of general cancer in the elderly. The outcomes of patients with undifferentiated THCA are still quite bad, despite the fact that full surgical resection and radiation have greatly increased the survival rate of patients with THCA. Therefore, improved patient prognostic interventions may be made by the discovery of the immune-related prognostic gene and long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) biomarker connected to the thyroid cancer microenvironment. The research obtained mRNA and lncRNA data from the TCGA database ( https://portal.gdc.cancer.gov ) for THCA patients, and it downloaded IRGs data from Import Shared Data ( https://www.Immport.org ). Then, a weighted gene co-expression network was constructed in order to identify the main modules connected to THCA. To determine the prognosis of THCA, immune-related long non-coding RNA (IR-lncRNA) and 11 mRNA classifiers were produced after univariate Cox regression analysis of all IRGs in the core module. Furthermore, the sample was split into two groups: high-risk and low-risk groups based on the classifier's risk score calculation. Through the use of the ESTIMATE and CIBERSORT algorithms in comparison to the two groups, we investigated more closely at the THCA samples' tumor microenvironment. Finally, we discovered three small molecules that may be useful therapeutically treating THCA patients with high risk. And our findings indicate IRG and IR-lncRNA-based classifiers may serve as trustworthy prognostic indicators for THCA survival.
Flavivirus prM interacts with MDA5 and MAVS to inhibit RLR antiviral signaling
Authors: Sui Liyan , Zhao Yinghua , Wang Wenfang , Chi Hongmiao , Tian Tian , Zhang Jinlong , Zhao Yicheng , Hou Zhijun , Wei Zheng-Kai , Zhou Guoqiang , Wang Guoqing , Wang Zedong , Liu Quan
Published: October 2022

Background: Vector-borne flaviviruses, including tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), Zika virus (ZIKA), West Nile virus (WNV), yellow fever virus (YFV), dengue virus (DENV), and Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), pose a growing threat to public health worldwide, and have evolved complex mechanisms to overcome host antiviral innate immunity. However, the underlying mechanisms of flavivirus structural proteins to evade host immune response remain elusive.
Results: We show that TBEV structural protein, pre-membrane (prM) protein, could inhibit type I interferon (IFN-I) production. Mechanically, TBEV prM interacted with both MDA5 and MAVS and interfered with the formation of MDA5-MAVS complex, thereby impeding the nuclear translocation and dimerization of IRF3 to inhibit RLR antiviral signaling. ZIKA and WNV prM was also demonstrated to interact with both MDA5 and MAVS, while dengue virus serotype 2 (DENV2) and YFV prM associated only with MDA5 or MAVS to suppress IFN-I production. In contrast, JEV prM could not suppress IFN-I production. Overexpression of TBEV and ZIKA prM significantly promoted the replication of TBEV and Sendai virus. Conclusion: Our findings reveal the immune evasion mechanisms of flavivirus prM, which may contribute to understanding flavivirus pathogenicity, therapeutic intervention and vaccine development.
Sulfated endospermic nanocellulose crystals prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and HIV-1
Authors: Barriga Enrique Javier Carvajal , Fitzgerald Wendy , Dimitriadis Emilios K. , Margolis Leonid , Fields R. Douglas
Published: October 2022

Biomaterials with antimicrobial activity are gaining attention due to their biodegradability and efficacy in interacting with a wide range of microorganisms. A new cellulose nano-biomaterial, endospermic nanocellulose crystals (ENC) obtained from parenchymal tissue of ivory nut endosperm, has a natural capacity as a universal binder. This feature is enhanced when it is chemically functionalized, and can be exploited in the fight against microbes.
We tested the ability of sulfated ENC in aqueous suspension to encapsulate viruses through a crosslinking reaction mediated by cations. 0.25% w/v ENC suspensions efficiently encapsulated spike (S) protein, preventing its interaction with ACE2 receptor. ENC was further able to encapsulate SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviruses and prevent infection of 293T-ACE2 cells. ENC also suppressed infection of MT-4 cells with HIV-1LAI.04. This antiviral activity of sulfated ENC is due to the irreversible interaction of ENC with viral particles mediated by crosslinking, as antiviral activity was less effective in the absence of cations. Additionally, ENC was used as a matrix to immobilize recombinant ACE2 receptors and anti-S IgG, creating molecular lures that efficiently inhibited SARS-CoV-2 infections in vitro. These results show that sulfated ENC from ivory nuts can be used as an efficient antiviral material.
Concurrently mapping quantitative trait loci associations from multiple subspecies within hybrid populations
Authors: Warburton Christie , Costilla Roy , Engle Bailey , Moore Stephen , Corbet Nicholas , Fordyce Geoffry , McGowan Michael , Hayes Ben
Published: October 2022

Many of the world’s agriculturally important plant and animal populations consist of hybrids of subspecies. Cattle in tropical and sub-tropical regions for example, originate from two genetically distinct subspecies, Bos indicus and Bos taurus. Methods to derive the underlying genetic architecture for these two subspecies are essential to develop accurate genomic predictions in these hybrid populations. We propose a novel method to achieve this. First, we use haplotypes to assign single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) alleles to ancestral subspecies-of-origin in a multi-breed and multi-subspecies population. Then we use a BayesR framework to allow SNP alleles originating from the different subspecies to have different effects (unequal variances). Applying this method in a composite population of B. indicus and B. taurus hybrids, our results show that there are underlying genomic differences between the two subspecies, and these effects are not identified in multi-breed genomic evaluations that do not account for subspecies-of-origin effects. The method slightly improved the accuracy of genomic prediction. More significantly, by allocating SNP alleles to ancestral subspecies-of-origin, we were able to identify four SNP with high posterior probabilities of inclusion that have not been previously associated with cattle fertility and were very close to genes associated with fertility in other species. These results show that haplotypes can be used to trace subspecies-of-origin through the genome of this hybrid population and, in conjunction with our novel Bayesian analysis, subspecies SNP allele allocation can be used to increase the accuracy of quantitative trait loci (QTL) association mapping in genetically diverse populations.
Diffusion-free Valve for Pre-programmed Immunoassay With Capillary Microfluidics
Authors: Cabot Joan , Azizian Pooya , Casals-Terré Jasmina , Ricart Jordi
Published: October 2022

By manipulating the geometry of the microfluidic channels and their surface chemistry, capillary-driven microfluidics can move and stop fluids spontaneously without the need for external instrumentation. Furthermore, complex microfluidic circuits can be pre-programmed by synchronizing the capillary pressures and encoding the surface tension of the microfluidic chips. One of the key components of these systems is the capillary valve. However, the main concern for these valves is the presence of unwanted diffusion during the valve loading and activation steps that can cause cross-contamination. In this study, we designed and validated a novel diffusion-free capillary valve, the π-valve. This valve consists of a 3D structure and a void area. The void acts as a spacer between two fluids to avoid direct contact. When the valve is triggered, the air trapped within the void is displaced by a pneumatic suction induced from the capillary flow of the downstream. The proposed design eliminates any diffusion between fluids. Numerical simulation was used to design and improve the architecture of the π-valve, and 3D printing was used to fabricate either the mold or the microfluidic chip. The comparison with a conventional valve (based on a constriction-expansion valve) demonstrated that the π-valve eliminated possible backflow into the valve and reduced the mixing and diffusion during the loading and trigger steps. It was multiplexed successfully, achieving the sequential release of 3 solutions in a 3D printed microfluidic chip without the need for any external instrumentation. Overall, the π-valve prevents cross-contamination, minimizes sample use, and facilitates a sophisticated pre-programmed release of fluids, offering a promising tool for carrying out automated immunoassays at the point-of-care testing.
Statistical analysis and automation through machine learning of resonant ultrasound spectroscopy data from tests performed on complex additively manufactured parts
Authors: Obaton Anne-Françoise , Fallahi Nasim , Tanich Anis , Lafon Louis-Ferdinand , Weaver Gregory
Published: October 2022

Additive manufacturing brings inspection issues for quality assurance of final parts because non-destructive testing methods are faced with shape complexity, size, and high surface roughness. Thus, to drive additive manufacturing forward, advanced non-destructive testing methods are required. Methods based on resonant ultrasound spectroscopy (RUS) can take on all the challenges that come with additive manufacturing. Indeed, these full body inspection methods are adapted to shape complexity, to nearly any size, and to high degrees of surface roughness. Furthermore, they are easy to implement, fast and low cost. In this paper, we present the benefit of a resonant ultrasound spectroscopy method, combined with a statistical analysis through Z score implementation, to classify supposedly identical parts, from a batch. We also demonstrate that the inspection can be further accelerated and automated, to make the analysis operator independent, whether the analysis of the resonant ultrasound spectroscopy data is performed supervised or unsupervised with machine learning algorithms.
SNX3 aggravates pathological cardiac hypertrophy via targeting ATG5-dependent autophagy
Authors: Hu Yuehuai , Wang Panxia , Chen Jianxing , Liu Cui , Yu Wenjing , Wu Zhongkai , Lu Jing , Liu Peiqing
Published: October 2022

Autophagy is an intracellular lysosomal degradation pathway that plays a critical role in maintaining cardiac homeostasis. Disordered autophagy is closely related to the pathological process of many heart diseases, including cardiac hypertrophy. However, mechanisms regulating cardiac autophagy remained unclear. Previously, we found that overexpression of SNX3 induces cardiac hypertrophy in mice. In this study, a reduced autophagy was observed in SNX3 transgenic mice. Therefore, the objective of our study was to determine whether SNX3 regulates pathological cardiac hypertrophy by regulating autophagy process. A decreased level of autophagy-related protein LC3 was detected in failing hearts from human patients and mouse models. To explore the role of SNX3 in cardiac autophagy, we generated cardiac-specific SNX3 transgenic mice and infected neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCMs) with adenovirus encoding SNX3 (Ad-SNX3). Bothin vivoandin vitrostudies suggested that overexpression of SNX3 inhibited cardiomyocytes autophagy. Overexpression of SNX3in vitrofurther reduced ISO-induced autophagic flux through inhibiting autophagic formation. Rapamycin, an autophagy inducer, could effectively reversed SNX3-induced cardiac hypertrophy and autophagy inhibition bothin vitroandin vivo. Immunofluorescent staining and co-immunoprecipitation results revealed an interaction between SNX3 and autophagy related gene 5 (ATG5). We discovered that the stability of ATG5 was impaired by SNX3.
Development novel collision approach for particulate flows
Authors: Adamczyk Wojciech , Widuch Agata , Morkisz Pawel , Myohanen Kari , Klimanek Adam , Pawlak Sebastian
Published: October 2022

With technology development, there is a growing need for an accurate simulation tools, allowing the best possible representation of the reality. Developed model found not only application in prototyping process but can provide significant knowledge into the artificial intelligent model extending their comprehension. Computational performance and accuracy of the numerical model, dedicated for granular flows are mostly a function of mathematical model that track the mutual interaction between particles. Currently the kinetic theory of granular flow or soft- and hard-sphere collision models are used for modeling particle interactions. Each of them suffers from some imperfection that often limit the problem sizes. The purpose of this work is building new mathematical approach, not only fast, but also accurate regarding predicting collisions and determining particle trajectories by application of machine learning technique.
Responses of aroma related metabolic attributes of Opisthopappus longilobus flowers to environmental changes
Authors: Liu ZhiXia , Lan Yafei , Zhang Hao , Hao Weili , He Shan , Liu Li , Feng Xiaolong , Qie Qiyang , Chai Min , Sun Genlou , Wang Yiling
Published: October 2022

Various metabolic processes are activated in response to environmental changes. Opisthopappus longilobus (Opisthopappus) and its descendant species, Opisthopappus taihangensis commonly thrive on the Taihang Mountains of China. Being typical cliff plants, both O. longilobus and O. taihangensis release unique aromatics. We investigated whether these aromatics might be differentiated and inherently adaptive attributes. To determine the potential differentiation and environmental response patterns between O. longilobus and O. taihangensis, comparative metabolic analysis was performed on O. longilobus wild flower (CLW), O. longilobus reciprocal transplant flower (CLT), and O. taihangensis wild flower (TH) groups. Significant differences in the metabolic profiles between O. longilobus and O. taihangensis flowers were observed, and 29 substances related to their scents were obtained (two alkenes, two aldehydes, three esters, eight phenols, three acids, three ketones, three alcohols, and five flavonoids) of which eugenol and chlorogenic were the primary aromatictic molecules. The chlorogenic content of TH was significantly higher than that of CLW and CLT, while the eugenol content was highest in CLT followed by TH, and both metabolites were enriched in the phenylpropane pathway. In addition, the aromatic related compounds were significantly correlated with the lowest temperatures in October and in December. The results above indicated that phenylpropane, particularly eugenol and chlorogenic, played important roles in the responses of O. longilobus species to environmental changes.
Long-term atmosphere surveillance (2016-2021) of PM2.5-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and health risk assessment in Yangtze River delta, China
Authors: Wu Keqin , Yao Yuyang , Meng Yuanhua , Zhang Xuhui , Zhou Run , Liu Wenwei , Ding Xinliang
Published: October 2022

Long-term atmospheric quality monitoring of PM2.5 and PM2.5-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was performed in Wuxi from 2016 to 2021. A total of 504 atmospheric PM2.5 samples were collected, and PM2.5-bound 16 PAHs were detected. The PM2.5 and ∑PAHs level decreased annually from 2016–2021, from 64.3 to 34.0 μg/m3 and 5.27 to 4.22 ng/m3, respectively. The benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) of 42% of the monitoring days in 2017 exceeded the recommended health-based standard of the European Union (EU) at 1ng/m3. Five- and six-ring PAHs, including benz[a]anthracene (Baa), benzo[k] fluoranthene (Bkf), BaP, and benzo[g,h,i]perylene (Bghi), were the dominant components, indicating a prominent petroleum, biomass, and coal combustion contribution by molecular diagnostic ratios and positive matrix factorization analysis. Statistically significant temporal and spatial distribution differences of PM2.5, and ∑PAHs were also found. The toxicity equivalent concentration (TEQ) was 0.70 for total PAHs and the TEQ of BaP (0.178) was the highest, followed by Bkf (0.090), dibenz[a,h]anthracene (Dah) (0.048), and indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene (Ind) (0.034). The medians of the incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) for long-term exposure to PAHs were 2.74E-8, 1.98E-8, and 1.71E-7 for children, teenagers, and adults, respectively, indicating that the carcinogenic risk of PAHs pollution in air was acceptable to local residents in this area. Sensitivity analysis showed that BaP, Bkf, and Dah significantly contributed to carcinogenic toxicity. This research supplies comprehensive statistics on the local air persistent organic pollutants profile, helps to identify the principle pollution source and compounds, and contributes to the prevention of regional air pollution.
Zn-containing Wollastonite with Well-defined Microstructural and Good Antifungal Activity
Authors: Mardin Sutrisnawati , Hamzawy Esmat , El-Aty Abeer A. Abd , El-Bassyouni Gehan T.
Published: October 2022

Antimicrobial and antifungal materials we prepared from Zn-containing wollastonite set by wet precipitation method. Wollastonite, hardystonite, willemite and very little quartz were developed after sintering at 1100°C/2h, however, the Raman spectroscopy approved the later phases by their characteristic Raman shift bands. The microstructure exhibited accumulated rounded to irregular clusters containing nano-size particles (< 500nm) developed in all sintered samples. Zeta potential; exposed negative values for all powdered samples from − 2.64 to -17.6 mV (i.e., for Zn-free to highest Zn-containing samples). It can be easily noticed that the lowest ZnO-content exhibits a varied range of antibacterial activities in contrast to Gram-negative (E. coli) and Gram-positive (S. aureus & B. subtilis). Correspondingly, the CZS5 exhibits good inhibitory effect against the filamentous pathogenic fungus (A. niger).
Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 negatively regulates glucose tolerance via regulation of membrane translocation of Glucose transporter type 4 in adipocytes
Authors: Kawakami Fumitaka , Imai Motoki , Isaka Yuki , Cookson Mark , Maruyama Hiroko , Kubo Makoto , Farrer Matthew J. , Kanzaki Makoto , Tamaki Shun , Kawashima Rei , Maekawa Tatsunori , Kurosaki Yoshifumi , Kojima Fumiaki , Ichikawa Takafumi
Published: October 2022

Epidemiological studies have shown that abnormalities of glucose metabolism are involved in leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2)-associated Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the physiological significance of this association is unclear. In the present study, we investigated the effect of the LRRK2 on high-fat diet induced glucose intolerance using Lrrk2-knock-out (Lrrk2-KO) mice. We found for the first time that high-fat (HFD) fed Lrrk2-KO mice display improved glucose tolerance and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance compared to their wild type (WT) counterparts. We found that Lrrk2 is highly expressed in adipose tissues compared with to other tissues that are thought to be important in glucose tolerance, including skeletal muscle, liver, and pancreas. Lrrk2 expression and phosphorylation of its kinase substrates Rab8a and Rab10 were significantly elevated after HFD treatment in WT mice. Conversely, treatment with a LRRK2 kinase inhibitor stimulated insulin-dependent membrane translocation of insulin-dependent glucose transporter (GLUT4) in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. We conclude that increased LRRK2 kinase activity in adipose tissue exacerbates glucose intolerance by suppressing Rab8- and Rab10-mediated GLUT4 membrane translocation.
Whole-brain tracking of addictive and natural rewards processing
Authors: Beroun Anna , Bijoch Łukasz , Klos Joanna , Pawlowska Monika , Wiśniewska Justyna , Legutko Diana , Szachowicz Urszula , Kaczmarek Leszek
Published: October 2022

Natural rewards, such as food, and sex are appetitive stimuli available for animals in their natural environment. Similarly, addictive rewards such as drugs of abuse possess strong, positive valence, but their action relies on their pharmacological properties. Nevertheless, it is believed that both of these kinds of rewards activate similar brain circuitry. The present study aimed to discover which parts of the brain process the experience of natural and addictive rewards. To holistically address this question, we used a single-cell whole-brain imaging approach to find patterns of activation for acute and prolonged sucrose and cocaine exposure. We analyzed almost 400 brain structures and created a brain-wide map of specific, c-Fos-positive neurons engaged by these rewards. Acute but not prolonged sucrose exposure triggered a massive c-Fos expression throughout the brain. Cocaine exposure on the other hand potentiated c-Fos expression with prolonged use, engaging more structures than sucrose treatment. The functional connectivity analysis unraveled an increase in brain modularity after exposure to both types of rewards. This modularity stabilized during prolonged sucrose, but not cocaine, intake. To check whether discrepancies between the processing of both types of rewards can be found on a cellular level, we further studied the nucleus accumbens, one of the most strongly activated brain structures by both sucrose and cocaine experience. We found a high overlap between natural and addictive rewards on the level of c-Fos expression. Electrophysiological measurements of cellular correlates of synaptic plasticity revealed that natural and addictive rewards alike induce the accumulation of silent synapses. These results strengthen the hypothesis that in the nucleus accumbens drugs of abuse cause maladaptive neuronal plasticity in the circuitry that typically processes natural rewards.
Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Residents towards Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Gurage Zone, Ethiopia
Authors: Chernet Ayele Gebeyehu , Trueha Kassahun , Muanenda Sebsib , Cherie Kebadu Tadesse , Lentiro Kifle
Published: October 2022

Background: Even if the Government of Ethiopia has given great emphasis to strengthen CRVS system throughout the country, the system is still in its infancy stage. Therefore, this research aimed to examine knowledge, attitude and practice of people towards CRVS in Gurage Zone, Ethiopia.
Methods: About 439 household from three districts and two cities administrative were selected using a multi-stage random sampling technique. Well-structured questionnaire on Knowledge, attitude and practice was prepared and information was collected and analyzed from the household head from December 15-20, 2020.
Result: The result revealed that most of the residents have enough knowledge and good attitude about CRVS. But only 22.6% up to 39% of them know the official registration time and the practice of vital event registration was found to be very low.
Conclusion: The result showed that the residents have good knowledge and attitude towards CRVS while the practice is very low. Hence, improving the practice of registering vital events by eliminating obstacles is expected from the local and national administrative.