bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparative Study of Newer and Established Methods of Diagnosing Coccidioidal Meningitis
Authors: Stevens David A. , Martinez Marife , Sass Gabriele , Pappagianis Demosthenes , Doherty Brian , Kutsche Hannah , McGuire Meredith
Published: August 2020

Meningitis is the most devastating form of coccidioidomycosis. A convenient, rapid diagnostic method could result in early treatment and avoid many meningitis complications. We studied cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples in patients with documented coccidioidal meningitis, and controls, with complement fixation (CF), immunodiffusion (ID) (the “classical” assays), lateral flow assays (LFA; one-strip and two-strip), and two enzyme immunoassays (EIA). The two-strip LFA and EIAs not only enabled separate testing for IgG and IgM antibodies separately, but also could aggregate results for each method. CF with ID or the aggregate use of IgG and IgM tests were considered optimal test uses. LFAs and EIAs were evaluated at 1:21 and 1:441 dilutions of specimens. All assays were compared to true patient status. With 49 patient specimens and 40 controls, this is the largest comparative study of CSF coccidioidal diagnostics. Sensitivity of these tests ranged from 71–95% and specificity 90–100%. IgM assays were less sensitive. Assays at 1:441 were similarly specific but less sensitive, suggesting that serial dilutions of samples could result in assays yielding titers. Agreement of positive results on cases was 87–100%. When kits are available, hospital laboratories in endemic areas can perform testing. LFA assays do not require a laboratory, are simple to use, and give rapid results, potentially even at the bedside.
Postulated Adjuvant Therapeutic Strategies for COVID-19
Authors: Ferreira Anderson O. , Polonini Hudson C. , Dijkers Eli C. F.
Published: August 2020

The number of COVID-19 patients is still growing exponentially worldwide due to the high transmissibility of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Therapeutic agents currently under investigation are antiviral drugs, vaccines, and other adjuvants that could relieve symptoms or improve the healing process. In this review, twelve therapeutic agents that could play a role in prophylaxis or improvement of the COVID-19-associated symptoms (as add-on substances) are discussed. Agents were identified based on their known pharmacologic mechanism of action in viral and/or nonviral fields and are postulated to interact with one or more of the seven known mechanisms associated with the SARS-CoV-2 virus: (i) regulation of the immune system; (ii) virus entrance in the cell; (iii) virus replication; (iv) hyperinflammation; (v) oxidative stress; (vi) thrombosis; and (vii) endotheliitis. Selected agents were immune transfer factor (oligo- and polypeptides from porcine spleen, ultrafiltered at <10 kDa; Imuno TF®), anti-inflammatory natural blend (Uncaria tomentosa, Endopleura uchi and Haematoccocus pluvialis; Miodesin®), zinc, selenium, ascorbic acid, cholecalciferol, ferulic acid, spirulina, N-acetylcysteine, glucosamine sulfate potassium hydrochloride, trans-resveratrol, and maltodextrin-stabilized orthosilicic acid (SiliciuMax®). This review gives the scientific background on the hypothesis that these therapeutic agents can act in synergy in the prevention and improvement of COVID-19-associated symptoms.
The Ancient History of Peptidyl Transferase Center Formation as Told by Conservation and Information Analyses
Authors: Prosdocimi Francisco , Zamudio Gabriel S. , Palacios-Pérez Miryam , Torres de Farias Sávio , V. José Marco
Published: August 2020

The peptidyl transferase center (PTC) is the catalytic center of the ribosome and forms part of the 23S ribosomal RNA. The PTC has been recognized as the earliest ribosomal part and its origins embodied the First Universal Common Ancestor (FUCA). The PTC is frequently assumed to be highly conserved along all living beings. In this work, we posed the following questions: (i) How many 100% conserved bases can be found in the PTC? (ii) Is it possible to identify clusters of informationally linked nucleotides along its sequence? (iii) Can we propose how the PTC was formed? (iv) How does sequence conservation reflect on the secondary and tertiary structures of the PTC? Aiming to answer these questions, all available complete sequences of 23S ribosomal RNA from Bacteria and Archaea deposited on GenBank database were downloaded. Using a sequence bait of 179 bp from the PTC of Thermus termophilus, we performed an optimum pairwise alignment to retrieve the PTC region from 1424 filtered 23S rRNA sequences. These PTC sequences were multiply aligned, and the conserved regions were assigned and observed along the primary, secondary, and tertiary structures. The PTC structure was observed to be more highly conserved close to the adenine located at the catalytical site. Clusters of interrelated, co-evolving nucleotides reinforce previous assumptions that the PTC was formed by the concatenation of proto-tRNAs and important residues responsible for its assembly were identified. The observed sequence variation does not seem to significantly affect the 3D structure of the PTC ribozyme.
Preliminary Research on Response of GCr15 Bearing Steel under Cyclic Compression
Authors: Zheng Xiaomeng , Zhang Yongzhen , Du Sanming
Published: August 2020

During the bearing service, a series of microstructural evolutions will arise inside the material, such as the appearance of feature microstructures. The essential reason for the microstructural evolution is the cumulative effect of cyclic stress. The Hertz Contact formula is usually adopted to calculate the internal stress, and there is a correlation between the shape and distribution of the feature microstructure and the stress distribution. But it is insufficient to explain the relationship between the morphology of feature microstructures and the rolling direction, such as specific angles in butterfly and white etching bands. The rolling phenomenon will cause the asymmetry of stress distribution in the material, which is the source of the rolling friction coefficient. Moreover, slipping or microslip will produce additional stress components, which also cause the asymmetry of the stress field. However, there is no experimental or theoretical explanation for the relationship between the asymmetry of the stress field and the feature microstructure. According to the current theory, the appearance of feature microstructures is caused by stress with or without rolling. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the formation mechanism: whether feature microstructures will appear in the uniaxial cyclic compression stress field without rolling. In this paper, uniaxial cyclic compressive stress was loaded into a plate-ball system and a cylinder system. The characteristics of microstructural change of bearing steel (GCr15) were studied. It was found that the hardness of the material increased after the cyclic compressive load, and the inclusions interacted with the matrix material. In the local microregion a white etching area was found, although the scale is very small. No large-scale feature microstructures appeared. Other phenomena in the experiment are also described and analyzed. For example, the production of oil film in the contact area and the changing law of alternating load.
Properties of Alkali-Resistant Glass Fiber Reinforced Coral Aggregate Concrete
Authors: Yang Shutong , Yu Miao , Dong Kun , Yang Yushan
Published: August 2020

The intention of this paper is to analyze the properties of coral aggregate concrete (CAC) that is reinforced by alkali-resistant glass fibers (ARGF) and the bond performance with BFRP (basalt fiber reinforced polymer) bars. Two types of ARGF, denoted by Type A and Type B with different manufacturing technologies and fiber lengths, are used in the test. Tests of compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and flexural performance were performed on ARGF-CAC with four different contents for the two types of ARGF. It is found that the cubic compressive strength is slightly reduced when the fiber volume fraction exceeds 0.5%, but almost keeps invariable if the fiber content further increases. However, the tensile strength, residual strength retention and flexural toughness are improved as more ARGFs are added into CAC, and even higher with Type B ARGF addition. The optimized volume fraction is 1.5% for both the two types of ARGF based on the evaluation of the workability and mechanical performance. Moreover, central pull-out test was performed to study the bond properties of ARGF-CAC with BFRP bars. It is found that both the maximum average bond stress and residual frictional stress are generally reduced as the bond length is longer. The addition of Type B ARGFs can significantly improve the bond strength; however, the Type A ARGFs seem to have marginal effect.
Resistive Switching of GaAs Oxide Nanostructures
Authors: Avilov Vadim , Polupanov Nikita , Tominov Roman , Solodovnik Maxim , Konoplev Boris , Smirnov Vladimir , Ageev Oleg
Published: August 2020

The paper presents the results of experimental studies of the influence of the local anodic oxidation control parameters on the geometric parameters of oxide nanoscale structures (ONS) and profiled nanoscale structures (PNS) on the surface of epitaxial structures of silicon doped gallium arsenide with an impurity concentration of 5 × 1017 cm−3. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements showed that GaAs oxide consists of oxide phases Ga2O3 and As2O3, and the thickness of the Ga2O3 layer is 2–3 times greater than the thickness of As2O3 area—i.e., the oxidized GaAs region consists mainly of Ga2O3. The experimental studies of the influence of ONS thickness on the resistive switching effect were obtained. An increase in the ONS thickness from 0.8 ± 0.3 to 7.6 ± 0.6 nm leads to an increase in the switching voltage Uset from 2.8 ± 0.3 to 6.8 ± 0.9 V. The results can be used in the development of technological processes for the manufacturing of nano-electronic elements, such as ReRAM, as well as a high-efficiency quantum dot laser.
An Integrated Approach of GRA Coupled with Principal Component Analysis for Multi-Optimization of Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) Process
Authors: Qazi Mohsin Iqbal , Akhtar Rehman , Abas Muhammad , Khalid Qazi Salman , Babar Abdur Rehman , Pruncu Catalin Iulian
Published: August 2020

Welding distortion is a critical issue as it leads to severe deterioration of structural integrity of welded work piece and dimensional precision. This study aims at studying the effects of shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) parameters on the evolution of mechanical properties, including tensile strength, impact toughness, and hardness, along with angular distortion on a welded joint from SA 516 grade 70. Such parameters are analyzed and optimized by employing the Taguchi method and Grey relational analysis. SA 516 grade 70 is commercially used for fabrication of storage tanks, boilers and pressure vessels. SMAW is investigated with three levels of root gap, groove angle, electrode diameter, and pre-heat temperature, which were varied on a butt joint in flat (1 G) position to determine their effects on response variables at room temperature. Nine experiments were designed using a Taguchi L9 orthogonal array, welded according to American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) section IX, and samples were prepared and tested as per ASTM A 370. The Taguchi method and Grey relational analysis were employed to observe the most significant parameters and optimal levels that synergically yield improved responses. Results are validated by conducting confirmatory experiments that show good agreement with optimum results.
Physical/Chemical Properties and Resorption Behavior of a Newly Developed Ca/P/S-Based Bone Substitute Material
Authors: Yang Bing-Chen , Lee Jing-Wei , Ju Chien-Ping , Chern Lin Jiin-Huey
Published: August 2020

Properly regulating the resorption rate of a resorbable bone implant has long been a great challenge. This study investigates a series of physical/chemical properties, biocompatibility and the behavior of implant resorption and new bone formation of a newly developed Ca/P/S-based bone substitute material (Ezechbone® Granule CBS-400). Experimental results show that CBS-400 is comprised majorly of HA and CSD, with a Ca/P/S atomic ratio of 54.6/39.2/6.2. After immersion in Hank’s solution for 7 days, the overall morphology, shape and integrity of CBS-400 granules remain similar to that of non-immersed samples without showing apparent collapse or disintegration. With immersion time, the pH value continues to increase to 6.55 after 7 days, and 7.08 after 14 days. Cytotoxicity, intracutaneous reactivity and skin sensitization tests demonstrate the good biocompatibility features of CBS-400. Rabbit implantation/histological observations indicate that the implanted granules are intimately bonded to the surrounding new bone at all times. The implant is not merely a degradable bone substitute, but its resorption and the formation of new cancellous bone proceed at the substantially same pace. After implantation for 12 weeks, about 85% of the implant has been resorbed. The newly-formed cancellous bone ratio quickly increases to >40% at 4 weeks, followed by a bone remodeling process toward normal cancellous bone, wherein the new cancellous bone ratio gradually tapers down to about 30% after 12 weeks.
Tensor Global Extrapolation Methods Using the n-Mode and the Einstein Products
Authors: El Ichi Alaa , Jbilou Khalide , Sadaka Rachid
Published: August 2020

In this paper, we present new Tensor extrapolation methods as generalizations of well known vector, matrix and block extrapolation methods such as polynomial extrapolation methods or ϵ-type algorithms. We will define new tensor products that will be used to introduce global tensor extrapolation methods. We discuss the application of these methods to the solution of linear and non linear tensor systems of equations and propose an efficient implementation of these methods via the global-QR decomposition.
The Relationship between Selected Demographic Factors and Speech Organ Dysfunction in Sporadic ALS Patients
Authors: Pawlukowska Wioletta , Baumert Bartłomiej , Gołąb-Janowska Monika , Meller Agnieszka , Machowska-Sempruch Karolina , Wełnicka Agnieszka , Paczkowska Edyta , Rotter Iwona , Machaliński Bogusław , Nowacki Przemysław
Published: August 2020

Background and objectives: Speech disorders are observed in 30% of newly diagnosed sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. Characterized by a dynamic course, dysfunction of articulation has not so far been well understood. The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of demographic factors (sex, age, duration of the disease) and concomitant diseases (degenerative spine disease, depression, hypertension, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and allergy) on the functioning of speech organs in ALS patients. Materials and Methods: The study group consisted of 65 patients with sporadic ALS. Patients were examined for articulatory functions by means of the Frenchay Dysarthria Assessment (FDA). Results: 68% of the study sample had spinal disorders. Logistic regression analysis showed that a decline in the functioning of lips, soft palate, length of phonation, and voice loudness was more common among men. Patients diagnosed with degenerative spine disease more often suffered from respiratory disorders, while younger patients (<60 years of age) significantly more often had the impairment of the sentence and spontaneous speech functions. Conclusions: The male gender in patients with ALS is associated with an increased risk of deterioration of the phonation length function. Patients under 60 years of age are associated with more often pronouncing sentences disorders and spontaneous speech disorders.
The Effects of Co and W on Structural Stability and Mechanical Properties of Austenitic Heat-Resistant Steel Sanicro 25: A First-Principle Study
Authors: Dong Nan , Jia Ruirui , Yang Jing , Wang Jian , Liu Jie , Fang Xudong , Han Peide
Published: August 2020

Sanicro 25 austenitic heat-resistant steel is expected to be used in superheaters and reheaters for ultra-supercritical power plants above 600 °C due to its excellent structural stability and high temperature mechanical properties. In this paper, the effects of Co and W on the structural stability, thermodynamic stability and mechanical properties of Sanicro 25 steel are analyzed by calculating the formation energy, binding energy, Gibbs free energy, elastic constant, Peierls stress and generalized stacking fault energy (GSFE) with first-principles calculation method. By calculating the formation energy, binding energy and Gibbs free energy, it concludes that alloying elements Co and W in Sanicro 25 steel can improve the structural stability and thermodynamic stability. It indicates that W and a small amount of Co can improve the plasticity and ductility of Sanicro 25 steel by calculating the bulk modulus (B), shear modulus (G), Young’s modulus (E), the B/G ratio, Poisson’s ratio and Peierls stress. It is found that when Co and W are far from the stacking fault region, it will promote the formation of partial dislocations and twins in the system, thereby improving its plastic deformation ability and mechanical properties.
Flash Welding of Microcomposite Wires for Pulsed Power Applications
Authors: Višniakov Nikolaj , Škamat Jelena , Černašėjus Olegas , Kilikevičius Artūras
Published: August 2020

This paper presents the experimental results of Cu-Nb wire joining upon applying flash welding technology. The present research is aimed at investigating the structure, electrical and mechanical properties of butt welding joints of Cu-Nb conductors, usable for coils of pulsed magnetic systems. The butt joint structure was found to be free of welding defects. The structure of the butt welded joint provides an insignificant increase in electrical resistance and sufficient ultimate strength and plasticity of the joint. The tensile strength of the welded sample reaches 630 MPa.
Continuous Cooling Transformation Diagrams of 2.25Cr-1Mo-0.25V Submerged-Arc Weld Metal and Base Metal
Authors: Schönmaier Hannah , Loder Bernd , Fischer Thomas , Grimm Fred , Krein Ronny , Schmitz-Niederau Martin , Schnitzer Ronald
Published: August 2020

The transformation behavior and microstructural evolution during continuous cooling within the heat affected zone between the weld beads of a 2.25Cr-1Mo-0.25V all-weld metal and the corresponding 2.25Cr-1Mo-0.25V base metal were investigated by means of dilatometer measurements, optical and scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore, macro-hardness measurements were conducted and the ferrite phase fraction was analyzed from optical microscopic images using an imaging processing program. Thereupon a continuous cooling transformation (CCT) diagram for the 2.25Cr-1Mo-0.25V base metal and three welding CCT diagrams with different peak temperatures were constructed to realistically simulate the temperature profile of the different regions within the heat affected zones between the weld beads of the multi-layer weld metal. The microstructural constituents which were observed depending on the peak temperature and cooling parameters are low quantities of martensite, high quantities of bainite and in particular lower bainite, coalesced bainite and upper bainite as well as ferrite for the welding CCT diagrams. Regarding the base metal CCT diagram, all dilatometer specimens exhibited a fully bainitic microstructure consisting of lower bainite, coalesced bainite and upper bainite. Only the slowest cooling rate with a cooling parameter of 50 s caused a ferritic transformation. Nevertheless, it has to be emphasized that the distinction between martensite and bainite and the various kinds of bainite was only possible at higher magnification using scanning electron microscopy.
Hot Electrons, Hot Holes, or Both? Tandem Synthesis of Imines Driven by the Plasmonic Excitation in Au/CeO2 Nanorods
Authors: Teixeira Ivo F. , Homsi Mauricio S. , Geonmonond Rafael S. , Rocha Guilherme F. S. R. , Peng Yung-Kang , Silva Ingrid F. , Quiroz Jhon , Camargo Pedro H. C.
Published: August 2020

Solar-to-chemical conversion via photocatalysis is of paramount importance for a sustainable future. Thus, investigating the synergistic effects promoted by light in photocatalytic reactions is crucial. The tandem oxidative coupling of alcohols and amines is an attractive route to synthesize imines. Here, we unravel the performance and underlying reaction pathway in the visible-light-driven tandem oxidative coupling of benzyl alcohol and aniline employing Au/CeO2 nanorods as catalysts. We propose an alternative reaction pathway for this transformation that leads to improved efficiencies relative to individual CeO2 nanorods, in which the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) excitation in Au nanoparticles (NPs) plays an important role. Our data suggests a synergism between the hot electrons and holes generated from the LSPR excitation in Au NPs. While the oxygen vacancies in CeO2 nanorods trap the hot electrons and facilitate their transfer to adsorbed O2 at surface vacancy sites, the hot holes in the Au NPs facilitate the α-H abstraction from the adsorbed benzyl alcohol, evolving into benzaldehyde, which then couples with aniline in the next step to yield the corresponding imine. Finally, cerium-coordinated superoxide species abstract hydrogen from the Au surface, regenerating the catalyst surface.
Graphene Oxide Concentration Effect on the Optoelectronic Properties of ZnO/GO Nanocomposites
Authors: Boukhoubza Issam , Khenfouch Mohammed , Achehboune Mohamed , Leontie Liviu , Galca Aurelian Catalin , Enculescu Monica , Carlescu Aurelian , Guerboub Mohammed , Mothudi Bakang Moses , Jorio Anouar , Zorkani Izeddine
Published: August 2020

In this work, the effects of graphene oxide (GO) concentrations (1.5 wt.%, 2.5 wt.%, and 5 wt.%) on the structural, morphological, optical, and luminescence properties of zinc oxide nanorods (ZnO NRs)/GO nanocomposites, synthesized by a facile hydrothermal process, were investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of NRs revealed the hexagonal wurtzite structure for all composites with an average coherence length of about 40–60 nm. A scanning electron microscopy (SEM) study confirmed the presence of transparent and wrinkled, dense GO nanosheets among flower-like ZnO nanorods, depending on the GO amounts used in preparation. Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) absorption spectroscopy, and photoluminescence (PL) measurements revealed the impact of GO concentration on the optical and luminescence properties of ZnO NRs/GO nanocomposites. The energy band gap of the ZnO nanorods was independent of GO concentration. Photoluminescence spectra of nanocomposites showed a significant decrease in the intensities in the visible light range and red shifted suggesting a charge transfer process. The nanocomposites’ chromaticity coordinates for CIE 1931 color space were estimated to be (0.33, 0.34), close to pure white ones. The obtained results highlight the possibility of using these nanocomposites to achieve good performance and suitability for optoelectronic applications.
Multi-Substrate Biofuel Cell Utilizing Glucose, Fructose and Sucrose as the Anode Fuels
Authors: Kizling Michał , Dzwonek Maciej , Nowak Anna , Tymecki Łukasz , Stolarczyk Krzysztof , Więckowska Agnieszka , Bilewicz Renata
Published: August 2020

A significant problem still exists with the low power output and durability of the bioelectrochemical fuel cells. We constructed a fuel cell with an enzymatic cascade at the anode for efficient energy conversion. The construction involved fabrication of the flow-through cell by three-dimensional printing. Gold nanoparticles with covalently bound naphthoquinone moieties deposited on cellulose/polypyrrole (CPPy) paper allowed us to significantly improve the catalysis rate, both at the anode and cathode of the fuel cell. The enzymatic cascade on the anode consisted of invertase, mutarotase, Flavine Adenine Dinucleotide (FAD)-dependent glucose dehydrogenase and fructose dehydrogenase. The multi-substrate anode utilized glucose, fructose, sucrose, or a combination of them, as the anode fuel and molecular oxygen were the oxidant at the laccase-based cathode. Laccase was adsorbed on the same type of naphthoquinone modified gold nanoparticles. Interestingly, the naphthoquinone modified gold nanoparticles acted as the enzyme orienting units and not as mediators since the catalyzed oxygen reduction occurred at the potential where direct electron transfer takes place. Thanks to the good catalytic and capacitive properties of the modified electrodes, the power density of the sucrose/oxygen enzymatic fuel cells (EFC) reached 0.81 mW cm−2, which is beneficial for a cell composed of a single cathode and anode.
Preliminary Assays towards Melanoma Cells Using Phototherapy with Gold-Based Nanomaterials
Authors: Lopes Joana , Coelho João Miguel Pinto , Vieira Pedro Manuel Cardoso , Viana Ana Silveira , Gaspar Maria Manuela , Reis Catarina
Published: August 2020

Cancer like melanoma is a complex disease, for which standard therapies have significant adverse side effects that in most cases are ineffective and highly unspecific. Thus, a new paradigm has come with the need of achieving alternative (less invasive) and effective therapies. In this work, biocompatible gold nanoparticles (GNPs) coated with hyaluronic acid and oleic acid were prepared and characterized in terms of size, morphology and cytotoxicity in the presence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and two cell lines, the keratinocytes (healthy skin cells, HaCat) and the melanoma cells (B16F10). Results showed that these GNPs absorb within the near-infrared region (750–1400 nm), in the optical therapeutic window (from 650 to 1300 nm), in contrast to other commercial gold nanoparticles, which enables light to penetrate into deep skin layers. A laser emitting in this region was applied and its effect also analyzed. The coated GNPs showed a spherical morphology with a mean size of 297 nm without cytotoxic effects towards yeast and tested cell lines. Nevertheless, after laser irradiation, a reduction of 20% in B16F10 cell line viability was observed. In summary, this work appears to be a promising strategy for the treatment of non-metastatic melanoma or other superficial tumors.
Inkjet Printing Humidity Sensing Pattern Based on Self-Organizing Polystyrene Spheres
Authors: Neterebskaia Valeriia O. , Goncharenko Anna O. , Morozova Sofia M. , Kolchanov Denis S. , Vinogradov Alexandr V.
Published: August 2020

This study is devoted to the development of photonic patterns based on polystyrene spheres (PSS) incorporated in chitosan hydrogels by inkjet printing. Using this method, high-resolution encrypted images that became visible only in high humidity were obtained. Inks based on PSS with carboxylic groups on the surface were made, and their rheological parameters (viscosity, surface tension, and ζ-potential) were optimized according to the Ohnesorge theory. The obtained value of the ζ-potential indicated the stability of the synthesized colloidal inks. The dependences of the printing parameters on the concentration of ethylene glycol in PSS dispersion, the drop spacing, the shape of the printed pattern, waveform, the temperature of the printing process, and the degree of ordering of the PSS-based photonic crystal were investigated. The scanning electronic microscope (SEM) images confirmed that the optimal self-organization of PSS was achieved at the following values of 0.4% weight fraction (wt%) carboxylic groups, the drop spacing of 50 μm, and the temperature of the printing table of 25 °C. High-resolution microstructures were obtained by drop-on-demand printing with a deposited drophead diameter of 21 μm and an accuracy of ±2 μm on silicon and glass substrates. The deposition of chitosan-based hydrogels on the obtained polystyrene photonic crystals allowed reversibly changing the order of the diffraction lattice of the photonic crystal during the swelling of the hydrogel matrix, which led to a quick optical response in the daylight. The kinetics of the appearance of the optical response of the obtained coating were discussed. The simplicity of production, the speed of image appearance, and the ability to create high-resolution patterns determine the potential applications of the proposed systems as humidity sensors or anticounterfeiting coatings.
Effects of Probiotic Strains on Disease Activity and Enteric Permeability in Psoriatic Arthritis–A Pilot Open-Label Study
Authors: Haidmayer Andreas , Bosch Philipp , Lackner Angelika , D’Orazio Monica , Fessler Johannes , Stradner Martin H
Published: August 2020

(1) Background: Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) is a painful disease of the joints and spine. Recent reports observed distinct enteric dysbiosis in PsA; intake of probiotic strains is considered to ameliorate enteric dysbiosis. If probiotics are effective in PsA is elusive. (2) Methods: In this pilot open-label study we enrolled 10 PsA patients with low to medium disease activity who received probiotics for 12 weeks. Analysis of faecal zonulin, α1-antitrypsin and calprotectin, as well as peripheral immune phenotyping was performed at baseline, after 12 weeks and 12 weeks after termination of probiotic intake. (3) Results: All patients showed increased levels of the enteric permeability marker zonulin which correlated with the frequency of peripheral Th17 cells. Calprotectin, a marker for intestinal inflammation was elevated in 6 out of 10 patients. Probiotic intake resulted in a reduction of disease activity and gut permeability. These effects, however, were not sustained beyond termination of probiotic intake. (4) Conclusions: PsA patients suffer from enhanced enteric permeability and inflammation. Probiotics may ameliorate disease activity in PsA by targeting these alterations.
The Facts about Food after Cancer Diagnosis: A Systematic Review of Prospective Cohort Studies
Authors: Rinninella Emanuele , Mele Maria Cristina , Cintoni Marco , Raoul Pauline , Ianiro Gianluca , Salerno Lucia , Pozzo Carmelo , Bria Emilio , Muscaritoli Maurizio , Molfino Alessio , Gasbarrini Antonio
Published: August 2020

Nutritional guidelines suggest specific energy and protein requirements for patients with cancer. However, cancer patients, often malnourished, use self-made or web-based diets to ameliorate the prognosis of their disease. This review aimed to investigate the associations between post-diagnostic diet and prognostic outcomes in cancer patients. A systematic literature search was performed in Pubmed and Web of Science databases from inception to 30 October 2019, based on fixed inclusion and exclusion criteria. The risk of bias was assessed. A total of 29 prospective studies was identified. Breast (n = 11), colorectal (n = 9), prostate (n = 8) cancers are the most studied. Low- fat diet, healthy quality diet, regular consumption of fiber such as vegetables and high-quality protein intake are beneficial while Western diet (WD) and high consumption of saturated fats could be associated with a higher risk of mortality. Bladder (n = 1), gynecological (n = 1), lung, stomach, and pancreatic cancers still remain almost unexplored. This systematic review suggested that detrimental dietary patterns such as WD should be avoided but none of the food categories (meat, dairy products) should be eliminated in cancer patients’ diet. Further large prospective studies are needed to assess the role of post-diagnostic diet in patients with cancer.
Osmotin: A Cationic Protein Leads to Improve Biotic and Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Plants
Authors: Bashir Muhammad Ajmal , Silvestri Cristian , Ahmad Touqeer , Hafiz Ishfaq Ahmad , Abbasi Nadeem Akhtar , Manzoor Ayesha , Cristofori Valerio , Rugini Eddo
Published: August 2020

Research on biologically active compounds has been increased in order to improve plant protection against various environmental stresses. Among natural sources, plants are the fundamental material for studying these bioactive compounds as their immune system consists of many peptides, proteins, and hormones. Osmotin is a multifunctional stress-responsive protein belonging to pathogenesis-related 5 (PR-5) defense-related protein family, which is involved in inducing osmo-tolerance in plants. In this scenario, the accumulation of osmotin initiates abiotic and biotic signal transductions. These proteins work as antifungal agents against a broad range of fungal species by increasing plasma membrane permeability and dissipating the membrane potential of infecting fungi. Therefore, overexpression of tobacco osmotin protein in transgenic plants protects them from different stresses by reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, limiting lipid peroxidation, initiating programmed cell death (PCD), and increasing proline content and scavenging enzyme activity. Other than osmotin, its homologous proteins, osmotin-like proteins (OLPs), also have dual function in plant defense against osmotic stress and have strong antifungal activity.
Essential Oil Enriched with Oxygenated Constituents from Invasive Plant Argemone ochroleuca Exhibited Potent Phytotoxic Effects
Authors: Abd-ElGawad Ahmed M. , El Gendy Abd El-Nasser G. , Assaeed Abdulaziz M. , Al-Rowaily Saud L. , Omer Elsayed A. , Dar Basharat A. , Al-Taisan Wafa’a A. , Elshamy Abdelsamed I.
Published: August 2020

Invasive species are considered as one of the major threats to ecosystems worldwide. Although invasive plants are regarded as a foe, they could be considered as natural resources for valuable bioactive compounds. The present study aimed to characterize the chemical composition of the essential oil (EO) from the invasive plant Argemone ochroleuca Sweet, collected from Saudi Arabia, as well as to evaluate its phytotoxic activity. Seventy-four compounds were characterized via GC-MS analysis of EO representing 98.75% of the overall mass. The oxygenated constituents (79.01%) were found as the main constituents, including mono- (43.27%), sesqui- (17.67%), and di-terpenes (0.53%), as well as hydrocarbons (16.81%) and carotenoids (0.73%). Additionally, 19.69% from the overall mass was characterized as non-oxygenated compounds with mono- (1.77%), sesquiterpenes (17.41%), and hydrocarbons (0.56%) as minors. From all identified constituents, trans-chrysanthenyl acetate (25.71%), γ-cadinene (11.70%), oleic acid, methyl ester (7.37%), terpinene-4-ol (4.77%), dihydromyrcenol (2.90%), α-muurolene (1.77%), and γ-himachalene (1.56%) were found as abundant. The EO of A. ochroleuca showed significant phytotoxic activity against the test plant Lactuca sativa and the noxious weed Peganum harmala. The EO attained IC50 values of 92.1, 128.6, and 131.6 µL L−1 for seedling root growth, germination, and shoot growth of L. sativa, respectively, while it had IC50 values of 134.8, 145.7, and 147.9 µL L−1, respectively, for P. harmala. Therefore, this EO could be used as a bioherbicide against weeds, while further study is recommended for the characterization of the authentic materials of the main compounds in the EO as well as for the evaluation of potency of this oil on a field scale and the determination of its biosafety.
Biofunctional Glycol-Modified Polyethylene Terephthalate and Thermoplastic Polyurethane Implants by Extrusion-Based Additive Manufacturing for Medical 3D Maxillofacial Defect Reconstruction
Authors: Katschnig Matthias , Wallner Juergen , Janics Thomas , Burgstaller Christoph , Zemann Wolfgang , Holzer Clemens
Published: August 2020

This work addresses the topic of extrusion-based additive manufacturing (filament-based material extrusion) of patient-specific biofunctional maxillofacial implants. The technical approach was chosen to overcome the shortcomings of medically established fabrication processes such as a limited availability of materials or long manufacturing times. The goal of the work was a successful fabrication of basic implants for defect reconstruction. The underlying vision is the implants’ clinic-internal and operation-accompanying application. Following a literature search, a material selection was conducted. Digitally prepared three-dimensional (3D) models dealing with two representative mandible bone defects were printed based on the material selection. An ex-vivo model of the implant environment evaluated dimensional and fitting traits of the implants. Glycol-modified PET (PETG) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) were finally selected. These plastics had high cell acceptance, good mechanical properties, and optimal printability. The subsequent fabrication process yielded two different implant strategies: the standard implant made of PETG with a build-up rate of approximately 10 g/h, and the biofunctional performance implant with a TPU shell and a PETG core with a build-up rate of approximately 4 g/h. The standard implant is meant to be intraoperatively applied, as the print time is below three hours even for larger skull defects. Standard implants proved to be well fitting, mechanically stable and cleanly printed. In addition, the hybrid implant showed particularly cell-friendly behavior due to the chemical constitution of the TPU shell and great impact stability because of the crack-absorbing TPU/PETG combination. This biofunctional constellation could be used in specific reconstructive patient cases and is suitable for pre-operative manufacturing based on radiological image scans of the defect. In summary, filament-based material extrusion has been identified as a suitable manufacturing method for personalized implants in the maxillofacial area. A further clinical and mechanical study is recommended.
Sentinel-3A/B SLSTR Pre-Launch Calibration of the Thermal InfraRed Channels
Authors: Smith Dave , Barillot Marc , Bianchi Stephane , Brandani Fabio , Coppo Peter , Etxaluze Mireya , Frerick Johannes , Kirschstein Steffen , Lee Arrow , Maddison Brian , Newman Elliot , Nightingale Tim , Peters Dan , Polehampton Ed
Published: August 2020

The first two models of the Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometers (SLSTR) for the European Copernicus Sentinel-3 missions were tested prior to launch at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory space instrument calibration facility. The pre-launch tests provide an essential reference that ensures that the flight data of SLSTR are calibrated to the same standards needed for surface temperature measurements and to those used by shipborne radiometers for Fiducial Reference Measurement (FRM). The radiometric calibrations of the thermal infrared channels were validated against accurate and traceable reference BB sources under flight representative thermal vacuum environment. Measurements were performed in both earth views for source temperatures covering the main operating range, for different instrument configurations and for the full field-of-view of the instruments. The data were used to derive non-linearity curves to be used in the level-1 processing. All results showed that the measured brightness temperatures and radiometric noise agreed within the requirements for the mission. An inconsistency that particularly affected SLSTR-A was observed which has been attributed to an internal stray light error. A correction for the stray light has been proposed to reduce the error. The internal stray light error was reduced for SLSTR-B by replacing the coating on the main aperture stop. We present a description of the test methodology and the key results.
Preliminary Selection and Characterization of Pseudo-Invariant Calibration Sites in Northwest China
Authors: Hu Xiuqing , Wang Ling , Wang Junwei , He Lingli , Chen Lin , Xu Na , Tao Bingcheng , Zhang Lu , Zhang Peng , Lu Naimeng
Published: August 2020

Pseudo-invariant calibration sites (PICS) have been used for the radiometric calibration and stability monitoring of satellite optical sensors. Several stable PICS, such as those in the Sahara Desert in North Africa, were selected for the vicarious calibration of earth remote sensing satellites. However, the selection procedure of PICSs in the whole of Northwest China has not been fully explored before. This paper presents a novel technique for selecting PICS in Northwest China by combined using the coefficient of variation (CV) and the iteratively reweighted multivariate alteration detection (IR-MAD) technique. IR-MAD, which calculates the differences between two multispectral N-band images from the same scene acquired at different times, is used to identify no-change pixels (NCPs) of the scene through one image pair. The NCPs from IR-MAD using the long-term data of FY-3 visible infrared radiometer (VIRR) and aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) were aggregated into the contiguously stable sites. The traditional spatial uniformity and temporal stability from MODIS surface products were used to select the potential PICS. By combining the results of both methods, over thirty PICSs with a wider brightness range of the scene types were selected. To confirm and characterize these PICSs over Northwest China, Landsat operational land imager (OLI) high-spatial-resolution images were used to check the spatial uniformity of the selected site to determine the specific location and the size of these sites. Additionally, the surface spectral reflectance and bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) were obtained from the field campaign at Chaidamu Basin, 2018. To demonstrate the practical utilization and usability of these PICSs, they were employed in the multi-site top of atmosphere (TOA) reflectance simulation to validate the operational calibration performance of Aqua/MODIS and FY-3D/MERSI-II (Medium Resolution Spectral Imager II). The simulation results showed good consistency compared with the observations from both MODIS and MERSI-II, with a relative bias and root mean square error (RMSE) of <5% and <0.05%, respectively. These sites provide prospects for multi-site vicarious calibrations of solar reflective bands, which may help to evaluate or characterize instrumental nonlinear responses using a wider signal dynamic from the sites in different seasons.
SurfNetv2: An Improved Real-Time SurfNet and Its Applications to Defect Recognition of Calcium Silicate Boards
Authors: Tsai Chi-Yi , Chen Hao-Wei
Published: August 2020

This paper presents an improved Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) architecture to recognize surface defects of the Calcium Silicate Board (CSB) using visual image information based on a deep learning approach. The proposed CNN architecture is inspired by the existing SurfNet architecture and is named SurfNetv2, which comprises a feature extraction module and a surface defect recognition module. The output of the system is the recognized defect category on the surface of the CSB. In the collection of the training dataset, we manually captured the defect images presented on the surface of the CSB samples. Then, we divided these defect images into four categories, which are crash, dirty, uneven, and normal. In the training stage, the proposed SurfNetv2 is trained through an end-to-end supervised learning method, so that the CNN model learns how to recognize surface defects of the CSB only through the RGB image information. Experimental results show that the proposed SurfNetv2 outperforms five state-of-the-art methods and achieves a high recognition accuracy of 99.90% and 99.75% in our private CSB dataset and the public Northeastern University (NEU) dataset, respectively. Moreover, the proposed SurfNetv2 model achieves a real-time computing speed of about 199.38 fps when processing images with a resolution of 128 × 128 pixels. Therefore, the proposed CNN model has great potential for real-time automatic surface defect recognition applications.
Characterization and Monitoring of Titanium Bone Implants with Impedance Spectroscopy
Authors: Olmo Alberto , Hernández Miguel , Chicardi Ernesto , Torres Yadir
Published: August 2020

Porous titanium is a metallic biomaterial with good properties for the clinical repair of cortical bone tissue, although the presence of pores can compromise its mechanical behavior and clinical use. It is therefore necessary to characterize the implant pore size and distribution in a suitable way. In this work, we explore the new use of electrical impedance spectroscopy for the characterization and monitoring of titanium bone implants. Electrical impedance spectroscopy has been used as a non-invasive route to characterize the volumetric porosity percentage (30%, 40%, 50% and 60%) and the range of pore size (100–200 and 355–500 mm) of porous titanium samples obtained with the space-holder technique. Impedance spectroscopy is proved to be an appropriate technique to characterize the level of porosity of the titanium samples and pore size, in an affordable and non-invasive way. The technique could also be used in smart implants to detect changes in the service life of the material, such as the appearance of fractures, the adhesion of osteoblasts and bacteria, or the formation of bone tissue.
Analysis of Influence of Segmentation, Features, and Classification in sEMG Processing: A Case Study of Recognition of Brazilian Sign Language Alphabet
Authors: Mendes Junior José Jair Alves , Freitas Melissa La Banca , Campos Daniel Prado , Farinelli Felipe Adalberto , Stevan Sergio Luiz , Pichorim Sérgio Francisco
Published: August 2020

Sign Language recognition systems aid communication among deaf people, hearing impaired people, and speakers. One of the types of signals that has seen increased studies and that can be used as input for these systems is surface electromyography (sEMG). This work presents the recognition of a set of alphabet gestures from Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) using sEMG acquired from an armband. Only sEMG signals were used as input. Signals from 12 subjects were acquired using a MyoTM armband for the 26 signs of the Libras alphabet. Additionally, as the sEMG has several signal processing parameters, the influence of segmentation, feature extraction, and classification was considered at each step of the pattern recognition. In segmentation, window length and the presence of four levels of overlap rates were analyzed, as well as the contribution of each feature, the literature feature sets, and new feature sets proposed for different classifiers. We found that the overlap rate had a high influence on this task. Accuracies in the order of 99% were achieved for the following factors: segments of 1.75 s with a 12.5% overlap rate; the proposed set of four features; and random forest (RF) classifiers.
A Subspace Based Transfer Joint Matching with Laplacian Regularization for Visual Domain Adaptation
Authors: Sanodiya Rakesh Kumar , Yao Leehter
Published: August 2020

In a real-world application, the images taken by different cameras with different conditions often incur illumination variation, low-resolution, different poses, blur, etc., which leads to a large distribution difference or gap between training (source) and test (target) images. This distribution gap is challenging for many primitive machine learning classification and clustering algorithms such as k-Nearest Neighbor (k-NN) and k-means. In order to minimize this distribution gap, we propose a novel Subspace based Transfer Joint Matching with Laplacian Regularization (STJML) method for visual domain adaptation by jointly matching the features and re-weighting the instances across different domains. Specifically, the proposed STJML-based method includes four key components: (1) considering subspaces of both domains; (2) instance re-weighting; (3) it simultaneously reduces the domain shift in both marginal distribution and conditional distribution between the source domain and the target domain; (4) preserving the original similarity of data points by using Laplacian regularization. Experiments on three popular real-world domain adaptation problem datasets demonstrate a significant performance improvement of our proposed method over published state-of-the-art primitive and domain adaptation methods.