bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A 10-Year Impact Evaluation of the Universal Salt Iodization (USI) Intervention in Sarawak, Malaysia, 2008–2018
Authors: Kuang Kuay Lim , Ahmad Noor Ani , Beng Chin Tan , Ying Ying Chan , Mahjom Maznieda , Awaluddin S. Maria , Shawaluddin Noor Syaqilah , Tuan Lah Tuan Mohd Amin , Aris Tahir
Published: April 2022

A universal salt iodization (USI) was introduced in Sarawak, Malaysia in 2008 to control the iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) among its population. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of the USI among school children in Sarawak after 10 years of implementation. The data were extracted from 2008 and 2018 Sarawak state-wide IDD surveys. Briefly, both surveys were cross-sectional surveys covering information on the socio-demographic, status of goitre, urinary iodine, and the amount of iodine in the salt samples. A total of 1104 and 988 between the ages of 8 and 10 were involved in the 2008 and 2018 surveys, respectively. The overall prevalence of goitre among the school children in Sarawak was significantly lower in 2018 (0.1%) compared to 2008 (2.9%). The median urinary iodine concentration (UIC) in urine samples had risen significantly from 102.1 µg/L in 2008 to 126.0 µg/L in 2018. In terms of iodine content in salt samples, the median concentration improved significantly in 2018 (35.5 µg/L) compared to 2008 (14.7 µg/L). After 10 years of USI implementation in Sarawak, the results from both surveys confirmed the effectiveness of mandatory USI in increasing the nutritional iodine status of school children in Sarawak.
Curcumae Radix Decreases Neurodegenerative Markers through Glycolysis Decrease and TCA Cycle Activation
Authors: Jo Seong-Lae , Yang Hyun , Lee Sang R. , Heo Jun H. , Lee Hye-Won , Hong Eui-Ju
Published: April 2022

Neurodegenerative diseases (ND) are being increasingly studied owing to the increasing proportion of the aging population. Several potential compounds are examined to prevent neurodegenerative diseases, including Curcumae radix, which is known to be beneficial for inflammatory conditions, metabolic syndrome, and various types of pain. However, it is not well studied, and its influence on energy metabolism in ND is unclear. We focused on the relationship between ND and energy metabolism using Curcumae radix extract (CRE) in cells and animal models. We monitored neurodegenerative markers and metabolic indicators using Western blotting and qRT-PCR and then assessed cellular glycolysis and metabolic flux assays. The levels of Alzheimer’s disease-related markers in mouse brains were reduced after treatment with the CRE. We confirmed that neurodegenerative markers decreased in the cerebrum and brain tumor cells following low endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress markers. Furthermore, glycolysis related genes and the extracellular acidification rate decreased after treatment with the CRE. Interestingly, we found that the CRE exposed mouse brain and cells had increased mitochondrial Tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and Oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) related genes in the CRE group. Curcumae radix may act as a metabolic modulator of brain health and help treat and prevent ND involving mitochondrial dysfunction.
ONJ (MRONJ) Update 2021—Osteonecrosis of Jaw Related to Bisphosphonates and Other Drugs—Prevention, Diagnosis, Pharmacovigilance, Treatment: A 2021 Web Event
Authors: Fusco Vittorio , Campisi Giuseppina , Carcieri Paola , Fagioli Franca , Bertetto Oscar , Mignogna Michele Davide , Bedogni Alberto
Published: April 2022

On the 8th and 9th of May 2021, an online conference was organized to connect Italian physicians, dentists and oral care specialists, students, nurses, psychologists, dental hygiene experts, and other professionals to discuss controversial issues about Medication-Related Osteonecrosis of Jaw (MRONJ). The first section evaluated differences between Italian recommendations, released on 2020 by Italian Societies of Oral Pathology and Medicine (SIPMO) and Maxillofacial Surgery (SICMF), and other international practice guidelines or documents. A first round table gathered expert opinions about MRONJ definitions and staging systems. Another round table was dedicated to opinion of drug prescribers (oncologists, hematologists, rheumatologists, and other physicians treating osteoporosis). Educational sessions illustrated the main differences between previous (2013) and more recent (2020) Italian recommendations. A large space was dedicated to the presentation of scientific contributions from centers in Italy, divided in specific sessions (epidemiology; case series; special case reports; prevention experiences; MRONJ treatment). Conclusions: in an innovative web conference, talks and scientific reports underlined importance of adequate imaging study of bone in definition and staging of MRONJ cases, the role of surgery in treatment of the disease, and the value of oral hygiene in the prevention.
Sand Flies and Their Microbiota
Authors: Tabbabi Ahmed , Mizushima Daiki , Yamamoto Daisuke S. , Kato Hirotomo
Published: April 2022

Sand flies are a significant public health concern in many parts of the world where they are known to transmit agents of several zoonotic diseases to humans, such as leishmaniasis. Vector control remains a key component of many anti-leishmaniasis programs and probably will remain so until an effective vaccine becomes available. The sand fly gut microbiota has recently emerged as an encouraging field for the exploration of vector-based disease control. In particular, the gut microbiome was previously reported to either enhance or inhibit parasite activity depending on the species of bacteria and, thus, has the potential to alter vector competence. Here, we describe the technological advances that are currently expanding our understanding of microbiota composition in sand flies. The acquisition and composition of microbiomes are influenced by several abiotic and biotic factors, including host immunity, genetics, and the environment. Therefore, the microbiomes of sand flies can vary substantially between individuals, life stages, species, and over geographical space, and this variation likely contributes to differences in host phenotypes, highlighting opportunities for novel vector control strategies.
Fecal DNA Virome Is Associated with the Development of Colorectal Neoplasia in a Murine Model of Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Li Yingshi , Zhang Fan , Zheng Huimin , Kalasabail Sanjna , Hicks Chloe , Fung Ka , Preaudet Adele , Putoczki Tracy , Beretov Julia , Millar Ewan , El-Omar Emad , Jiang Xiao-Tao , Yim Howard
Published: April 2022

Alteration of the gut virome has been associated with colorectal cancer (CRC); however, when and how the alteration takes place has not been studied. Here, we employ a longitudinal study in mice to characterize the gut virome alteration in azoxymethane (AOM)-induced colorectal neoplasia and identify important viruses associated with tumor growth. The number and size of the tumors increased as the mice aged in the AOM treated group, as compared to the control group. Tumors were first observed in the AOM group at week 12. We observed a significantly lower alpha diversity and shift in viral profile when tumors first appeared. In addition, we identified novel viruses from the genera Brunovirus, Hpunavirus that are positively associated with tumor growth and enriched at a late time point in AOM group, whereas members from Lubbockvirus show a negative correlation with tumor growth. Moreover, network analysis revealed two clusters of viruses in the AOM virome, a group that is positively correlated with tumor growth and another that is negatively correlated with tumor growth, all of which are bacteriophages. Our findings suggest that the gut virome changes along with tumor formation and provides strong evidence of a potential role for bacteriophage in the development of colorectal neoplasia.
Pathogenicity of Different Betanodavirus RGNNV/SJNNV Reassortant Strains in European Sea Bass
Authors: Biasini Lorena , Berto Paola , Abbadi Miriam , Buratin Alessandra , Toson Marica , Marsella Andrea , Toffan Anna , Pascoli Francesco
Published: April 2022

European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) is an important farmed marine species for Mediterranean aquaculture. Outbreaks of betanodavirus represent one of the main infectious threats for this species. The red-spotted grouper nervous necrosis virus genotype (RGNNV) is the most widely spread in Southern Europe, while the striped jack nervous necrosis virus genotype (SJNNV) has been rarely detected. The existence of natural reassortants between these genotypes has been demonstrated, the RGNNV/SJNNV strain being the most common. This study aimed to evaluate the pathogenicity of different RGNNV/SJNNV strains in European sea bass. A selection of nine European reassortants together with parental RGNNV and SJNNV strains were used to perform in vivo experimental challenges via intramuscular injection. Additional in vivo experimental challenges were performed by bath immersion in order to mimic the natural infection route of the virus. Overall, results on survival rates confirmed the susceptibility of European sea bass to reassortants and showed different levels of induced mortalities. Results obtained by RT-qPCR also highlighted high viral loads in asymptomatic survivors, suggesting a possible reservoir role of this species. Our findings on the comparison of complete genomic segments of all reassortants have shed light on different amino acid residues likely involved in the variable pathogenicity of RGNNV/SJNNV strains in European sea bass.
An Explainable Supervised Machine Learning Model for Predicting Respiratory Toxicity of Chemicals Using Optimal Molecular Descriptors
Authors: Jaganathan Keerthana , Tayara Hilal , Chong Kil To
Published: April 2022

Respiratory toxicity is a serious public health concern caused by the adverse effects of drugs or chemicals, so the pharmaceutical and chemical industries demand reliable and precise computational tools to assess the respiratory toxicity of compounds. The purpose of this study is to develop quantitative structure-activity relationship models for a large dataset of chemical compounds associated with respiratory system toxicity. First, several feature selection techniques are explored to find the optimal subset of molecular descriptors for efficient modeling. Then, eight different machine learning algorithms are utilized to construct respiratory toxicity prediction models. The support vector machine classifier outperforms all other optimized models in 10-fold cross-validation. Additionally, it outperforms the prior study by 2% in prediction accuracy and 4% in MCC. The best SVM model achieves a prediction accuracy of 86.2% and a MCC of 0.722 on the test set. The proposed SVM model predictions are explained using the SHapley Additive exPlanations approach, which prioritizes the relevance of key modeling descriptors influencing the prediction of respiratory toxicity. Thus, our proposed model would be incredibly beneficial in the early stages of drug development for predicting and understanding potential respiratory toxic compounds.
The Development of Innovative Dosage Forms of the Fixed-Dose Combination of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients
Authors: Janczura Magdalena , Sip Szymon , Cielecka-Piontek Judyta
Published: April 2022

The development of innovative forms of combination drugs is closely related to the invention of the multilayer tablet press, polymers for pharmaceutical applications, the hot-melt extrusion process, and 3D printing in the pharmaceutical industry. However, combining multiple drugs within the same dosage form can bring many physicochemical and pharmacodynamic interactions. More and more new forms of fixed-dose combinations (FDCs) have been developed due to work to overcome the incompatibility of active substances or to obtain different drug release profiles in the same dosage form. This review provides discussions of the application of various innovation formulation technologies of FDC drugs such as bilayer system, multilayer tablet, active film coating, hot-melt extrusion, and 3D printing, taking into account the characteristics of the key ingredients in the FDC formulation and presenting technological problems and challenges related to the development of combination drugs. Moreover, the article summarizes the range of dosage forms that have been made using these technologies over the past 30 years.
The Anti-ROR1 Monoclonal Antibody Zilovertamab Inhibits the Proliferation of Ovarian and Endometrial Cancer Cells
Authors: Liu Dongli , Kaufmann Gunnar F. , Breitmeyer James B. , Dickson Kristie-Ann , Marsh Deborah J. , Ford Caroline E.
Published: April 2022

The non-canonical Wnt signalling receptor ROR1 is aberrantly expressed in numerous cancers, including ovarian and endometrial cancer. We previously reported that silencing ROR1 could inhibit the proliferation and metastatic potential of ovarian and endometrial cancer cells in vitro. Zilovertamab is an ROR1-targeting humanised monoclonal antibody, with demonstrated safety and efficacy in clinical trials of several ROR1-related malignancies. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of zilovertamab alone, or in combination with commonly utilised gynaecological cancer therapies (cisplatin, paclitaxel and the PARP inhibitor—Olaparib) on high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC), including models of platinum resistance and homologous recombination deficiency (CaOV3, CaOV3CisR, PEO1 and PEO4) and endometrial cancer (EC) cell lines (Ishikawa and KLE). The effect of zilovertamab (at 25 µg/mL or 50 µg/mL) +/− agents was investigated using the IncuCyte S3 Live Cell imaging system. Zilovertamab alone inhibited the proliferation of HGSOC and EC cells in vitro, including in models of platinum resistance and homologous recombination deficiency. In general, the addition of commonly used chemotherapies to a fixed dose of zilovertamab did not enhance the observed anti-proliferative activity. This study supports the potential of zilovertamab, or other ROR1-targeting therapies, for treating women with HGSOC and EC.
Hyaluronic Acid: Known for Almost a Century, but Still in Vogue
Authors: Lierova Anna , Kasparova Jitka , Filipova Alzbeta , Cizkova Jana , Pekarova Lenka , Korecka Lucie , Mannova Nikola , Bilkova Zuzana , Sinkorova Zuzana
Published: April 2022

Hyaluronic acid (HA) has a special position among glycosaminoglycans. As a major component of the extracellular matrix (ECM). This simple, unbranched polysaccharide is involved in the regulation of various biological cell processes, whether under physiological conditions or in cases of cell damage. This review summarizes the history of this molecule’s study, its distinctive metabolic pathway in the body, its unique properties, and current information regarding its interaction partners. Our main goal, however, is to intensively investigate whether this relatively simple polymer may find applications in protecting against ionizing radiation (IR) or for therapy in cases of radiation-induced damage. After exposure to IR, acute and belated damage develops in each tissue depending upon the dose received and the cellular composition of a given organ. A common feature of all organ damage is a distinct change in composition and structure of the ECM. In particular, the important role of HA was shown in lung tissue and the variability of this flexible molecule in the complex mechanism of radiation-induced lung injuries. Moreover, HA is also involved in intermediating cell behavior during morphogenesis and in tissue repair during inflammation, injury, and would healing. The possibility of using the HA polymer to affect or treat radiation tissue damage may point to the missing gaps in the responsible mechanisms in the onset of this disease. Therefore, in this article, we will also focus on obtaining answers from current knowledge and the results of studies as to whether hyaluronic acid can also find application in radiation science.
Achieving Effective Multimodal Imaging with Rare-Earth Ion-Doped CaF2 Nanoparticles
Authors: Yu Zhenfeng , He Yuanyuan , Schomann Timo , Wu Kefan , Hao Yang , Suidgeest Ernst , Zhang Hong , Eich Christina , Cruz Luis
Published: April 2022

Nowadays, cancer poses a significant hazard to humans. Limitations in early diagnosis techniques not only result in a waste of healthcare resources but can even lead to delays in diagnosis and treatment, consequently reducing cure rates. Therefore, it is crucial to develop an imaging probe that can provide diagnostic information precisely and rapidly. Here, we used a simple hydrothermal method to design a multimodal imaging probe based on the excellent properties of rareearth ions. Calcium fluoride co-doped with yttrium, gadolinium, and neodymium (CaF2:Y,Gd,Nd) nanoparticles (NPs) is highly crystalline, homogeneous in morphology, and displays a high biosafety profile. In addition, in vitro and ex vivo experiments explored the multimodal imaging capability of CaF2:Y,Gd,Nd and demonstrated the efficient performance of CaF2:Y,Gd,Nd during NIR-II fluorescence/ photoacoustic/magnetic resonance imaging. Collectively, our novel diagnosis nanoparticle will generate new ideas for the development of multifunctional nanoplatforms for disease diagnosis and treatment.
Pharmacokinetic Variability Drives Palbociclib-Induced Neutropenia in Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients: Drug–Drug Interactions Are the Usual Suspects
Authors: Leenhardt Fanny , Fiteni Frédéric , Gauthier Ludovic , Alexandre Marie , Guiu Séverine , Firmin Nelly , Pouderoux Stéphane , Viala Marie , Lossaint Gerald , Gautier Chloé , Mollevi Caroline , Gracia Matthieu , Gongora Celine , Mbatchi Litaty , Evrard Alexandre , Jacot William
Published: April 2022

Palbociclib is a good candidate for therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) due to its narrow therapeutic range and frequency of toxicities, particularly high-grade neutropenia. In this prospective, bicentric clinical trial, we evaluated the palbociclib exposure–toxicity relationship and determined the relevant sources of palbociclib pharmacokinetic variability, including drug–drug interactions (DDI). We followed 58 patients (mean age: 62.9 years) for 1 year. The geometric median of palbociclib plasma trough concentration (Ctrough) was 74.1 ng/mL. Neutropenia occurred in 70.7% of patients (high grade in 67.2% of patients). High-grade neutropenia occurrence during the first two palbociclib cycles was higher in patients with lower neutrophil count at initiation (p = 0.002). Palbociclib plasma Ctrough was correlated with high-grade neutropenia occurrence during the first two cycles (p = 0.024, OR 5.51). Co-treatment with agents that may interfere with palbociclib PK significantly influenced palbociclib Ctrough (p < 0.05). CYP3A4/P-glycoprotein inhibitors increased by 25% palbociclib Ctrough (p = 0.035), while antacids reduced it by 20% (p = 0.036). However, DDI did not have any significant effect on high-grade neutropenia occurrence (p > 0.05). This study confirms the major role of TDM to manage palbociclib safe use from the first week of treatment, particularly the significant incidence of hematological toxicity. Moreover, this first dedicated prospective study confirmed the importance of characterizing co-treatments to limit the DDI risk with oral-targeted therapies.
Optimizing Antimicrobial Dosing for Critically Ill Patients with MRSA Infections: A New Paradigm for Improving Efficacy during Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy
Authors: Chen Jiaojiao , Li Sihan , Wang Quanfang , Wang Chuhui , Qiu Yulan , Yang Luting , Han Ruiying , Du Qian , Chen Lei , Dong Yalin , Wang Taotao
Published: April 2022

The dosage regimen of vancomycin, teicoplanin and daptomycin remains controversial for critically ill patients undergoing continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). Monte Carlo simulation was applied to identify the optimal regimens of antimicrobial agents in patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections based on the mechanisms of different CRRT modalities on drug clearance. The optimal vancomycin dosage for patients received a CRRT doses ≤ 30 mL/kg/h was 20 mg/kg loading dose followed by 500 mg every 8 h, while 1 g every 12 h was appropriate when 35 mL/kg/h was prescribed. The optimal teicoplanin dosage under a CRRT dose ≤ 25 mL/kg/h was four loading doses of 10 mg/kg every 12 h followed by 10 mg/kg every 48 h, 8 mg/kg every 24 h and 6 mg/kg every 24 h for continuous veno-venous hemofiltration, continuous veno-venous hemodialysis and continuous veno-venous hemodiafiltration, respectively. When the CRRT dose increased to 30–35 mL/kg/h, the teicoplanin dosage should be increased by 30%. The recommended regimen for daptomycin was 6–8 mg/kg every 24 h under a CRRT dose ≤ 25 mL/kg/h, while 8–10 mg/kg every 24 h was optimal under 30–35 mg/kg/h. The CRRT dose has an impact on probability of target attainment and CRRT modality only influences teicoplanin.
Epitranscriptomics: An Additional Regulatory Layer in Plants’ Development and Stress Response
Authors: Shoaib Yasira , Usman Babar , Kang Hunseung , Jung Ki-Hong
Published: April 2022

Epitranscriptomics has added a new layer of regulatory machinery to eukaryotes, and the advancement of sequencing technology has revealed more than 170 post-transcriptional modifications in various types of RNAs, including messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA), ribosomal RNA (rRNA), and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA). Among these, N6-methyladenosine (m6A) and N5-methylcytidine (m5C) are the most prevalent internal mRNA modifications. These regulate various aspects of RNA metabolism, mainly mRNA degradation and translation. Recent advances have shown that regulation of RNA fate mediated by these epitranscriptomic marks has pervasive effects on a plant’s development and responses to various biotic and abiotic stresses. Recently, it was demonstrated that the removal of human-FTO-mediated m6A from transcripts in transgenic rice and potatoes caused a dramatic increase in their yield, and that the m6A reader protein mediates stress responses in wheat and apple, indicating that regulation of m6A levels could be an efficient strategy for crop improvement. However, changing the overall m6A levels might have unpredictable effects; therefore, the identification of precise m6A levels at a single-base resolution is essential. In this review, we emphasize the roles of epitranscriptomic modifications in modulating molecular, physiological, and stress responses in plants, and provide an outlook on epitranscriptome engineering as a promising tool to ensure food security by editing specific m6A and m5C sites through robust genome-editing technology.
Transcriptomic and Metabolic Profiling Reveals a Lignin Metabolism Network Involved in Mesocotyl Elongation during Maize Seed Germination
Authors: Zhao Xiaoqiang , Niu Yining , Bai Xiaodong , Mao Taotao
Published: April 2022

Lignin is an important factor affecting agricultural traits. The mechanism of lignin metabolism in maize (Zea mays) mesocotyl elongation was investigated during seed germination. Maize seeds were treated with 24-epibrassinolide (EBR) and brassinazole stimulation under 3 and 20 cm deep-seeding stress. Mesocotyl transcriptome sequencing together with targeted metabolomics analysis and physiological measurements were employed in two contrasting genotypes. Our results revealed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were significantly enriched in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, plant hormone signal transduction, flavonoid biosynthesis, and alpha-linolenic acid metabolism. There were 153 DEGs for lignin biosynthesis pathway, 70 DEGs for peroxisome pathway, and 325 differentially expressed transcription factors (TFs) of MYB, NAC, WRKY, and LIM were identified in all comparisons, and highly interconnected network maps were generated among multiple TFs (MYB and WRKY) and DEGs for lignin biosynthesis and peroxisome biogenesis. This caused p-coumaraldehyde, p-coumaryl alcohol, and sinapaldehyde down-accumulation, however, caffeyl aldehyde and caffeyl alcohol up-accumulation. The sum/ratios of H-, S-, and G-lignin monomers was also altered, which decreased total lignin formation and accumulation, resulting in cell wall rigidity decreasing. As a result, a significant elongation of maize mesocotyl was detected under deep-seeding stress and EBR signaling. These findings provide information on the molecular mechanisms controlling maize seedling emergence under deep-seeding stress and will aid in the breeding of deep-seeding maize cultivars.
Titanium Increases the Antioxidant Activity and Macronutrient Concentration in Tomato Seedlings Exposed to Salinity in Hydroponics
Authors: Carbajal-Vázquez Víctor Hugo , Gómez-Merino Fernando Carlos , Alcántar-González Ernesto Gabriel , Sánchez-García Prometeo , Trejo-Téllez Libia Iris
Published: April 2022

Global climate change affects agriculture and tends to aggravate the effect of various environmental stress factors including soil salinity. Beneficial elements such as titanium (Ti) may improve the performance of plants facing restrictive environments such as saline soils. This research work evaluated the individual effect of sodium chloride (0, 50, and 100 mM NaCl) in solution, that of leaf-applied Ti (0, 500, and 1000 mg L−1 Ti), and their interactions on physiological, biochemical, and nutritional variables of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) seedlings cv. Rio Grande in a factorial design in greenhouse hydroponics. NaCl reduced seedling height, stem diameter, leaf area, SPAD units, and sugar and K concentrations, and increased antioxidant activity in stems and roots, photosynthetic pigments, sugars. Titanium increased the N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and Ti concentrations in leaves, but the concentration of total sugars in leaves was reduced when applying 500 mg Ti L−1. Under moderate salinity conditions (50 mM NaCl) the application of Ti increased the antioxidant activity in roots, while, at all salinity levels tested, Ti increased the concentrations of macro-nutrients and Ti in leaves. Titanium is concluded to have a positive effect on the antioxidant activity and nutrition of seedlings under saline stress conditions.
Evolutionary History and Functional Diversification of the JmjC Domain-Containing Histone Demethylase Gene Family in Plants
Authors: Ma Shifeng , Zhang Zhiqiang , Long Yingqiang , Huo Wenqi , Zhang Yuzhi , Yang Xiaoqing , Zhang Jie , Li Xinyang , Du Qiying , Liu Wei , Yang Daigang , Ma Xiongfeng
Published: April 2022

Histone demethylases containing JumonjiC (JmjC) domains regulate gene transcription and chromatin structure by changing the methylation status of lysine residues and play an important role in plant growth and development. In this study, a total of 332 JmjC family genes were identified from 21 different plant species. The evolutionary analysis results showed that the JmjC gene was detected in each species, that is, the gene has already appeared in algae. The phylogenetic analysis showed that the KDM3/JHDM2 subfamily genes may have appeared when plants transitioned from water to land, but were lost in lycophytes (Selaginella moellendorffii). During the evolutionary process, some subfamily genes may have been lost in individual species. According to the analysis of the conserved domains, all of the plant JmjC genes contained a typical JmjC domain, which was highly conserved during plant evolution. The analysis of cis-acting elements showed that the promoter region of the JmjC gene was rich in phytohormones and biotic and abiotic stress-related elements. The transcriptome data analysis and protein interaction analyses showed that JmjC genes play an important role in plant growth and development. The results clarified the evolutionary history of JmjC family genes in plants and lay the foundation for the analysis of the biological functions of JmjC family genes.
Preparation of Tung Oil Microcapsule and Its Effect on Wood Surface Coating
Authors: Peng Wenwen , Yan Xiaoxing
Published: April 2022

Through the optimized preparation of tung oil microcapsules, five kinds of microcapsules containing different core material content were obtained to explore the influence of microcapsules on water-based paint film and the self-healing ability of microcapsules. The results showed that the microcapsules had good appearance, and the microcapsules were successfully prepared. The color difference in the paint film increased with the increase in microcapsule content, and the gloss decreased gradually. The mechanical test showed that adding microcapsules increased the toughness of the paint film to a certain extent, and the performance of the paint film was unchanged or better. The results showed that paint film with the core–wall ratio of 0.78:1 had the best performance and self-healing function when microcapsules were added.
Development of Mode-Switchable Touch Sensor Using MWCNT Composite Conductive Nonwoven Fabric
Authors: Jang Seong Jin , Kim Minhee , Lim Jee Young , Park Young Ki , Ko Jae Hoon
Published: April 2022

Among the various wearable electronic devices, textile-based piezo sensors have emerged as the most attractive sensors for practical application. In this study, a conductive nonwoven fabric is fabricated to develop a textile-based piezo sensor. This high-performance fabric is fabricated by depositing multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on cellulose nonwoven composites with carbon fibers (CNwCa) through a spray process to assign conductivity, followed by electrospinning thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) on the MWCNT-coated CNwCa to improve surface durability. Each component is optimized through experiments to control the electrical and physical characteristics of the conductive nonwoven fabric. The static and dynamic piezoresistive properties of the fabricated MWCNT composite conductive nonwoven are measured using a source meter and the fabricated sensor driving circuitry. In addition, a prototype bag with a touch sensor is developed using the fabricated conductive nonwoven fabric and its touchpad function is demonstrated using an Android application. The operation as a mode-switchable touch sensor was experimentally verified by inserting the sensor into a bag so that it can be used without direct manipulation on a mobile device. The findings of this study suggest that the developed flexible textile-based conductive nonwoven fabric can be effectively used in wearable devices with piezoresistive sensors.
Robust Adamantane-Based Membranes with Enhanced Conductivity for Vanadium Flow Battery Application
Authors: Zhang Bengui , Zhang Xueting , Liu Qian , Fu Yanshi , Yang Zhirong , Zhang Enlei , Wang Kangjun , Wang Guosheng , Zhang Zhigang , Zhang Shouhai
Published: April 2022

Membranes with high conductivity, high selectivity, and high stability are urgently needed for high-power-density vanadium flow batteries (VFBs). Enhancing membrane conductivity presents many challenges, often resulting in sacrificing membrane selectivity and mechanical strength. To overcome this, new robust adamantane-based membranes with enhanced conductivity are constructed for VFB. Low-content basic piperazine (IEC = 0.78 mmol g−1) and hydrophilic hydroxyl groups are introduced into highly rigid, hydrophobic adamantane containing poly(aryl ether ketone) backbone (PAPEK) and then selectively swelled to induce microphase separation and form ion transport pathways. The highly rigid and hydrophobic PAPEK exhibits high swelling resistance and provides the membranes with slight swelling, high selectivity, and high mechanical strength. The selective swelling temperature has a significant influence on the areal resistance of the resulting membrane, e.g., the PAPEK-130 membrane, when selectively swelled at 130 °C, has low areal resistance (0.22 Ω∙cm2), which is approximately two-fifths that of the PAEKK-60 membrane (treated at 60 °C, 0.57 Ω∙cm2). Consequently, the resulting PAPEK membranes exhibit low swelling, high selectivity, and low areal resistance, with the VFB constructed with a PAPEK-90 membrane exhibiting excellent energy efficiency (91.7%, at 80 mA∙cm−2, and 80.0% at 240 mA∙cm−2) and stable cycling performance for 2000 cycles.
Sustainable Microbial and Heavy Metal Reduction in Water Purification Systems Based on PVA/IC Nanofiber Membrane Doped with PANI/GO
Authors: Elessawy Noha A. , Gouda Marwa H. , Elnouby Mohamed , Ali Safaa M. , Salerno M. , Youssef M. Elsayed
Published: April 2022

Effective and efficient removal of both heavy metal pollutants and bacterial contamination from fresh water is an open issue, especially in developing countries. In this work, a novel eco-friendly functional composite for water treatment application was investigated. The composite consisted of electrospun nanofiber membrane from blended polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/iota carrageenan (IC) polymers doped with equal concentrations of graphene oxide (GO) nanoparticles and polyaniline (PANI). The effectiveness of this composite as a water purification fixed-bed filter was optimized in a batch system for the removal of cadmium (Cd+2) and lead (Pb+2) ions, and additionally characterized for its antimicrobial and antifungal properties and cytotoxicity effect. The fiber nanocomposite exhibited efficient antibacterial activity, with maximum adsorption capacity of about 459 mg g−1 after 120 min for Cd+2 and of about 486 mg g−1 after 90 min for Pb+2. The optimized conditions for removal of both metals were assessed by using a response surface methodology model. The resulting scores at 25 °C were 91.4% (Cd+2) removal at 117 min contact time for 89.5 mg L−1 of initial concentration and 29.6 cm2 membrane area, and 97.19% (Pb+2) removal at contact time 105 min for 83.2 mg L−1 of initial concentration and 30.9 cm2 nanofiber composite membrane. Adsorption kinetics and isotherm followed a pseudo-second-order model and Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm model, respectively. The prepared membrane appears to be promising for possible use in domestic water purification systems.
Developing Equations for Free Vibration Parameters of Bistable Composite Plates Using Multi-Objective Genetic Programming
Authors: Saberi Saeid , Hosseini Alireza Sadat , Yazdanifar Fatemeh , Castro Saullo G. P.
Published: April 2022

For the last three decades, bistable composite laminates have gained publicity because of their outstanding features, including having two stable shapes and the ability to change these states. A common challenge regarding the analysis of these structures is the high computational cost of existing analytical methods to estimate their natural frequencies. In the current paper, a new methodology combining the Finite Element Method (FEM) and Multi-Objective Genetic Programming (MOGP) is proposed for the analysis of bistable composite structures, leading to some analytical relations derived to obtain the modal parameters of the shells. To achieve this aim, the data extracted from FEM, consisting of the ratio of the length to width (a/b) and the thickness (t) of the laminate, is split into Train and Validation, and Test, subsets. The former is used in MOGP, and four formulas are proposed for the prediction of the free vibration parameters of bistable laminates. The formulas are checked against the Test subset, and the statistical indices are calculated. An excellent performance is observed for all GP formulas, which indicates the reliability and accuracy of the predictions of these models. Parametric studies and sensitivity analyses are conducted to interpret the trend of input parameters in the GP models and the level of sensitivity of each natural frequency formula to the input parameters. These explicit mathematical expressions can be extended to the other bistable laminates to obtain their natural frequencies on the basis of their geometrical dimensions. The results are validated against the experimental data and verified against FEM outcomes.
Effect of Chitosan Incorporation on the Development of Acrylamide during Maillard Reaction in Fructose–Asparagine Model Solution and the Functional Characteristics of the Resultants
Authors: Lin Hong-Ting Victor , Ting Yen-Shu , Ndraha Nodali , Hsiao Hsin-I , Sung Wen-Chieh
Published: April 2022

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of 0.5% chitosan incorporation on acrylamide development in a food model solution containing 0.5% fructose and asparagine after heating for 30 min at 180 °C. All the solutions were investigated for the following characteristics: acrylamide, asparagine, reducing sugar content, color, kinematic viscosity, Maillard reaction products (MRPs), and pH every 10 min. After heating for 10 min, the viscosity of chitosan-containing solutions reduced significantly. The investigational data confirmed that chitosan may have decomposed into lower molecular structures, as demonstrated by the reduced viscosity of the solution at pH < 6 and a decrease in the acrylamide content during 30 min of heating in a fructose–asparagine system. This study also confirms that the formation of ultraviolet-absorbing intermediates and browning intensity of MRPs containing acrylamide prepared by fructose–asparagine was more than those of MRPs prepared by glucose–asparagine solution system. MRPs containing acrylamide resulted from the reaction of asparagine with fructose (ketose) rather than glucose (aldose). Acrylamide formation could be significantly mitigated in the fructose–asparagine–chitosan model system as compared to the fructose–asparagine model system for possible beverage and food application.
Hinokitiol Dysregulates Metabolism of Carcinoma Cell Lines and Induces Downregulation of HPV16E6 and E7 Oncogenes and p21 Upregulation in HPV Positive Cell Lines
Authors: Sääskilahti Erika , Syrjänen Stina , Loimaranta Vuokko , Louvanto Karolina
Published: April 2022

Background: Hinokitiol (β-thujaplicin), isolated from the wood of Chamaecyparis taiwanensis, has a wide variety of biological properties including anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and anti-tumor effects. Therefore, hinokitiol has become a frequent additive in oral and other healthcare products. Objectives: Our goal was to determine the anti-tumor activity of hinokitiol on human papillomavirus (HPV) positive (n = 3) and negative (n = 2) cell lines derived from cervical or head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and keratinocyte cell lines (n = 3) transformed spontaneously or with HPV16E6 and E7 oncogenes. Methods: The cell-lines were exposed to hinokitiol at different concentrations (0–200 µM) for 24 h. Cell metabolism, proliferation, and the cell cycle distribution were assessed by MTT- and 3H-thymidine incorporation and flow cytometry. Expressions of p21 and on HPV16E6 and E7 oncogenes were assessed by qPCR. Results: In all carcinoma cell lines, hinokitiol treatment declined the metabolic activity irrespective of the HPV status. This decline was statistically significant, however, only in HPV-positive cell lines CaSki and UD-SCC-2 when exposed to hinokitiol concentrations at 100 and 200 µM, respectively (p < 0.05). Immortalized cell lines, HMK and HPV-positive IHGK, were more sensitive as a similar metabolic effect was achieved at lower hinokitiol concentrations of 3.1, 6.25, and 50 µM, respectively. Hinokitiol blocked DNA synthesis of all carcinoma cell lines without evident association with HPV status. G1 cell cycle arrest and p21 upregulation was found in all cell lines after hinokitiol treatment at higher concentration. However, when the p21 results of all HPV-positive cells were pooled together, the increase in p21 expression was statistically significantly higher in HPV-positive than in HPV-negative cell lines (p = 0.03), but only at the highest hinokitiol concentration (200 µM). In HPV-positive cell lines hinokitiol declined the expression of HPV16E7 and E6 along the increase of p21 expression. The dose-dependent inverse correlation between p21 and E7 was statistically significant in SiHa cells (r = −0.975, p-value = 0.03) and borderline in UD-SCC-2 cells (r = −0.944, p-value = 0.06), in which p21 and E6 were also inversely correlated (r = −0.989). Conclusions: Our results indicate that hinokitiol might have potential in preventing the progress of immortalized cells toward malignancy and the growth of malignant lesions. Hinokitiol can also influence on the progression of HPV-associated lesions by downregulating the E6 and E7 expression.
Officials on the Scaffold: Lutheran Martyrdom in Andreas Gryphius’ Catharina von Georgien
Authors: Nykrog Niels
Published: April 2022

In a reading of Gryphius’ Catharina von Georgien within its political and confessional context of Silesia at the end of the Thirty Years’ War, this article analyzes the transformation of the Christian martyr cult within early modern German tragedy. It argues that Gryphius used the hagiographic type of the royal martyr as a moral example and figure of governmental order. He depicted the pious Georgian martyr Queen Catharina and her devout officials as an inspiring community of civic virtue to be imitated by his fellow Silesians. This patriotic injunction of the tragedy resonates with legal concepts of public law put forward by Gryphius’ mentor, Georg Schönborner and others. The article finds that Gryphius’ martyr tragedy must be read as an aesthetic contribution to some of the legal movements decisive for German state formation around 1650.
The Effect of Business Legal Form on the Perception of COVID-19-Related Disruptions by Households Running a Business
Authors: Doś Anna , Wieczorek-Kosmala Monika , Błach Joanna
Published: April 2022

Recent studies uncover the lack of symmetry in COVID-19-related economic shock distributions among households. Thus, questions arise about the appropriateness of diverse risk-coping mechanisms by households. We add to this strand of research by focusing on households running a business. In particular, we analyze the role of basic legal aspects of running a business by individuals, specifically a legal form of business activity in shaping COVID-19-related business risk perception. We posit that the different legal forms allow for different risk-coping mechanisms. We incorporate analysis of variance (ANOVA) on data obtained via a survey distributed among households running a business in Poland, a country where the pandemic threatens poverty-reducing growth. We confirm that between the groups of households running a business in various legal forms, there are statistically significant differences regarding the impact of COVID-19. Thus, we conclude that the choice of business legal form affects vulnerability to COVID-19-related interruptions among households running a business.
Classification and Identification of Spectral Pixels with Low Maritime Occupancy Using Unsupervised Machine Learning
Authors: Seo Dongmin , Oh Sangwoo , Lee Daekyeom
Published: April 2022

For marine accidents, prompt actions to minimize the casualties and loss of property are crucial. Remote sensing using satellites or aircrafts enables effective monitoring over a large area. Hyperspectral remote sensing allows the acquisition of high-resolution spectral information. This technology detects target objects by analyzing the spectrum for each pixel. We present a clustering method of seawater and floating objects by analyzing aerial hyperspectral images. For clustering, unsupervised learning algorithms of K-means, Gaussian Mixture, and DBSCAN are used. The detection performance of those algorithms is expressed as the precision, recall, and F1 Score. In addition, this study presents a color mapping method that analyzes the detected small object using cosine similarity. This technology can minimize future casualties and property loss by enabling rapid aircraft and maritime search, ocean monitoring, and preparations against marine accidents.
Atmospheric Conditions within Big Telescope Alt-Azimuthal Region and Possibilities of Astronomical Observations
Authors: Shikhovtsev Artem Yu. , Kovadlo Pavel G. , Khaikin Vladimir B. , Nosov Victor V. , Lukin Vladimir P. , Nosov Eugene V. , Torgaev Andrey V. , Kiselev Alexander V. , Shikhovtsev Maxim Yu.
Published: April 2022

The paper presents the results of analysis of astroclimatic conditions in the Big Telescope Alt-azimuthal (BTA) region (40°N–50°N; 35°E–55°E). Using data from the European center for medium-range weather forecast ReAnalysis (ERA-5), we estimated the averaged spatial distributions in total cloud cover, vertical integral of mean kinetic energy, vertical component of wind speed, and wind speed shears, as well as inverse values of Richardson number 1/Ri. An extensive region with the development of atmospheric flows is formed south and southeast of BTA in winter. High inverse values of the Richardson number, spatial heterogeneities in vertical wind speed, and significant wind speed shears in the lower atmosphere are observed in this region. In terms of turbulence development over BTA, the best time for astronomical observations falls in summer, when vertical shears of wind speed are weakened in the lower atmospheric layers. The situation is opposite in the upper troposphere. In winter, BTA is in the region of moderate vertical wind shears. In summer, a region with increased vertical wind speed shears is formed. Taking into account that the intensity of optical turbulence decreases rapidly with height, better image quality can be expected in summer. Such structure of the atmosphere does not allow one to directly apply atmospheric models in order to describe turbulence based on the turbulence strength as function of its ground values, or to use the classical model describing the turbulence velocity as function of air flow velocity at the height corresponding to the 200 hPa level.
A Two-Stage Low-Altitude Remote Sensing Papaver Somniferum Image Detection System Based on YOLOv5s+DenseNet121
Authors: Wang Qian , Wang Chunshan , Wu Huarui , Zhao Chunjiang , Teng Guifa , Yu Yajie , Zhu Huaji
Published: April 2022

Papaver somniferum (opium poppy) is not only a source of raw material for the production of medical narcotic analgesics but also the major raw material for certain psychotropic drugs. Therefore, it is stipulated by law that the cultivation of Papaver somniferum must be authorized by the government under stringent supervision. In certain areas, unauthorized and illicit Papaver somniferum cultivation on private-owned lands occurs from time to time. These illegal Papaver somniferum cultivation sites are dispersedly-distributed and highly-concealed, therefore becoming a tough problem for government supervision. The low-altitude inspection of Papaver somniferum cultivation by unmanned aerial vehicles has the advantages of high efficiency and time saving, but the large amount of image data collected needs to be manually screened, which not only consumes a lot of manpower and material resources but also easily causes omissions. In response to the above problems, this paper proposed a two-stage (target detection and image classification) method for the detection of Papaver somniferum cultivation sites. In the first stage, the YOLOv5s algorithm was used to detect Papaver somniferum images for the purpose of identifying all the suspicious Papaver somniferum images from the original data. In the second stage, the DenseNet121 network was used to classify the detection results from the first stage, so as to exclude the targets other than Papaver somniferum and retain the images containing Papaver somniferum only. For the first stage, YOLOv5s achieved the best overall performance among mainstream target detection models, with a Precision of 97.7%, Recall of 94.9%, and mAP of 97.4%. For the second stage, DenseNet121 with pre-training achieved the best overall performance, with a classification accuracy of 97.33% and a Precision of 95.81%. The experimental comparison results between the one-stage method and the two-stage method suggest that the Recall of the two methods remained the same, but the two-stage method reduced the number of falsely detected images by 73.88%, which greatly reduces the workload for subsequent manual screening of remote sensing Papaver somniferum images. The achievement of this paper provides an effective technical means to solve the problem in the supervision of illicit Papaver somniferum cultivation.