bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effects of temperature and donor piglet age on the transcriptomic profile and energy metabolism of myoblasts
Authors: Metzger Katharina , Kalbe Claudia , Siengdee Puntita , Ponsuksili Siriluck
Published: September 2022

Rapid climate change is associated with frequent extreme heat events and the resulting thermal stress has consequences for the health, welfare, and growth of farm animals. The aim of this study was to characterize the transcriptional changes and the effects on energy metabolism in proliferating porcine myoblasts derived from piglets of different ages, representing differences in thermoregulatory abilities, and cultivated below (35°C) and above (39°C, 41°C) the standard cultivation temperature (37°C). Satellite cells originating from Musculus rhomboideus of piglets isolated on days 5 (P5, thermolabile) and 20 (P20, thermostable) of age were used. Our expression analyses highlighted differentially expressed genes in porcine myoblasts cultures under heat or cold induced stress. These gene sets showed enrichment for biological processes and pathways related to organelle fission, cell cycle, chromosome organization, and DNA replication. Culture at 35°C resulted in increased metabolic flux as well as a greater abundance of transcripts of the cold shock protein-encoding gene RBM3 and those of genes related to biological processes and signaling pathways, especially those involving the immune system (cytokine–cytokine receptor interaction, TNF and IL-17 signaling pathways). For cultivation at 39°C, differences in the expression of genes related to DNA replication and cell growth were identified. The highest glutathione index ratio was also found under 39°C. Meanwhile, cultivation at 41°C induced a heat stress response, including the upregulation of HSP70 expression and the downregulation of many biological processes and signaling pathways related to proliferative ability. Our analysis also identified differentially expressed genes between cells of donors with a not yet (P5) and already fully developed (P20) capacity for thermoregulation at different cultivation temperatures. When comparing P5 and P20, most of the changes in gene expression were detected at 37°C. At this optimal temperature, muscle cells can develop to their full capacity. Therefore, the most diverse molecular signaling pathways, including PI3K-Akt signaling, Wnt signaling, and EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor, were found and are more pronounced in muscle cells from 20-day-old piglets. These results contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the adaptation of skeletal muscle cells to temperature stress in terms of their thermoregulatory ability.
Genetic manipulation for abiotic stress resistance traits in crops
Authors: Esmaeili Nardana , Shen Guoxin , Zhang Hong
Published: September 2022

Abiotic stresses are major limiting factors that pose severe threats to agricultural production. Conventional breeding has significantly improved crop productivity in the last century, but traditional breeding has reached its maximum capacity due to the multigenic nature of abiotic stresses. Alternatively, biotechnological approaches could provide new opportunities for producing crops that can adapt to the fast-changing environment and still produce high yields under severe environmental stress conditions. Many stress-related genes have been identified and manipulated to generate stress-tolerant plants in the past decades, which could lead to further increase in food production in most countries of the world. This review focuses on the recent progress in using transgenic technology and gene editing technology to improve abiotic stress tolerance in plants, and highlights the potential of using genetic engineering to secure food and fiber supply in a world with an increasing population yet decreasing land and water availability for food production and fast-changing climate that will be largely hostile to agriculture.
Amaranth as a natural food colorant source: Survey of germplasm and optimization of extraction methods for betalain pigments
Authors: Howard Jay E. , Villamil Maria B. , Riggins Chance W.
Published: September 2022

Growing consumer demands for healthier foods have evoked trends in the food industry to replace synthetically produced colorants with naturally derived alternatives. Anthocyanins currently comprise the bulk of the natural colorant market, but betalains offer advantages where anthocyanins have limits.Amaranthusspecies are appealing betalain sources given their extensive pigmentation patterns and recognized food status around the world. An advantage of amaranths as natural food colorants is that, when grown as leafy vegetables, water extracts would be compliant with U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines as “vegetable juice” colorants. Thus, we developed a methodology based on U.S. FDA guidelines to investigate betalain diversity among forty-eight amaranth accessions grown as leafy vegetables. Total betacyanin concentrations ranged from 4.7 to 478.8 mg/100 g dry weight, with amaranthin and isoamaranthin identified as major constituents. Our findings will guide future research on amaranths to determine economic viability and suitability for growing natural colorant markets.
Transcriptome data reveal gene clusters and key genes in pepper response to heat shock
Authors: Tang Bingqian , Li Xiumin , Zhang Xinhao , Yin Qinbiao , Xie LingLing , Zou Xuexiao , Liu Feng , Dai Xiongze
Published: September 2022

Climate change and global warming pose a great threat to plant growth and development as well as crop productivity. To better study the genome-wide gene expression under heat, we performed a time-course (0.5 to 24 h) transcriptome analysis in the leaf and root of 40-day-old pepper plants under 40°C as well as in control plants. Clustering analysis (K-means) showed that the expression of 29,249 genes can be grouped into 12 clusters with distinct expression dynamics under stress. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and transcription factor (TF) identification were performed on the clusters with certain expression patterns. Comparative analysis between the heat-treated and control plants also identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs), which showed the largest degree of change at 24 h. Interestingly, more DEGs were identified in the root than in the leaf. Moreover, we analyzed the gene expression of 25 heat shock factor genes (HSFs) in pepper after heat stress, identified five of these HSFs that responded to heat stress, and characterized the role of these genes in heat-tolerant (17CL30) and heat-susceptible (05S180) pepper lines. The findings of this study improve our understanding of the genome-wide heat stress response in pepper.
Flagellin C decreases the expression of the Gossypium hirsutum cation/proton exchanger 3 gene to promote calcium ion, hydrogen peroxide, and nitric oxide and synergistically regulate the resistance of cotton to Verticillium wilt
Authors: Zhou Heng , Wang Yi , Zhang Yihao , Xie Yijing , Nadeem Hasan , Tang Canming
Published: September 2022

To date, no ideal effective method for controlling Verticillium wilt in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) has been defined. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects and mechanism through which flagellin C (FLiC) regulates the Gossypium hirsutum cation/proton exchanger 3 gene (GhCAX3), induces plant immunity, and increases resistance to Verticillium wilt. The FLiC gene was cloned from an endophytic bacterium (Pseudomonas) isolated from roots of the upland cotton cultivar Zhongmiansuo 41. The biocontrol effects of FLiC purified in vitro on resistant and susceptible upland cotton cultivars were 47.50 and 32.42%, respectively. FLiC induced a hypersensitive response (HR) in leaves of tobacco and immune responses in upland cotton. Transcriptome data showed that treatment with FLiC significantly enriched the calcium antiporter activity-associated disease-resistant metabolic pathway in seedlings. Moreover, FLiC downregulated GhCAX3 expression to increase intracellular calcium ion (Ca2+) content and stimulate increases in the intracellular hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and nitric oxide (NO) contents. The coordinated regulation of Ca2+, H2O2, and NO enhanced cotton resistance to Verticillium wilt. Furthermore, transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing FLiC showed significantly improved resistance to Verticillium wilt. FLiC may be used as a resistance gene and a regulator to improve resistance to Verticillium dahliae (VD) in upland cotton.
Characterization, comparative phylogenetic, and gene transfer analyses of organelle genomes of Rhododendron × pulchrum
Authors: Shen Jianshuang , Li Xueqin , Li Mingzhi , Cheng Hefeng , Huang Xiaoling , Jin Songheng
Published: September 2022

Rhododendron × pulchrum, an important horticultural species, is widely distributed in Europe, Asia, and North America. To analyze the phylogenetic and organelle genome information of R. × pulchrum and its related species, the organelle genome of R. × pulchrum was sequenced and assembled. The complete mitochondrial genome showed lineage DNA molecules, which were 816,410 bp long and contained 64 genes, namely 24 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, 3 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, and 37 protein-coding genes. The chloroplast genome of R. × pulchrum was reassembled and re-annotated; the results were different from those of previous studies. There were 42 and 46 simple sequence repeats (SSR) identified from the mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes of R. × pulchrum, respectively. Five genes (nad1, nad2, nad4, nad7, and rps3) were potentially useful molecular markers. The R. × pulchrum mitochondrial genome collinear alignment among five species of the Ericaceae showed that the mitochondrial genomes of these related species have a high degree of homology with R. × pulchrum in this gene region, and the most conservative genes were trnC-GCA, trnD-GUC, trnM-CAU, trnN-GUU, trnY-GUA, atp4, nad4, nad2, nad5, ccmC, and rrn26. The phylogenetic trees of mitochondrial genome showed that R. simsii was a sister to R. × pulchrum. The results verified that there was gene rearrangement between R. × pulchrum and R. simsii mitochondrial genomes. The codon usage bias of 10 Ericaceae mitochondrial genes and 7 Rhododendron chloroplast genes were influenced by mutation, while other genes codon usages had undergone selection. The study identified 13 homologous fragments containing gene sequences between the chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes of R. × pulchrum. Overall, our results illustrate the organelle genome information could explain the phylogenetics of plants and could be used to develop molecular markers and genetic evolution. Our study will facilitate the study of population genetics and evolution in Rhododendron and other genera in Ericaceae.
The influence of motivation, self-efficacy, and fear of failure on the career adaptability of vocational school students: Moderated by meaning in life
Authors: Chuang Ya-Ting , Huang Tzu-Huang , Lin Shin-Yi , Chen Bo-Ching
Published: September 2022

It is an important issue for vocational school students to have good adaptability for their future life. This study combines career construction theory and self-determination theory to construct a model to explore the relationship between the “motivation,” “self-efficacy,” “fear of failure,” “career adaptability,” and “meaning in life” of vocational school students. This study used a secondary data research method and retrieved a total of 2,377 data from vocational school students in Taiwan from the perspective of data exploration using PISA 2018 data, which was validated by the partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM). The following results were obtained: (1) Vocational students were afraid that failure would have a negative impact on their career adaptability. (2) Motivation and Self-efficacy had a positive effect on career adaptability. (3) Motivation positively affected fear of failure. (4) Self-efficacy negatively affected fear of failure. (5) Meaning in life could positively moderate the effect of self-efficacy on fear of failure. (6) However, there was no statistical difference in the moderating effect of meaning in life on the relationship between motivation and fear of failure. First, fear of failure negatively affected career adaptability, while motivation and self-efficacy positively affected career adaptability; compared to the three effects, the negative effect of fear of failure may not be as great as expected. Second, motivation is like a double-edged sword as it improves adaptability, but it also comes with an increased fear of failure. On the contrary, self-efficacy can simultaneously improve the career adaptability of vocational students and reduce their fear of failure. Therefore, the development of self-efficacy should be given priority over motivation in the career adaptability enhancement strategy of vocational students. Finally, the meaning of life can positively moderate the negative influence of self-efficacy on the fear of failure. In other words, for vocational students with a low sense of self-efficacy, perhaps life education can be used instead as a strategy to reduce their fear of failure.
The influence of real estate brokers’ personalities, psychological empowerment, social capital, and knowledge sharing on their innovation performance: The moderating effect of moral hazard
Authors: Chang Hung-Chung , Lee Chun-Chang , Yeh Wen-Chih , Chang Yi-Lun
Published: September 2022

This study proposed and examined a conceptual framework on the influence of real estate brokers’ personalities, psychological empowerment, social capital, and knowledge sharing on their innovation performance, and used moral hazard as a moderating variable. We used structural equation modeling (SEM) for data analysis and estimation. The participants were real estate brokers in Kaohsiung City. A total of 1,000 questionnaires were administered to 100 branch offices of real estate companies, 571 of which were later recovered from 80 branch offices. After removing 52 for being invalid, we were left with 519 valid questionnaires, indicating a 51.9% recovery rate. The empirical results suggest that the real estate brokers’ personalities and psychological empowerment positively and significantly influence social capital; personality and psychological empowerment also positively and significantly influence their innovation performance; and social capital significantly influences knowledge sharing, which in turn positively and significantly influences the brokers’ innovation performance. In environments with higher levels of moral hazard, the influence of social capital on the brokers’ knowledge sharing is significantly diminished.
Design of network English autonomous learning education system based on human-computer interaction
Authors: Wang Xin , Smith Simon
Published: September 2022

The continuous development of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and information technologies impact the digital learning environment. The network and multimedia technologies change the Autonomous Learning System (ALS) structure. The learning process uses several techniques; however, the interactive function requires continuous improvement to enhance autonomous learning. Therefore, Optimized Deep Learning Network (ODNN) is introduced to build the Autonomous English Learning System (AELS) in this work. The ODNN system uses the learning and activation functions that derive the student’s learning capabilities and gives the proper training to the student. The HCI-based created autonomous learning process provides the guidelines to the student for making independent learning. The ALS improves the student’s learning ability and skills compared to classroom-based learning. The discussed ODNN-based AELS system effectiveness is evaluated using the Japanese-English Bilingual Corpus with a set of assessment questionaries. Then the HCI-based autonomous English learning is a quantitative analysis with the classroom-based learning. The discussed system is implemented using the Python tool, in which the AELS system ensures 98.51% learning efficiency compared to classroom learning.
Quality of life among patients with chronic non-communicable diseases during COVID-19 pandemic in Southern Ethiopia: A cross-sectional analytical study
Authors: Ayalew Mohammed , Deribe Bedilu , Hussen Siraj , Defar Semira , Gedefaw Abel
Published: September 2022

Background

The COVID-19 outbreak became a continuing global health agenda. It has a significant impact on individuals’ quality of life (QOL). Patients with preexisting medical conditions may have severely reduced QOL. The aim of this study was to assess QOL and its associated factors among patients with chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) during COVID-19 pandemic at Sidama Regional State, southern Ethiopia.

Methods

We conducted a multicenter, cross-sectional study from 1 June to 1 September 2021. A total of 633 participants took part in the study, using an interviewer-administered structured questionnaire. The QOL was measured using the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) Scale, which has 12 items. To describe different variables, descriptive statistics were employed. To find independent factors associated with QOL, we used multivariable linear regression analysis. P-value of < 0.05 was declared statistically significant at 95% confidence interval (CI).

Results

The majority (56.4%) of participants were male and about half (53.1%) had a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. The multivariable linear regression model showed statistically significant negative association between different independent variables such as age (β = −0.188, 95% CI = −0.238 to −0.139), being female (β = −1.942, 95% CI = −3.237 to −0.647), duration of illness ≤ 5 years (β = −4.222, 95% CI = −6.358 to −2.087), alcohol use in the past 3 months (β = −4.574, 95% CI = −6.905 to −2.243), common mental disorder (CMD) (β = −1.512, 95% CI = −2.924 to −0.100), insomnia (β = −0.274, 95% CI = −0.380 to −0.168), and QOL. Also, there is a statistically significant positive association between QOL and being illiterate (β = 3.919, 95% CI = 1.998–5.841) and living in the rural area (β = 2.616, 95% CI = 1.242–3.990).

Conclusion

In general, the findings confirmed that the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on patients with chronic NCDs QOL. The QOL was significantly influenced by age, gender, educational status, residence area, duration of illness, alcohol use, CMD, and insomnia during COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, this study suggests that addressing insomnia, co-morbidities of mental disorders, and alcohol use has the potential effect to improve the QOL of patients with chronic medical illnesses.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation and intravenous ketamine combination therapy for treatment-resistant bipolar depression: A case report
Authors: Elkrief Laurent , Payette Olivier , Foucault Jean-Nicolas , Longpré-Poirier Christophe , Richard Maxime , Desbeaumes Jodoin Véronique , Lespérance Paul , Miron Jean-Philippe
Published: September 2022

About a third of patients suffering from major depression develop treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Although repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and intravenous ketamine have proven effective for the management of TRD, many patients remain refractory to treatment. We present the case of a patient suffering from bipolar TRD. The patient was referred to us after failure to respond to first-and second-line pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy. After minimal response to both rTMS and ketamine alone, we attempted a combination rTMS and ketamine protocol, which led to complete and sustained remission. Various comparable and complimentary mechanisms of antidepressant action of ketamine and rTMS are discussed, which support further study of this combination therapy. Future research should focus on the feasibility, tolerability, and efficacy of this novel approach.
The impact of vaccination upon dental clinic avoidance and the cessation of individual protection measures
Authors: González-Olmo Maria Jose , Diego Rafael Gómez de , Delgado-Ramos Bendición , Romero-Maroto Martin , Carrillo-Diaz María
Published: September 2022

The aim of this study was to analyze the evolution of germ aversion, to perceived infectability and to the fear of COVID-19 from the beginning of the pandemic until the arrival of the vaccines. A repeated measures design was used with three time points during the pandemic. The survey consisted of: Scale of perceived vulnerability to disease; Scale of fear of COVID-19; They were asked if they were vaccinated and if that vaccination is complete. They were asked if they would avoid the dental clinic through fear of COVID-19; and if they have reduced preventive practice in response to COVID-19. A T0-T1 increase in perceived infectability and germ aversion was reported. However, fear of COVID-19 decreased at T1-T2. The vaccinated experienced a greater reduction than the unvaccinated and a greater relaxation of their preventive practice. The frequency of dental avoidance decreased in the vaccinated group from T1 to T2 by 68.3% while in the non-vaccinated this reduction was only 4.9%; X2 = 18.58 (p < 0.01). In summary, vaccination has had an impact in the reduction of perceived infectability and in reducing fear of COVID-19. Nevertheless, germ aversion has remained stable and independent of vaccination. Empirical support is found for the affirmation that vaccination can reduce certain preventive behavior and dental avoidance.
“How can you advocate for something that is nonexistent?” (CM16-17) Power of community in a pandemic and the evolution of community-led response within a COVID-19 CICT and testing context
Authors: Hoffman Sarah J. , Garcia Yesenia , Altamirano-Crosby Julieta , Ortega Sarait M. , Yu Kimberly , Abudiab Seja M. , de Acosta Diego , Fredkove Windy M. , Karim Sayyeda , Mann Erin , Thomas Christine M. , Yun Katherine , Dawson-Hahn Elizabeth E.
Published: September 2022

Formal and informal bilingual/bicultural organizations and networks form the backbone of support for refugee, immigrant, and migrant (RIM) communities in the United States. They are pivotal in mitigating barriers and inequities in social and structural determinants of health. These organizations and networks are situated within the communities they serve, and often are established and run by members of a community, to serve the community. In the United States, the COVID-19 pandemic surfaced and widened existing health inequities for some racial and ethnic communities. Our primary objectives were to: (1) describe the processes that underpinned the pivotal role of immigrant-serving community structures in developing and implementing culturally sustaining programming in the context of pandemic response, and (2) amplify the voices of community experts, as they shared experiences and perspectives around these humanistic and community-centered approaches. We applied a community case study approach to a national sample of RIM-serving community structures representing broad country/region-of-origin, cultural, and linguistic identities. Community engagement strategies utilized in the project period included engaging community partners to identify and facilitate connections, and consult on analysis and dissemination. The project team conducted 20 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of community experts/community organizations. Sampling strategy was further informed by immigrant identity (i.e., characterization of status) and geography (i.e., United States Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs Regions). Through thematic analysis, results identified key contextual, process-, and impact-oriented themes inherent to community-led COVID-19 responses, that were situated within and around the public and health system response to the pandemic. As public health and health systems scrambled to address acute and unprecedented barriers to access, distribution of COVID-19-related health resources and services, and disparate health outcomes, community structures diligently and intentionally reimagined and reconceptualized their response to COVID-19, frequently in the setting of scarce resources. The grassroots response evolved as a counter-narrative to top–down equity processes, historically defined by systems and applied to the community.
10-year time course of Hg and organic compounds in Augusta Bay: Bioavailability and biological effects in marine organisms
Authors: Benedetti Maura , Romano Elena , Ausili Antonella , Fattorini Daniele , Gorbi Stefania , Maggi Chiara , Salmeri Andrea , Salvagio Manta Daniela , Sesta Giulio , Sprovieri Mario , Regoli Francesco
Published: September 2022

In the last century, many Mediterranean coastal areas have been subjected to anthropogenic disturbances from industrial activities, uncontrolled landfills, shipyards, and high maritime traffic. The Augusta Bay (eastern Sicily, Italy) represents an example of a strongly impacted coastal environment with an elevated level of sediments contamination due to the presence of one of the largest European petrochemical plants, combined with an extensive commercial and military harbor. The most significant contaminants were represented by mercury (Hg) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB), derived from a former chlor-alkali plant, and other organic compounds like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs). Since the 1970s, Augusta Bay has become internationally recognized as a contaminated marine environment, although very little information is available regarding the temporal trend of contaminants bioavailability and biological impacts on aquatic organisms. In this study, the Hg and HCB concentrations were investigated over 10 years (from 2003 to 2013) in sediments and invertebrate and vertebrate organisms; these two contaminants' ecotoxicity was further evaluated at a biochemical and cellular level by analyzing the induction of organic biotransformation processes and DNA damages. The results showed high concentrations of Hg and HCB in sediments and their strong bioaccumulation in different species with significantly higher values than those measured in reference sites. This trend was paralleled by increased micronuclei frequency (DNA damage biomarker) and activity of the biotransformation system. While levels of chemicals in sediments remained elevated during the time course, their bioavailability and biological effects showed a gradual decrease after 2003, when the chlor-alkali plant was closed. Environmental persistence of Hg and HCB availability facilitates their bioaccumulation and affects the health status of marine organisms, with possible implications for environmental risk, pollutants transfer, and human health.
The intersection between toxicology and aging research: A toxic aging coin perspective
Authors: Wise Jr John P.
Published: September 2022

We are imminently faced with the challenges of an increasingly aging population and longer lifespans due to improved health care. Concomitantly, we are faced with ubiquitous environmental pollution linked with various health effects and age-related diseases which contribute to increased morbidity with age. Geriatric populations are rarely considered in the development of environmental regulations or in toxicology research. Today, life expectancy is often into one’s 80s or beyond, which means multiple decades living as a geriatric individual. Hence, adverse health effects and late-onset diseases might be due to environmental exposures as a geriatric, and we currently have no way of knowing. Considering aging from a different perspective, the term “gerontogen” was coined in 1987 to describe chemicals that accelerate biological aging but has largely been left out of toxicology research. Thus, we are challenged with a two-faced problem that we can describe as a “toxic aging coin”; on one side we consider how age affects the toxic outcome of chemicals, whereas on the other side we consider how chemicals accelerate aging (i.e. how chemicals act as gerontogens). Conveniently, both sides of this coin can be tackled with a single animal study that considers multiple age groups and assesses basic toxicology of the chemical(s) tested and aging-focused endpoints. Here, I introduce the concept of this toxic aging coin and some key considerations for how it applies to toxicology research. My discussion of this concept will focus on the brain, my area of expertise, but could be translated to any organ system.
Age-related somatic mutation burden in human tissues
Authors: Ren Peijun , Dong Xiao , Vijg Jan
Published: September 2022

The genome of multicellular organisms carries the hereditary information necessary for the development of all organs and tissues and to maintain function in adulthood. To ensure the genetic stability of the species, genomes are protected against changes in sequence information. However, genomes are not static. De novo mutations in germline cells are passed on to offspring and generate the variation needed in evolution. Moreover, postzygotic mutations occur in all somatic cells during development and aging. These somatic mutations remain limited to the individual, generating tissues that are genome mosaics. Insight into such mutations and their consequences has been limited due to their extremely low abundance, with most mutations unique for each cell. Recent advances in sequencing, including whole genome sequencing at the single-cell level, have now led to the first insights into somatic mutation burdens in human tissues. Here, we will first briefly describe the latest methodology for somatic mutation analysis, then review our current knowledge of somatic mutation burden in human tissues and, finally, briefly discuss the possible functional impact of somatic mutations on the aging process and age-related diseases, including cancer and diseases other than cancer.
Radio frequency sensing and its innovative applications in diverse sectors: A comprehensive study
Authors: Lubna Lubna , Hameed Hira , Ansari Shuja , Zahid Adnan , Sharif Abubakar , Abbas Hassan Tahir , Alqahtani Fehaid , Mufti Naveed , Ullah Sadiq , Imran Muhammad Ali , Abbasi Qammer Hussain
Published: September 2022

Recent advancements in radio frequency (RF) sensing technology can be attributed to the development of the Internet of Things (IoT), healthcare, RF-identification, and communication applications. RF sensing is a multidisciplinary research field that requires expertise in computing, electronics, and electromagnetics to cover all system features, including protocol development, antenna design, sensor integration, algorithm formulation, interconnection, data, and analytics. The overarching aim of this work is to present detailed information about RF technologies and their innovations and application diversity from the novel work carried out at CSI Lab1, together in one platform with an extensive survey. This study presents state-of-the art applications and RF sensing that include W-Fi, radar, and SDR and RFID-based sensing. A comprehensive survey and study of the advantages and limitations of each non-contact technology is discussed. Additionally, open research gaps have been identified as well. Decades of knowledge and experience have been put to use to meet new challenges and demands. The development and study of RF systems, IoT, RFID sensing, and research and deployment activities, are briefly discussed. The emerging research projects with industry, institutional research centers, and academic studies are also addressed. Finally, an outline of identified potential future research areas is provided, emphasizing opportunities and challenges.
A generalizable and turnable engineered ecosystem provides a clear route to prosperity and well-being to harness the world’s aquatic “blue” food systems to help end hunger: A perspective
Authors: Li Shengwen Calvin , He Jian-guo
Published: September 2022

Seafood security is essential in modern society. In 2013, Bush and colleagues stated, ‘Aquaculture, farming aquatic organisms, provides close to 50% of the world’s supply of seafood, with a value of United States $125 billion. It makes up 13% of the world’s animal-source protein (excluding eggs and dairy) and employs an estimated 24 million people’. With the increase in the human population and reducing fishing resources, humans increasingly rely on aquacultural products as the primary protein sources for many countries. Aquacultural productivity has been improving in recent years, and in certain countries, the aquaculture output is more than the fishing output. For example, Chinese aquaculture production is more than fishing output, which provides one-third of animal protein. Thus, intensive aquaculture has become the main supply with global aquatic products (FAO). In recent years, it is estimated that each person consumption of aquaculture products is 130 kg in some countries (Iceland). Here, we illustrate the road blocker in farmed shrimp production and provide our resolution. The global pandemic of white spot syndrome (WSS), caused by the white spot syndrome virus (WSSV), bears a devastating economic loss in farmed shrimp production, thereby jeopardizing seafood security. Currently, there is no effective control for WSS. Conventional single-species intensive farming removes the spatiotemporal interaction between different species. We hypothesize that establishing the spatiotemporal interface of a predator–prey may control WSS outbreak. We search for the pathways for the mechanisms by which predator–prey species interact and compete across spatial scales to characterize WSSV dispersal at regional scales for the local spatiotemporal structure of viral transmission. Thus, we create a generalizable and turnable engineered ecosystem that provides a clear route to prosperity and well-being to harness the world’s aquatic “blue” food systems to help end hunger.
Design of solvent-assisted plastics recycling: Integrated economics and environmental impacts analysis
Authors: Lehr Austin L. , Heider Kayla L. , Aboagye Emmanuel A. , Chea John D. , Stengel Jake P. , Benavides Pahola Thathiana , Yenkie Kirti M.
Published: September 2022

In 2018, the United States generated over 35. 7 million tons of plastic waste, with only 8.4% being recycled and the other 91.6% incinerated or disposed of in a landfill. The continued growth of the polymer market has raised concerns over the end of life of plastics. Currently, the waste management system is faced with issues of inefficient sorting methods and low-efficiency recycling methods when it comes to plastics recycling. Mechanical recycling is the commonest recycling method but presents a lower-valued recycled material due to the material incompatibilities introduced via the inefficient sorting methods. Chemical recycling offers a promising alternative as it potentially allows for plastics to maintain their original properties. To that end, there is the need to investigate feasible chemical recycling methods to help mitigate the challenging problem posed by plastics at the end-of-life stage. This work proposes a conceptual solvent-assisted plastics recycling framework based on a superstructure optimization approach. This framework is evaluated using a representative case study to recover Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET). In this case study, it is found that polymer recovery is both economically and environmentally favorable when compared to traditional methods of disposal such as incineration.
Looking into dark matter with asteroseismology
Authors: Ayala Adrián
Published: September 2022

Dark matter remains as an elusive component of modern Cosmology. According to previous research, stellar physics observables can be affected by the presence of hypothetical dark matter particles, which can be produced or accreted into the stars. Stellar pulsations are among the observables affected by dark matter, because the changes of the internal structure of the stars due to dark matter produce variations in the pulsation frequencies. We review the current research in the interplay between astroparticles, precise stellar observations, and accurate asteroseismic models, which can be extremely useful in order to constrain dark matter candidates from asteroseismic observables.
Intervention in professional dance students to increase mental health- and nutrition literacy: A controlled trial with follow up
Authors: Mathisen Therese Fostervold , Sundgot-Borgen Christine , Anstensrud Beate , Sundgot-Borgen Jorunn
Published: September 2022

Introduction

There is a need to change the culture within the art of dance, as it has been associated with injuries and mental health consequences. This study evaluates an intervention designed to increase mental health literacy, enhance nutritional knowledge, reduce symptoms and effects of low energy availability, and strengthen understanding of sports nutrition and recovery strategies, in dance students of mixed genders.

Material and methods

A total of 125 dance students received three workshops, with 39 arts and crafts students serving as references. The results were evaluated by the Eating Disorder Examination questionnaire, the Low Energy Availability in Females questionnaire, the Hopkins Symptom Check List, and questions on mental health literacy, sports nutrition, and recovery knowledge.

Results

Dance students achieved sustained improvements in mental health and nutrition knowledge and temporary improvements in driven exercise (i.e., performing exercise because of a compulsive drive). No other benefits were identified from the intervention.

Conclusion

Our findings indicate the need for an ongoing education program to reduce the occurrence and development of negative mental health outcomes and low energy availability in professional dance students. Such approaches may not only improve the mental health of dance students but also potentially prevent the high frequency of injuries.
Relationships of Cuproptosis-Related Genes With Clinical Outcomes and the Tumour Immune Microenvironment in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Chen Xi , Hu Gang , Xiong Li , Xu Qingqing
Published: September 2022

Background: Cuproptosis is a recently identified form of regulated cell death that plays a critical role in the onset and progression of various cancers. However, the effects of cuproptosis-related genes (CRGs) on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are poorly understood. This study aimed to identify the cuproptosis subtypes and established a novel prognostic signature of HCC.

Methods: We collected gene expression data and clinical outcomes from the TCGA, ICGC, and GEO datasets, analysed and identified 16 CRGs and the different subtypes of cuproptosis related to overall survival (OS), and further examined the differences in prognosis and immune infiltration among the subtypes. Subtypes-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were employed to build a prognostic signature. The relationship of the signature with the immune landscape as well as the sensitivity to different therapies was explored. Moreover, a nomogram was constructed to predict the outcome based on different clinicopathological characteristics.

Results: Three cuproptosis subtypes were identified on the basis of 16 CRGs, and subtype B had an advanced clinical stage and worse OS. The immune response and function in subtype B were significantly suppressed, which may be an important reason for its poor prognosis. Based on the DEGs among the three subtypes, a prognostic model of five CRGs was constructed in the training set, and its predictive ability was validated in two external validation sets. HCC patients were classified into high and low-risk subgroups according to the risk score, and found that patients in the low-risk group showed significantly higher survival possibilities than those in the high-risk group (p < 0.001). The independent predictive performance of the risk score was assessed and verified by multivariate Cox regression analysis (p < 0.001). We further created an accurate nomogram to improve the clinical applicability of the risk score, showing good predictive ability and calibration. Low- and high-risk patients exhibit distinct immune cell infiltration and immune checkpoint changes. By further analyzing the risk score, patients in the high-risk group were found to be resistant to immunotherapy and a variety of chemotherapy drugs.

Conclusion: Our study identified three cuproptosis subtypes and established a novel prognostic model that provides new insights into HCC subtype prognostic assessment and guides more effective treatment regimens.
Revealing a Phenotypical Appearance of Ibrutinib Resistance in Patients With Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia by Flow Cytometry
Authors: Takács Ferenc , Kotmayer Lili , Czeti Ágnes , Szalóki Gábor , László Tamás , Mikala Gábor , Márk Ágnes , Masszi András , Farkas Péter , Plander Márk , Weisinger Júlia , Demeter Judit , Fekete Sándor , Szerafin László , Deák Beáta Margit , Szaleczky Erika , Sulák Adrienn , Borbényi Zita , Barna Gábor
Published: September 2022

Background: Ibrutinib is widely known as an effective and well-tolerated therapeutical choice of the chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). However, acquired resistance may occur during the treatment, causing relapse. Early detection of ibrutinib resistance is an important issue, therefore we aimed to find phenotypic markers on CLL cells the expression of which may correlate with the appearance of ibrutinib resistance.

Methods: We examined 28 patients’ peripheral blood (PB) samples (treatment naïve, ibrutinib sensitive, clinically ibrutinib resistant). The surface markers’ expression (CD27, CD69, CD86, CD184, CD185) were measured by flow cytometry. Furthermore, the BTKC481S resistance mutation was assessed by digital droplet PCR. Moreover, the CLL cells’ phenotype of a patient with acquired ibrutinib resistance was observed during the ibrutinib treatment.

Results: The expression of CD27 (p = 0.030) and CD86 (p = 0.031) became higher in the clinically resistant cohort than in the ibrutinib sensitive cohort. Besides, we found that high CD86 and CD27 expressions were accompanied by BTKC481S mutation. Our prospective study showed that the increase of the expression of CD27, CD69 and CD86 was noticed ahead of the clinical resistance with 3 months.

Conclusion: Our study suggests that the changes of the expression of these markers could indicate ibrutinib resistance and the examination of these phenotypic changes may become a part of the patients’ follow-up in the future.
Rapid, Clean, and Sustainable Bioprocessing of Toxic Weeds into Benign Organic Fertilizer
Authors: Banupriya Dhandapani , Tabassum-Abbasi  , Abbasi Tasneem , Abbasi Shahid Abbas
Published: September 2022

A recent report in this journal from these authors, which shows that vermicomposting transforms a toxic weed such as lantana into a benign organic fertilizer, can be of practical utility only if processes can be developed for rapid, inexpensive, and sustainable vermicomposting of these weeds. This paper describes attempts leading to such a process for the vermicomposting of toxic and allelopathic weeds lantana (Lantana camara), parthenium (Parthenium hysterophorus), and ipomoea (Ipomoea carnea). For it, the ‘high-rate vermicomposting’ concept was employed due to which the weeds could be used for vermicomposting directly in each case without the need for pre-composting or any other form of pretreatment. The manure worm Eisenia fetida, which had been cultured on cowdung as feed and habitat, was slow to adapt to the weed-feed but survived and then began to thrive, in all the three weeds, enabling the weeds’ sustained and efficient vermicomposting throughout the 16 month’s uninterrupted operation of the vermireactors. In all cases the extent of vermicast production per unit time showed a rising trend, indicating that the rate of vermicomposting was set to rise further with time. The vermicomposting was found to accompany a 50 ± 10% loss of organic carbon of each weed with a 50 ± 10% increase in the concentration of total nitrogen as also the weed’s additional mineralization. The combined effect was a significant lowering of the carbon-nitrogen ratio, and enrichment of all major, medium, and trace nutrients in the vermicomposts relative to their parent substrates. The findings establish that sustained, direct, and rapid transformation to organic fertilizers of even toxic and allelopathic weeds can be accomplished with the high-rate vermicomposting paradigm.
Powdery Mildew Resistance Genes in Barley Varieties Bred for Human Consumption
Authors: Dreiseitl Antonín
Published: September 2022

Barley has properties that can improve and maintain human health, but to upgrade the positive characteristics of grain, specific breeding programs are required. Consumption of chemically protected food is unpopular and, therefore, genetic sources of disease resistance to the most frequent diseases are essential. The aim of this contribution is to postulate genes for powdery mildew resistance in spring barley varieties bred for human consumption. One hundred and twenty-seven breeding strains selected from thirty-three crosses, commercial varieties AF Lucius and AF Cesar developed in the program, and eight other check varieties were tested with a set of numerous pathogen isolates. Fifteen known resistance genes were found including a nonspecific resistance Mlo detected in breeding lines selected from 21 crosses. For spring barley, the utilization of Mlo is generally recommended, but its importance in varieties earmarked for human consumption should be highlighted because alternative sources of genetically more complicated resistance, derived from distant relatives or based on the accumulation of minor genes, could be economically ineffective. The presented findings enable varieties for human consumption with fully effective and durable resistance to powdery mildew to be selected.
Eradication of Staphylococcus aureus Biofilm Infection by Persister Drug Combination
Authors: Yee Rebecca , Yuan Yuting , Tarff Andreina , Brayton Cory , Gour Naina , Feng Jie , Zhang Ying
Published: September 2022

Staphylococcus aureus can cause a variety of infections, including persistent biofilm infections, which are difficult to eradicate with current antibiotic treatments. Here, we demonstrate that combining drugs that have robust anti-persister activity, such as clinafloxacin or oritavancin, in combination with drugs that have high activity against growing bacteria, such as vancomycin or meropenem, could completely eradicate S. aureus biofilm bacteria in vitro. In contrast, single or two drugs, including the current treatment doxycycline plus rifampin for persistent S. aureus infection, failed to kill all biofilm bacteria in vitro. In a chronic persistent skin infection mouse model, we showed that the drug combination clinafloxacin + meropenem + daptomycin which killed all biofilm bacteria in vitro completely eradicated S. aureus biofilm infection in mice while the current treatments failed to do so. The complete eradication of biofilm bacteria is attributed to the unique high anti-persister activity of clinafloxacin, which could not be replaced by other fluoroquinolones including moxifloxacin, levofloxacin, or ciprofloxacin. We also compared our persister drug combination with the current approaches for treating persistent infections, including gentamicin + fructose and ADEP4 + rifampin in the S. aureus biofilm infection mouse model, and found neither treatment could eradicate the biofilm infection. Our study demonstrates an important treatment principle, the Yin–Yang model, for persistent infections by targeting both growing and non-growing heterogeneous bacterial populations, utilizing persister drugs for the more effective eradication of persistent and biofilm infections. Our findings have implications for the improved treatment of other persistent and biofilm infections in general.