bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of Verapamil and Two Bisbenzylisoquinolines, Curine and Guattegaumerine Extracted from Isolona hexaloba, on the Inhibition of ABC Transporters from Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Hulen Christian , Racine Pierre-Jean , Feuilloley Marc , Elomri Abdelhakim , Lomri Nour-Eddine
Published: May 2022

The biological effects of alkaloids, curine, guattegaumerine, and verapamil, on Pseudomonas aeruginosa were investigated. These molecules did not inhibit P. aeruginosa growth but increased the sensitivity of this bacterium to carbenicillin, novobiocin, and erythromycin. The results of another study indicate that curine and guattegaumerine were competitors of verapamil and acted as inhibitors of eukaryotic ABCB1 efflux pump. A BLAST-P carried out between a bacterial MDR transporter LmrA from Lactococcus lactis, a human MDR1/P-glycoprotein (ABCB1), and ABC proteins of P.aeruginosa highlighted five potential candidates that have this bacterium. A study on the sensitivity to carbenicillin in the presence of verapamil allowed us to identify the product of gene PA1113 as the ABC transporter involved in the influx of carbenicillin. Similarly, novobiocin transport performed in the presence of verapamil and a docking analysis highlighted protein MsbA (Lipid A flippase, gene PA4997) as a potential candidate in novobiocin efflux. MsbA has previously been identified as a multidrug transporter in E. coli, and as P. aeruginosa MsbA presented 76% identity with E. coli MsbA, it is possible that novobiocin efflux involves this ABC transporter, accounting for about 30% of the bacterium resistance to this antibiotic.
Thyroid Disorders in Patients Treated with Dimethyl Fumarate for Multiple Sclerosis: A Retrospective Observational Study
Authors: Renaud Cédric O. , Ziros Panos G. , Mathias Amandine , Pot Caroline , Sykiotis Gerasimos P.
Published: May 2022

Background: Dimethyl fumarate (DMF), a drug used for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) and psoriasis, has been shown to activate the Keap1/Nrf2 antioxidant response. Nrf2 exerts pleiotropic roles in the thyroid gland; among others, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the gene encoding Nrf2 modulate the risk of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT), suggesting that pharmacological activation of Nrf2 might also be protective. However, a patient with acute exacerbation of HT after starting DMF for MS was recently reported, raising questions about the thyroidal safety of Nrf2 activators. Methods: In a retrospective observational study, we investigated the prevalence and incidence of thyroid disorders (TD) among 163 patients with MS treated with DMF. Results: Only 7/163 patients (4.3%) were diagnosed with functional TD; most (5/163, 3.0%) were diagnosed before DMF treatment. Functional TD were diagnosed under or after DMF in only 2 patients (1.2%). Under DMF, one patient developed transient mild hypothyroidism with negative thyroid autoantibodies. After DMF discontinuation, another patient developed hyperthyroidism due to Graves’ disease. No patient developed thyroid structural disease under or after DMF. Conclusions: The very low incidence of functional TD indicates an overall very good thyroid tolerance of DMF, arguing against screening for TD in MS patients considered for or treated with DMF, and supporting the further study of Nrf2 activators for the prevention and treatment of TD.
β-Glucans from Yeast—Immunomodulators from Novel Waste Resources
Authors: Thomas Scintilla , Rezoagli Emanuele , Abidin Ismin Zainol , Major Ian , Murray Patrick , Murphy Emma J.
Published: May 2022

β-glucans are a large class of complex polysaccharides with bioactive properties, including immune modulation. Natural sources of these compounds include yeast, oats, barley, mushrooms, and algae. Yeast is abundant in various processes, including fermentation, and they are often discarded as waste products. The production of biomolecules from waste resources is a growing trend worldwide with novel waste resources being constantly identified. Yeast-derived β-glucans may assist the host’s defence against infections by influencing neutrophil and macrophage inflammatory and antibacterial activities. β-glucans were long regarded as an essential anti-cancer therapy and were licensed in Japan as immune-adjuvant therapy for cancer in 1980 and new mechanisms of action of these molecules are constantly emerging. This paper outlines yeast β-glucans’ immune-modulatory and anti-cancer effects, production and extraction, and their availability in waste streams.
Negation and Speculation in NLP: A Survey, Corpora, Methods, and Applications
Authors: Mahany Ahmed , Khaled Heba , Elmitwally Nouh Sabri , Aljohani Naif , Ghoniemy Said
Published: May 2022

Negation and speculation are universal linguistic phenomena that affect the performance of Natural Language Processing (NLP) applications, such as those for opinion mining and information retrieval, especially in biomedical data. In this article, we review the corpora annotated with negation and speculation in various natural languages and domains. Furthermore, we discuss the ongoing research into recent rule-based, supervised, and transfer learning techniques for the detection of negating and speculative content. Many English corpora for various domains are now annotated with negation and speculation; moreover, the availability of annotated corpora in other languages has started to increase. However, this growth is insufficient to address these important phenomena in languages with limited resources. The use of cross-lingual models and translation of the well-known languages are acceptable alternatives. We also highlight the lack of consistent annotation guidelines and the shortcomings of the existing techniques, and suggest alternatives that may speed up progress in this research direction. Adding more syntactic features may alleviate the limitations of the existing techniques, such as cue ambiguity and detecting the discontinuous scopes. In some NLP applications, inclusion of a system that is negation- and speculation-aware improves performance, yet this aspect is still not addressed or considered an essential step.
A Second Harmonic Wave Angle Sensor with a Collimated Beam of Femtosecond Laser
Authors: Astuti Wijayanti Dwi , Li Kuangyi , Sato Ryo , Matsukuma Hiraku , Shimizu Yuki , Gao Wei
Published: May 2022

An optical angle sensor based on the collimated mode-locked femtosecond laser (Fs) beam, in which the angle measurement is carried out by observing the second harmonic wave generated by irradiating the Fs beam towards MgO:LiNbO3 crystal, is proposed. The angle detection is demonstrated by identifying the second harmonic generation (SHG) spectrum peaks against the angular position of the rotating stage-mounted MgO:LiNbO3 crystal that represents the measurement object. The MgO:LiNbO3 with a length of 2 mm, a cut-off angle of 47°, a diameter of 5 mm, and 5% of MgO:LN, is rotated within the phase-matching angle over a wavelength range from 1480 nm to 1640 nm. Angle measurement is also carried out by placing the crystal at different positions along the laser beam propagation direction to confirm the feasibility of the angle sensor where the measurement range, measurement sensitivity, and resolution of the proposed method are also evaluated. The result shows that the proposed angle sensor can overcome the working distance limitation of conventional angle sensors and has no specific material target requirement. Since the configuration of the proposed angle sensor is not limited by the specification of the measurement target, it is expected to have wide potential applications, especially in the manufacturing process and inspection process.
Investigation of Performance and Configuration of a Selected IoT System—Middleware Deployment Benchmarking and Recommendations
Authors: Kałaska Robert , Czarnul Paweł
Published: May 2022

Nowadays Internet of Things is gaining more and more focus all over the world. As a concept it gives many opportunities for applications for society and it is expected that the number of software services deployed in this area will still grow fast. Especially important in this context are properties connected with deployment such as portability, scalability and balance between software requirements and hardware capabilities. In this article, we present results of practical tests with multiple clients representing sensors sending notifications to an IoT middleware—DeviceHive. Firstly, we investigate performance using two deployment configurations—containerized and bare-metal showing small overhead of the former under different loads by various numbers of IoT clients. We present scaling of the middleware on the server side using various numbers of cores as well as HyperThreading for all aforementioned configurations. Furthermore, we also investigated how containarization affects performance when the system is scaled with various numbers of nodes each using a predefined number of cores, considering memory usage of various configurations. The latter could be found useful when assigning cores to Docker nodes in cloud environments.
Towards an Ontology-Based Phenotypic Query Model
Authors: Beger Christoph , Matthies Franz , Schäfermeier Ralph , Kirsten Toralf , Herre Heinrich , Uciteli Alexandr
Published: May 2022

Clinical research based on data from patient or study data management systems plays an important role in transferring basic findings into the daily practices of physicians. To support study recruitment, diagnostic processes, and risk factor evaluation, search queries for such management systems can be used. Typically, the query syntax as well as the underlying data structure vary greatly between different data management systems. This makes it difficult for domain experts (e.g., clinicians) to build and execute search queries. In this work, the Core Ontology of Phenotypes is used as a general model for phenotypic knowledge. This knowledge is required to create search queries that determine and classify individuals (e.g., patients or study participants) whose morphology, function, behaviour, or biochemical and physiological properties meet specific phenotype classes. A specific model describing a set of particular phenotype classes is called a Phenotype Specification Ontology. Such an ontology can be automatically converted to search queries on data management systems. The methods described have already been used successfully in several projects. Using ontologies to model phenotypic knowledge on patient or study data management systems is a viable approach. It allows clinicians to model from a domain perspective without knowing the actual data structure or query language.
Numerical Simulation of the Enrichment of Chemotactic Bacteria in Oil-Water Two-Phase Transfer Fields of Heterogeneous Porous Media
Authors: Wang Xiaopu , Hou Lianjie , He Tianhao , Diao Zhenhan , Yao Chuanjin , Long Tao , Fan Ling
Published: May 2022

Oil pollution in soil-groundwater systems is difficult to remove, and a large amount of residual oil is trapped in the low permeable layer of the heterogeneous aquifer. Aromatic hydrocarbons in oil have high toxicity and low solubility in water, which are harmful to the ecological environment. Chemotactic degrading bacteria can perceive the concentration gradient of non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) pollutants in the groundwater environment, and enrich and proliferate around the pollutants, thus achieving a more efficient and thorough remediation effect. However, the existing theoretical models are relatively simple. The physical fields of oil–water two-phase flow and oil-phase solute convection and diffusion in water are not coupled, which further restricts the accuracy of studies on bacterial chemotaxis to NAPL. In this study, geometric models based on the actual microfluidic experimental study were constructed. Based on the phase field model, diffusion convection equation and chemotaxis velocity equation, the effects of heterogeneity of porous media, wall wettability and groundwater flow rate on the residual oil and the concentration distribution of chemotaxis bacteria were studied. Under all of the simulation conditions, the residual oil in the high permeable area was significantly lower than that in the low permeable area, and the wall hydrophilicity enhanced the water flooding effect. Chemotactic bacteria could react to the concentration gradient of pollutants dissolved into water in the oil phase, and enrich near the oil–water interface with high concentration of NAPL, and the density of chemotactic bacteria at the oil–water interface can be up to 1.8–2 times higher than that in the water phase at flow rates from 1.13 to 6.78 m/d.
Sigmoid Activation Implementation for Neural Networks Hardware Accelerators Based on Reconfigurable Computing Environments for Low-Power Intelligent Systems
Authors: Shatravin Vladislav , Shashev Dmitriy , Shidlovskiy Stanislav
Published: May 2022

The remarkable results of applying machine learning algorithms to complex tasks are well known. They open wide opportunities in natural language processing, image recognition, and predictive analysis. However, their use in low-power intelligent systems is restricted because of high computational complexity and memory requirements. This group includes a wide variety of devices, from smartphones and Internet of Things (IoT)smart sensors to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), self-driving cars, and nodes of Edge Computing systems. All of these devices have severe limitations to their weight and power consumption. To apply neural networks in these systems efficiently, specialized hardware accelerators are used. However, hardware implementation of some neural network operations is a challenging task. Sigmoid activation is popular in the classification problem and is a notable example of such a complex operation because it uses division and exponentiation. The paper proposes efficient implementations of this activation for dynamically reconfigurable accelerators. Reconfigurable computing environments (RCE) allow achieving reconfigurability of accelerators. The paper shows the advantages of applying such accelerators in low-power systems, proposes the centralized and distributed hardware implementations of the sigmoid, presents comparisons with the results of other studies, and describes application of the proposed approaches to other activation functions. Timing simulations of the developed Verilog modules show low delay (14–18.5 ns) with acceptable accuracy (average absolute error is 4 × 10−3).
Recent Progress in Epicardial and Pericardial Adipose Tissue Segmentation and Quantification Based on Deep Learning: A Systematic Review
Authors: Benčević Marin , Galić Irena , Habijan Marija , Pižurica Aleksandra
Published: May 2022

Epicardial and pericardial adipose tissues (EAT and PAT), which are located around the heart, have been linked to coronary atherosclerosis, cardiomyopathy, coronary artery disease, and other cardiovascular diseases. Additionally, the volume and thickness of EAT are good predictors of CVD risk levels. Manual quantification of these tissues is a tedious and error-prone process. This paper presents a comprehensive and critical overview of research on the epicardial and pericardial adipose tissue segmentation and quantification methods, evaluates their effectiveness in terms of segmentation time and accuracy, provides a critical comparison of the methods, and presents ongoing and future challenges in the field. Described methods are classified into pericardial adipose tissue segmentation, direct epicardial adipose tissue segmentation, and epicardial adipose tissue segmentation via pericardium delineation. A comprehensive categorization of the underlying methods is conducted with insights into their evolution from traditional image processing methods to recent deep learning-based methods. The paper also provides an overview of the research on the clinical significance of epicardial and pericardial adipose tissues as well as the terminology and definitions used in the medical literature.
Analysis of Turbulence Parameters of Typhoon Morakot along the Southeast Coast of China
Authors: Wang Yanru , Li Yongguang , Zhang Chuanxiong , Wang Xu , Fan Guangyu , Qi Qianqian , Fu Bin
Published: May 2022

The southeast coastal region of China is frequently affected by typhoons. The observation station was chosen to be located on the roof of Wenzhou University’s architectural engineering building to collect real-time wind speed data during the landfalling of Typhoon Morakot to investigate the properties of the near-ground wind field of typhoons. The turbulence characteristics of the near-ground wind and its variation with time intervals are analyzed on the basis of real-time measured data. The results show that the turbulence intensity only changes with the mean wind speed under relatively low wind speeds. The gust factors exhibit a scattered distribution under low wind speeds and tend to cluster together when the wind speed exceeds 8 m/s. With increasing time intervals, the turbulence intensity and the gust factor gradually decrease. The relationship between turbulence intensity and gust factor is obtained by the measured data and then compared with the empirical formulas. The peak factor remains constant while the mean wind speed changes, but diminish as the time intervals rise. The turbulence integral scale of typhoons slightly increases with the increasing mean wind speed, and its value falls between 70 and 150.
Modeling GPR Wave Propagation in Complex Underground Structures Using Conformal ADI-FDTD Algorithm
Authors: Li Yinping , Wang Niannian , Lei Jianwei , Wang Fuming , Li Ce
Published: May 2022

Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is a shallow geophysical method for detecting and locating subsurface targets. The GPR image echo characteristics of complex underground structures can be obtained by carrying out GPR forward modeling research. The traditional finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method has low efficiency and accuracy. The alternating direction implicit FDTD (ADI-FDTD) algorithm surmounts the stability limitations of the traditional FDTD method, making it possible to select a larger time step for higher computational efficiency. For circular underground structures, a pseudowave produced by the ladder approximation method can be corrected using the surface conformal technique. This paper proposes a high-efficiency and high-accuracy GPR forward modeling method that combines the ADI-FDTD algorithm and surface conformal technology. The performance of the conformal ADI-FDTD algorithm is verified by a simple two-layer model. Based on the proposed algorithm, the GPR image features of three complex underground structure models are obtained. Finally, a field experiment is used to support the accuracy and usefulness of the conformal ADI-FDTD algorithm. The numerical simulation results and experimental results show that the conformal ADI-FDTD algorithm reduces the pseudodiffraction wave caused by the ladder approximation method and can significantly improve the computing efficiency for complex underground structure models.
A Study on Comparison of Temperature Distribution between Aluminum and GFRP Mold under Carbon Spar-Cap Manufacturing Process
Authors: Yoon Joong-Hoon , Lee Jang-Ho , Lee Sang-Il
Published: May 2022

In this study, temperature distribution as a function of the spar-cap thickness was numerically analyzed using a 20 kW wind carbon blade model. “Realizable k-ε”, which was adopted as a turbulence model for heat transfer analysis, was effective in convection and diffusion calculations. SC/TETRA, a commercial thermal fluid analysis software, was used to calculate the heat flow from the heat panel to the outside boundary of the simulation model. In order to derive the equation for the temperature between the mold surface and the top surface of the spar-cap, the temperature interval of the heat panel was 10 °C, and the range was from 60 °C to 110 °C. As a result, the temperature distribution of the top surface of the spar-cap was insufficient to cure the Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) because the heat did not reach from the mold heat panel to the top surface of the carbon spar-cap. To resolve the problem of heat loss, the equation was derived by dividing the temperature boundary conditions between the mold surface and the spar-cap top surface as a function of the thickness of the carbon laminates. The temperature unevenness in the spar-cap curing process was reduced using the improved boundary condition. In addition, the cases where GFRP and aluminum were applied to the upper mold of the heat panel were compared using the same analysis method. An improvement to reduce the temperature non-uniformity of the spar-cap top surface was studied to solve the non-curing issue of the carbon spar-cap under the manufacturing process.
A Hybrid Bald Eagle Search Algorithm for Time Difference of Arrival Localization
Authors: Liu Weili , Zhang Jing , Wei Wei , Qin Tao , Fan Yuanchen , Long Fei , Yang Jing
Published: May 2022

The technology of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is developing rapidly, and it has been applied in diverse fields, such as medicine, environmental control, climate prediction, monitoring, etc. Location is one of the critical fields in WSNs. Time difference of arrival (TDOA) has been widely used to locate targets because it has a simple model, and it is easy to implement. Aiming at the problems of large deviation and low accuracy of the nonlinear equation solution for TDOA, many metaheuristic algorithms have been proposed to address the problems. By analyzing the available literature, it can be seen that the swarm intelligence metaheuristic has achieved remarkable results in this domain. The aim of this paper is to achieve further improvements in solving the localization problem by TDOA. To achieve this goal, we proposed a hybrid bald eagle search (HBES) algorithm, which can improve the performance of the bald eagle search (BES) algorithm by using strategies such as chaotic mapping, Lévy flight, and opposition-based learning. To evaluate the performance of HBES, we compared HBES with particle swarm algorithm, butterfly optimization algorithm, COOT algorithm, Grey Wolf algorithm, and sine cosine algorithm based on 23 test functions. The comparison results show that the proposed algorithm has better search performance than other reputable metaheuristic algorithms. Additionally, the HBES algorithm was used to solve the TDOA location problem by simulating the deployment of different quantities of base stations in a noise situation. The results show that the proposed method can obtain more consistent and precise locations of unknown target nodes in the TDOA localization than that of others.
Feasibility of Obtaining Surface Layer Moisture Flux Using an IR Thermometer
Authors: Fiorino Steven , Todorowski Lance , Schmidt Jaclyn , Raut Yogendra , Keefer Kevin , Margraf Jacob
Published: May 2022

This paper evaluates the feasibility of a method using a single hand-held infrared (IR) thermometer and a mini tower of wet and dry paper towels to psychometrically obtain surface layer temperature and moisture gradients and fluxes. Sling Psychrometers have long been standard measuring devices for quantifying the thermodynamics of near-surface atmospheric gas–vapor mixtures, specifically moisture parameters. However, these devices are generally only used to measure temperature and humidity at one near-surface level. Multiple self-aspirating psychrometers can be used in a vertical configuration to measure temperature and moisture gradients and fluxes in the first 1–2 m of the surface layer. This study explores a way to make multiple vertical psychrometric measurements with a single non-contact IR temperature sensor rather than using two in situ thermometers at each level. The surface layer dry- and wet-bulb temperatures obtained using an IR Thermometer are compared to Kestrel 4000 Weather Meter and Bacharach Sling Psychrometer measurements under various atmospheric conditions and surface types to test the viability of the method. To evaluate the results obtained using this new approach, standard meteorological surface data are collected during each experiment, and moisture parameters are derived via psychrometric equations. The results indicate that, not only is the method possible and practical, but they suggest that the IR Thermometer method may provide more surface layer temperature and moisture gradient and flux sensitivity than other single instrument methods.
Deformation Characteristics of Bolted Rock Joints under Compression-Shear Load
Authors: Liu Bo , Lin Hang , Chen Yifan
Published: May 2022

Joints exist widely in tunnel engineering. Studying the deformation characteristics of the bolted joint is beneficial for preventing rock mass disasters. To reveal the deformation characteristics of bolted rock joints, the elastic solutions of the radial deformation characteristics of bolted rock joints under compression-shear load were derived, which were based on the Lame solution in elastic mechanics and the displacement coordination condition of the interface between the bolt and the joint (assuming that the displacement at the interface between the bolt and joint is equal). Then, the distance from any point of the compression-shear side of the joint to the center of the bolt was denoted as r. The minimum of the radial displacement of the joint at the compression-shear side urmin was calculated. Numerical simulation verified the correctness of the elastic solutions by calculating the influence range and distance. In addition, the variation law of the value of the radial displacement (ur) was analyzed and discussed by changing the elastic modulus of the rock block (Er), radius (R), and elastic modulus (Eb) of the bolt. The results indicate the following: (1) The radial displacement will decrease as r decreases; the influence range of the bolt on the joint is approximately an ellipse, whereas the long axis of the ellipse is equal to the influence distance of the bolt. (2) The influence distance of the bolt is roughly six times the bolt radius (6R). (3) The radial displacement shows an exponential relationship with the elastic modulus of the rock and a nonlinear negative correlation with the radius and elastic modulus of the bolt. The increase in the elastic modulus of the rock, the elastic modulus, and the radius of the bolt will make the radial displacement smaller.
A Comprehensive Survey on Affinity Analysis, Bibliomining, and Technology Mining: Past, Present, and Future Research
Authors: Rahman Md. Rashadur , Arefin Mohammad Shamsul , Rahman Sanjida , Ahmed Afsana , Islam Tahsina , Dhar Pranab Kumar , Kwon Oh-Jin
Published: May 2022

Recent advancements in high-speed communications and high-capacity computing systems have contributed to major growth in the data volume of databases. Data mining is a crucial part of information retrieval; it is often termed as database knowledge discovery. It consists of techniques for examining massive data sets, to find hidden (but possibly important) information. Three interesting fields in data mining are affinity analysis, bibliomining, and technology mining. Affinity analysis provides data mining techniques to determine the similarity among objects; bibliomining is a combination of data mining, bibliometrics, and data warehousing; technology mining is a research topic that is an obstacle to many scientists in the fields of time association, enterprise association, and computer programming. We present a systematic review of the notable research articles in the fields of affinity analysis, bibliomining, and technology mining published between 2000 and December 2021. We provide a systematic analysis of the selected literature by specifying the major contributions, used data sets, performance evaluations, and limitations. Our findings demonstrate that affinity analysis interoperability extends well beyond market basket analysis. We also demonstrate that, in the age of big data, the personalized needs of users are the driving forces behind the evolution of the digital library from a resource-sharing service to a user-centered service. Finally, this article provides insight into major advances and outstanding challenges in the fields of affinity analysis, bibliomining, and technology mining.
Characterization of a New Low Temperature Encapsulation Method with Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate under UV Irradiation for Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Ocaña Luis , Montes Carlos , González-Pérez Sara , González-Díaz Benjamín , Llarena Elena
Published: May 2022

In this work, the performance of a new ethylene-vinyl acetate-based low temperature encapsulation method, conceived to protect perovskite samples from UV irradiation in ambient conditions, has been analyzed. To this purpose, perovskite samples consisting of a set of MAPbI3 (CH3NH3PbI3) films and MAPbI3 with an ETL layer were deposited over glass substrates by spin-coating techniques and encapsulated using the new method. The samples were subjected to an UV lamp or to full solar irradiation in ambient conditions, with a relative humidity of 60–80%. Microscope imaging, spectroscopic ellipsometry and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) techniques were applied to analyze the samples. The obtained results indicate UV energy is responsible for the degradation of the perovskite layer. Thus, the cut-UV characteristics of the EVA encapsulate acts as an efficient barrier, allowing the laminated samples to remain stable above 350 h under full solar irradiation compared with non-encapsulated samples. In addition, the FTIR results reveal perovskite degradation caused by UV light. To extend the study to encompass whole PSCs, simulations were carried out using the software SCAPS-1D, where the non-encapsulated devices present a short-circuit current reduction after exposure to UV irradiation, while the encapsulated ones maintained their efficiency.
Apparent Randomness of the Normal-Force Dependence of the Coefficient of Friction between a Bare Finger and Artificial Skin under Active Tactile Exploration
Authors: Inoue Koki , Okamoto Shogo , Akiyama Yasuhiro , Yamada Yoji
Published: May 2022

When a finger actively slides over a surface, contact conditions including the contact area, sliding speed, and finger moisture naturally fluctuate. These random fluctuations lead to an apparent change of frictional properties and influence tactile pleasantness. Nonetheless, this probabilistic behavior has not been explicitly analyzed in previous studies on human fingertips. This study investigates the dependence of the coefficients of kinetic friction on the normal force produced by sliding a bare finger over different artificial skins with seven levels of hardness. The coefficient of friction was modeled as a power function of the normal force. An experimental study that involved sliding a finger over artificial skin surfaces was carried out under two conditions: the fingertip being wiped by a dry cloth or a cloth soaked in ethanol. Although the exponential term was assumed to be nearly constant for identical tribological conditions, we observed that the exponent varied randomly and could be negative, zero, or positive. This can be attributed to the variation of gross finger deformation that was not controlled during the observation. The probability density function of the exponent depended on the moisture content of the finger and object hardness. The variability of the exponent was higher for a soft material than it was for a harder material. In other words, for the softer materials, the exponent appears more random. Furthermore, the exponent tended to be positive and the coefficient of friction increased with the normal force when the finger was wiped with ethanol. These findings play an important role in understanding the frictional forces produced during skin–skin contact in terms of determining the root cause of random variations in the dependence of the coefficient of friction on the normal force.
Associations between Fat Mass and Fat Free Mass with Physical Fitness in Adolescent Girls: A 3-Year Longitudinal Study
Authors: Kasović Mario , Oreški Ana , Vespalec Tomáš , Gimunová Marta , Štefan Lovro
Published: May 2022

The main purpose of the study was to examine the longitudinal associations between fat mass and fat free mass with health-related physical fitness. Two-hundred and forty 15-year old adolescent girls were measured at the baseline and after a period of 3 years (17 years). Health-related physical fitness included the following tests: (1) explosive power of the lower extremities (standing broad jump); (2) muscle endurance of the trunk (sit-ups in 60 s); (3) flexibility (sit-and-reach test); (4) muscle endurance of the lower extremities (squats in 60 s); (5) aerobic endurance (the 800 m run test); and (6) speed endurance (the 400 m running test). Fat mass and fat free mass were assessed using the bioelectrical impedance method. Longitudinal associations were analyzed with linear mixed model estimates. After adjusting for body mass index, fat mass was negatively associated with standing broad jump (β = −1.13, p < 0.001), sit-ups in 60 s (β = −0.27, p < 0.001), and squats in 60 s (β = −0.27, p < 0001), while positive associations with the 800 m running test (β = 0.02, p < 0.001) and the 400 m running test (β = 0.02, p < 0.001) were observed. On the other hand, fat free mass was positively associated with standing broad jump (β = 1.14, p < 0.001), sit-ups in 60 s (β = 0.28, p < 0.001), and squats in 60 s (β = 0.28, p < 0001), while the 800 m running test (β = −0.02, p < 0.001) and the 400 m running test (β = −0.02, p < 0.001) exhibited negative associations. This study shows that fat mass and fat free mass components are longitudinally, but oppositely associated with health-related physical fitness in adolescent girls.
Tooth Cementum Thickness as a Method of Age Estimation in the Forensic Context
Authors: Gualdi-Russo Emanuela , Saguto Ilaria , Frisoni Paolo , Neri Margherita , Rinaldo Natascia
Published: May 2022

Estimating age at death is a key element in the process of human identification of skeletal remains. The interest in dental cementum stems from its increase in thickness throughout life and, at the same time, from the fact it should not be affected by remodeling processes. Since the age assessment is particularly difficult in adults when using traditional anthropological methods on the skeleton, we tested a dental method based on maximum cementum thickness and developed new regression equations. We microscopically analyzed the histological sections of dental roots from a sample of 108 permanent teeth with known age and sex. Age at the time of dental extraction was in the range of 18–84 years. Our findings show that there were no differences in thickness between sexes, dental arch, and mono- and pluriradicular teeth. Separate regression equations were developed for individuals in the whole age range and individuals under 45 years. The equations were then tested on a hold-out sample from the same Mediterranean population demonstrating higher reliability for the equation developed for those under 45. Conversely, due to the increased error in age estimation in individuals over 45, this method should be used with caution in the forensic context when skeletal remains presumably belong to elderly individuals.
Anti-Inflammatory Effects of GM1 Ganglioside on Endotoxin-Induced Uveitis in Rats
Authors: Weng Tzu-Heng , Ke Chang-Chih , Huang Yuahn-Sieh
Published: May 2022

Exogenous ganglioside GM1 has been reported to exert an immunomodulatory effect. We investigated the anti-inflammatory effect of GM1 ganglioside on endotoxin-induced uveitis (EIU) in rats and RAW 264.7 macrophages. Methods: EIU was induced in Lewis rats by administering a subcutaneous injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). GM1 was injected intraperitoneally for three consecutive days prior to the LPS injection. Twenty-four hours after the LPS injection, the integrity of the blood-aqueous barrier was evaluated by determining the protein concentration and number of infiltrating cells in the aqueous humor (AqH). Immunohistochemical and Western blot analyses of the iris-ciliary body (ICB) were performed to evaluate the effect of GM1 on the LPS-induced expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1). The effect of GM1 on proinflammatory mediators and signaling cascades was examined in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells using Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining to further clarify the underlying anti-inflammatory mechanism. Results: GM1 significantly reduced the protein concentration and number of infiltrating cells in the AqH of rats with EIU. GM1 also decreased the LPS-induced expression of the ICAM-1 and COX-2 proteins in the ICB. In RAW 264.7 cells, GM1 inhibited the proinflammatory mediators induced by LPS, including inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), COX-2, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), and this inhibitory effect was potentially mediated by suppressing reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). Conclusions: Based on this study, GM1 may be a potential anti-inflammatory agent for ocular inflammatory diseases.
A Nine-Strain Bacterial Consortium Improves Portal Hypertension and Insulin Signaling and Delays NAFLD Progression In Vivo
Authors: Pinheiro Iris , Barberá Aurora , Raurell Imma , Estrella Federico , de Leeuw Marcel , Bolca Selin , Gottardi Davide , Horscroft Nigel , Possemiers Sam , Salcedo María Teresa , Genescà Joan , Martell María , Augustin Salvador
Published: May 2022

The gut microbiome has a recognized role in Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and associated comorbidities such as Type-2 diabetes and obesity. Stool transplantation has been shown to improve disease by restoring endothelial function and insulin signaling. However, more patient-friendly treatments are required. The present study aimed to test the effect of a defined bacterial consortium of nine gut commensal strains in two in vivo rodent models of Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH): a rat model of NASH and portal hypertension (PHT), and the Stelic animal (mouse) model (STAM™). In both studies the consortium was administered orally q.d. after disease induction. In the NASH rats, the consortium was administered for 2 weeks and compared to stool transplant. In the STAM™ study administration was performed for 4 weeks, and the effects compared to vehicle or Telmisartan at the stage of NASH/early fibrosis. A second group of animals was followed for another 3 weeks to assess later-stage fibrosis. In the NASH rats, an improvement in PHT and endothelial function was observed. Gut microbial compositional changes also revealed that the consortium achieved a more defined and richer replacement of the gut microbiome than stool transplantation. Moreover, liver transcriptomics suggested a beneficial modulation of pro-fibrogenic pathways. An improvement in liver fibrosis was then confirmed in the STAM™ study. In this study, the bacterial consortium improved the NAFLD activity score, consistent with a decrease in steatosis and ballooning. Serum cytokeratin-18 levels were also reduced. Therefore, administration of a specific bacterial consortium of defined composition can ameliorate NASH, PHT, and fibrosis, and delay disease progression.
Histone Deacetylases as Epigenetic Targets for Treating Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Li Yan , Gu Zhicheng , Lin Shuxian , Chen Lei , Dzreyan Valentina , Eid Moez , Demyanenko Svetlana , He Bin
Published: May 2022

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic progressive neurodegenerative disease that is increasingly becoming a global threat to the health and life of the elderly worldwide. Although there are some drugs clinically available for treating PD, these treatments can only alleviate the symptoms of PD patients but cannot completely cure the disease. Therefore, exploring other potential mechanisms to develop more effective treatments that can modify the course of PD is still highly desirable. Over the last two decades, histone deacetylases, as an important group of epigenetic targets, have attracted much attention in drug discovery. This review focused on the current knowledge about histone deacetylases involved in PD pathophysiology and their inhibitors used in PD studies. Further perspectives related to small molecules that can inhibit or degrade histone deacetylases to treat PD were also discussed.
Pre-Treatment and Preoperative Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Predicts Prognostic Value of Glioblastoma: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Guo Xin , Jiao Hengxing , Zhang Tiantian , Zhang Yuelin
Published: May 2022

Objective: Although some meta-analyses have shown a correlation between a high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and low survival in patients with gliomas, their conclusions are controversial, and no study has specifically explored the relationship between a high pre-treatment and pre-operative NLR and low survival in patients with glioblastoma (GBM). Therefore, we further investigated this correlation through meta-analysis. Methods: We searched the PubMed, Metstr, and Cochrane databases in March 2022 for published literature related to high pre-treatment and pre-operative NLR and low survival in patients with GBM. The literature was rigorously searched according to inclusion and exclusion criteria to calculate the overall hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) corresponding to a high NLR using a random effects model. Results: The total HR for the pre-treatment and pre-operative NLR was 1.46 (95% CI: 1.17–1.75, p = 0.000, I2 = 76.5%), indicating a significant association between a high pre-treatment and pre-operative NLR, and low overall survival in patients with GBM. Sub-group analysis was performed because of the high heterogeneity. The results for the sub-group with a cut-off value of 4 showed an HR of 1.39 (95% CI: 1.12–1.65, p = 0.000, I2 = 22.2%), with significantly low heterogeneity, whereas those for the sub-group without a cut-off value of 4 showed an HR of 1.45 (95% CI: 1.01–1.89, p = 0.000, I2 = 83.3%). Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrate that a high pre-treatment and pre-operative NLR suggests low survival in patients with GBM based on data from a large sample. Furthermore, the meta-regression analysis results indicate that underlying data, such as age and extent of surgical resection, lead to a high degree of heterogeneity, providing a theoretical basis for further research.
Lower Prevalence of Chronic Pain in Manifest Huntington’s Disease: A Pilot Observational Study
Authors: Delussi Marianna , Sciruicchio Vittorio , Taurisano Paolo , Morgante Francesca , Salvatore Elena , Ferrara Isabella Pia , Clemente Livio , Sorbera Chiara , de Tommaso Marina
Published: May 2022

Pain is a minor problem compared with other Huntington Disease (HD) symptoms. Nevertheless, in HD it is poorly recognized and underestimated. So far, no study evaluated the presence of chronic pain in HD. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the presence and features of chronic pain in a cohort of HD gene carriers. An observational cross-sectional study was conducted in a cohort of HD gene carriers compared to not gene carriers (n.134 HD subjects, n.74 not gene mutation carriers). A specific pain interview, alongside a neurological, cognitive and behavioural examination, was performed in order to classify the type of pain, subjective intensity. A significant prevalence of “no Pain” in HD was found, which tended to increase with HD progression and a reduced frequency of pain in the last 3 months. A clear difference was found between manifest and premanifest HD in terms of intensity of pain, which did not change significantly with HD progression; however, a tendency emerges to a progressive reduction. No significant group difference was present in analgesic use, type and the site of pain. These findings could support a lower prevalence of chronic pain in manifest HD. Prevalence and intensity of chronic pain seem directly influenced by the process of neurodegeneration rather than by an incorrect cognitive and emotional functioning.
Machiavellianism and Gift-Giving in Live Video Streaming: The Mediating Role of Desire for Control and the Moderating Role of Materialism
Authors: Niu Gengfeng , Shi Xiaohan , Jin Siyu , Yang Wencheng , Wu Yang , Sun Xiaojun
Published: May 2022

This study aimed to examine the association between Machiavellianism and gift-giving in live video streaming, as well as the mediating role of desire for control and the moderating role of materialism in this relation. A sample of 212 undergraduate students (146 males; the average age was 19.80 ± 2.05 years old) with experience of gift-giving in live video streaming was recruited to complete questionnaires on Machiavellianism, desire for control, materialism, and the frequency of gift-giving in live video streaming. The results showed that Machiavellianism was positively associated with gift-giving in live video streaming through the mediating role of desire for control; and the mediating effect of desire for control was moderated by materialism, with this relation being stronger for individuals with a higher level of materialism. Though with several limitations (e.g., cross-sectional method), this study could deepen our understanding of the influencing mechanism of gift-giving in live video streaming, which could also provide practical implications for the sustainable development of the live video streaming industry.
Imaging Modalities for Early Detection of Pancreatic Cancer: Current State and Future Research Opportunities
Authors: Farr Katherina P. , Moses Daniel , Haghighi Koroush S. , Phillips Phoebe A. , Hillenbrand Claudia M. , Chua Boon H.
Published: May 2022

Pancreatic cancer, one of the most lethal malignancies, is increasing in incidence. While survival rates for many cancers have improved dramatically over the last 20 years, people with pancreatic cancer have persistently poor outcomes. Potential cure for pancreatic cancer involves surgical resection and adjuvant therapy. However, approximately 85% of patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer are not suitable for potentially curative therapy due to locally advanced or metastatic disease stage. Because of this stark survival contrast, any improvement in early detection would likely significantly improve survival of patients with pancreatic cancer through earlier intervention. This comprehensive scoping review describes the current evidence on groups at high risk for developing pancreatic cancer, including individuals with inherited predisposition, pancreatic cystic lesions, diabetes, and pancreatitis. We review the current roles of imaging modalities focusing on early detection of pancreatic cancer. Additionally, we propose the use of advanced imaging modalities to identify early, potentially curable pancreatic cancer in high-risk cohorts. We discuss innovative imaging techniques for early detection of pancreatic cancer, but its widespread application requires further investigation and potentially a combination with other non-invasive biomarkers.