bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Axillary Surgery for Breast Cancer in 2024
Authors: Heidinger Martin , Weber Walter P.
Published: April 2024

Axillary surgery for patients with breast cancer (BC) in 2024 is becoming increasingly specific, moving away from the previous ‘one size fits all’ radical approach. The goal is to spare morbidity whilst maintaining oncologic safety. In the upfront surgery setting, a first landmark randomized controlled trial (RCT) on the omission of any surgical axillary staging in patients with unremarkable clinical examination and axillary ultrasound showed non-inferiority to sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy (SLNB). The study population consisted of 87.8% postmenopausal patients with estrogen receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative BC. Patients with clinically node-negative breast cancer and up to two positive SLNs can safely be spared axillary dissection (ALND) even in the context of mastectomy or extranodal extension. In patients enrolled in the TAXIS trial, adjuvant systemic treatment was shown to be similar with or without ALND despite the loss of staging information. After neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT), targeted lymph node removal with or without SLNB showed a lower false-negative rate to determine nodal pathological complete response (pCR) compared to SLNB alone. However, oncologic outcomes do not appear to differ in patients with nodal pCR determined by either one of the two concepts, according to a recently published global, retrospective, real-world study. Real-world studies generally have a lower level of evidence than RCTs, but they are feasible quickly and with a large sample size. Another global real-world study provides evidence that even patients with residual isolated tumor cells can be safely spared from ALND. In general, few indications for ALND remain. Three randomized controlled trials are ongoing for patients with clinically node-positive BC in the upfront surgery setting and residual disease after NACT. Pending the results of these trials, ALND remains indicated in these patients.
State of the Art in CAR-T Cell Therapy for Solid Tumors: Is There a Sweeter Future?
Authors: Amorós-Pérez Beatriz , Rivas-Pardo Benigno , Gómez del Moral Manuel , Subiza José Luis , Martínez-Naves Eduardo
Published: April 2024

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy has proven to be a powerful treatment for hematological malignancies. The situation is very different in the case of solid tumors, for which no CAR-T-based therapy has yet been approved. There are many factors contributing to the absence of response in solid tumors to CAR-T cells, such as the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), T cell exhaustion, or the lack of suitable antigen targets, which should have a stable and specific expression on tumor cells. Strategies being developed to improve CAR-T-based therapy for solid tumors include the use of new-generation CARs such as TRUCKs or bi-specific CARs, the combination of CAR therapy with chemo- or radiotherapy, the use of checkpoint inhibitors, and the use of oncolytic viruses. Furthermore, despite the scarcity of targets, a growing number of phase I/II clinical trials are exploring new solid-tumor-associated antigens. Most of these antigens are of a protein nature; however, there is a clear potential in identifying carbohydrate-type antigens associated with tumors, or carbohydrate and proteoglycan antigens that emerge because of aberrant glycosylations occurring in the context of tumor transformation.
A Roadmap of CAR-T-Cell Therapy in Glioblastoma: Challenges and Future Perspectives
Authors: Montoya Megan , Gallus Marco , Phyu Su , Haegelin Jeffrey , de Groot John , Okada Hideho
Published: April 2024

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary malignant brain tumor, with a median overall survival of less than 2 years and a nearly 100% mortality rate under standard therapy that consists of surgery followed by combined radiochemotherapy. Therefore, new therapeutic strategies are urgently needed. The success of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells in hematological cancers has prompted preclinical and clinical investigations into CAR-T-cell treatment for GBM. However, recent trials have not demonstrated any major success. Here, we delineate existing challenges impeding the effectiveness of CAR-T-cell therapy for GBM, encompassing the cold (immunosuppressive) microenvironment, tumor heterogeneity, T-cell exhaustion, local and systemic immunosuppression, and the immune privilege inherent to the central nervous system (CNS) parenchyma. Additionally, we deliberate on the progress made in developing next-generation CAR-T cells and novel innovative approaches, such as low-intensity pulsed focused ultrasound, aimed at surmounting current roadblocks in GBM CAR-T-cell therapy.
L-carnitine and Ginkgo biloba Supplementation In Vivo Ameliorates HCD-Induced Steatohepatitis and Dyslipidemia by Regulating Hepatic Metabolism
Authors: Nofal Amany E. , AboShabaan Hind S. , Fadda Walaa A. , Ereba Rafik E. , Elsharkawy Sherin M. , Hathout Heba M.
Published: April 2024

Treatment strategies for steatohepatitis are of special interest given the high prevalence of obesity and fatty liver disease worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the potential therapeutic mechanism of L-carnitine (LC) and Ginkgo biloba leaf extract (GB) supplementation in ameliorating the adverse effects of hyperlipidemia and hepatosteatosis induced by a high-cholesterol diet (HCD) in an animal model. The study involved 50 rats divided into five groups, including a control group, a group receiving only an HCD, and three groups receiving an HCD along with either LC (300 mg LC/kg bw), GB (100 mg GB/kg bw), or both. After eight weeks, various parameters related to lipid and glucose metabolism, antioxidant capacity, histopathology, immune reactivity, and liver ultrastructure were measured. LC + GB supplementation reduced serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, alanine transaminase, and aspartate transaminase levels and increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels compared with those in the HCD group. Additionally, treatment with both supplements improved antioxidant ability and reduced lipid peroxidation. The histological examination confirmed that the combination therapy reduced liver steatosis and fibrosis while also improving the appearance of cell organelles in the ultrastructural hepatocytes. Finally, the immunohistochemical analysis indicated that cotreatment with LC + GB upregulated the immune expression of GLP-1 and β-Cat in liver sections that were similar to those of the control animals. Mono-treatment with LC or GB alone substantially but not completely protected the liver tissue, while the combined use of LC and GB may be more effective in treating liver damage caused by high cholesterol than either supplement alone by regulating hepatic oxidative stress and the protein expression of GLP-1 and β-Cat.
Identifying Preoperative Clinical Characteristics of Unexpected Gastrointestinal Perforation in Infants—A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Pijpers Adinda G. H. , Gorter Ramon R. , Eeftinck Schattenkerk Laurens D. , van Schuppen Joost , van den Akker Chris H. P. , Vanhamel Sylvie , van Heurn Ernest L. W. , Musters Gijsbert D. , Derikx Joep P. M.
Published: April 2024

Background: Infants presenting with unexpected pneumoperitoneum upon abdominal X-ray, indicating a gastrointestinal perforation (GIP), have a surgical emergency with potential morbidity and mortality. Preoperative determination of the location of perforation is challenging but will aid the surgeon in optimizing the surgical strategy, as colon perforations are more challenging than small bowel perforations. Therefore, the aim of this study is to provide an overview of preoperative patient characteristics, determine the differences between the small bowel and colon, and determine underlying causes in a cohort of infants with unexpected GIP. Methods: All infants (age ≤ 6 months) who presented at our center with unexpected pneumoperitoneum (no signs of pneumatosis before) undergoing surgery between 1996 and 2024 were retrospectively included. The differences between the location of perforation were analyzed using chi-squared and t-tests. Bonferroni correction was used to adjust for multiple tests. Results: In total, 51 infants presented with unexpected pneumoperitoneum at our center, predominantly male (N = 36/51) and premature (N = 40/51). Among them, twenty-six had small bowel, twenty-two colon, and three stomach perforations. Prematurity (p = 0.001), birthweight < 1000 g (p = 0.001), respiratory support (p = 0.001), and lower median arterial pH levels (p = 0.001) were more present in patients with small bowel perforation compared with colon perforations. Pneumatosis intestinalis was more present in patients with colon perforation (p = 0.004). All patients with Hirschsprung disease and cystic fibrosis had colon perforation. The final diagnoses were mainly focal intestinal perforations (N = 27/51) and necrotizing enterocolitis (N = 9/51). Conclusions: Infants with unexpected GIP, birthweight < 1000 g, and prematurity have more risk for small bowel perforation. In case of colon perforation, additional screening (for Hirschsprung and cystic fibrosis) should be considered.
In Vitro Evaluation of Optimized PEEK Surfaces for Enhanced Osseointegration
Authors: Nobles Kadie , Janorkar Amol V. , Roach Michael D. , Walker Lawrence , Williamson Randall Scott
Published: April 2024

The materials traditionally used for implant applications, such as titanium alloys, cobalt chromium, and zirconium, often require surface modifications to achieve the desired osseointegration. These materials still have the problematic stress-shielding effect. To limit stress shielding, PEEK is the superior alternative to fulfill implant needs. However, the traditional methods of modifying and functionalizing the surface of PEEK are often expensive, time consuming, and are not easily translated into commercialization. Sulfonation is a process, which is dependent on controllable factors. Thus far, no research has been performed to optimize the sulfonation process. Our data suggest that the process factors can be controlled and optimized. Cellular activity was examined on the optimized PEEK surfaces through testing with pre-osteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells through cell viability (MTT assay), cell proliferation (DNA assay), cell differentiation (ALP assay), and cell mineralization (Alizarin red assay). Overall, sulfonated and heat-treated PEEK exhibited a statistically significant increase in DNA content over the course of 21 days, indicating more cell proliferation and viability for that surface. In vitro testing results showed that the optimized sulfonated and heat-treated PEEK exhibited superior cell proliferation and mineralization performance over smooth PEEK and sulfonated-only PEEK.
Design and Study of Composite Film Preparation Platform
Authors: Li Chao , Li Wenxin , Wu Guangqin , Chen Guojin , Wu Junyi , Zhang Niushan , Gan Yusen , Zhang Dongqi , Chen Chang
Published: April 2024

This study aims to develop equipment for the preparation of composite films and successfully implement a film thickness prediction function. During the research process, we segmented the mechanical structure of the composite thin film preparation equipment into distinct modules, completed the structural design of the core module, and validated the stability of the process chamber, as well as the reasonableness of the strength and stiffness through simulation. Additionally, we devised a regression model for predicting the film thickness of composite films. The input features for the model included the sputtering air pressure, sputtering current, and sputtering time for magnetron sputtering process samples, as well as the evaporation volume and evaporation current for vacuum evaporation process samples. Simultaneously, the output features were the film thickness for both process samples. Subsequently, we established the designed composite film preparation equipment and conducted experimental verification. During the experiments, we successfully prepared Cr-Al composite films and utilized AFM for surface morphology analysis. The results confirmed the excellent performance of the Cr-Al composite films produced by the equipment, demonstrating the reliability of the equipment.
Layered Structure Based on PANi and SiO2 to Absorb HPM to Protect Systems and Devices
Authors: Sheta Essameldin M. , Sutinjo Adrian T.
Published: April 2024

A layered structure composed of polyaniline (PANI) and silicon dioxide (SiO2) is proposed in this article. It was developed to obtain ultra-wideband and high-power microwave absorption. Due to the high thermal stability of PANi and SiO2 above 400 °C, the proposed structure is able to absorb high amounts of power. The electromagnetic behavior of the structure is examined by full-wave simulation to investigate its ability to absorb microwave frequencies ranging from 1 to 20 GHz under both normal and oblique incidences of electromagnetic waves. Recent studies have produced results with a limited absorption range and a less consistent angular incidence than the structure presently being examined. Also, the layer-by-layer deposition of thin film facilitates the manufacturing procedure. Furthermore, owing to the high thermal stability of the proposed structure, the absorption of high-power microwaves is superior to that of alternative methodologies.
An Efficient Image Cryptosystem Utilizing Difference Matrix and Genetic Algorithm
Authors: Shen Honglian , Shan Xiuling
Published: April 2024

Aiming at addressing the security and efficiency challenges during image transmission, an efficient image cryptosystem utilizing difference matrix and genetic algorithm is proposed in this paper. A difference matrix is a typical combinatorial structure that exhibits properties of discretization and approximate uniformity. It can serve as a pseudo-random sequence, offering various scrambling techniques while occupying a small storage space. The genetic algorithm generates multiple ciphertext images with strong randomness through local crossover and mutation operations, then obtains high-quality ciphertext images through multiple iterations using the optimal preservation strategy. The whole encryption process is divided into three stages: first, the difference matrix is generated; second, it is utilized for initial encryption to ensure that the resulting ciphertext image has relatively good initial randomness; finally, multiple rounds of local genetic operations are used to optimize the output. The proposed cryptosystem is demonstrated to be effective and robust through simulation experiments and statistical analyses, highlighting its superiority over other existing algorithms.
Designing a Real-Time Implementable Optimal Adaptive Cruise Control for Improving Battery Health and Energy Consumption in EVs through V2V Communication
Authors: Fiorillo Carlo , Mauro Mattia , Biswas Atriya , Bonfitto Angelo , Emadi Ali
Published: April 2024

Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) face challenges like their limited all-electric range, the discrepancy between promised and actual energy efficiency, and battery health degradation, despite their environmental benefits. This article proposes an optimal adaptive cruise control (OACC) framework by leveraging ideal vehicle-to-vehicle communication to address these challenges. In a connected vehicle environment, where it is assumed that the Ego vehicle’s vehicle control unit (VCU) accurately knows the speed and position of the Leading vehicle, the VCU can optimally plan the acceleration trajectory for a short-term future time window through a model predictive control (MPC) framework tailored to BEVs. The primary objective of the OACC is to reduce the energy consumption and battery state-of-health degradation of a BEV. The Chevrolet Spark 2015 is chosen as the BEV platform used to validate the effectiveness of the proposed OACC. Simulations conducted under urban and highway driving conditions, as well as under communication delay and infused noise, resulted in up to a 3.7% reduction in energy consumption and a 9.7% reduction in battery state-of-health (SOH) degradation, demonstrating the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed OACC.
Insulation for Rotating Low-Voltage Electrical Machines: Degradation, Lifetime Modeling, and Accelerated Aging Tests
Authors: Zhou Xuanming , Giangrande Paolo , Ji Yatai , Zhao Weiduo , Ijaz Salman , Galea Michael
Published: April 2024

The low-voltage electric machine (EM) is a core technology for transportation electrification, and features like high power density and compact volume are essential prerequisites. However, these requirements are usually in conflict with the reliability property of EM, especially in the safety-critical industry such as aviation. Therefore, an appropriate balance between high-performance and reliability needs to be found. Often, the over-engineering method is applied to ensure safety, although it might have a detrimental effect on the EM volume. To address this issue, the EM reliability assessment is included at the EM design stage through the physics of failure (PoF) theory. In EMs, the windings play a key role in electromechanical energy conversion, but their insulation system is subject to frequent failure and represents a reliability bottleneck. Therefore, in-depth research on the root causes of insulation breakdown is beneficial for EM reliability improvement purposes. Indeed, increasing awareness and knowledge on the mechanism of the insulation degradation process and the related lifetime modeling enables the growth of appropriate tools for achieving reliability targets since the first EM design steps. In this work, the main aspects of the insulation system, in terms of materials and manufacturing, are first reviewed. Then, the principal stresses experienced by the winding insulation system are deeply discussed with the purpose of building a profound understanding of the PoF. Finally, an overview of the most common insulation lifetime prediction models is presented, and their use for accomplishing the reliability-oriented design (RoD) and the remaining useful life (RUL) estimation are examined.
A Survey on the Use of Synthetic Data for Enhancing Key Aspects of Trustworthy AI in the Energy Domain: Challenges and Opportunities
Authors: Meiser Michael , Zinnikus Ingo
Published: April 2024

To achieve the energy transition, energy and energy efficiency are becoming more and more important in society. New methods, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) models, are needed to coordinate supply and demand and address the challenges of the energy transition. AI and ML are already being applied to a growing number of energy infrastructure applications, ranging from energy generation to energy forecasting and human activity recognition services. Given the rapid development of AI and ML, the importance of Trustworthy AI is growing as it takes on increasingly responsible tasks. Particularly in the energy domain, Trustworthy AI plays a decisive role in designing and implementing efficient and reliable solutions. Trustworthy AI can be considered from two perspectives, the Model-Centric AI (MCAI) and the Data-Centric AI (DCAI) approach. We focus on the DCAI approach, which relies on large amounts of data of sufficient quality. These data are becoming more and more synthetically generated. To address this trend, we introduce the concept of Synthetic Data-Centric AI (SDCAI). In this survey, we examine Trustworthy AI within a Synthetic Data-Centric AI context, focusing specifically on the role of simulation and synthetic data in enhancing the level of Trustworthy AI in the energy domain.
Thermal Studies of Lithium-Ion Cells: Ensuring Safe and Efficient Energy Storage
Authors: Kurc Beata , Gross Xymena , Rudnicka Ewelina , Rymaniak Łukasz
Published: April 2024

This work investigated the impact of temperature on the diffusion of lithium ions within cells. To achieve this, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analysis was conducted at various temperatures across three distinct cells. These cells utilized an electrode composed of corn starch meringue and were paired with three different electrolytes. Notably, one electrolyte included an additional 5% of starch. The objective of this study extends beyond merely determining resistance from graphical representations; it also entails performing a kinetic analysis of specific systems, with a particular emphasis on elucidating the significance of the lithium-ion diffusion coefficient as a critical parameter. The cell with 1 M LiPF6 in the EC/DMC/DEC electrolyte and corn starch-based electrode exhibited the most horizontally oriented Warburg curve, representing the smallest angle.
Potential Regenerative Impact of Implementation of Cultural Vernacular Elements (Rowshan) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Authors: Mezaien Ahmed Abdullah , Baltazar Juan-Carlos
Published: April 2024

The present study aims to explore rowshans as essential vernacular architectural elements in designing houses in very hot-dry climates such as Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to determine their most significant effects on air movement, ventilation, and mitigating cooling loads. A comprehensive combination of building performance simulation and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis was used to model a room with six different sizes of rectangular openings and quantify rowshans’ potential as passive elements in providing occupants with comfort and reducing energy use. Analysis of the passive element revealed the thermal performance and natural ventilation in single-family homes for the Jeddah climate, created by outdoor and indoor temperature, airspeed, and pressure differences in the room model, were improved, lowering sensation temperature for inhabitants’ comfort. The results highlight the beneficial effects of rowshans in lowering a house’s temperature during the daytime: from November to April, at noon, indoor air temperature (IAT) could reach a 15% to 22% reduction in the north orientation. The findings also show that rowshans with 5 × 5 cm opening grids can keep the air volume flow rate within an acceptable range and keep the room in the comfort zone range for 42.3% of hours annually, equal to 3704 h. An implication of these results is the possibility of establishing housing design criteria that can enhance efficiency and thermal comfort conditions, lower the cost of operations, provide occupants with satisfaction, and reduce emissions to regenerate the environment, leading to affordability and sustainability in the Jeddah region.
Automatic Generation Control of a Multi-Area Hybrid Renewable Energy System Using a Proposed Novel GA-Fuzzy Logic Self-Tuning PID Controller
Authors: Ali Gama , Aly Hamed , Little Timothy
Published: April 2024

Human activities overwhelm our environment with CO2 and other global warming issues. The current electricity landscape necessitates a superior, continuous power supply and addressing such environmental concerns. These issues can be resolved by incorporating renewable energy sources (RESs) into the utility grid. Thus, this paper presents an optimized hybrid fuzzy logic self-tuning PID controller to control the automatic generation control (AGC) of various renewable sources. This controller regulates the frequency deviations of the power system and governs the change in the tie-line load of a multi-area hybrid energy system composed of wind, biomass, and photovoltaic energy sources. MATLAB Simulink software was applied to design and test the system. The PID controller has been tuned using four algorithms, namely, genetic algorithm (GA), pattern search (PS), simulated annealing (SA), and particle swarm optimization (PSO), and we compared the results with the proposed novel optimized PID controller (GA-fuzzy logic self-tuning technique) to validate it. The results show the superiority of the proposed hybrid GA-fuzzy logic self-tuning algorithm over the other algorithms in bringing the power system back to its regular operation. The paper also proposes an operation strategy to lower the utilization of biomass energy in the presence of other renewable energy sources.
Harnessing Geothermal Energy Potential from High-Level Nuclear Waste Repositories
Authors: Sarsenbayev Dauren , Zheng Liange , Ermakova Dinara , Sharipov Rashid , Wainwright Haruko M.
Published: April 2024

The disposal of high-level nuclear waste (HLW) has been one of the most challenging issues for nuclear energy utilization. In this study, we have explored the potential of extracting decay heat from HLW, taking advantage of recent advances in the technologies to utilize low-temperature geothermal resources for the co-generation of electricity and heat. Given that geothermal energy entails extracting heat from natural radioactivity within the Earth, we may consider that our approach is to augment it with an anthropogenic geothermal source. Our study—for the first time—introduces a conceptual model of a binary-cycle geothermal system powered by the heat produced by HLW. TOUGHREACT V3.32 software was used to model the heat transfer resulting from radioactive decay to the surrounding geological media. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of employing the organic Rankine cycle (ORC) to generate approximately 108 kWe per HLW canister 30 years after emplacement and a heat pump system to produce 81 kWth of high-potential heat per canister for HVAC purposes within the same timeframe. The proposed facility has the potential to produce carbon-free power while ensuring the safe disposal of radioactive waste and removing the bottleneck in the sustainable use of nuclear energy.
Study on Traveling Wave Fault Localization of Transmission Line Based on NGO-VMD Algorithm
Authors: Yu Ke , Zhu Xueling , Cao Wensi
Published: April 2024

To address the challenge of inaccurate fault location of variational mode decomposition (VMD) in practical engineering, due to poor choice of mode decomposition number K and quadratic penalty factor α, a traveling wave fault location method using Northern Goshawk optimization algorithm (NGO) to optimize VMD was proposed. First, the NGO algorithm is used to optimize VMD, and the optimal K and α are obtained. Secondly, the optimal parameters are inputted into VMD for fault signal decomposition, and the eigenmode components are obtained. Due to the difficulty of identification of the traveling wave head in the process of traveling wave propagation, Hilbert transform is used to determine the time of initial arrival of the traveling wave head at both ends of the line, and the fault location is precisely calculated by using the two-ended traveling wave fault detection formula. Finally, simulation experiments are carried out to verify the accuracy of the proposed location method, which shows that the proposed location method can locate the fault more accurately and has good engineering application value.
Pine-YOLO: A Method for Detecting Pine Wilt Disease in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Remote Sensing Images
Authors: Yao Junsheng , Song Bin , Chen Xuanyu , Zhang Mengqi , Dong Xiaotong , Liu Huiwen , Liu Fangchao , Zhang Li , Lu Yingbo , Xu Chang , Kang Ran
Published: April 2024

Pine wilt disease is a highly contagious forest quarantine ailment that spreads rapidly. In this study, we designed a new Pine-YOLO model for pine wilt disease detection by incorporating Dynamic Snake Convolution (DSConv), the Multidimensional Collaborative Attention Mechanism (MCA), and Wise-IoU v3 (WIoUv3) into a YOLOv8 network. Firstly, we collected UAV images from Beihai Forest and Linhai Park in Weihai City to construct a dataset via a sliding window method. Then, we used this dataset to train and test Pine-YOLO. We found that DSConv adaptively focuses on fragile and curved local features and then enhances the perception of delicate tubular structures in discolored pine branches. MCA strengthens the attention to the specific features of pine trees, helps to enhance the representational capability, and improves the generalization to diseased pine tree recognition in variable natural environments. The bounding box loss function has been optimized to WIoUv3, thereby improving the overall recognition accuracy and robustness of the model. The experimental results reveal that our Pine-YOLO model achieved the following values across various evaluation metrics: MAP@0.5 at 90.69%, mAP@0.5:0.95 at 49.72%, precision at 91.31%, recall at 85.72%, and F1-score at 88.43%. These outcomes underscore the high effectiveness of our model. Therefore, our newly designed Pine-YOLO perfectly addresses the disadvantages of the original YOLO network, which helps to maintain the health and stability of the ecological environment.
Exchangeable Quantities and Power Laws: Τhe Case of Pores in Solids
Authors: Margellou Antigoni G. , Pomonis Philippos J.
Published: April 2024

In this work we suggest that the common cause for the development of various power laws is the existence of a suitable exchangeable quantity between the agents of a set. Examples of such exchangeable quantities, leading to eponymous power laws, include money (Pareto’s Law), scientific knowledge (Lotka’s Law), people (Auerbach’s Law), and written or verbal information (Zipf’s Law), as well as less common cases like bullets during deadly conflicts, recognition in social networks, heat between the atmosphere and sea-ice floes, and, finally, mass of water vapors between pores in solids. This last case is examined closely in the present article based on extensive experimental data. It is shown that the transferred mass between pores, which eventually grow towards a power law distribution, may be expressed using different parameters, either transferred surface area, or transferred volume, or transferred pore length or transferred pore anisotropy. These distinctions lead to different power laws of variable strength as reflected by the corresponding exponent. The exponents depend quantitatively on the spread of frequency distribution of the examined parameter and tend to zero as the spread of distribution tends to a single order of magnitude. A comparison between the energy and the entropy of different kinds of pore distributions reveals that these two statistical parameters are linearly related, implying that the system poise at a critical state and the exchangeable quantities are the most convenient operations helping to keep this balance.
Silicon-Doped Carbon Dots Crosslinked Carboxymethyl Cellulose Gel: Detection and Adsorption of Fe3+
Authors: Zhao Zhengdong , Jing Yichang , Shen Yuan , Liu Yang , Wang Jiaqi , Ma Mingjian , Pan Jiangbo , Wang Di , Wang Chengyu , Li Jian
Published: April 2024

The excessive emission of iron will pollute the environment and harm human health, so the fluorescence detection and adsorption of Fe3+ are of great significance. In the field of water treatment, cellulose-based gels have attracted wide attention due to their excellent properties and environmental friendliness. If carbon dots are used as a crosslinking agent to form a gel with cellulose, it can not only improve mechanical properties but also show good biocompatibility, reactivity, and fluorescence properties. In this study, silicon-doped carbon dots/carboxymethyl cellulose gel (DCG) was successfully prepared by chemically crosslinking biomass-derived silicon-doped carbon dots with carboxymethyl cellulose. The abundant crosslinking points endow the gel with excellent mechanical properties, with a compressive strength reaching 294 kPa. In the experiment on adsorbing Fe3+, the theoretical adsorption capacity reached 125.30 mg/g. The introduction of silicon-doped carbon dots confers the gel with excellent fluorescence properties and a good selective response to Fe3+. It exhibits a good linear relationship within the concentration range of 0–100 mg/L, with a detection limit of 0.6595 mg/L. DCG appears to be a good application prospect in the adsorption and detection of Fe3+.
A TMEM63A Nonsense Heterozygous Variant Linked to Infantile Transient Hypomyelinating Leukodystrophy Type 19?
Authors: Siori Dimitra , Vlachakis Dimitrios , Makrythanasis Periklis , Traeger-Synodinos Joanne , Veltra Danai , Kampouraki Afrodite , Chrousos George P.
Published: April 2024

Infantile onset transient hypomyelination (IOTH) is a rare form of leukodystrophy that is associated with transient motor impairment and delayed central nervous system myelination. Here, we report a case of a new mutation in the transmembrane protein 63A (TMEM63A) gene identified using Whole-Exome Sequencing (WES) in an 8.5-year-old boy with clinical symptoms similar to IOTH. The patient exhibited a mild developmental delay, including hypotonia and delayed motor milestones, as well as some notable phenotypic characteristics, such as macrocephaly and macrosomia. Despite the absence of early neuroimaging, genetic testing revealed a paternally inherited variant in TMEM63A (NM_14698.3:c.220A>T;p:(Arg74*)), potentially linked to infantile transient hypomyelinating leukodystrophy type 19. Our findings in this study and the patient’s favorable clinical course underscore the potential for successful myelination even with delayed initiation and may contribute to a better understanding of the genotype–phenotype correlation in IOTH, emphasizing the importance of genetic analysis in unresolved developmental delay cases and providing critical insights for accurate diagnosis, prognosis and potential therapeutic strategies in rare leukodystrophies.
SNP and Structural Study of the Notch Superfamily Provides Insights and Novel Pharmacological Targets against the CADASIL Syndrome and Neurodegenerative Diseases
Authors: Papageorgiou Louis , Papa Lefteria , Papakonstantinou Eleni , Mataragka Antonia , Dragoumani Konstantina , Chaniotis Dimitrios , Beloukas Apostolos , Iliopoulos Costas , Bongcam-Rudloff Erik , Chrousos George P. , Kossida Sofia , Eliopoulos Elias , Vlachakis Dimitrios
Published: April 2024

The evolutionary conserved Notch signaling pathway functions as a mediator of direct cell–cell communication between neighboring cells during development. Notch plays a crucial role in various fundamental biological processes in a wide range of tissues. Accordingly, the aberrant signaling of this pathway underlies multiple genetic pathologies such as developmental syndromes, congenital disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer. Over the last two decades, significant data have shown that the Notch signaling pathway displays a significant function in the mature brains of vertebrates and invertebrates beyond neuronal development and specification during embryonic development. Neuronal connection, synaptic plasticity, learning, and memory appear to be regulated by this pathway. Specific mutations in human Notch family proteins have been linked to several neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, CADASIL, and ischemic injury. Neurodegenerative diseases are incurable disorders of the central nervous system that cause the progressive degeneration and/or death of brain nerve cells, affecting both mental function and movement (ataxia). There is currently a lot of study being conducted to better understand the molecular mechanisms by which Notch plays an essential role in the mature brain. In this study, an in silico analysis of polymorphisms and mutations in human Notch family members that lead to neurodegenerative diseases was performed in order to investigate the correlations among Notch family proteins and neurodegenerative diseases. Particular emphasis was placed on the study of mutations in the Notch3 protein and the structure analysis of the mutant Notch3 protein that leads to the manifestation of the CADASIL syndrome in order to spot possible conserved mutations and interpret the effect of these mutations in the Notch3 protein structure. Conserved mutations of cysteine residues may be candidate pharmacological targets for the potential therapy of CADASIL syndrome.
Improving Strength by Increased Compaction of Gypsum—Enriched Soil under Long-Term Soaking Conditions
Authors: Razouki Sabah Said , Kuttah Dina
Published: April 2024

This study investigated the effect of compaction effort and soaking time on the shear strength properties of fine-grained gypsum-containing soils. The objective was to demonstrate that increasing compaction effort increases soil strength, specifically cohesion and the angle of shear strength, when subjected to soaking in freshwater. Unconsolidated undrained triaxial tests were carried out on CBR soil samples with different soaking times. The results showed a transition from brittle to ductile failure behaviour as the soaking time increased. Mohr–Coulomb failure envelopes showed reduced cohesion and angle of shear strength with increasing soak time. Regression models were developed to establish correlations between soaked and unsoaked strength parameters. Strong relationships were found between soil strength properties, compaction effort and soaking time. Empirical equations were proposed to estimate the cohesion and angle of shear strength from compaction effort and soaking time. This study highlighted the importance of considering gypsum-rich soils in civil engineering design. Gypsum dissolution during wetting significantly affected soil strength parameters. The regression models and empirical equations provide engineers with tools to assess the influence of compaction effort and soaking time on soil strength, thus aiding decision making when designing structures on gypsum-rich soils.
Photovoice in Aggression Management Training for Medical and Nursing Students—A Pilot Study
Authors: Lickiewicz Jakub , Lorenz Laura S. , Kolb Bettina
Published: April 2024

Aggression towards medical staff in the healthcare workplace is a common global concern. Measures to mitigate consequences of patient aggression include training through Aggression Management Programs (AMPs), which have been shown to increase students’ self-efficacy and self-confidence. To encourage better engagement with a 30 h required AMP training, the study piloted an adapted photovoice activity with 58 students of medicine and nursing. Each student took one to three photos depicting their perceptions, feelings, and experiences of patient aggression in the workplace and discussed them in a course session. Their photos showed types of aggression in psychiatric settings, and their consequences for patients and students. Photo strategies included showing ‘actors’ or toy figures in aggressive encounters; tools to control aggression in psychiatric settings (e.g., mechanical restraints and syringes); and symbolic photos showing violence to the heart (emotional impact). Adding photovoice elements to the established AMP training appeared to contribute to student reflection on their individual perspectives on patient aggression in the workplace and help students to link their subjective experiences and theoretical learning. In future, incorporating pre-test and post-test questionnaires measuring empathy, attitudes, or critical thinking could help to decipher any changes in AMP effectiveness due to the use of a self-directed photovoice activity.
Perceived Loneliness, Social Isolation, and Social Support Resources of Frail Older People Ageing in Place Alone in Italy
Authors: Melchiorre Maria Gabriella , Socci Marco , Lamura Giovanni , Quattrini Sabrina
Published: April 2024

This paper presents some findings from the IN-AGE (“Inclusive ageing in place”) study, which the authors carried out in 2019 in Italy. It explores the available social support resources for frail older people with functional limitations ageing in place alone, and possible links between their social isolation and perceived loneliness. The authors conducted qualitative/semi-structured interviews involving 120 participants aged 65 years and over, and used a mixed-methods analysis (quantitative/qualitative). The main results show the family as the main help resource for daily activities, but also for intimate confidences against social isolation, especially when said relatives live close. Family confidants are less present when seniors are supported by friends/neighbours or/and public services. Moreover, the family is valuable for decreasing loneliness, although not always. However, some older people feel particularly alone when they are supported by public services. Such a complex context draws attention on the need of support for frail seniors living alone and could provide insights for policymakers on adequate policies for preventing and managing loneliness and social isolation in later life. This is especially relevant when family (and other) resources are not available or scarce, also considering the opportunities offered by technology, which can help seniors remain socially connected to relatives, friends and their overall community.
Analysis of the Antioxidant Mechanism of Ozone Treatment to Extend the Shelf Life and Storage Quality of ‘Korla’ Fragrant Pears Based on Label-Free Proteomics
Authors: Lin Shaohua , Zhang Xiaojun , Li Mo , Zhang Na , Dong Chenghu , Ji Haipeng , Zheng Pufan , Ban Zhaojun , Mei Xing , Gu Changyu , Chen Cunkun
Published: April 2024

In this study, the physiological indicators, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and activities and expressions of key enzymes related to ROS metabolism were monitored to explore the mechanism of ozone treatment on the shelf life of postharvest Korla fragrant pears. The results show that postharvest fragrant pears treated with ozone had a higher firmness and lower weight loss rate and decay rate during their shelf life, especially in the late stage. Ozone treatment could also delay the occurrence of the respiratory peak and reduce the peak value. The generation rate of superoxide anion (O2−), the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content, and the malondialdehyde (MDA) level were reduced in the ozone-treated group, while the activities of key enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD), related to ROS metabolism in postharvest fragrant pears were stimulated by ozone treatment, especially in the middle and late stages of shelf life. Analysis of the proteomics results indicates that the POD family enzymes were the main target protein in postharvest fragrant pears treated by ozone during the middle and late stages of shelf life. The activity and expression of antioxidant-related enzymes in postharvest fragrant pears were stimulated by ozone to accelerate the metabolism of ROS and maintain high quality, especially in the middle and late shelf lives.
The Effect of Biotic Stress in Plant Species Induced by ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma solani’—An Artificial Neural Network Approach
Authors: Djalovic Ivica , Mitrovic Petar , Trivan Goran , Jelušić Aleksandra , Pezo Lato , Janić Hajnal Elizabet , Popović Milovanović Tatjana
Published: April 2024

Infections with phytoplasma present one of the most significant biotic stresses influencing plant health, growth, and production. The phytoplasma ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma solani’ infects a variety of plant species. This pathogen impacts the physiological and morphological characteristics of plants causing stunting, yellowing, leaf curling, and other symptoms that can lead to significant economic losses. The aim of this study was to determine biochemical changes in peony (Paeonia tenuifolia L.), mint (Mentha × piperita L.), and dill (Anethum graveolens L.) induced by ‘Ca. Phytoplasma solani’ in Serbia as well as to predict the impact of the biotic stress using artificial neural network (ANN) modeling. The phylogenetic position of the Serbian ‘Ca. Phytoplasma solani’ strains originated from the tested hosts using 16S rRNA (peony and carrot strains) and plsC (mint and dill strains) sequences indicated by their genetic homogeneity despite the host of origin. Biochemical parameters significantly differed in asymptomatic and symptomatic plants, except for total anthocyanidins contents in dill and the capacity of peony and mint extracts to neutralize superoxide anions and hydroxyl radicals, respectively. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed a correlation between different chemical parameters and revealed a clear separation among the samples. Based on the ANN performance, the optimal number of hidden neurons for the calculation of TS, RG, PAL, LP, NBT, •OH, TP, TT, Tflav, Tpro, Tant, DPPH, and Car was nine (using MLP 8-9-13), as it produced high r2 values (1.000 during the training period) and low SOS values. Developing an effective early warning system for the detection of plant diseases in different plant species is critical for improving crop yield and quality.
Genome-Wide Identification, Characterization, and Expression Profile of SWEETs Gene Family in Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.)
Authors: Zhong Linjing , Xu Shuya , Song Chenchen , Zhao Ning , Yang Zhiqi , Liu Yanxiang , Cui Xiaoyue , Zhang Jianxia , Li Zhi , Wang Xiping , Gao Min
Published: April 2024

SWEET (Sugars Will Eventually Be Exported Transporter) proteins, identified recently as a novel class of sugar transporters, play pivotal roles in the transport and distribution of photosynthetic products in plants. They are integral to physiological processes such as response to biotic and abiotic stress, growth and development, and fruit quality formation. In this study, leveraging the latest grapevine genomic data, we identified 18 members of the grapevine SWEET family and named them based on their homologs in Arabidopsis. We conducted a detailed analysis of these protein-encoding genes, focusing on their structure, conserved domains, and phylogenetic relationships. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the grapevine SWEET family members could be categorized into four clades, with the majority of members displaying relatively conserved gene structures and motifs. Chromosomal localization and homology analysis indicated an uneven distribution of VvSWEETs across 11 chromosomes, with evidence of two segmental duplication events during evolution. Furthermore, we investigated the transcription levels of SWEET genes across different tissues, organs, and developmental stages of fruit, as well as their response patterns under abiotic stress (drought, cold, and salt stress) and biotic stress (Botrytis cinerea infection). Expression profiling demonstrated strong tissue-specificity and temporal-spatial specificity of VvSWEETs, correlated with their respective clades. It is noteworthy that the expression levels of most members within Clade 1 of the VvSWEET gene family, especially VvSWEET1, were markedly upregulated in response to a broad range of stress conditions. Our results provide a comprehensive bioinformatic characterization and analysis of the grapevine SWEET gene family, unveiling the potential functions of grapevine SWEET genes and offering a vital reference for further functional studies.