bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Proprioceptive and Dual-Task Training: The Key of Stroke Rehabilitation, A Systematic Review
Authors: Chiaramonte Rita , Bonfiglio Marco , Leonforte Pierfrancesco , Coltraro Giovanna , Guerrera Claudia , Vecchio Michele
Published: July 2022

This systematic review aims to reveal the effectiveness of proprioceptive exercise combined with dual-task training in stroke patients. The research was conducted using PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Scopus databases to evaluate studies of rehabilitation interventions with proprioceptive and dual-task exercises in patients with stroke. The keywords for the search were: “stroke” AND “proprioception” OR “proprioceptive” AND “rehabilitation” OR “training” OR “exercises” AND “dual-task” OR “task-performance” with the following inclusion criteria: comparative studies of rehabilitation interventions with proprioceptive and dual-task exercises in stroke patients. Of the 104,014 studies identified, 23 were included according to the inclusion criteria. Proprioceptive and dual-task exercises stimulate and promote postural balance, gait, and quality of life and reduce the risk of falls in stroke patients compared with traditional rehabilitation programs. In conclusion, this systematic review suggests that proprioceptive exercise combined with dual-task training is needed to improve balance and recover gait. Moreover, it provides a comprehensive overview of the literature on the various proprioceptive treatments with contextual dual-task exercises for imbalance after stroke, providing a guide for choosing a complete rehabilitation protocol that combines these two techniques.
Multimodal Registration for Image-Guided EBUS Bronchoscopy
Authors: Zang Xiaonan , Zhao Wennan , Toth Jennifer , Bascom Rebecca , Higgins William
Published: July 2022

The state-of-the-art procedure for examining the lymph nodes in a lung cancer patient involves using an endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) bronchoscope. The EBUS bronchoscope integrates two modalities into one device: (1) videobronchoscopy, which gives video images of the airway walls; and (2) convex-probe EBUS, which gives 2D fan-shaped views of extraluminal structures situated outside the airways. During the procedure, the physician first employs videobronchoscopy to navigate the device through the airways. Next, upon reaching a given node’s approximate vicinity, the physician probes the airway walls using EBUS to localize the node. Due to the fact that lymph nodes lie beyond the airways, EBUS is essential for confirming a node’s location. Unfortunately, it is well-documented that EBUS is difficult to use. In addition, while new image-guided bronchoscopy systems provide effective guidance for videobronchoscopic navigation, they offer no assistance for guiding EBUS localization. We propose a method for registering a patient’s chest CT scan to live surgical EBUS views, thereby facilitating accurate image-guided EBUS bronchoscopy. The method entails an optimization process that registers CT-based virtual EBUS views to live EBUS probe views. Results using lung cancer patient data show that the method correctly registered 28/28 (100%) lymph nodes scanned by EBUS, with a mean registration time of 3.4 s. In addition, the mean position and direction errors of registered sites were 2.2 mm and 11.8∘, respectively. In addition, sensitivity studies show the method’s robustness to parameter variations. Lastly, we demonstrate the method’s use in an image-guided system designed for guiding both phases of EBUS bronchoscopy.
Brain Tumor Segmentation Using Deep Capsule Network and Latent-Dynamic Conditional Random Fields
Authors: Elmezain Mahmoud , Mahmoud Amena , Mosa Diana T. , Said Wael
Published: July 2022

Because of the large variabilities in brain tumors, automating segmentation remains a difficult task. We propose an automated method to segment brain tumors by integrating the deep capsule network (CapsNet) and the latent-dynamic condition random field (LDCRF). The method consists of three main processes to segment the brain tumor—pre-processing, segmentation, and post-processing. In pre-processing, the N4ITK process involves correcting each MR image’s bias field before normalizing the intensity. After that, image patches are used to train CapsNet during the segmentation process. Then, with the CapsNet parameters determined, we employ image slices from an axial view to learn the LDCRF-CapsNet. Finally, we use a simple thresholding method to correct the labels of some pixels and remove small 3D-connected regions from the segmentation outcomes. On the BRATS 2015 and BRATS 2021 datasets, we trained and evaluated our method and discovered that it outperforms and can compete with state-of-the-art methods in comparable conditions.
Hand-Crafted and Learned Feature Aggregation for Visual Marble Tiles Screening
Authors: Sidiropoulos George K. , Ouzounis Athanasios G. , Papakostas George A. , Lampoglou Anastasia , Sarafis Ilias T. , Stamkos Andreas , Solakis George
Published: July 2022

An important factor in the successful marketing of natural ornamental rocks is providing sets of tiles with matching textures. The market price of the tiles is based on the aesthetics of the different quality classes and can change according to the varying needs of the market. The classification of the marble tiles is mainly performed manually by experienced workers. This can lead to misclassifications due to the subjectiveness of such a procedure, causing subsequent problems with the marketing of the product. In this paper, 24 hand-crafted texture descriptors and 20 Convolution Neural Networks were evaluated towards creating aggregated descriptors resulting from the combination of one hand-crafted and one Convolutional Neural Network at a time. A marble tile dataset designed for this study was used for the evaluation process, which was also released publicly to further enable the research for similar studies (both on texture and dolomitic ornamental marble tile analysis). This was done to automate the classification of the marble tiles. The best performing feature descriptors were aggregated together in order to achieve an objective classification. The resulting model was embodied into an automatic screening machine designed and constructed as a part of this study. The experiments showed that the aggregation of the VGG16 and SILTP provided the best results, with an AUC score of 0.9944.
Market Needs, Opportunities and Barriers for the Floating Wind Industry
Authors: Díaz Hugo , Serna José , Nieto Javier , Guedes Soares C.
Published: July 2022

This paper reviews the status of floating wind energy expansion, market needs, opportunities, and barriers. Even more expensive than many other generation technologies currently, the floating wind will contribute to the decarbonization of Europe. This document assesses the market strategies available to develop floating wind farms in Europe. The study includes four main phases in addition to the overview of the current state-of-the-art: a technology review, market outlook, opportunities, and commercialization barriers. During its development, the offshore wind has moved from experimentation to a final design (Semisubmersible/barge, Tension Leg Platform, and Spar).
A Layering Linear Discriminant Analysis-Based Fault Diagnosis Method for Grid-Connected Inverter
Authors: Jin Guangfeng , Wang Tianzhen , Amirat Yassine , Zhou Zhibin , Xie Tao
Published: July 2022

Grid-connected inverters are the core equipment for connecting marine energy power generation systems to the public electric utility. The variation of current sensor fault severity will make fault samples multimodal. However, linear discriminant analysis assumes that the same fault is independent and identically distributed. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a layering linear discriminant analysis method based on traditional linear discriminant analysis. The proposed method divides the historical fault data based on the sensor fault severity layer-by-layer until the distribution of the same fault category in each subset is very close. Linear discriminant analysis is used to analyze historical fault data in each subgroup, and the kappa coefficient is applied as the basis for ending the training process. A BP neural network is employed to estimate the fault severity during the testing process, and the fault diagnosis sub-model is selected. The proposed method enables the accurate diagnosis of faults with different distributions in the same category and provides an accurate estimate of the sensor’s fault severity degree. The estimated value of the sensor’s fault degree can provide critical information for the maintenance of the equipment and can be used to correct the sensor’s output.
Development of the CRISPR-Cas9 System for the Marine-Derived Fungi Spiromastix sp. SCSIO F190 and Aspergillus sp. SCSIO SX7S7
Authors: Chen Yingying , Cai Cunlei , Yang Jiafan , Shi Junjie , Song Yongxiang , Hu Dan , Ma Junying , Ju Jianhua
Published: July 2022

Marine-derived fungi are emerging as attractive producers of structurally novel secondary metabolites with diverse bioactivities. However, the lack of efficient genetic tools limits the discovery of novel compounds and the elucidation of biosynthesis mechanisms. Here, we firstly established an effective PEG-mediated chemical transformation system for protoplasts in two marine-derived fungi, Spiromastix sp. SCSIO F190 and Aspergillus sp. SCSIO SX7S7. Next, we developed a simple and versatile CRISPR-Cas9-based gene disruption strategy by transforming a target fungus with a single plasmid. We found that the transformation with a circular plasmid encoding cas9, a single-guide RNA (sgRNA), and a selectable marker resulted in a high frequency of targeted and insertional gene mutations in both marine-derived fungal strains. In addition, the histone deacetylase gene rpd3 was mutated using the established CRISPR-Cas9 system, thereby activating novel secondary metabolites that were not produced in the wild-type strain. Taken together, a versatile CRISPR-Cas9-based gene disruption method was established, which will promote the discovery of novel natural products and further biological studies.
Effect of Oligogalacturonides on Seed Germination and Disease Resistance of Sugar Beet Seedling and Root
Authors: Zhao Can , Wu Chunyan , Li Kuikui , Kennedy John F. , Wisniewski Michael , Gao Lihong , Han Chenggui , Liu Jia , Yin Heng , Wu Xuehong
Published: July 2022

Oligogalacturonides (OGs) are a bioactive carbohydrate derived from homogalacturonan. The OGs synthesized in this study significantly inhibited the mycelial growth of Rhizoctonia solani AG-4HGI in vitro, even at a low concentration (10 mg/L). The seed vigor test demonstrated that the application of 50 mg/L OGs to sugar beet seeds significantly increased average germination percentage, germination energy, germination index, and seedling vigor index. The same concentration of OGs also improved the seedling emergence percentage of sugar beet when seeds were sown in soil inoculated with D2 and D31 isolates, respectively. The lesion diameter on mature sugar beet roots caused by R. solani AG-4HGI isolates D2 and D31 also decreased by 40.60% and 39.86%, respectively, in sugar beets roots first treated with 50 mg/mL OGs in the wound site, relative to lesion size in untreated/pathogen inoculated wounds. Sugar beet roots treated with 50 mg/mL OGs prior to inoculation with the D2 isolate exhibited up-regulation of the defense-related genes glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) by 2.4- and 1.6-fold, respectively, relative to control roots. Sugar beet roots treated with 50 mg/mL OGs prior to inoculation with D31 exhibited a 2.0- and 1.6-fold up-regulation of GPX and SOD, respectively, relative to the control. Our results indicate that OGs have the potential to be used for the protection of sugar beet against R. solani AG-4HGI.
Bioassays of Beauveria bassiana Isolates against the Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda
Authors: Idrees Atif , Afzal Ayesha , Qadir Ziyad Abdul , Li Jun
Published: July 2022

The control of Spodoptera frugiperda, the key invasive pest of maize, is a serious concern due to its biology and the current global restriction on applying synthetic pesticides. Entomopathogenic fungi are considered to be a potential biological control strategy. The pathogenicity of 12 isolates of Beauveria bassiana in the immature stages and feeding efficacy of S. frugiperda were evaluated. The B. bassiana isolates QB-3.45, QB-3.46 and QB-3.428 caused the highest egg mortality rates of 87.3, 82.7 and 79.3%, respectively, when applied at a concentration of 1 × 108 conidia/mL and measured at 7 days post-treatment. Neonate mortality rates of 45.6 to 53.6% were observed with the same isolates. The B. bassiana isolates caused significant cumulative mortality rates ranging from 71.3 to 93.3% at 14 days post-treatment and reduced larval feeding efficacy from 69.4 to 77.8% at 48 h post-treatment. This study supports using the effective B. bassiana isolates as a biological control agent against S. frugiperda. The significant mortality of the eggs and neonatal larvae and the reduction in the feeding efficacy of the second instar larvae of the S. frugiperda that were treated with isolates of B. bassiana supports the application of entomopathogenic fungi as a biocontrol agent for the effective control of the S. frugiperda population.
Stakeholder Perspectives on the Development and Implementation of a Polypharmacy Management Program in Germany: Results of a Qualitative Study
Authors: Dinh Truc Sophia , Brueckle Maria-Sophie , González-González Ana Isabel , Witte Julian , van den Akker Marjan , Gerlach Ferdinand M. , Muth Christiane ,   on behalf of the EVITA Study Group
Published: July 2022

Structured management programs have been developed for single diseases but rarely for patients with multiple medications. We conducted a qualitative study to investigate the views of stakeholders on the development and implementation of a polypharmacy management program in Germany. Overall, we interviewed ten experts in the fields of health policy and clinical practice. Using content analysis, we identified inclusion criteria for the selection of suitable patients, the individual elements that should make up such a program, healthcare providers and stakeholders that should be involved, and factors that may support or hinder the program’s implementation. All stakeholders were well aware of polypharmacy-related risks and challenges, as well as the urgent need for change. Intervention strategies should address all levels of care and include all concerned patients, caregivers, healthcare providers and stakeholders, and involved parties should agree on a joint approach.
Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation with Intraoperative Radiotherapy Is Effective in Luminal Breast Cancer Patients Aged 60 Years and Older
Authors: Falco Michał , Masojć Bartłomiej , Rolla Magdalena , Czekała Agnieszka , Milchert-Leszczyńska Marta , Pietruszewska Jolanta
Published: July 2022

Adjuvant whole breast irradiation (AWBI) improves local control and survival in breast cancer patients after breast-conserving surgery. Between 2010 and 2017, 823 patients ≥ 60 years with ER-positive, Her-2 negative, clinically N0 breast cancer underwent breast-conserving surgery (BCS) at the West Pomeranian Oncology Center. Intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) with kV photons was applied to 199 (24.2%) patients according to the IORT protocol, and AWBI only was applied to 624 (75.8%). IORT patients in cases with lymph node metastasis, lobular type presence, extensive in situ components, lymphatic vessel invasion, or resection margin < 2 mm, additionally underwent AWBI. Median follow-up was 74 months. There were two (1%) breast relapses in the IORT protocol group and one (0.2%) in the AWBI-only group. In each group, one axillary lymph node relapse was diagnosed (0.5% and 0.2%, respectively). There were two local relapses in the IORT-only group, and they were treated further with BCS and AWBI. Although locoregional relapse-free survival differed between the AWBI-only and IORT protocol groups (98.5% vs. 99.7%, p = 0.048), the local control, distant metastasis-free survival, and breast cancer-specific survival were similar. IORT is a reasonable option to avoid AWBI in ER-positive, Her-2 negative, cN0 women with breast cancer aged ≥ 60 years.
The Social License to Restore—Perspectives on Community Involvement in Indonesian Peatland Restoration
Authors: Wiesner Benjamin John , Dargusch Paul
Published: July 2022

The tropical peatlands of Indonesia are widely recognized as a globally significant carbon stock and an important provider of crucial ecosystem services. However, in recent years they have been increasingly degraded. The Indonesian government has attempted to involve communities in peatland restoration efforts. These attempts were made in recognition of (1) the important role livelihood activities play in land degradation processes and (2) the ‘gatekeeping’ and stewardship role local communities play in ensuring the durability and longer-term effectiveness of restoration activities. Engaging communities has proven challenging for many reasons, but particularly because of the historical distrust local communities have towards land management interventions. In this article, we borrow the concept of a social license to operate (SLO) from the business management literature to understand why and how community involvement impacts peatland restoration in Indonesia. We introduce the concept and conceptual models of a social license to restore (SLR). As a result of engaging with our perspective, readers will be able to identify how issues of government distrust, low levels of community participation, and poverty—and the counterfactual—may impact the longer-term success of restoration initiatives and how a social license to restore may expedite progress in restoration. Secondly, discussing and linking the multi-faceted issues of peatland restoration will highlight its relevance within the land, biodiversity and human well-being nexus.
Scientific Evidence behind the Ecosystem Services Provided by Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems
Authors: García Ana Isabel Abellán , Santamarta Juan C.
Published: July 2022

Urban green infrastructure such as sustainable urban drainage systems are potential providers of ecosystem services. This paper reviews the field studies that empirically verify the potential benefits of SUDS. The cultural, provisioning, supporting, and regulating ecosystem services investigated in real cases have been studied and classified according to climatology (except for the control of urban hydrology, which has been widely corroborated). Although successful cases of runoff decontamination are numerous, there is heterogeneity in the results of the systems beyond those associated with climatic differences. The other ecosystem services have not been as widely studied, giving very variable and even negative results in some cases such as climate change control (in some instances, these techniques can emit greenhouse gases). Installations in temperate climates are, by far, the most studied. These services derive from the biological processes developed in green infrastructure and they depend on climate, so it would be advisable to carry out specific studies that could serve as the basis for a design that optimizes potential ecosystem services, avoiding possible disservices.
Parallel Corpus Research and Target Language Representativeness: The Contrastive, Typological, and Translation Mining Traditions
Authors: Le Bruyn Bert , Fuchs Martín , van der Klis Martijn , Liu Jianan , Mo Chou , Tellings Jos , de Swart Henriëtte
Published: July 2022

This paper surveys the strategies that the Contrastive, Typological, and Translation Mining parallel corpus traditions rely on to deal with the issue of target language representativeness of translations. On the basis of a comparison of the corpus architectures and research designs of the three traditions, we argue that they have each developed their own representativeness strategies: (i) monolingual control corpora (Contrastive tradition), (ii) limits on the scope of research questions (Typological tradition), and (iii) parallel control corpora (Translation Mining tradition). We introduce normalized pointwise mutual information (NPMI) as a bi-directional measure of cross-linguistic association, allowing for an easy comparison of the outcomes of different traditions and the impact of the monolingual and parallel control corpus representativeness strategies. We further argue that corpus size has a major impact on the reliability of the monolingual control corpus strategy and that a sequential parallel control corpus strategy is preferable for smaller corpora.
Does Protocatechuic Acid Affect the Activity of Commonly Used Antibiotics and Antifungals?
Authors: Fifere Adrian , Turin-Moleavin Ioana-Andreea , Rosca Irina
Published: July 2022

The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficiency of protocatechuic acid (PCA) in enhancing the commonly used drugs used to fight against nosocomial infection. These drugs are represented by routinely used antibiotics, synthetic chemotherapeutic agents with an antimicrobial spectrum, and antifungals. Three concentrations of PCA were added to 12 types of commercial disks used for antibiotic and antifungal susceptibility and tested against bacterial and yeast strains represented by Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans. The results proved that PCA increased up to 50% of the antibacterial activity, especially that of levofloxacin against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. These formulations will lead to new drug design ideas containing a smaller amount of antibiotics with the same effectiveness.
Tea Tree Oil Nanoemulsion-Based Hydrogel Vehicle for Enhancing Topical Delivery of Neomycin
Authors: Elsewedy Heba S. , Shehata Tamer M. , Soliman Wafaa E.
Published: July 2022

The present investigation aims to improve the antimicrobial influence of certain antibacterial drugs, namely, neomycin (NEO), exploiting the benefits of natural oils such as tea tree oil (TTO). Therefore, a distinctive nanolipid formulation, namely, a nanoemulsion (NE), was developed using a Central Composite Factorial Design (CCD) approach depending on the amount of TTO and tween 80 as surfactant. The optimized NEO-NE formula exhibiting minimum globular size and maximum in vitro release was selected. For efficient topical delivery, NEO-NE was incorporated into a pre-formulated hydrogel. The developed NEO-NE-hydrogel was characterized by its physical characteristics such as pH, viscosity, and spreadability. Next, it was tested for stability under different conditions for 3 months. Ultimately, an irritation test was conducted followed by an antibacterial examination. The preparation demonstrated acceptable properties to be successfully applied topically. It showed non-significant changes in stability in both conditions up to 3 months storage when compared to a fresh preparation. It exhibited no irritation when applied on hairless animal skin. Finally, TTO revealed a good inhibition for the bacterial growth that could improve the influence of NEO antibacterial activity, indicating the efficiency of NE containing NEO prepared with TTO to be a promising antibacterial nanocarrier.
Dietary and Antioxidant Vitamins Limit the DNA Damage Mediated by Oxidative Stress in the Mother–Newborn Binomial
Authors: Diaz-Garcia Hector , Vilchis-Gil Jenny , Garcia-Roca Pilar , Klünder-Klünder Miguel , Gomez-Lopez Jacqueline , Granados-Riveron Javier T. , Sanchez-Urbina Rocio
Published: July 2022

During pregnancy, appropriate nutritional support is necessary for the development of the foetus. Maternal nutrition might protect the foetus from toxic agents such as free radicals due to its antioxidant content. In this study, 90 mothers and their children were recruited. DNA damage mediated by oxidative stress (OS) was determined by the levels of 8-hidroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in the plasma of women and umbilical cord blood. The mothers and newborns were categorised into tertiles according to their 8-OHdG levels for further comparison. No relevant clinical differences were observed in each group. A strong correlation was observed in the mother–newborn binomial for 8-OHdG levels (Rho = 0.694, p < 0.001). In the binomial, a lower level of 8-OHdG was associated with higher consumption of calories, carbohydrates, lipids, and vitamin A (p < 0.05). In addition, the levels of 8-OHdG were only significantly lower in newborns from mothers with a higher consumption of vitamin A and E (p < 0.01). These findings were confirmed by a significant negative correlation between the 8-OHdG levels of newborns and the maternal consumption of vitamins A and E, but not C (Rho = −0.445 (p < 0.001), −0.281 (p = 0.007), and −0.120 (p = 0.257), respectively). Multiple regression analysis showed that the 8-OHdG levels in mothers and newborns inversely correlated with vitamin A (β = −1.26 (p = 0.016) and −2.17 (p < 0.001), respectively) and pregestational body mass index (β = −1.04 (p = 0.007) and −0.977 (p = 0.008), respectively). In conclusion, maternal consumption of vitamins A and E, but not C, might protect newborns from DNA damage mediated by OS.
The Effect of Dietary Saccharomyces cerevisiae on Growth Performance, Oxidative Status, and Immune Response of Sea Bream (Sparus aurata)
Authors: El-Bab Ahmed F. Fath , Saghir Sultan A. M. , El-Naser Ibrahim Atta Abu , El-Kheir Salwa M. M. Abo , Abdel-Kader Marwa F. , Alruhaimi Reem S. , Alqhtani Haifa A. , Mahmoud Ayman M. , Naiel Mohammed A. E. , El-Raghi Ali Ali
Published: July 2022

The objective of this study was to evaluate the beneficial effect of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SC) on growth, intestinal morphometric characteristics, blood indices, redox balance, expression of immune-related genes, and their involvement in disease resistance in sea bream (Sparus aurata). Three hundred healthy sea bream fingerlings were allocated into equal four groups (15 fish per hapa). The first group was served as a control and received a basal diet, while the other three groups were fed diets containing 1, 2, and 4 g/kg diet SC, respectively. At the end of week 16, the daily weight gain, specific growth rate, and feed utilization were significantly higher in the SC2 and SC4 groups than the control (p < 0.05). SC dose-dependently improved intestinal morphology, and the 4 g/kg diet significantly increased dry matter, crude fat, and crude protein percentage of body composition when compared with the control group. The 4 g/kg SC boosted innate immune response and phagocytic activity, and all SC-supplemented diets improved total protein, glucose, triglycerides, and urea concentrations, as well as intestinal digestive enzymatic activities. All estimated oxidative markers were significantly enhanced in the group that received 4 g/kg SC when compared with the control and other SC groups (p < 0.05). Feeding the fish a diet supplemented with 4 g/kg SC markedly regulated the expression of HSP70, IGF1, and IL-1β genes. In addition, the 4 g/kg SC-supplemented diet was the most effective in protecting the fish against Vibrio parahaemolyticus challenge. In conclusion, SC-enriched diet improved growth performance, intestinal morphology, redox homeostasis, and immune response of S. aurata with the 4 g/kg concentration as the most effective.
The Assessment of the Real-Time Radiative Properties and Productivity of Limnospira platensis in Tubular Photobioreactors
Authors: Ibañez Manuel Vicente , Leonardi Rodrigo Jorge , Krujatz Felix , Heinrich Josué Miguel
Published: July 2022

The development of tools to predict the photobioreactors’ (PBRs) productivity is a significant concern in biotechnology. To this end, it is required to know the light availability inside the cultivation unit and combine this information with a suitable kinetic expression that links the distribution of radiant energy with the cell growth rate. In a previous study, we presented and validated a methodology for assessing the radiative properties necessary to address the light distribution inside a PBR for varying illuminating conditions through the cultivation process of a phototrophic microorganism. Here, we sought to utilise this information to construct a predictive tool to estimate the productivity of an autotrophic bioprocess carried out in a 100 [L] tubular photobioreactor (TPBR). Firstly, the time-dependent optical properties over ten batch cultures of L. platensis were calculated. Secondly, the local volumetric rate of photon absorption was assessed based on a physical model of the interaction of the radiant energy with the suspended biomass, together with a Monte Carlo simulation algorithm. Lastly, a kinetic expression valid for low illumination conditions has been utilised to reproduce all the cultures’ experimentally obtained dry weight biomass concentration values. Taken together, time-dependent radiative properties and the kinetic model produced a valuable tool for the study and scaling up of TPBRs.
Myocardial Ischemia in Patients with COVID-19 Infection: Between Pathophysiological Mechanisms and Electrocardiographic Findings
Authors: Duca Ștefania Teodora , Chetran Adriana , Miftode Radu Ștefan , Mitu Ovidiu , Costache Alexandru Dan , Nicolae Ana , Iliescu-Halițchi Dan , Halițchi-Iliescu Codruța-Olimpiada , Mitu Florin , Costache Irina Iuliana
Published: July 2022

Given the possible pathophysiological links between myocardial ischemia and SARS-CoV-2 infection, several studies have focused attention on acute coronary syndromes in order to improve patients’ morbidity and mortality. Understanding the pathophysiological aspects of myocardial ischemia in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 can open a broad perspective on the proper management for each patient. The electrocardiogram (ECG) remains the easiest assessment of cardiac involvement in COVID-19 patients, due to its non-invasive profile, accessibility, low cost, and lack of radiation. The ECG changes provide insight into the patient’s prognosis, indicating either the worsening of an underlying cardiac illnesses or the acute direct injury by the virus. This indicates that the ECG is an important prognostic tool that can affect the outcome of COVID-19 patients, which important to correlate its aspects with the clinical characteristics and patient’s medical history. The ECG changes in myocardial ischemia include a broad spectrum in patients with COVID-19 with different cases reported of ST-segment elevation, ST-segment depression, and T wave inversion, which are associated with severe COVID-19 disease.
Special Issue of the Manufacturing Engineering Society 2021 (SIMES-2021)
Authors: Rodríguez-Prieto Álvaro , Trujillo Francisco Javier
Published: July 2022

After the complete success of the first [...]
CO2-Optimization of Post-Tensioned Concrete Slab-Bridge Decks Using Surrogate Modeling
Authors: Yepes-Bellver Lorena , Brun-Izquierdo Alejandro , Alcalá Julián , Yepes Víctor
Published: July 2022

This paper deals with optimizing embedded carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions using surrogate modeling, whether it is the deck of a post-tensioned cast-in-place concrete slab bridge or any other design structure. The main contribution of this proposal is that it allows optimizing structures methodically and sequentially. The approach presents two sequential phases of optimization, the first one of diversification and the second one of intensification of the search for optimums. Finally, with the amount of CO2 emissions and the differentiating characteristics of each design, a heuristic optimization based on a Kriging metamodel is performed. An optimized solution with lower emissions than the analyzed sample is obtained. If CO2 emissions were to be reduced, design recommendations would be to use slendernesses as high as possible, in the range of 1/30, which implies a more significant amount of passive reinforcement. This increase in passive reinforcement is compensated by reducing the measurement of concrete and active reinforcement. Another important conclusion is that reducing emissions is related to cost savings. Furthermore, it has been corroborated that for a cost increase of less than 1%, decreases in emissions emitted into the atmosphere of more than 2% can be achieved.
A Bibliometric Analysis of Research Progress and Trends on Fly Ash-Based Geopolymer
Authors: Tian Quanzhi , Pan Yinhai , Bai Yingchu , Yao Shuo , Sun Shiqiang
Published: July 2022

The objective of this work is to present the research progress and applications of fly ash-based geopolymer, and summarize the future research hotpots. Since 1998, scholars have made important contributions to the study of fly ash-based geopolymer, and a large number of research studies have been published. Therefore, a bibliometric analysis for the determination of the research status, trend, and history of fly ash-based geopolymer was conducted in the present study. A total of 4352 publications on fly ash-based geopolymer were collected between 1998 and 2022, with an increasing trend year by year. China and Australia are the largest contributors to the field, and the research institutions in each country cooperate closely. In addition, the most contributing research areas are MATERIALS SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, and CONSTRUCTION & BUILDING TECHNOLOGY. The keywords including fly ash, compressive strength, and mechanical property are the most frequently appearing words. On the whole, the development of fly ash-based geopolymer could be divided into three stages including the replacement of ordinary Portland cement, the development of multifunctional materials, and the reduction of environmental impact by the conversion of solid waste. This overview could provide an important guidance for the development of fly ash-based geopolymer.
Monocaprin Enhances Bioavailability of Fucoxanthin in Diabetic/Obese KK-Ay Mice
Authors: Nagata Kodai , Takatani Naoki , Beppu Fumiaki , Abe Aya , Tominaga Etsuko , Fukuhara Tomohisa , Ozeki Makoto , Hosokawa Masashi
Published: July 2022

Fucoxanthin is a marine carotenoid found in brown seaweeds and several microalgae. It has been reported that fucoxanthin has health benefits such as anti-obesity and anti-diabetic effects. To facilitate fucoxanthin applications in the food industry, it is important to improve its low bioavailability. We attempted the combined feeding of fucoxanthin-containing seaweed oil (SO) and monocaprin in a powder diet and analyzed the fucoxanthin metabolite contents in the liver, small intestine and serum of diabetic/obese KK-Ay mice. After 4 weeks of feeding with the experimental diets, the serum fucoxanthinol concentrations of the mice fed 0.2% SO and 0.5% monocaprin were higher than those of the 0.2% SO-fed mice. Furthermore, fucoxanthinol accumulation in the liver and small intestine tended to increase in a combination diet of 0.2% SO and 0.125–0.5% monocaprin compared with a diet of 0.2% SO alone, although amarouciaxanthin A accumulation was not different among the 0.2% SO-fed groups. These results suggest that a combination of monocaprin with fucoxanthin-containing SO is an effective treatment for improving the bioavailability of fucoxanthin.
Cecropin-Loaded Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework Nanoparticles with High Biocompatibility and Cervical Cancer Cell Toxicity
Authors: Jiang Jingwen , Pan Yanzhu , Li Jinyao , Xia Lijie
Published: July 2022

Cecropins (CECs) are insect venom-derived amphiphilic peptides with numerous pharmacological effects, including anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-tumor activities. Cecropins induce tumor cell death by disrupting phospholipid membrane integrity. However, non-specific cytotoxicity and in vivo rapid degradation limit clinical application. Nanotechnologies provide novel strategies for tumor eradication, including nanocarriers that can precisely target drugs to tumor tissue. We report the fabrication of CEC-encapsulated zeolitic imidazolate framework 8 (ZIF-8) nanoparticles (CEC@ZIF-8 NPs) via the preparation of CEC@ZIF-8 NPs in pure water by one-pot stirring. This method yielded morphologically uniform NPs with 20 wt% drug loading capacity and 9% loading efficiency. The NP formulation protected CECs from proteasome degradation, enhanced peptide bioavailability, promoted HeLa tumor cell uptake, and increased antitumor efficacy compared to free CECs. In conclusion, this ZIF-8 encapsulation strategy may enhance the clinical applicability of CECs and other antitumor peptides.
Antioxidant and Gastroprotective Activity of Suaeda fruticosa Forssk. Ex J.F.Gmel
Authors: Ayaz Afsheen , Jamil QurratUlAin , Hussain Musaddique , Anjum Fayyaz , Sarfraz Adeel , Alqahtani Taha , Hussain Nadia , Gahtani Reem M. , Dera Ayed A. , Alharbi Hanan M. , Iqbal Shahid M.
Published: July 2022

Suaeda fruticosa Forssk. Ex J.F.Gmel is traditionally used for inflammatory and digestive disorders, as a carminative, and for diarrhea. This plant is widely distributed in Asia, Africa, and the Mediterranean region. Aqueous methanolic extract of S. fruticosa (Sf.Cr) was prepared and screened for phytoconstituents through qualitative and GC-MS analysis. Quantification of total phenolic and flavonoid contents was performed, while antioxidant capacity was determined by DPPH, CUPRAC, FRAP, and ABTS assays. The gastroprotective activity was assessed in an ethanol-induced ulcer model. Gastric secretory parameters and macroscopic ulcerated lesions were analyzed and scored for ulcer severity. After scoring, histopathology was performed, and gastric mucus contents were determined. Oral pre-treatment of Sf.Cr demonstrated significant gastroprotection. The gastric ulcer severity score and ulcer index were reduced while the %-inhibition of ulcer was increased dose-dependently. The Sf.Cr significantly elevated the pH of gastric juice, while a decrease in total acidity and gastric juice volume was observed. Histopathology demonstrated less oedema and neutrophil infiltration in gastric mucosa of rats pre-treated with the Sf.Cr in comparison to ethanol-intoxicated animals. Furthermore, the gastric mucus contents were increased as determined by alcian blue binding. Sf.Cr showed marked gastroprotective activity, which can be attributed to antioxidant, antisecretory, and cytoprotective effects.
Nitriles with High Gas-Phase Basicity—Part II Transmission of the Push–Pull Effect through Methylenecyclopropene and Cyclopropenimine Scaffolds Intercalated between Different Electron Donor(s) and the Cyano N-Protonation Site
Authors: Raczyńska Ewa , Gal Jean-François , Maria Pierre-Charles , Sakhawat Ghulam , Fahim Mohammad , Saeidian Hamid
Published: July 2022

This work extends our earlier quantum chemical studies on the gas-phase basicity of very strong N-bases to two series of nitriles containing the methylenecyclopropene and cyclopropenimine scaffolds with dissymmetrical substitution by one or two electron-donating substituents such as Me, NR2, N=C (NR2)2, and N=P (NR2)3, the last three being strong donors. For a proper prediction of their gas-phase base properties, all potential isomeric phenomena and reasonable potential protonation sites are considered to avoid possible inconsistencies when evaluating the energetic parameters and associated protonation or deprotonation equilibria B + H+ = BH+. More than 250 new isomeric structures for neutral and protonated forms are analyzed. The stable structures are selected and the favored ones identified. The microscopic (kinetic) gas-phase basicity parameters (PA and GB) corresponding to N sites (cyano and imino in the cyclopropenimine or in the substituents) in each isomer are calculated. The macroscopic (thermodynamic) PAs and GBs, referring to the isomeric mixtures of favored isomers, are also estimated. The total (pushing) substituent effects are analyzed for monosubstituted and disubstituted derivatives containing two identical or two different substituents. Electron delocalization is examined in the two π–π conjugated transmitters, the methylenecyclopropene and cyclopropenimine scaffolds. The aromatic character of the three-membered ring is also discussed.
TLNPMD: Prediction of miRNA-Disease Associations Based on miRNA-Drug-Disease Three-Layer Heterogeneous Network
Authors: Yang Yi , Shang Junliang , Sun Yan , Li Feng , Zhang Yuanyuan , Kong Xiang-Zhen , Li Shengjun , Liu Jin-Xing
Published: July 2022

Many microRNAs (miRNAs) have been confirmed to be associated with the generation of human diseases. Capturing miRNA–disease associations (M-DAs) provides an effective way to understand the etiology of diseases. Many models for predicting M-DAs have been constructed; nevertheless, there are still several limitations, such as generally considering direct information between miRNAs and diseases, usually ignoring potential knowledge hidden in isolated miRNAs or diseases. To overcome these limitations, in this study a novel method for predicting M-DAs was developed named TLNPMD, highlights of which are the introduction of drug heuristic information and a bipartite network reconstruction strategy. Specifically, three bipartite networks, including drug–miRNA, drug–disease, and miRNA–disease, were reconstructed as weighted ones using such reconstruction strategy. Based on these weighted bipartite networks, as well as three corresponding similarity networks of drugs, miRNAs and diseases, the miRNA–drug-disease three-layer heterogeneous network was constructed. Then, this heterogeneous network was converted into three two-layer heterogeneous networks, for each of which the network path computational model was employed to predict association scores. Finally, both direct and indirect miRNA–disease paths were used to predict M-DAs. Comparative experiments of TLNPMD and other four models were performed and evaluated by five-fold and global leave-one-out cross validations, results of which show that TLNPMD has the highest AUC values among those of compared methods. In addition, case studies of two common diseases were carried out to validate the effectiveness of the TLNPMD. These experiments demonstrate that the TLNPMD may serve as a promising alternative to existing methods for predicting M-DAs.
Inorganic Nanomaterials versus Polymer-Based Nanoparticles for Overcoming Neurodegeneration
Authors: Martano Simona , De Matteis Valeria , Cascione Mariafrancesca , Rinaldi Rosaria
Published: July 2022

Neurodegenerative disorders (NDs) affect a great number of people worldwide and also have a significant socio-economic impact on the aging population. In this context, nanomedicine applied to neurological disorders provides several biotechnological strategies and nanoformulations that improve life expectancy and the quality of life of patients affected by brain disorders. However, available treatments are limited by the presence of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and the blood–cerebrospinal fluid barrier (B–CSFB). In this regard, nanotechnological approaches could overcome these obstacles by updating various aspects (e.g., enhanced drug-delivery efficiency and bioavailability, BBB permeation and targeting the brain parenchyma, minimizing side effects). The aim of this review is to carefully explore the key elements of different neurological disorders and summarize the available nanomaterials applied for neurodegeneration therapy looking at several types of nanocarriers. Moreover, nutraceutical-loaded nanoparticles (NPs) and synthesized NPs using green approaches are also discussed underling the need to adopt eco-friendly procedures with a low environmental impact. The proven antioxidant properties related to several natural products provide an interesting starting point for developing efficient and green nanotools useful for neuroprotection.
A Review on Mycobacteriophages: From Classification to Applications
Authors: Hosseiniporgham Sepideh , Sechi Leonardo A.
Published: July 2022

Mycobacterial infections are a group of life-threatening conditions triggered by fast- or slow-growing mycobacteria. Some mycobacteria, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, promote the deaths of millions of lives throughout the world annually. The control of mycobacterial infections is influenced by the challenges faced in the diagnosis of these bacteria and the capability of these pathogens to develop resistance against common antibiotics. Detection of mycobacterial infections is always demanding due to the intracellular nature of these pathogens that, along with the lipid-enriched structure of the cell wall, complicates the access to the internal contents of mycobacterial cells. Moreover, recent studies depicted that more than 20% of M. tuberculosis (Mtb) infections are multi-drug resistant (MDR), and only 50% of positive MDR-Mtb cases are responsive to standard treatments. Similarly, the susceptibility of nontuberculosis mycobacteria (NTM) to first-line tuberculosis antibiotics has also declined in recent years. Exploiting mycobacteriophages as viruses that infect mycobacteria has significantly accelerated the diagnosis and treatment of mycobacterial infections. This is because mycobacteriophages, regardless of their cycle type (temperate/lytic), can tackle barriers in the mycobacterial cell wall and make the infected bacteria replicate phage DNA along with their DNA. Although the infectivity of the majority of discovered mycobacteriophages has been evaluated in non-pathogenic M. smegmatis, more research is still ongoing to find mycobacteriophages specific to pathogenic mycobacteria, such as phage DS6A, which has been shown to be able to infect members of the M. tuberculosis complex. Accordingly, this review aimed to introduce some potential mycobacteriophages in the research, specifically those that are infective to the three troublesome mycobacteria, M. tuberculosis, M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP), and M. abscessus, highlighting their theranostic applications in medicine.
A Continuously Tunable and Filter-Less QPSK Modulated Millimeter-Wave Signal Generation with Frequency Quadrupling Just Based on an MZM
Authors: Hu Haifeng , Liu Baoju , Wang Dongfei
Published: July 2022

In this paper, we propose a new frequency quadrupling scheme to generate a quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) modulated vector millimeter-wave signal, in which an optical filter is not necessary. To eliminate constellation overlapping of the generated vector millimeter-wave signal caused by phase multiplication in the process of frequency multiplication, a precoding assisted technique is adopted. The principle and feasibility of the proposed scheme is deduced by a detailed mathematical formula. Simulations are carried out to generate 40 GHz QPSK modulated vector millimeter-wave signals using a 10 GHz radio frequency source and the BER performance is analyzed in detail. The results show that BER of the generated 5/10-Gbaud vector millimeter-wave signal is below 3.8×10-3, when the input optical power for into photo-detector is higher than −20.67 dBm.
Growing Maize Root: Lectins Involved in Consecutive Stages of Cell Development
Authors: Aglyamova Aliya , Petrova Natalia , Gorshkov Oleg , Kozlova Liudmila , Gorshkova Tatyana
Published: July 2022

Proteins that carry specific carbohydrate-binding lectin domains have a great variety and are ubiquitous across the plant kingdom. In turn, the plant cell wall has a complex carbohydrate composition, which is subjected to constant changes in the course of plant development. In this regard, proteins with lectin domains are of great interest in the context of studying their contribution to the tuning and monitoring of the cell wall during its modifications in the course of plant organ development. We performed a genome-wide screening of lectin motifs in the Zea mays genome and analyzed the transcriptomic data from five zones of primary maize root with cells at different development stages. This allowed us to obtain 306 gene sequences encoding putative lectins and to relate their expressions to the stages of root cell development and peculiarities of cell wall metabolism. Among the lectins whose expression was high and differentially regulated in growing maize root were the members of the EUL, dirigent–jacalin, malectin, malectin-like, GNA and Nictaba families, many of which are predicted as cell wall proteins or lectin receptor-like kinases that have direct access to the cell wall. Thus, a set of molecular players was identified with high potential to play important roles in the early stages of root morphogenesis.