bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Microtia: A Data Linkage Study of Epidemiology and Implications for Service Delivery
Authors: Jovic Thomas H. , Gibson John A. G. , Griffiths Rowena , Dobbs Thomas D. , Akbari Ashley , Wilson-Jones Nicholas , Costello Rhodri , Evans Peter , Cooper Mark , Key Steve , Lyons Ronan , Whitaker Iain S.
Published: March 2021

Introduction: Previous studies of microtia epidemiology globally have demonstrated significant geographical and ethnic variation, cited broadly as affecting 3–5 in 10,000 live births. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of microtia in a largely homogeneous ethnic population in the United Kingdom (Wales) and to identify factors, such as distance and socioeconomic status, which may influence the access to surgical intervention.

Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using data linkage to identify patients born between 2000 and 2018 with a diagnosis of microtia. Microtia incidence was calculated using annual and geographic birth rates. Surgical operation codes were used to classify patients into those that had no surgery, autologous reconstruction or prosthetic reconstruction. Sociodemographic attributes were compared using descriptive statistics to determine differences in access to each type of surgical intervention.

Results: A total of 101 patients were identified, 64.4% were male and the median age was 12 (8–16). The mean annual incidence was 2.13 microtia cases per 10,000 births over the 19-year study period. Both temporal and geographic variation was noted. The majority of patients undergoing surgery opted for autologous reconstruction (72.9%) at a median age of 9 (7–10) compared to 7 (5–8) for prosthetic reconstruction. Autologous reconstruction had a higher median number of surgeries (2, 1–3) than prosthetic (1.5, 1–2) and a higher median socioeconomic status of 3 (2–4) compared to 2 (1–4) for the prosthetic cohort. There were no statistically significant differences in the distance traveled for surgery.

Discussion: This study highlights a role for data linkage in epidemiological analyses and provides a revised incidence of microtia in Wales. Although the majority of patients opted for autologous reconstruction, demographic disparities in socioeconomic status warrant further investigation, emphasizing the importance of striving for equity in accessibility to surgical intervention.
Association Between Parenting and School Refusal Among Elementary School Children in Japan: Results From A-CHILD Longitudinal Study
Authors: Fukuya Yoshifumi , Fujiwara Takeo , Isumi Aya , Doi Satomi , Ochi Manami
Published: March 2021

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the association between parenting, including the parent–child interaction and child maltreatment in the first grade (6–7 years old), and school refusal in the second (7–8 years old) and fourth (9–10 years old) grades among elementary school children in Japan.

Methods: Data were from the Adachi Child Health Impact of Living Difficulty (A-CHILD) longitudinal study conducted in 2015, 2016, and 2018 in Adachi City, Tokyo, Japan. A questionnaire was distributed to all the first-grade school children (N = 5,355) in 2015. Of the total 4,291 valid children (response rate: 80.1%), 3,590 and 3,070 children were followed up to the second and fourth grades, respectively. Caregivers responded to the questionnaire on the parent–child interaction and child maltreatment, including neglect, physical abuse, and psychological abuse in the first grade and school refusal in the second and fourth grades. We conducted multiple imputation for missing data. Multivariate logistic regression model was used for this analysis adjusting for child mental health in the first grade and sociodemographic characteristics.

Results: Prevalence of school refusal was 1.8% (n = 64) in the second grade and 2% (n = 60) in the fourth grade. We found no association of the parent–child interaction and child maltreatment in the first grade and with school refusal in the second and fourth grades, respectively, after adjusting for covariates.

Conclusions: Parenting, such as the parent–child interaction and child maltreatment, may not be associated with school refusal among elementary school children. Further longitudinal research is needed to elucidate other factors, such as peer relationships and school environment, which can affect school refusal.
Improving the Way We See: Adaptive Optics Based Optical Microscopy for Deep-Tissue Imaging
Authors: Sahu Pranoy , Mazumder Nirmal
Published: March 2021

With the recent developments in optical imaging tools and techniques, scientists are now able to image deeper regions of the tissue with greater resolution and accuracy. However, light scattering while imaging deeper regions of a biological tissue remains a fundamental issue. Presence of lipids, proteins and nucleic acids in the tissue makes it inhomogeneous for a given wavelength of light. Two-photon fluorescence (TPF) microscopy supplemented with improved invasive optical tools allows functional imaging in awake behaving mammals in an unprecedented manner. Similarly, improved optical methods conjugated with previously existing scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (SLO) has paved diffraction-limited retinal imaging. With the evolving technology, scientists are now able to resolve biological structures and function at the sub-cellular level. Wavefront correcting methods like adaptive optics (AO) has been implemented in correcting tissue or optical-based distortions, shaping the excitation beam in 3D-holography to target multiple neurons. And more recently, AO-based SLO is implemented for eye imaging both in research and clinical settings. In this review, we discuss some of the recent improvements in TPF microscopy with the application of AO for wavefront corrections and its recent application in brain imaging as well as ophthalmoscopy.
Effects of Living Cover on the Soil Microbial Communities and Ecosystem Functions of Hazelnut Orchards
Authors: Ma Wenxu , Yang Zhen , Hou Sihao , Ma Qinghua , Liang Lisong , Wang Guixi , Liang Chunli , Zhao Tiantian
Published: March 2021

Living cover is an important management measure for orchards in China, and has certain influences on soil properties, microorganisms, and the micro-ecological environment. However, there are few studies on the effects of living cover on the soil changes in hazelnut orchards. In this study, we compared the soils of living cover treatments with Vulpia myuros and the soils of no cover treatments, and analyzed the observed changes in soil properties, microorganisms, and microbial functions by using high-throughput ITS rDNA and 16S rRNA gene Illumina sequencing. The results demonstrated that the total organic carbon content in the 20–40 cm deep soils under the living cover treatments increased by 32.87 and 14.82% in May and July, respectively, compared with those under the no cover treatments. The living cover treatment with V. myuros also significantly increased the contents of total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN), available phosphorus (AP), and available potassium (AK) in the soil samples. Moreover, the influence of seasons was not as significant as that of soil depth. The living cover treatment also significantly improved the soil enzyme activity levels. The results demonstrated that Ascomycota, Mortierellomycota and Basidiomycota were the dominant fungal phyla in all samples, while Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, Firmicutes, and Chloroflexi were the dominant bacterial phyla, but the different treatments impacted the compositions of fungal and bacterial communities. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that living cover with V. myuros significantly changed the soil fungal community structures whereas the bacterial community structures may be more sensitive to seasonal changes. At the microbial functional level, the living cover treatment increased the fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs) of symbiotrophs and decreased that of pathotrophs. According to this study, we believe that the application of a living cover with V. myuros has a favorable regulating influence on soil properties, microbial communities and microbial function. This treatment can also reduce the use of herbicides, reduce the cost of orchard management, and store more carbon underground to achieve sustainable intensification of production in hazelnut orchards, so it can be considered as a management measure for hazelnut orchards.
A Thematic Analysis of Multiple Pathways Between Nature Engagement Activities and Well-Being
Authors: Iqbal Anam , Mansell Warren
Published: March 2021

Research studies have identified various different mechanisms in the effects of nature engagement on well-being and mental health. However, rarely are multiple pathways examined in the same study and little use has been made of first-hand, experiential accounts through interviews. Therefore, a semi-structured interview was conducted with seven female students who identified the role of nature engagement in their well-being and mental health. After applying thematic analysis, 11 themes were extracted from the data set, which were: “enjoying the different sensory input,” “calm nature facilitates a calm mood,” “enhancing decision making and forming action plans,” “enhancing efficiency and productivity,” “alleviating pressure from society's expectations regarding education,” “formation of community relations,” “nature puts things into perspective,” “liking the contrast from the urban environment,” “feel freedom,” “coping mechanism,” and “anxious if prevented or restricted.” The results indicate complementary mechanisms for how nature-related activities benefit mental health and well-being that may occupy different levels of experience within a hierarchical framework informed by perceptual control theory.
Physical Activity Levels of Adult Virtual Football Players
Authors: Pereira Ana M. , Verhagen Evert , Figueiredo Pedro , Seabra André , Martins António , Brito João
Published: March 2021

Esports, including virtual football, are a worldwide phenomenon. Yet, little is known about the physical activity levels of individuals engaged in virtual football game play. Therefore, we aimed to perform a preliminary evaluation of the levels of physical activity, sedentarism, and habits of physical training of adults engaged with virtual football in Portugal. This was a cross-sectional investigation based on a structured online survey using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and a set of questions regarding habits of physical training. The participants (n = 433) reported spending a median of 5,625 MET-min⋅week−1 being physically active. Still, the participants spent 320 min/day sitting, and 150 min/day practicing virtual football. According to the IPAQ scores, high physical activity levels were reported by 84.5% of the participants, and 87.1% were considered physically active considering the WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behavior. Overall, 60.0% of the participants reported planning their own physical training. Maintaining or improving overall physical health was one of the main reasons for doing physical training (66.7%), with only 6.1% responding being active to improve virtual football performance. Overall, the results showed that virtual football players accomplished the standard recommendations for physical activity, with high levels of physical activity, and encompassing regular physical training focused mostly on health promotion, rather than improved virtual football performance.
Adverse Events in Italian Nursing Homes During the COVID-19 Epidemic: A National Survey
Authors: Lombardo Flavia L. , Salvi Emanuela , Lacorte Eleonora , Piscopo Paola , Mayer Flavia , Ancidoni Antonio , Remoli Giulia , Bellomo Guido , Losito Gilda , D’Ancona Fortunato , Canevelli Marco , Onder Graziano , Vanacore Nicola ,   The Italian National Institute of Health Nursing Home Study Group
Published: March 2021

Older people living in nursing homes (NHs) are particularly vulnerable in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, due to the high prevalence of chronic diseases and disabilities (e.g., dementia). The phenomenon of adverse events (AEs), intended as any harm or injury resulting from medical care or to the failure to provide care, has not yet been investigated in NHs during the pandemic. We performed a national survey on 3,292 NHs, either public or providing services both privately and within the national health system, out of the 3,417 NHs covering the whole Italian territory. An online questionnaire was addressed to the directors of each facility between March 24 and April 27, 2020. The list of NHs was provided by the Dementia Observatory, an online map of Italian services for people with dementia, which was one of the objectives of the implementation of the Italian National Dementia Plan. About 26% of residents in the Italian NHs for older people listed within the Dementia Observatory site had dementia. The objective of our study was to report the frequency of AEs that occurred during the months when SARS-CoV-2 spreading rate was at its highest in the Italian NHs and to identify which conditions and attributes were most associated with the occurrence of AEs by means of multivariate regression logistic analysis. Data are referred to 1,356 NHs that participated in the survey. The overall response rate was 41.2% over a time-period of six weeks (from March 24 to May 5). About one third of the facilities (444 out of 1,334) (33.3%) reported at least 1 adverse event, with a total of 2,000 events. Among the included NHs, having a bed capacity higher than the median of 60 beds (OR=1.57, CI95% 1.17–2.09; p=0.002), an observed increased in the use of psychiatric drugs (OR=1.80, CI95% 1.05–3.07; p=0.032), adopting physical restraint measures (OR=1.97, CI95% 1.47–2.64; p<0.001), residents hospitalized due to flu-like symptoms (OR =1.73, CI95% 1.28–2.32; p<0.001), and being located in specific geographic areas (OR=3.59, CI95% 1.81–7.08; OR = 2.90, CI95% 1.45–5.81 and OR = 4.02, CI05% 2.01–8.04 for, respectively, North-West, North-East and Centre vs South, p<0.001) were all factors positively associated to the occurrence of adverse events in the facility. Future recommendations for the management and care of residents in NHs during the COVID-19 pandemic should include specific statements for the most vulnerable populations, such as people with dementia.
Increased Amygdala Activity Associated With Cognitive Reappraisal Strategy in Functional Neurologic Disorder
Authors: Hassa Thomas , Spiteri Stefan , Schmidt Roger , Merkel Christian , Schoenfeld Mircea Ariel
Published: March 2021

Cognitive reappraisal is an emotion regulation strategy to reduce the impact of affective stimuli. This regulation could be incomplete in patients with functional neurologic disorder (FND) resulting in an overflowing emotional stimulation perpetuating symptoms in FND patients. Here we employed functional MRI to study cognitive reappraisal in FND. A total of 24 FND patients and 24 healthy controls employed cognitive reappraisal while seeing emotional visual stimuli in the scanner. The Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R) was used to evaluate concomitant psychopathologies of the patients. During cognitive reappraisal of negative IAPS images FND patients show an increased activation of the right amygdala compared to normal controls. We found no evidence of downregulation in the amygdala during reappraisal neither in the patients nor in the control group. The valence and arousal ratings of the IAPS images were similar across groups. However, a subgroup of patients showed a significant higher account of extreme low ratings for arousal for negative images. These low ratings correlated inversely with the item “anxiety” of the SCL-90-R. The increased activation of the amygdala during cognitive reappraisal suggests altered processing of emotional stimuli in this region in FND patients.
Dammarane Sapogenins Improving Simulated Weightlessness-Induced Depressive-Like Behaviors and Cognitive Dysfunction in Rats
Authors: Wang Qiong , Dong Li , Wang Mengdi , Chen Shanguang , Li Shanshan , Chen Yongbing , He Wenlu , Zhang Hong , Zhang Yongliang , Pires Dias Alberto Carlos , Yang Sijin , Liu Xinmin
Published: March 2021

Background: Our studies demonstrated that the space environment has an impact on the brain function of astronauts. Numerous ground-based microgravity and social isolation showed that the space environment can induce brain function damages in humans and animals. Dammarane sapogenins (DS), an active fraction from oriental ginseng, possesses neuropsychic protective effects and has been shown to improve depression and memory. This study aimed to explore the effects and mechanisms of DS in attenuating depressive-like behaviors and cognitive deficiency induced by simulated weightlessness and isolation [hindlimb suspension and isolation (HLSI)] in rats.

Methods: Male rats were orally administered with two different doses of DS (37.5, 75 mg/kg) for 14 days, and huperzine-A (1 mg/kg) served as positive control. Rats were subjected to HLSI for 14 days except the control group during drug administration. The depressive-like behaviors were then evaluated by the open-field test, the novel object recognition test, and the forced swimming test. The spatial memory and working memory were evaluated by the Morris water maze (MWM) test, and the related mechanism was further explored by analyzing the activity of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the hippocampus of rats.

Results: The results showed that DS treatment significantly reversed the HLSI-induced depressive-like behaviors in the open-field test, the novel object recognition test, and the forced swimming test and improved the HLSI-induced cognitive impairment in the MWM test. Furthermore, after DS treatment, the ChAT and SOD activities of HLSI rats were increased while AChE activity was significantly suppressed.

Conclusions: These findings clearly demonstrated that DS might exert a significant neuropsychic protective effect induced by spaceflight environment, driven in part by the modulation of cholinergic system and anti-oxidation in the hippocampus.
Machine Perfusion of the Liver: A Review of Clinical Trials
Authors: Serifis Nikolaos , Matheson Rudy , Cloonan Daniel , Rickert Charles G. , Markmann James F. , Coe Taylor M.
Published: March 2021

Although efforts have been made by transplant centers to increase the pool of available livers by extending the criteria of liver acceptance, this practice creates risks for recipients that include primary non-function of the graft, early allograft dysfunction and post-operative complications. Donor liver machine perfusion (MP) is a promising novel strategy that not only decreases cold ischemia time, but also serves as a method of assessing the viability of the graft. In this review, we summarize the data from liver machine perfusion clinical trials and discuss the various techniques available to date as well as future applications of machine perfusion. A variety of approaches have been reported including hypothermic machine perfusion (HMP) and normothermic machine perfusion (NMP); the advantages and disadvantages of each are just now beginning to be resolved. Important in this effort is developing markers of viability with lactate being the most predictive of graft functionality. The advent of machine perfusion has also permitted completely ischemia free transplantation by utilization of in situ NMP showed promising results. Animal studies that focus on defatting steatotic livers via NMP as well as groups that work on regenerating liver tissue ex vivo via MP. The broad incorporation of machine perfusion into routine clinical practice seems incredible.
Emerging and Adjunctive Therapies for Spinal Cord Injury Following Acute Canine Intervertebral Disc Herniation
Authors: Lewis Melissa J. , Granger Nicolas , Jeffery Nick D. ,   The Canine Spinal Cord Injury Consortium (CANSORT-SCI)
Published: March 2021

Some dogs do not make a full recovery following medical or surgical management of acute canine intervertebral disc herniation (IVDH), highlighting the limits of currently available treatment options. The multitude of difficulties in treating severe spinal cord injury are well-recognized, and they have spurred intense laboratory research, resulting in a broad range of strategies that might have value in treating spinal cord-injured dogs. These include interventions that aim to directly repair the spinal cord lesion, promote axonal sparing or regeneration, mitigate secondary injury through neuroprotective mechanisms, or facilitate functional compensation. Despite initial promise in experimental models, many of these techniques have failed or shown mild efficacy in clinical trials in humans and dogs, although high quality evidence is lacking for many of these interventions. However, the continued introduction of new options to the veterinary clinic remains important for expanding our understanding of the mechanisms of injury and repair and for development of novel and combined strategies for severely affected dogs. This review outlines adjunctive or emerging therapies that have been proposed as treatment options for dogs with acute IVDH, including discussion of local or lesion-based approaches as well as systemically applied treatments in both acute and subacute-to-chronic settings. These interventions include low-level laser therapy, electromagnetic fields or oscillating electrical fields, adjunctive surgical techniques (myelotomy or durotomy), systemically or locally-applied hypothermia, neuroprotective chemicals, physical rehabilitation, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, electroacupuncture, electrical stimulation of the spinal cord or specific peripheral nerves, nerve grafting strategies, 4-aminopyridine, chondroitinase ABC, and cell transplantation.
Rapid Truck Loading for Efficient Feedstock Logistics
Authors: Grisso Robert “Bobby” , Cundiff John , Sarin Subhash C.
Published: March 2021

A multi-bale handling unit offers an advantage for the efficient hauling of round bales. Two empty racks on trailers are left at a satellite storage location for loading while a truck tractor delivers two loaded racks to the biorefinery, thus uncoupling the loading and hauling operations and increasing the efficiency of both. The projected 10 min trailer exchange time equals the projected 10 min unload time at the biorefinery achieved by lifting off the two full racks and replacing them with two empties, a technology adapted from the container shipping industry. A concept is presented for a bale loader that latches onto the rack/trailer and loads bales into the bottom tier chambers. This machine will load 10 bales into the rack on the front trailer by attaching on to the front of the trailer and 10 bales into the rear trailer by attaching onto the rear. A telehandler removes bales from single-layer storage and places them in the bale loader to load the bottom tier compartments. The top tier compartments are loaded directly from the top. Expectations are that an experienced operator can average 9 loads in a 10 h workday, and load-out cost is estimated as 3.61 USD/Mg, assuming the average achieved load-out productivity over annual operation is 60% of optimum productivity (24 Mg/h) equal to 14.4 Mg/h. Cost increases to 4.81 USD/Mg when the productivity factor drops to 45%, and cost is 3.09 USD/Mg for a factor of 70%.
Characterization of Environmental and Cultivable Antibiotic-Resistant Microbial Communities Associated with Wastewater Treatment
Authors: Sorgen Alicia , Johnson James , Lambirth Kevin , Clinton Sandra M. , Redmond Molly , Fodor Anthony , Gibas Cynthia
Published: March 2021

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a growing global concern, threatening human and environmental health, particularly among urban populations. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are thought to be “hotspots” for antibiotic resistance dissemination. The conditions of WWTPs, in conjunction with the persistence of commonly used antibiotics, may favor the selection and transfer of resistance genes among bacterial populations. WWTPs provide an important ecological niche to examine the spread of antibiotic resistance. We used heterotrophic plate count methods to identify phenotypically resistant cultivable portions of these bacterial communities and characterized the composition of the culturable subset of these populations. Resistant taxa were more abundant in raw sewage and wastewater before the biological aeration treatment stage. While some antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) were detectable downstream of treated wastewater release, these organisms are not enriched relative to effluent-free upstream water, indicating efficient removal during treatment. Combined culture-dependent and -independent analyses revealed a stark difference in community composition between culturable fractions and the environmental source material, irrespective of culturing conditions. Higher proportions of the environmental populations were recovered than predicted by the widely accepted 1% culturability paradigm. These results represent baseline abundance and compositional data for ARB communities for reference in future studies addressing the dissemination of antibiotic resistance associated with urban wastewater treatment ecosystems.
Nicotinamide Supplementation Improves Oocyte Quality and Offspring Development by Modulating Mitochondrial Function in an Aged Caenorhabditis elegans Model
Authors: Min Hyemin , Lee Mijin , Cho Kyoung Sang , Lim Hyunjung Jade , Shim Yhong-Hee
Published: March 2021

Aging is associated with a decline in the quality of biological functions. Among the aging processes, reproductive aging is a critical process because of its intergenerational effects. However, the mechanisms underlying reproductive aging remain largely unknown. Female reproductive aging is the primary reason for limited fertility in mammals. Therefore, we attempted to investigate a modulator that can control female reproductive aging using a Caenorhabditis elegans model. In the present study, we examined the role of nicotinamide (NAM) in oocyte quality and offspring development. The levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidative stress responses in aged oocytes, embryonic lethality, and developmental growth of the offspring were examined with maternal NAM supplementation. Supplementation with NAM improved oocyte quality, decreased embryonic lethality, and promoted germ cell apoptosis. Furthermore, NAM supplementation in aged mothers reduced ROS accumulation and improved mitochondrial function in oocytes. Consequently, the developmental growth and motility of offspring were improved. These findings suggest that NAM supplementation improves the health of the offspring produced by aged mothers through improved mitochondrial function. Taken together, our results imply that NAM supplementation in the aged mother improves oocyte quality and protects offspring by modulating mitochondrial function.
Dependence of the Flue Gas Flow on the Setting of the Separation Baffle in the Flue Gas Tract
Authors: Čajová Kantová Nikola , Čaja Alexander , Patsch Marek , Holubčík Michal , Ďurčanský Peter
Published: March 2021

With the combustion of solid fuels, emissions such as particulate matter are also formed, which have a negative impact on human health. Reducing their amount in the air can be achieved by optimizing the combustion process as well as the flue gas flow. This article aims to optimize the flue gas tract using separation baffles. This design can make it possible to capture particulate matter by using three baffles and prevent it from escaping into the air in the flue gas. The geometric parameters of the first baffle were changed twice more. The dependence of the flue gas flow on the baffles was first observed by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations and subsequently verified by the particle imaging velocimetry (PIV) method. Based on the CFD results, the most effective is setting 1 with the same boundary conditions as those during experimental PIV measurements. Setting 2 can capture 1.8% less particles and setting 3 can capture 0.6% less particles than setting 1. Based on the stoichiometric calculations, it would be possible to capture up to 62.3% of the particles in setting 1. The velocities comparison obtained from CFD and PIV confirmed the supposed character of the turbulent flow with vortexes appearing in the flue gas tract, despite some inaccuracies.
The Noise-Reduction Characteristics of Microstructure of Dragonfly Wing Leading Vein
Authors: Jiang Shan , Hu Yong , Li Qiang , Wang Hongde , Lin Yang , Zhou Xiaoqin , Liu Qiang
Published: March 2021

Dragonfly wings have many excellent functions, such as superhydrophobic, fatigue resistance, anti-reflection, etc. However, there are few reports on the low noise flight of dragonfly wings. For this reason, the microgeometry of dragonfly wings was studied in this paper to reveal the mechanism of low-noise flight of dragonfly leading veins. The micromorphology of dragonfly wings was observed by scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the leading-edge veins of dragonfly wings have a triangular prism-like serrated structure, which has been proven to have the effect of improving aeroacoustics. According to the principle of scale law of flying organisms, a bionic model with the leading-edge microstructure of dragonfly’s front wing was established, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis of serration bionic microstructure was carried out. The effects of geometric parameters, such as height, width and overall amplification factor of microstructure on aeroacoustics were obtained. The distribution of pressure fluctuation on the surface of the bionic wing was also analyzed in this paper. It was found that the serrated microstructure can significantly suppress the noise generation in the mid-frequency band. Finally, wind tunnel tests were simulated using a designed low-noise rotating test platform. The test results confirmed that the serration microstructure has certain noise-reduction characteristics.
Willows Used for Phytoremediation Increased Organic Contaminant Concentrations in Soil Surface
Authors: Fortin Faubert Maxime , Desjardins Dominic , Hijri Mohamed , Labrecque Michel
Published: March 2021

The Salix genus includes shrub species that are widely used in phytoremediation and various other phytotechnologies due to their advantageous characteristics, such as a high evapotranspiration (ET) rate, in particular when cultivated in short rotation intensive culture (SRIC). Observations made in past field studies suggest that ET and its impact on soil hydrology can also lead to increases in soil pollutant concentrations near shrubs. To investigate this, sections of a mature willow plantation (seven years old) were cut to eliminate transpiration (Cut treatment). Soil concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), aliphatic compounds C10–C50, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and five trace elements (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni and Zn) were compared between the Cut and the uncut plots (Salix miyabeana ‘SX61’). Over 24 months, the results clearly show that removal of the willow shrubs limited the contaminants’ increase in the soil surface, as observed for C10–C50 and of 10 PAHs under the Salix treatment. This finding strongly reinforces a hypothesis that SRIC of willows may facilitate the migration of contaminants towards their roots, thus increasing their concentration in the surrounding soil. Such a “pumping effect” in a high-density willow crop is a prominent characteristic specific to field studies that can lead to counterintuitive results. Although apparent increases of contaminant concentrations contradict the purification benefits usually pursued in phytoremediation, the possibility of active phytoextraction and rhizodegradation is not excluded. Moreover, increases of pollutant concentrations under shrubs following migration suggest that decreases would consequently occur at the source points. Some reflections on interpreting field work results are provided.
Coupling Plant Biomass Derived from Phytoremediation of Potential Toxic-Metal-Polluted Soils to Bioenergy Production and High-Value by-Products—A Review
Authors: Edgar Vázquez-Núñez , Fabián Fernández-Luqueño , Mario Peña-Castro Julián , Ileana Vera-Reyes
Published: March 2021

Phytoremediation is an attractive strategy for cleaning soils polluted with a wide spectrum of organic and inorganic toxic compounds. Among these pollutants, heavy metals have attracted global attention due to their negative effects on human health and terrestrial ecosystems. As a result of this, numerous studies have been carried out to elucidate the mechanisms involved in removal processes. These studies have employed many plant species that might be used for phytoremediation and the obtention of end bioproducts such as biofuels and biogas useful in combustion and heating. Phytotechnologies represent an attractive segment that is increasingly gaining attention worldwide due to their versatility, economic profitability, and environmental co-benefits such as erosion control and soil quality and functionality improvement. In this review, the process of valorizing biomass from phytoremediation is described; in addition, relevant experiments where polluted biomass is used as feedstock or bioenergy is produced via thermo- and biochemical conversion are analyzed. Besides, pretreatments of biomass to increase yields and treatments to control the transfer of metals to the environment are also mentioned. Finally, aspects related to the feasibility, benefits, risks, and gaps of converting toxic-metal-polluted biomass are discussed.
Cross-Modal Effect of Presenting Visual and Force Feedback That Create the Illusion of Stair-Climbing
Authors: Okumura Takumi , Kurita Yuichi
Published: March 2021

Image therapy, which creates illusions with a mirror and a head mount display, assists movement relearning in stroke patients. Mirror therapy presents the movement of the unaffected limb in a mirror, creating the illusion of movement of the affected limb. As the visual information of images cannot create a fully immersive experience, we propose a cross-modal strategy that supplements the image with sensual information. By interacting with the stimuli received from multiple sensory organs, the brain complements missing senses, and the patient experiences a different sense of motion. Our system generates the sense of stair-climbing in a subject walking on a level floor. The force sensation is presented by a pneumatic gel muscle (PGM). Based on motion analysis in a human lower-limb model and the characteristics of the force exerted by the PGM, we set the appropriate air pressure of the PGM. The effectiveness of the proposed system was evaluated by surface electromyography and a questionnaire. The experimental results showed that by synchronizing the force sensation with visual information, we could match the motor and perceived sensations at the muscle-activity level, enhancing the sense of stair-climbing. The experimental results showed that the visual condition significantly improved the illusion intensity during stair-climbing.
Recent Developments in Enzymatic Antioxidant Defence Mechanism in Plants with Special Reference to Abiotic Stress
Authors: Rajput Vishnu D. , Harish  , Singh Rupesh Kumar , Verma Krishan K. , Sharma Lav , Quiroz-Figueroa Francisco Roberto , Meena Mukesh , Gour Vinod Singh , Minkina Tatiana , Sushkova Svetlana , Mandzhieva Saglara
Published: March 2021

The stationary life of plants has led to the evolution of a complex gridded antioxidant defence system constituting numerous enzymatic components, playing a crucial role in overcoming various stress conditions. Mainly, these plant enzymes are superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POX), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione S-transferases (GST), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR), and dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), which work as part of the antioxidant defence system. These enzymes together form a complex set of mechanisms to minimise, buffer, and scavenge the reactive oxygen species (ROS) efficiently. The present review is aimed at articulating the current understanding of each of these enzymatic components, with special attention on the role of each enzyme in response to the various environmental, especially abiotic stresses, their molecular characterisation, and reaction mechanisms. The role of the enzymatic defence system for plant health and development, their significance, and cross-talk mechanisms are discussed in detail. Additionally, the application of antioxidant enzymes in developing stress-tolerant transgenic plants are also discussed.
Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase Inhibition in Monocytes/Macrophages from Alzheimer’s Disease Patients
Authors: Chiurchiù Valerio , Scipioni Lucia , Arosio Beatrice , Mari Daniela , Oddi Sergio , Maccarrone Mauro
Published: March 2021

Growing evidence shows that the immune system is critically involved in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis and progression. The modulation and targeting of peripheral immune mechanisms are thus promising therapeutic or preventive strategies for AD. Given the critical involvement of the endocannabinoid (eCB) system in modulating immune functions, we investigated the potential role of the main elements of such a system, namely type-1 and type-2 cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2), and fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), in distinct immune cell populations of the peripheral blood of AD patients. We found that, compared to healthy controls, CB1 and CB2 expression was significantly lower in the B-lymphocytes of AD patients. Moreover, we found that CB2 was significantly lower and FAAH was significantly higher in monocytes of the same subjects. In contrast, T-lymphocytes and NK cells did not show any variation in any of these proteins. Of note, monocytic CB2 and FAAH levels significantly correlated with clinical scores. Furthermore, the pharmacological inactivation of FAAH in monocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages obtained from AD patients was able to modulate their immune responses, by reducing production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-12, and enhancing that of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. Furthermore, FAAH blockade skewed AD monocyte-derived macrophages towards a more anti-inflammatory and pro-resolving phenotype. Collectively, our findings highlight a central role of FAAH in regulating AD monocytes/macrophages that could be of value in developing novel monocyte-centered therapeutic approaches aimed at promoting a neuroprotective environment.
Syndecan-4 as a Pathogenesis Factor and Therapeutic Target in Cancer
Authors: Onyeisi Jessica Oyie Sousa , Lopes Carla Cristina , Götte Martin
Published: March 2021

Cancer is an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Advances in research on the biology of cancer revealed alterations in several key pathways underlying tumorigenesis and provided molecular targets for developing new and improved existing therapies. Syndecan-4, a transmembrane heparan sulfate proteoglycan, is a central mediator of cell adhesion, migration and proliferation. Although several studies have demonstrated important roles of syndecan-4 in cell behavior and its interactions with growth factors, extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules and cytoskeletal signaling proteins, less is known about its role and expression in multiple cancer. The data summarized in this review demonstrate that high expression of syndecan-4 is an unfavorable biomarker for estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer, glioma, liver cancer, melanoma, osteosarcoma, papillary thyroid carcinoma and testicular, kidney and bladder cancer. In contrast, in neuroblastoma and colorectal cancer, syndecan-4 is downregulated. Interestingly, syndecan-4 expression is modulated by anticancer drugs. It is upregulated upon treatment with zoledronate and this effect reduces invasion of breast cancer cells. In our recent work, we demonstrated that the syndecan-4 level was reduced after trastuzumab treatment. Similarly, syndecan-4 levels are also reduced after panitumumab treatment. Together, the data found suggest that syndecan-4 level is crucial for understanding the changes involving in malignant transformation, and also demonstrate that syndecan-4 emerges as an important target for cancer therapy and diagnosis.
Artificial Intelligence Techniques for Prostate Cancer Detection through Dual-Channel Tissue Feature Engineering
Authors: Kim Cho-Hee , Bhattacharjee Subrata , Prakash Deekshitha , Kang Suki , Cho Nam-Hoon , Kim Hee-Cheol , Choi Heung-Kook
Published: March 2021

The optimal diagnostic and treatment strategies for prostate cancer (PCa) are constantly changing. Given the importance of accurate diagnosis, texture analysis of stained prostate tissues is important for automatic PCa detection. We used artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to classify dual-channel tissue features extracted from Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) tissue images, respectively. Tissue feature engineering was performed to extract first-order statistic (FOS)-based textural features from each stained channel, and cancer classification between benign and malignant was carried out based on important features. Recursive feature elimination (RFE) and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) methods were used to identify significant features, which provided the best five features out of the extracted six features. The AI techniques used in this study for binary classification (benign vs. malignant and low-grade vs. high-grade) were support vector machine (SVM), logistic regression (LR), bagging tree, boosting tree, and dual-channel bidirectional long short-term memory (DC-BiLSTM) network. Further, a comparative analysis was carried out between the AI algorithms. Two different datasets were used for PCa classification. Out of these, the first dataset (private) was used for training and testing the AI models and the second dataset (public) was used only for testing to evaluate model performance. The automatic AI classification system performed well and showed satisfactory results according to the hypothesis of this study.
Urinary Extracellular Vesicles as Potential Biomarkers for Urologic Cancers: An Overview of Current Methods and Advances
Authors: Lourenço Catarina , Constâncio Vera , Henrique Rui , Carvalho Ângela , Jerónimo Carmen
Published: March 2021

Urologic cancers are a heterogeneous group of tumors, some of which have poor prognosis. This is partly due to the unavailability of specific and sensitive diagnostic techniques and monitoring tests, ideally non- or minimally invasive. Hence, liquid biopsies are promising tools that have been gaining significant attention over the last decade. Among the different classes of biomarkers that can be isolated from biofluids, urinary extracellular vesicles (uEVs) are a promising low-invasive source of biomarkers, with the potential to improve cancer diagnosis and disease management. Different techniques have been developed to isolate and characterize the cargo of these vesicles; however, no consensus has been reached, challenging the comparison among studies. This results in a vast number of studies portraying an extensive list of uEV-derived candidate biomarkers for urologic cancers, with the potential to improve clinical outcome; however, without significant validation. Herein, we review the current published research on miRNA and protein-derived uEV for prostate, bladder and kidney cancers, focusing on different uEV isolation methods, and its implications for biomarker studies.
Androgen Receptor-Dependent Mechanisms Mediating Drug Resistance in Prostate Cancer
Authors: Ehsani Marzieh , David Faith Oluwakemi , Baniahmad Aria
Published: March 2021

Androgen receptor (AR) is a main driver of prostate cancer (PCa) growth and progression as well as the key drug target. Appropriate PCa treatments differ depending on the stage of cancer at diagnosis. Although androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) of PCa is initially effective, eventually tumors develop resistance to the drug within 2–3 years of treatment onset leading to castration resistant PCa (CRPC). Castration resistance is usually mediated by reactivation of AR signaling. Eventually, PCa develops additional resistance towards treatment with AR antagonists that occur regularly, also mostly due to bypass mechanisms that activate AR signaling. This tumor evolution with selection upon therapy is presumably based on a high degree of tumor heterogenicity and plasticity that allows PCa cells to proliferate and develop adaptive signaling to the treatment and evolve pathways in therapy resistance, including resistance to chemotherapy. The therapy-resistant PCa phenotype is associated with more aggressiveness and increased metastatic ability. By far, drug resistance remains a major cause of PCa treatment failure and lethality. In this review, various acquired and intrinsic mechanisms that are AR‑dependent and contribute to PCa drug resistance will be discussed.
Environmentally Friendly Route for Fabricating Conductive Agent for Lithium-Ion Batteries: Carbon Nanoparticles Derived from Polyethylene
Authors: Mok Jihye , Choi Dalsu , Bhang Suk Ho
Published: March 2021

Here, we introduce an environmentally friendly way of fabricating carbon nanoparticles which can be utilized as conductive agent for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Polyethylene (PE), which comprises the largest portion of plastic waste, was used as a source for carbon nanoparticle synthesis. Sulfonation allowed chemical structural transformation of innately non-carbonizable PE into a carbonizable conformation, and carbon nanoparticles could be successfully derived from sulfonated PE. Then, PE-derived carbon nanoparticles were used as conductive agents for LIBs, and assembled cells exhibited stable performance. Even though the performance is not as good as Super-P, utilization of PE as a source of conductive agent for LIBs might provide an economical advantage to upcycle PE.
Sirtuin 2 Dysregulates Autophagy in High-Fat-Exposed Immune-Tolerant Macrophages
Authors: Roychowdhury Sanjoy , Gandhirajan Anugraha , Kibler Christopher , Wang Xianfeng , Vachharajani Vidula
Published: March 2021

Obesity increases morbidity and resource utilization in sepsis patients. The immune response in sepsis transitions from an endotoxin-responsive hyper- to an endotoxin-tolerant hypo-inflammatory phase. The majority of sepsis mortality occurs during hypo-inflammation. We reported prolonged hypo-inflammation with increased sirtuin 2 (SIRT2) expression in obese-septic mice. The effect of direct exposure to high-fat/free fatty acid (FFA) and the role of SIRT2 in immune cells during the transition to hypo-inflammation is not well-understood. Autophagy, a degradation process of damaged protein/organelles, is dysregulated during sepsis. Here, we investigated the effect of direct FFA exposure and the role of SIRT2 expression on autophagy as macrophages transition from hyper-to hypo-inflammation. We found, FFA-exposed RAW 264.7 cells with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation undergo endotoxin-sensitive (“sensitive”) hyper- followed by endotoxin tolerant (“tolerant”) hypo-inflammatory phases; SIRT2 expression increases significantly in tolerant cells. Autophagy proteins LC3b-II, and beclin-1 increase in FFA-sensitive and decrease in tolerant cells; p62 expressions continue to accumulate in tolerant cells. We observed that SIRT2 directly deacetylates α-tubulin and impairs autophagy clearance. Importantly, we find SIRT2 inhibitor AK-7 treatment during endotoxin tolerant phase reverses autophagy dysregulation with improved autophagy clearance in FFA-tolerant cells. Thus, we report impaired autophagosome formation and autophagy clearance via increased SIRT2 expression in FFA-exposed tolerant macrophages.