bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of Internet-Based Nutrition and Exercise Interventions on the Prevention and Treatment of Sarcopenia in the Elderly
Authors: Wang Zhengyuan , Xu Xin , Gao Shanxi , Wu Chunxiang , Song Qi , Shi Zehuan , Su Jin , Zang Jiajie
Published: June 2022

Effective nutrition and exercise interventions may improve sarcopenia in the elderly. The purpose of our study was to investigate the effectiveness of Internet-based nutrition and exercise interventions in the elderly with sarcopenia. Participants were divided into 4 groups: control, nutrition, exercise, and comprehensive (nutrition plus exercise) groups; there was at least 50 participants in each group. Our trial lasted 12 weeks. We conducted dietary and exercise interventions through an app and collected feedback from the participants every three weeks. Information on the diet, skeletal muscle mass, and muscle function was collected before and after the interventions. The comprehensive group had higher high-quality protein intake than the control (p = 0.017) and exercise (p = 0.012) groups. After the interventions, we obtained differences in skeletal muscle mass, skeletal muscle mass/height2, skeletal muscle mass/weight, muscle mass/BMI, and skeletal muscle mass/body fat percentage (p < 0.05). Changes in average daily energy and total daily protein intakes were not significantly different; however, there was an overall improvement in the intervention groups relative to baseline data. There were no changes in the average daily time of moderate physical activity. The Internet was an effective tool of nutrition intervention in the elderly with sarcopenia. The Internet-based nutrition intervention improved high-quality protein intake and skeletal muscle mass in the elderly with sarcopenia.
Link between Omega 3 Fatty Acids Carried by Lipoproteins and Breast Cancer Severity
Authors: Bobin-Dubigeon Christine , Nazih Hassan , Croyal Mikael , Bard Jean-Marie
Published: June 2022

According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) more than 10% of cancers can be explained by inadequate diet and excess body weight. Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women. The goal of our study is to clarify the relationship between ω3 fatty acids (FA) carried by different lipoproteins and breast cancer (BC) severity, according to two approaches: through clinic-biological data and through in vitro breast cancer cell models. The clinical study has been performed in sera from a cohort of BC women (n = 140, ICO, France) whose tumors differed by their hormone receptors status (HR− for tumors negative for estrogen receptors and progesterone receptors, HR+ for tumors positive for either estrogen receptors or progesterone receptors) and the level of proliferation markers (Ki-67 ≤ 20% Prolif− and Ki-67 ≥ 30% Prolif+). Lipids and ω3FA have been quantified in whole serum and in apoB-containing lipoproteins (Non-HDL) or free of it (HDL). Differences between Prolif− and Prolif+ were compared by Wilcoxon test in each sub-group HR+ and HR−. Results are expressed as median [25th–75th percentile]. Plasma cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol and Non-HDL cholesterol did not differ between Prolif− and Prolif+ sub-groups of HR− and HR+ patients. Plasma EPA and DHA concentrations did not differ either. In the HR− group, the distribution of EPA and DHA between HDL and Non-HDL differed significantly, as assessed by a higher ratio between the FA concentration in Non-HDL and HDL in Prolif− vs. Prolif+ patients (0.20 [0.15–0.36] vs. 0.04 [0.02–0.08], p = 0.0001 for EPA and 0.08 [0.04–0.10] vs. 0.04 [0.01–0.07], p = 0.04 for DHA). In this HR− group, a significant increase in Non-HDL EPA concentration was also observed in Prolif− vs. Prolif+ (0.18 [0.13–0.40] vs. 0.05 [0.02–0.07], p = 0.001). A relative enrichment on Non-HDL in EPA and DHA was also observed in Prolif− patients vs. Prolif+ patients, as assessed by a higher molar ratio between FA and apoB (0.12 [0.09–0.18] vs. 0.02 [0.01–0.05], p < 0.0001 for EPA and 1.00 [0.73–1.69 vs. 0.52 [0.14–1.08], p = 0.04 for DHA). These data were partly confirmed by an in vitro approach of proliferation of isolated lipoproteins containing EPA and DHA on MDA-MB-231 (HR−) and MCF-7 (HR+) cell models. Indeed, among all the studied fractions, only the correlation between the EPA concentration of Non-HDL was confirmed in vitro, although with borderline statistical significance (p = 0.07), in MDA-MB-231 cells. Non-HDL DHA, in the same cells model was significantly correlated to proliferation (p = 0.04). This preliminary study suggests a protective effect on breast cancer proliferation of EPA and DHA carried by apo B-containing lipoproteins (Non-HDL), limited to HR− tumors.
Impact of Bariatric Surgery-Induced Weight Loss on Anterior Eye Health in Patients with Obesity
Authors: Karimzad Said , Bilkhu Paramdeep S. , Wolffsohn James S. , Bellary Srikanth , Shokr Hala , Singhal Rishi , Gherghel Doina
Published: June 2022

The aim of the present research was to assess the effect of bariatric surgery-induced weight loss on the tear film and ocular surface of patients with obesity. A total of 29 participants with obesity (aged 47.2 ± 10.1 years, 8 male) were measured at baseline and followed up one year after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery. General anthropometric data, as well as serum lipid markers of cholesterol, were assessed in all individuals. Bilateral anterior eye measurements of tear meniscus height (TMH), non-invasive tear breakup time, bulbar and limbal redness and infrared meibography were captured using the Keratograph K5M (Oculus) and ocular surface damage was evaluated using fluorescein sodium and lissamine green staining. Bariatric surgery resulted in significant loss of weight (body mass index p < 0.001) and an improvement in the blood lipid profile (p < 0.01) in all participants. However, there were no statistically significant differences between the baseline and one-year follow-up for any of the measured clinical ocular surface and tear film variables (all p > 0.05). Although there were trends for a reduced TMH and a decrease in meibomian gland dropout after bariatric surgery, these differences were also insignificant (p > 0.05). In conclusion, weight reduction through bariatric surgery did not have an effect on the tear film or ocular surface in unselected patients with obesity.
Effects of Diastolic Blood Pressure on Brain Structures and Cognitive Functions in Middle and Old Ages: Longitudinal Analyses
Authors: Takeuchi Hikaru , Kawashima Ryuta
Published: June 2022

Hypertension is a pervasive public health concern due to strong associations with cardiovascular diseases and stroke. Alternatively, the associations between hypertension and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease are complex and recent large sample studies reported positive associations. In this paper, we examine the associations between diastolic blood pressure (BP) and subsequent changes in brain structure and cognitive function over several years by multiple regression analyses (with adjustment for a wide range of potential confounding variables) among a large cohort from the UK Biobank. Higher baseline diastolic BP was associated with a slightly smaller relative increase (relative improvements) in reaction time and a slightly greater reduction in depression scores. Higher baseline diastolic BP was also associated with a greater total gray matter volume (GMV) retention, while aging alone was associated with GMV reduction. White matter microstructural analyses revealed that a greater diastolic BP was associated with reduced longitudinal mean and regional fractional anisotropy, greater increases in mean and regional mean diffusivity, radial diffusivity, and axial diffusivity, a greater decline in mean intracellular volume fraction, and greater increases in mean and regional isotropic volume fraction. These white matter microstructural changes were consistent with those seen in the aging process. Additional analyses revealed a greater cheese intake level at baseline, which is associated with a subsequent decline in diastolic BP and a relative subsequent increase in depressive tendency together with a relative increase in fluid intelligence and visuospatial memory performance. These results are congruent with the view that a higher BP in the aging brain has a complex role.
Adverse Drug Reactions of Olanzapine, Clozapine and Loxapine in Children and Youth: A Systematic Pharmacogenetic Review
Authors: Merino Diane , Fernandez Arnaud , Gérard Alexandre O. , Ben Othman Nouha , Rocher Fanny , Askenazy Florence , Verstuyft Céline , Drici Milou-Daniel , Thümmler Susanne
Published: June 2022

Children and youth treated with antipsychotic drugs (APs) are particularly vulnerable to adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and prone to poor treatment response. In particular, interindividual variations in drug exposure can result from differential metabolism of APs by cytochromes, subject to genetic polymorphism. CYP1A2 is pivotal in the metabolism of the APs olanzapine, clozapine, and loxapine, whose safety profile warrants caution. We aimed to shed some light on the pharmacogenetic profiles possibly associated with these drugs’ ADRs and loss of efficacy in children and youth. We conducted a systematic review relying on four databases, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 recommendations and checklist, with a quality assessment. Our research yielded 32 publications. The most frequent ADRs were weight gain and metabolic syndrome (18; 56.3%), followed by lack of therapeutic effect (8; 25%) and neurological ADRs (7; 21.8%). The overall mean quality score was 11.3/24 (±2.7). In 11 studies (34.3%), genotyping focused on the study of cytochromes. Findings regarding possible associations were sometimes conflicting. Nonetheless, cases of major clinical improvement were fostered by genotyping. Yet, CYP1A2 remains poorly investigated. Further studies are required to improve the assessment of the risk–benefit balance of prescription for children and youth treated with olanzapine, clozapine, and/or loxapine.
VEGF Overexpression Significantly Increases Nanoparticle-Mediated siRNA Delivery and Target-Gene Downregulation
Authors: Tan Shanshan , Chen Zhihang , Mironchik Yelena , Mori Noriko , Penet Marie-France , Si Ge , Krishnamachary Balaji , Bhujwalla Zaver M.
Published: June 2022

The availability of nanoparticles (NPs) to deliver small interfering RNA (siRNA) has significantly expanded the specificity and range of ‘druggable’ targets for precision medicine in cancer. This is especially important for cancers such as triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) for which there are no targeted treatments. Our purpose here was to understand the role of tumor vasculature and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) overexpression in a TNBC xenograft in improving the delivery and function of siRNA NPs using in vivo as well as ex vivo imaging. We used triple negative MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer xenografts derived from cells engineered to overexpress VEGF to understand the role of VEGF and vascularization in NP delivery and function. We used polyethylene glycol (PEG) conjugated polyethylenimine (PEI) NPs to deliver siRNA that downregulates choline kinase alpha (Chkα), an enzyme that is associated with malignant transformation and tumor progression. Because Chkα converts choline to phosphocholine, effective delivery of Chkα siRNA NPs resulted in functional changes of a significant decrease in phosphocholine and total choline that was detected with 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). We observed a significant increase in NP delivery and a significant decrease in Chkα and phosphocholine in VEGF overexpressing xenografts. Our results demonstrated the importance of tumor vascularization in achieving effective siRNA delivery and downregulation of the target gene Chkα and its function.
Preparation of Cellulose-Based Flocculant and Its Application in the Enrichment of Vitamin K2 in Fermentation Supernatant
Authors: Ma Guoliang , Zheng Zhiming , Wang Han , Wang Li , Zhao Genhai , Tang Hengfang , Ding Xiumin , Wang Peng
Published: June 2022

Nutritional food supplements and pharmaceutical products produced with vitamin K2 as raw materials a very promising market in the global scope. The main production method of vitamin K2 is microbial fermentation, but approximately 50% of vitamin K2 synthesized by the main production strain Bacillus subtilis natto exists in extracellular form, which is not easy to separate and extract. In order to solve this problem, in this study, we synthesized a novel cellulose flocculant, MCC-g-LMA, by grafting reaction using microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and lauryl methacrylate (LMA) as monomers, and ammonium persulfate as an initiator to flocculate VK2 from the fermentation supernatant. The flocculant was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), elemental analysis, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the grafting reaction was successful. When the flocculant dosage was 48.0 mg/L and pH was 5.0, the flocculation rate of the MCC-g-LMA on the fermentation supernatant reached 85.3%, and the enrichment rate of VK2 reached 90.0%. Furthermore, we explored the flocculation mechanism of VK2 by the MCC-g-LMA and speculated that the flocculation mechanism mainly included adsorption bridging, hydrophobic association and net trapping and sweep effect. In this study, the extraction method for trace high-value biological products in the fermentation supernatant was improved, which provided a method and theoretical basis for the efficient separation and purification of VK2 and other terpenoids.
Improvement of Low-Fertility Soils from a Coal Mining Subsidence Area by Immobilized Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria
Authors: Bai Lu , Yang Yingming , Shi Ziyue , Zou Yiping , Zhou Huixin , Jia Jianli
Published: June 2022

Coal mining subsidence leads to reductions in soil fertility. In order to improve soil physical and chemical properties and to promote vegetation restoration, a nitrogen-fixing bacterium named S1 was isolated from the coal mining subsidence area in the Shendong mining area, and a zeolite-immobilized nitrogen-fixing bacterium was studied to improve the soil in the subsidence area. The results show that the immobilized nitrogen-fixing bacteria can significantly improve the ammonium nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen of soil by 50 times and 0.6 times, respectively, at 20 days, and it can also improve organic matter. In pot experiments, it was found that immobilized microorganisms can improve germination rate, plant height and the dry and fresh weight of maize. The results of the above soil culture tests and pot experiments were then compared and analyzed. It was found that plants made obvious use of soil ammonium nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen, and planting the plants was conducive to increases in soil organic matter.
Description or Truth? A Typology of New Testament Theology
Authors: Heringer Seth
Published: June 2022

This essay develops a typology to divide the overcrowded disciplinary space of New Testament theology into eight approaches based on subject matter. After describing and analyzing the approaches, it argues that descriptive New Testament theology becomes unworkable due to internal tensions. Next, it evaluates a recent proposal by Robert Morgan for “implicit” theological interpretation in New Testament theology. After finding Morgan’s approach to insufficiently distinguish itself from a descriptive history-of-religions account, it argues that the future of New Testament theology must consist in a move away from description and toward a search for truth. It encourages Christians to read the New Testament in ways consistent with their own beliefs. The essay concludes by arguing that the future of New Testament theology is one of self-sacrifice in order that something better may appear.
Sensitivity Testing of Microwave Temperature Sounder-II Onboard the Fengyun-3 Satellite to Sea Surface Barometric Pressure Based on Deep Neural Network
Authors: He Qiurui , Wang Zhenzhan , Li Jiaoyang , Wang Wenyu
Published: June 2022

Sea surface barometric pressure contributes to calculating the surface transmissivity so that the observations of Microwave Temperature Sounder-II channels with non-zero surface transmissivity contain the sea surface barometric pressure information. Meanwhile, all channels of Microwave Temperature Sounder-II are sensitive to sea surface barometric pressure due to the correlation between channels. However, the traditional sensitivity test method based on the radiative transfer model cannot characterize the sensitivity of Microwave Temperature Sounder-II to sea surface barometric pressure due to the correlations between channels. In this study, the relationship between atmospheric parameters and Microwave Temperature Sounder-II observations is studied by a deep neural network, and the deep neural network-based model for Microwave Temperature Sounder-II simulations is established. Then, the deep neural network-based test method for the sensitivity of Microwave Temperature Sounder-II to sea surface barometric pressure is developed, and the sensitivity test experiments are carried out. The experimental results show that the sensitivity of all channels of Microwave Temperature Sounder-II to sea surface barometric pressure is captured by the deep neural network-based test method. In addition, the retrieval experiments of sea surface barometric pressure using Microwave Temperature Sounder-II observations are carried out, and the retrieval results further validate the feasibility of the deep neural network-based test method.
Correction: Peng et al. A Fast Three-Dimensional Convolutional Neural Network-Based Spatiotemporal Fusion Method (STF3DCNN) Using a Spatial-Temporal-Spectral Dataset. Remote Sens. 2020, 12, 3888
Authors: Peng Mingyuan , Zhang Lifu , Sun Xuejian , Cen Yi , Zhao Xiaoyang
Published: June 2022

In the original article [...]
Influence of Land Use and Topographic Factors on Soil Organic Carbon Stocks and Their Spatial and Vertical Distribution
Authors: Blackburn Kyle W. , Libohova Zamir , Adhikari Kabindra , Kome Charles , Maness Xander , Silman Miles R.
Published: June 2022

Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays a critical role in major ecosystem processes, agriculture, and climate mitigation. Accurate SOC predictions are challenging due to natural variation, as well as variation in data sources, sampling design, and modeling approaches. The goal of this study was to (i) understand SOC stock distribution due to land use (restored prairie grass—PG; lawn grass—LG; and forest—F), and local topography, and (ii) assess the scalability of SOC stock predictions from the study site in North Carolina (Lat: 36°7′ N; Longitude: 80°16′ W) to the geographic extension of the Fairview soil series based on the US Soil Survey Geographic (gSSURGO) database. Overall, LG had the highest SOC stock (82 Mg ha−1) followed by PG (79 Mg ha−1) and forest (73.1 Mg ha−1). SOC stock decreased with the depth for LG and PG, which had about 60% concentrated on the surface horizon (0–23 cm), while forest had only 40%. The differences between measured SOC stocks and those estimated by gSSURGO and modeled based on land use for the Fairview series extent were comparable. However, subtracting maps of the uncertainty predictions based on the 90% confidence interval (CI) derived from the measured values and estimated gSSURGO upper and lower values (an estimated CI) resulted in a range from −17 to 41 Mg ha−1 which, when valued monetarily, varied from USD 33 million to USD 824 million for the Fairview soil series extent. In addition, the spatial differences found by subtracting the gSSURGO estimations from measured uncertainties aligned with the county administrative boundaries. The distribution of SOC stock was found to be related to land use, topography, and soil depth, while accuracy predictions were also influenced by data source.
Daily High-Resolution Land Surface Freeze/Thaw Detection Using Sentinel-1 and AMSR2 Data
Authors: Wang Jian , Jiang Lingmei , Rautiainen Kimmo , Zhang Cheng , Xiao Zhiqiang , Li Heng , Yang Jianwei , Cui Huizhen
Published: June 2022

High-resolution surface freeze/thaw (F/T) information is valuable for hydrological, frost creep and gelifluction/solifluction, and climate prediction studies. Currently, large-scale, high-resolution F/T detection is restricted by low spatial resolution of passive microwave remote sensing sensors or low temporal resolution of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. In this study, we propose a new method for detecting daily land surface F/T state at 1 km spatial resolution by combining the Sentinel-1 radar and the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) with leaf area index (LAI) data. A non-linear relationship is established between the 1 km F/T index from Sentinel-1 with 1 km F/T index from AMSR2 (FTI) and 1 km LAI data. The 1 km FTI is a disaggregation of the 25 km FTI obtained from AMSR2. This non-linear relationship is then applied to daily 1 km FTI and LAI data to predict the 1 km daily F/T index, based on which the F/T status is detected with grid-cell-based F/T thresholds. The overall accuracy of this daily 1 km F/T is more than 88.1% when evaluated with the in situ 5 cm soil temperature over China and Canada. This study is valuable for detecting daily, high-resolution F/T status and is helpful for studies related to disaster and climate prediction.
Probabilistic Traffic Motion Labeling for Multi-Modal Vehicle Route Prediction
Authors: Flores Fernández Alberto , Wurst Jonas , Sánchez Morales Eduardo , Botsch Michael , Facchi Christian , García Higuera Andrés
Published: June 2022

The prediction of the motion of traffic participants is a crucial aspect for the research and development of Automated Driving Systems (ADSs). Recent approaches are based on multi-modal motion prediction, which requires the assignment of a probability score to each of the multiple predicted motion hypotheses. However, there is a lack of ground truth for this probability score in the existing datasets. This implies that current Machine Learning (ML) models evaluate the multiple predictions by comparing them with the single real trajectory labeled in the dataset. In this work, a novel data-based method named Probabilistic Traffic Motion Labeling (PROMOTING) is introduced in order to (a) generate probable future routes and (b) estimate their probabilities. PROMOTING is presented with the focus on urban intersections. The generation of probable future routes is (a) based on a real traffic dataset and consists of two steps: first, a clustering of intersections with similar road topology, and second, a clustering of similar routes that are driven in each cluster from the first step. The estimation of the route probabilities is (b) based on a frequentist approach that considers how traffic participants will move in the future given their motion history. PROMOTING is evaluated with the publicly available Lyft database. The results show that PROMOTING is an appropriate approach to estimate the probabilities of the future motion of traffic participants in urban intersections. In this regard, PROMOTING can be used as a labeling approach for the generation of a labeled dataset that provides a probability score for probable future routes. Such a labeled dataset currently does not exist and would be highly valuable for ML approaches with the task of multi-modal motion prediction. The code is made open source.
Weakly Supervised Violence Detection in Surveillance Video
Authors: Choqueluque-Roman David , Camara-Chavez Guillermo
Published: June 2022

Automatic violence detection in video surveillance is essential for social and personal security. Monitoring the large number of surveillance cameras used in public and private areas is challenging for human operators. The manual nature of this task significantly increases the possibility of ignoring important events due to human limitations when paying attention to multiple targets at a time. Researchers have proposed several methods to detect violent events automatically to overcome this problem. So far, most previous studies have focused only on classifying short clips without performing spatial localization. In this work, we tackle this problem by proposing a weakly supervised method to detect spatially and temporarily violent actions in surveillance videos using only video-level labels. The proposed method follows a Fast-RCNN style architecture, that has been temporally extended. First, we generate spatiotemporal proposals (action tubes) leveraging pre-trained person detectors, motion appearance (dynamic images), and tracking algorithms. Then, given an input video and the action proposals, we extract spatiotemporal features using deep neural networks. Finally, a classifier based on multiple-instance learning is trained to label each action tube as violent or non-violent. We obtain similar results to the state of the art in three public databases Hockey Fight, RLVSD, and RWF-2000, achieving an accuracy of 97.3%, 92.88%, 88.7%, respectively.
A Slowly Varying Spoofing Algorithm on Loosely Coupled GNSS/IMU Avoiding Multiple Anti-Spoofing Techniques
Authors: Gao Yangjun , Li Guangyun
Published: June 2022

When satellite navigation terminal sensors encounter malicious signal spoofing or interference, if attention is not paid to improving their anti-spoofing ability, the performance of the sensors will be seriously affected. The global navigation satellite system (GNSS) spoofing has gradually become a research hotspot of the jammer because of its great harm and high concealment. In the face of more and more sensors coupling GNSS and inertial measurement unit (IMU) to varying degrees and configuring a variety of anti-spoofing techniques to effectively detect spoofing, even if the spoofer intends to gradually pull the positioning results, if the spoofing strategy is unreasonable, the parameters of the coupled filter output and spoofing observation measurement will lose their rationality, which will lead to the spoofing being detected. To solve the above problems, in order to effectively counter the non-cooperative target sensors of assembling loosely coupled GNSS/IMU using GNSS spoofing, based on the analysis of the influence mechanism of spoofing on the positioning of loosely coupled GNSS/IMU, a slowly varying spoofing algorithm to avoid loosely coupled GNSS/IMU with multiple anti-spoofing techniques is proposed in this paper, and a measurement deviation determination method to avoid multiple anti-spoofing techniques is proposed, which can gradually pull the positioning results of the coupled system and successfully avoid the detection of anti-spoofing techniques of innovation sequence monitoring and a rationality check on parameters. Simulation experimental results show that the proposed algorithm gradually changes the positioning of loosely coupled GNSS/IMU, the north and east displacements achieve the purpose of spoofing, and error with expected offset is −0.2 m and 2.3 m, respectively. Down displacement also basically achieves the purpose of spoofing, and error with the expected offset is 13.2 m. At the same time, the spoofer avoids the detection of multiple anti-spoofing techniques, does not trigger the system alarm, and realizes the purpose of spoofing; thus, the effectiveness and high concealment of the spoofing algorithm are verified.
Assessing the Suitability of DME for Powering SI Engines by Analyzing In-Cylinder Pressure Change
Authors: Fabiś Paweł
Published: June 2022

This article discusses an analysis of in-cylinder pressure change during combustion of LPG-DME fuel in IC engines. The aim of the study is to present a method for assessing the possibility of using DME as a combustion activator, and to establish its impact on the process. The study proposes a method for assessing the shift of the maximum value of cylinder pressure as a parameter which enables the impact of DME on the combustion process to be evaluated. The method was developed on the basis of bench tests carried out on an SI engine with a capacity of 1.6 dm3.
Optical Fiber Interferometric Humidity Sensor by Using Hollow Core Fiber Interacting with Gelatin Film
Authors: Zhong Yusong , Xu Pengbai , Yang Jun , Dong Xinyong
Published: June 2022

An optical fiber Fabry–Perot interferometer (FPI) is constructed for relative humidity measurement by fusion splicing a short hollow core fiber (HCF) to the end of a single-mode fiber and coating the tip of the HCF with a layer of gelatin. The thickness of the gelatin film changes with ambient humidity level and modulates cavity length of the FPI. Humidity measurement is therefore realized by measuring the wavelength shift of the interreference fringe. RH sensitivity of 0.192 nm/%RH is achieved within a measurement range of 20–80%RH. Dynamic measurement shows a response and recovery time of 240 and 350 ms, respectively. Sensor performance testing shows good repeatability and stability at room temperature but also reveals slight dependence of the RH sensitivity on environmental temperature. Therefore, a fiber Bragg grating is cascaded to the FPI sensing probe to monitor temperature simultaneously with temperature sensitivity of 10 pm/°C.
In Vitro and In Silico Antistaphylococcal Activity of Indole Alkaloids Isolated from Tabernaemontana cymosa Jacq (Apocynaceae)
Authors: Pájaro-González Yina , Cabrera-Barraza Julián , Martelo-Ramírez Geraldine , Oliveros-Díaz Andrés F. , Urrego-Álvarez Juan , Quiñones-Fletcher Wiston , Díaz-Castillo Fredyc
Published: June 2022

The species of the genus Tabernaemontana have a long tradition of use in different pathologies of infectious origins; the antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral effects related to the control of the pathologies where the species of this genus are used, have been attributed to the indole monoterpene alkaloids, mainly those of the iboga type. There are more than 1000 alkaloids isolated from different species of Tabernaemontana and other genera of the Apocynaceae family, several of which lack studies related to antibacterial activity. In the present study, four monoterpene indole alkaloids were isolated from the seeds of the species Tabernaemontana cymosa Jacq, namely voacangine (1), voacangine-7-hydroxyindolenine (2), 3-oxovoacangine (3), and rupicoline (4), which were tested in an in vitro antibacterial activity study against the bacteria S. aureus, sensitive and resistant to methicillin, and classified by the World Health Organization as critical for the investigation of new antibiotics. Of the four alkaloids tested, only voacangine was active against S. aureus, with an MIC of 50 µg/mL. In addition, an in silico study was carried out between the four isolated alkaloids and some proteins of this bacterium, finding that voacangine also showed binding to proteins involved in cell wall synthesis, mainly PBP2 and PBP2a.
Study on Screening Mechanism and Numerical Simulation for Crashed Concrete Particles by Using DEM
Authors: He Deyi , Liu Chusheng
Published: June 2022

Recycling waste concrete has become a large problem in developing countries. The aim of this work is to provide guidance for screening concrete particles and improving screening efficiency. First, the elastoplastic collision model is established for calculating the coefficient of restitution for concrete particles with different compressive strengths. Then, a bar circular vibrating screen is applied to simulate the screening process of concrete particles by using the discrete element method (DEM). The optimal vibrating parameters, which contain amplitude, frequency and inclination angles, is analyzed for the representative concrete particles containing C15, C45 and C80 by comparing the screening efficiency. The results show that the optimal screening parameters of amplitude and frequency is smaller with the increase in the compressive strength of the concrete particles. Appropriately, the large inclination angle is suitable for screening fine concrete particles with a gap vibrating screen. This work should be helpful for the screening process of concrete waste particles and provides a theoretical basis and simulation case for screening and recycling other particles, such as sand, stone, iron ore and copper ore. In the screening processes of construction wastes, the optimal screening parameters can be selected quickly by calculating the coefficient of restitution and adopting the DEM simulation.
Thenoyltrifluoroacetone: Preferable Molecule for Solvent Extraction of Metals—Ancient Twists to New Approaches
Authors: Atanassova Maria
Published: June 2022

A review of the investigations devoted to the solvent extraction processes of metal ions with a chelating ligand thenoyltrifluoroacetone (HTTA) is presented herein. It seems that this molecule has been preferred in the field for more than half a century, and that it is used very often as an extractant for almost all metals. The main objective of the present review is also to provide an overview of the synergistic solvent extraction of lanthanoids, particularly with the use of a β-diketone−neutral mixture. Based on the previous published results in the open literature, the extraction efficiency has been examined in detail and discussed further mainly in terms of the corresponding equilibrium constants among other outlined, so-important parameters. Major conclusions on the role of ligating groups of extractants towards the mechanism, an improved extraction enhancement, and selectivity are additionally provided. The fact that ionic liquids (ILs) appear to be replacing volatile diluents in the field of the liquid–liquid extraction of metals, again with the participation of this β-diketone, is not surprising. As is well known, a very efficient and simple way to determine the stoichiometry of the extracted species in the organic phase is by the simple use of the slope analysis method; however, it is sometimes difficult to perform, either because it somehow requests good solubility of the ligand or because obtained slopes are quite often far from integer values in ILs.
Linking Internal Mobility, Regional Development and Economic Structural Changes in Romania
Authors: Pîrvu Ramona , Bădîrcea Roxana Maria , Doran Nicoleta Mihaela , Jianu Elena , Țenea Lili , Murtaza Flavia
Published: June 2022

The political context of the 1990s generated significant changes in the territorial structure and migratory behaviour of Romanian regions, as well as a severe economic decline and an increase in development disparities between the East and West. The main objective of this research is to analyse the empirical relationship between economic growth and the internal migration of the workforce, on both a national and regional level, by applying the standard production function and using panel data based on the annual series of eight regions for 19 years (2000–2018). To outline the effects on the structures of the economy, an empirical analysis of the relationship between economic growth and the structural development of the economy, considering the migration of the workforce among the five main sectors of the economy, was carried out. On a regional level, in the North West, North East and Bucharest Ilfov regions, internal migration positively influences economic growth, with migration in rural regions having a high impact. However, for the Central, South East, South West Oltenia, and West regions, migration has a negative influence on economic growth. The results regarding the effects of these structures on the economy indicate a high, but negative, influence on regional economic growth due to the active agricultural sectors in all eight regions of Romania. On the other hand, the construction sector determines positive effects in all regions of Romania.
The Necessity of a Reduced Version of the Psychomotor Battery to Screen for Learning Difficulties in Preschool Children
Authors: Flores Pedro , Teixeira José Eduardo , Leal Anna Kosmider , Ribeiro Joana , Monteiro António Miguel , Fonseca Rui Brito , Branquinho Luís , Ferraz Ricardo , Forte Pedro
Published: June 2022

Psychomotor development is important for effective learning. Therefore, psychomotor observation is essential beginning in preschool education; however, observational instruments require practice, experience and time-consuming procedures. Psychomotor Battery (PBM) is useful to observe children’s psychomotor profile but needs 30 to 40 min per child to be applied. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to justify the need of a reduced version of the PBM to enable more frequent psychomotor observations at this level of education. A total of 70 preschool students with typical development were observed over 4 months in a school context, among which 31 were males and 39 were females (4- and 5-year-old). PBM is composed by seven psychomotor factors (PMF) distributed across three neuropsychological functional units. The total average of points for psychomotor observations was obtained using multiple linear regression (MLR) with a Stepwise method. For associations, Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r) was used. The results of this study showed that it is possible to reduce the average time of psychomotor observation by 43.7% (13 min and 31 s), maintaining a very strong association with the total average of points obtained. This reduction in observation time may contribute to the increase in psychomotor observations of preschool children using PMB.
Effect of the Co-Application of Eucalyptus Wood Biochar and Chemical Fertilizer for the Remediation of Multimetal (Cr, Zn, Ni, and Co) Contaminated Soil
Authors: Chandra Subhash , Medha Isha , Bhattacharya Jayanta , Vanapalli Kumar Raja , Samal Biswajit
Published: June 2022

Contamination of soil with heavy metals is a worldwide problem, which causes heavy metals to release into the environment. Remediation of such contaminated soil is essential to protect the environment. The aims of this study are: first, to compare the effect of biochar and the joint application of biochar with fertilizer for the phytoremediation of heavy metals-contaminated soil using Acacia auriculiformis; second, to study the effect of the application rate of biochar in improving the physicochemical properties of the soil. The soil samples were collected from an active coal mine dump and assessed for their physicochemical properties and heavy metals toxicity. Initial results indicated that the soil has poor physicochemical properties and was contaminated with the presence of heavy metals such as Zn, Ni, Cu, Cr, and Co. Later, the heavy metals-contaminated soil was mixed with the 400 and 600 °C biochar, as well as the respective biochar–fertilizer combination in varying mixing ratios from 0.5 to 5% (w/w) and subjected to a pot-culture study. The results showed that the application of both varieties of biochar in combination with fertilizer substantially improved the physicochemical properties and reduced the heavy metals toxicity in the soil. The biochar and fertilizer joint application also substantially improved the soil physiochemical properties by increasing the application rate of both varieties of biochar from 0.5 to 5%. The soil fertility index (SFI) of the biochar and biochar–fertilizer amended soil increased by 49.46 and 52.22%, respectively. The plant’s physiological analysis results indicated a substantial increase in the plant’s shoot and root biomass through the application of biochar and biochar–fertilizer compared to the control. On the other hand, it significantly reduced the heavy metals accumulation and, hence, the secretion of proline and glutathione hormones in the plant cells. Therefore, it can be concluded that the joint application of biochar with the application rate varying between 2.5 to 5% (w/w) with the fertilizer significantly improved the physicochemical properties of the soil and reduced the heavy metals toxicity compared to the controlled study.
Management of Smart and Sustainable Cities in the Post-COVID-19 Era: Lessons and Implications
Authors: Strielkowski Wadim , Zenchenko Svetlana , Tarasova Anna , Radyukova Yana
Published: June 2022

Nowadays, the concept of smart sustainable governance is wrapped around basic principles such as: (i) transparency, (ii) accountability, (iii) stakeholders’ involvement, and iv) citizens’ participation. It is through these principles that are influenced by information and communication technologies (ICT), Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence, that the practices employed by citizens and their interaction with electronic government (e-government) are diversified. Previously, the misleading concepts of the smart city implied only the objective of the local level or public officials to utilize technology. However, the recent European experience and research studies have led to a more comprehensive notion that refers to the search for intelligent solutions which allow modern sustainable cities to enhance the quality of services provided to citizens and to improve the management of urban mobility. The smart city is based on the usage of connected sensors, data management, and analytics platforms to improve the quality and functioning of built-environment systems. The aim of this paper is to understand the effects of the pandemic on smart cities and to accentuate major exercises that can be learned for post-COVID sustainable urban management and patterns. The lessons and implications outlined in this paper can be used to enforce social distancing community measures in an effective and timely way, and to optimize the use of resources in smart and sustainable cities in critical situations. The paper offers a conceptual overview and serves as a stepping-stone to extensive research and the deployment of sustainable smart city platforms and intelligent transportation systems (a sub-area of smart city applications) after the COVID-19 pandemic using a case study from Russia. Overall, our results demonstrate that the COVID-19 crisis encompasses an excellent opportunity for urban planners and policy makers to take transformative actions towards creating cities that are more intelligent and sustainable.
Effective Teaching during the COVID-19 Pandemic? Distance Learning and Sustainable Communication in Romania
Authors: Petrila Laurențiu , Goudenhooft Gabriela , Gyarmati Beáta Fatime , Popescu Felix-Angel , Simuț Corneliu , Brihan Alina-Carmen
Published: June 2022

Telecommuting in education field, enforced by Romanian Government measures as policy responses to COVID-19 pandemic, has had a tremendous effect both on teaching professionals and on students. This paper investigates the first group, namely the teachers and their perception of online education versus students’ academic performance during distance learning, with a particular focus on the negative factors impacting educational activities: objective ones, such as the limits of technology, and personal subjective ones, as in the phenomenon of negative affect. The study is based on quantitative research that assesses the relationship between personal subjective factors (skills, affect, difficulties in adapting, level of preparedness, professional satisfaction) and technological objective factors (inadequate electronic devices, faulty internet services), with a view to establishing if online education is genuinely sustainable as a valid educational system in the long run. 881 teachers from Romania were subjected to reflect on the effectiveness of online education during the pandemic, resulting in a correlational study with some interesting conclusions and directions highlighted as characteristic for a sustainable educational program. All in all, it can be concluded that when teachers become experienced in online teaching, the efficiency of online teaching is set to improve and when improvement happens, online teaching becomes sustainable as a proper method of training via online-facilitated means of communication.
Investigation of Parking Lot Pavements to Counteract Urban Heat Islands
Authors: Moretti Laura , Cantisani Giuseppe , Carpiceci Marco , D’Andrea Antonio , Del Serrone Giulia , Di Mascio Paola , Peluso Paolo , Loprencipe Giuseppe
Published: June 2022

Urban heat islands (UHI) are one of the unequivocal effects of the ongoing process of climate change: anthropized areas suffer extreme heat events that affect the human perception of comfort. This study investigated the effects of road pavements as a passive countermeasure by comparing the air temperature (AT) and the predicted mean vote (PMV) for different surface materials used to pave a historical square in Rome, Italy. The software ENVI-met has been used to compare, for the whole year 2021, the performances of the existing asphalt pavement with five alternative solutions composed of light concrete, bricks, stone, wood, and grass. This paper proposed a new methodology to summarize the multi-dimensional results over both temporal and spatial domains. The results of the simulations in the evening of the hottest month showed the existing asphalt pavement gives the worst performance, while the light concrete blocks and the grass pavement ensure the coolest solutions in terms of AT (the average AT is 32 °C for the asphalt pavement and 30 °C for the modular one) and PMV (the maximum PMV value is 4.6 for the asphalt pavement and 4.4 for the modular and grass ones).
Experimental Study on the Operating Parameters of a Pulse-Jet Filter Bag Cleaning System
Authors: Kim Eunae , Byun Youngchul , Bak Hyun-Su , Koh Dong-Jun
Published: June 2022

In this study, the effects of various parameters of the filter bag cleaning system, such as the blow tube size (20A, 40A, 50A), the nozzle diameter (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 mm), the initial tank pressure (0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7 MPa), and the pulse duration (50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300 ms), were evaluated with a view of peak pressure and pressure impulse. This study shows that the peak pressure and pressure impulse are not always in a proportional relationship, since pressure impulse aggregates static pressure and pressure over elapsed time together. For the system investigated, it is found that increasing the blow tube size and pulse duration induce a larger pressure impulse with little change in peak pressure, while higher initial tank pressure enhances both peak pressure and pressure impulse. On the other hand, a larger nozzle diameter was found to increase peak pressure rather than pressure impulse throughout the bag. The experimental results suggest that a higher initial tank pressure is a convenient way to elevate the overall dust-cleaning performance of pulse-jet systems, while other parameters (blow tube size, nozzle diameter, initial tank pressure) can be adopted according to the desired effect for given environment.
Adult European Seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) Perform Well on Alternative Circular-Economy-Driven Feed Formulations
Authors: Petereit Jessica , Hoerterer Christina , Bischoff-Lang Adrian A. , Conceição Luís E. C. , Pereira Gabriella , Johansen Johan , Pastres Roberto , Buck Bela H.
Published: June 2022

There is an increasing need in the aquaculture industry for more sustainable and functional feed concepts for marine finfish. This study provides results for the effect of alternative feed formulations on health status, welfare parameters, sensory analysis, and growth performance in European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) over an 83-day feeding trial. Fish were fed twice a day with five experimental diets. A control diet (control) and four different alternative feed concepts rich in processed animal proteins (PAP), other alternative ingredients (NOPAP), and a positive (NOPAP+) and negative (PAP−) formulation were tested. All alternative formulations contained hydrolysates from aquaculture by-products and macroalgae. The results indicate that the alternative feed concepts are more sustainable alternatives compared with the commercial diet. Equally interesting, the alternative formulations did not affect the sensory analysis of the fillet quality or the animal welfare. These are increasingly important factors in aquaculture products and, accordingly, also in the formulation of new feeds. Feed concepts that are not only more sustainable in their production, have shorter transportation distances, recycle the resources (usage of by-products), and have no adverse effect on growth or welfare parameters are highly needed. Therefore, the experimental diets tested in this study are a win-win concept for future seabass aquaculture production.