bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Establishment of Critical Nitrogen Concentration Models in Winter Wheat under Different Irrigation Levels
Authors: Guo Bin-Bin , Zhao Xiao-Hui , Meng Yu , Liu Meng-Ran , Duan Jian-Zhao , He Li , Jiao Nian-Yuan , Feng Wei , Zhu Yun-Ji
Published: April 2020

The aim of this study was to verify the applicability of the critical nitrogen concentration dilution curve (Nc) of wheat grown under different irrigation conditions in the field, and discuss the feasibility of using the N nutrition index (NNI) to optimize N fertilizer application. The high-yield, medium-protein wheat varieties Zhoumai 27 and Zhoumai 22 were used in field experiments in two different locations (Zhengzhou and Shangshui) in Huang-Huai, China. Plants were grown under rainfed and irrigation conditions, with five N application rates. Nc models of the leaves, stems, and whole plant were constructed, followed by establishment of an NNI model and accumulative N deficit model (Nand). As previous research reported, our results also showed that the critical N concentration and biomass formed a power function relationship (N = aDW−b). When the biomass was the same, the critical N concentration was higher under irrigation than rainfed treatment. Meanwhile, the fitting accuracy (R2) of the Nc model was also higher under irrigation than rainfed treatment in both sites, and was higher in the stems and whole plant. The NNI calculated using the Nc model increased with increasing N application, reflecting N deficiency. Moreover, there was a significant negative linear correlation between NNI and Nand, and both indices could be uniformly modeled between locations and water treatments. The accuracy of the Nand model was highest in the whole plant, followed by the leaves and stems. The models constructed in this paper provide a theoretical basis for accurate management of N fertilizer application in wheat production.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Provided Early Detection of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in China and Will Influence Future Urban Health Policy Internationally
Authors: Allam Zaheer , Dey Gourav , Jones David
Published: April 2020

Predictive computing tools are increasingly being used and have demonstrated successfulness in providing insights that can lead to better health policy and management. However, as these technologies are still in their infancy stages, slow progress is being made in their adoption for serious consideration at national and international policy levels. However, a recent case evidences that the precision of Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven algorithms are gaining in accuracy. AI modelling driven by companies such as BlueDot and Metabiota anticipated the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in China before it caught the world by surprise in late 2019 by both scouting its impact and its spread. From a survey of past viral outbreaks over the last 20 years, this paper explores how early viral detection will reduce in time as computing technology is enhanced and as more data communication and libraries are ensured between varying data information systems. For this enhanced data sharing activity to take place, it is noted that efficient data protocols have to be enforced to ensure that data is shared across networks and systems while ensuring privacy and preventing oversight, especially in the case of medical data. This will render enhanced AI predictive tools which will influence future urban health policy internationally.
A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Slow-Release Urea Supplementation on the Performance of Beef Cattle
Authors: Salami Saheed A. , Moran Colm A. , Warren Helen E. , Taylor-Pickard Jules
Published: April 2020

Slow-release urea (SRU) is a coated non-protein nitrogen (NPN) source for ruminant nutrition. This study applied a meta-analytic technique to quantify the effect of a commercial SRU (Optigen®, Alltech Inc., Nicholasville, KY, USA) on the performance of beef cattle. Data were extracted from 17 experiments and analysed using the random-effects model to estimate the effect size of SRU on dry matter intake (DMI), crude protein intake (CPI), live weight gain (LWG) and feed efficiency (FE) of growing and finishing beef cattle. There was no effect of feeding SRU on the overall DMI and CPI of beef cattle. Dietary inclusion of SRU improved the overall LWG (+92 g/d/head) and FE (+12 g LWG/kg DMI/head) of beef cattle. Notably, SRU supplementation in growing cattle exhibited a better improvement on LWG (130 vs. 60 g/d/head) and FE (18 vs. 8 g LWG/kg DMI/head) compared with finishing cattle. Moreover, SRU showed consistent improvements on the LWG and FE of beef cattle under several study factors. Simulation analysis indicated that positive effects of SRU on LWG and FE improved profitability through reduction in feed cost and reduced the emission intensity of beef production. These results indicate that SRU is a sustainable NPN solution in beef cattle production.
L-OPU in Goat and Sheep—Different Variants of the Oocyte Recovery Method
Authors: Wieczorek Jarosław , Koseniuk Jurij , Skrzyszowska Maria , Cegła Mirosław
Published: April 2020

The laparoscopic method of recovering oocytes in goats and sheep is one of the minimally invasive methods used in the biotechnology of animal reproduction. It allows for good quality oocytes that are suitable for in vitro maturation and fertilization to be recovered. The limitation of using the laparoscopic ovum pick-up (L-OPU) method in goat and sheep is its changing effectiveness and the lack of repeatability of results, as well as the varying effectiveness of different variants of the method. Therefore, it is necessary to develop effective non-invasive techniques allowing for multiple good quality oocyte recovery that would be suitable for in vitro maturation and fertilization. In this study, four different L-OPU variants were described in goats and sheep. Various techniques of recovering oocytes were discussed, including the techniques of conducting the operation, various tools for recovering oocytes, and different plans of hormonal stimulation. Recovery rates were 35% (Variant I), 57% (Variant II), 72% (Variant III), and 67% (Variant IV). After evaluation, 94% (both Variant I and II), 93% (Variant III), and 84% (Variant IV) of the oocytes were qualified for in vitro maturation. The results of the study show that the proposed technique of laparoscopic recovery of oocytes allows a sufficient number of ovarian cells suitable for in vitro culture to be obtained and as a consequence it makes them useful in in vitro maturation/in vitro fertilization (IVM/IVF) programs or cloning. The method allows for a fast and effective conduct of the operation in a living donor with minimal invasiveness while preserving the excellent condition of animals.
Ultrastructural Characterization of Porcine Growing and In Vitro Matured Oocytes
Authors: Kere Michel , Liu Pan-Chen , Chen Yuh-Kun , Chao Pei-Chi , Tsai Li-Kuang , Yeh Ting-Yu , Siriboon Chawalit , Intawicha Payungsuk , Lo Neng-Wen , Chiang Hsing-I , Fan Yang-Kwang , Ju Jyh-Cherng
Published: April 2020

This study aimed to investigate ultrastructural changes of growing porcine oocytes and in vitro maturated oocytes. Light microscopy was used to characterize and localize the primordial, primary, secondary, and tertiary follicles. During oocyte growth and maturation, the morphology of mitochondria was roundish or ovoid in shape depending on the differentiation state, whereas their mean diameters oscillated between 0.5 and 0.7 µm, respectively, from primary and secondary follicles. Hooded mitochondria were found in the growing oocytes of the tertiary follicles. In addition to the pleomorphism of mitochondria, changes in the appearance of lipid droplets were also observed, along with the alignment of a single layer of cortical granules beneath the oolemma. In conclusion, our study is apparently the first report to portray morphological alterations of mitochondria that possess the hooded structure during the growth phase of porcine oocytes. The spatiotemporal and intrinsic changes during oogenesis/folliculogenesis are phenomena at the ultrastructural or subcellular level of porcine oocytes, highlighting an in-depth understanding of oocyte biology and impetus for future studies on practical mitochondrion replacement therapies for oocytes.
Cistanche deserticola Addition Improves Growth, Digestibility, and Metabolism of Sheep Fed on Fresh Forage from Alfalfa/Tall Fescue Pasture
Authors: Liu Xulei , Liu Fuyao , Yan Tianhai , Chang Shenghua , Wanapat Metha , Hou Fujiang
Published: April 2020

This study is targeted at evaluating whether C. deserticola addition promotes digestion, nitrogen and energy use, and methane production of sheep fed on fresh forage from alfalfa/tall fescue pastures. The sheep feeding trial was conducted with four addition levels with C. deserticola powder, and a basal diet of fresh alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea). Addition levels of 4% and 6% improved average body weight gain (BWG) by 215.71 and 142.86 g/d, and feed conversion ratio (FCR) by 0.20 and 0.14, respectively. Digestibility of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and ether extract (EE) was 62.25%, 65.18%, 58.75%, and 47.25% under the addition level of 2%, which is greater than that in the control group. C. deserticola addition improved energy utilization efficiency, while addition levels of 2% and 4% increased nitrogen intake and deposited nitrogen. Overall, C. deserticola has the potential to improve growth performance, digestion of sheep, so it has suitability to be used as a feed additive.
Effects of Dietary Iron Level on Growth Performance, Immune Organ Indices and Meat Quality in Chinese Yellow Broilers
Authors: Lin Xiajing , Gou Zhongyong , Wang Yibing , Li Long , Fan Qiuli , Ding Fayuan , Zheng Chuntian , Jiang Shouqun
Published: April 2020

The objective of three trials was to investigate the effects of dietary Fe on growth performance, immune organ indices and meat quality of Chinese yellow broilers during the whole growth period. A total of 1440 1-day-old, 1440 22-day-old, and 1080 43-day-old Lingnan yellow male broilers were randomly assigned to one of six dietary treatments with six replicates per treatment (40 birds per replicate for both 1 to 21 d and 22 to 42 d, 30 birds for 43 to 63 d). Additional Fe (0, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 mg/kg) was added as FeSO4 • H2O to the three basal diets (calculated Fe 50 mg/kg, analyzed 48.3, 49.1, 48.7 mg/kg, respectively). The calculated final dietary Fe concentrations in Starter, Grower and Finisher phases were 50, 70, 90, 110, 130, and 150 mg/kg. The results showed that average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI) and feed conversion rate (FCR) of the broilers were not influenced by the different levels of Fe (p> 0.05). Weight indices of the spleen, thymus and bursa of Fabricius were not influenced (p > 0.05) by the different levels of Fe during three 21-day experimental periods. Hematocrit, and Fe contents of the liver and kidney were not affected by different levels of Fe (p> 0.05). The diet with 150 mg/kg of Fe increased the a* (relative redness) value of breast muscle compared to the 50 and 70 mg/kg diets at 24 h post mortem (p< 0.05). The diet with 90 mg/kg Fe increased the pH of breast muscle compared to broilers fed 50 or 150 mg/kg Fe (p < 0.05) 45 min after slaughter. The diet with 90 mg/kg Fe decreased drip loss of breast muscle compared to 150 mg/kg Fe (p< 0.05). These data suggest that feeding yellow-feathered broilers on a conventional corn-soy based diet satisfies their requirements without additional Fe at ages 1 to 21, and 22 to 42 d, while 90 mg/kg in the finisher phase improved meat quality, and from the QP (quadratic polynomial) models of the key meat quality variables, pH of breast muscle and drip loss of breast muscle, the optimal dietary Fe level was 89 to 108 mg/kg, and daily Fe fed allowance was 11 to 13 mg in the finisher phase (43 to 63 d).
Detection of a 4 bp Mutation in the 3′UTR Region of Goat Sox9 Gene and Its Effect on the Growth Traits
Authors: He Libang , Bi Yi , Wang Ruolan , Pan Chuanying , Chen Hong , Lan Xianyong , Qu Lei
Published: April 2020

The SRY-type HMG box 9 (Sox9) gene plays an important role in chondrocyte development as well as changes in hypertrophic chondrocytes, indicating that Sox9 can regulate growth in animals. However, no studies to date have examined the correlation between variations in Sox9 and growth traits in goats. Here, we found a 4 bp indel in the 3′UTR of Sox9 and verified its association with growth traits in Shaanbei white cashmere goats (n = 1109). The frequencies of two genotypes (ID and II) were 0.397 and 0.603, respectively, and polymorphic information content (PIC) values showed that the indel had a medium PIC (PIC > 0.25). The 4 bp indel was significantly correlated with body length (p = 0.006), heart girth (p = 0.001), and hip width (p = 4.37 × 10 −4). Notably, individuals with the ID genotype had significantly superior phenotypic traits compared with individuals bearing the II genotype. Hence, we speculated that the 4 bp indel is an important mutation affecting growth traits in goat, and may serve as an effective DNA molecular marker for marker-assisted selection in goat breeding programs.
Resveratrol Attenuates Aflatoxin B1-Induced ROS Formation and Increase of m6A RNA Methylation
Authors: Wu Jiamin , Gan Zhending , Zhuo Ruhao , Zhang Lili , Wang Tian , Zhong Xiang
Published: April 2020

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is one of the most dangerous mycotoxins in both humans and animals. Regulation of resveratrol is essential for the inhibition of AFB1-induced oxidative stress and liver injury. Whether N6-methyladenosine (m6A) mRNA methylation participates in the crosstalk between resveratrol and AFB1 is unclear. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of AFB1 and resveratrol in m6A RNA methylation and their crosstalk in the regulation of hepatic function in mice. Thirty-two C57BL/6J male mice were randomly assigned to a CON (basal diet), RES (basal diet + 500 mg/kg resveratrol), AFB1 (basal diet + 600 μg/kg aflatoxin B1), and ARE (basal diet + 500 mg/kg resveratrol and 600 μg/kg aflatoxin B1) group for 4 weeks of feeding (n = 8/group). Briefly, redox status, apoptosis, and m6A modification in the liver were assessed. Compared to the CON group, the AFB1 group showed increased activities of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), prevalent vacuolization and cell edema, abnormal redox status, imbalance apoptosis, and especially, the higher expression of cleaved-caspase-3 protein. On the contrary, resveratrol ameliorated adverse hepatic function, via increasing hepatic antioxidative capacity and inhibiting the expression of cleaved-caspase-3 protein. Importantly, we noted that reactive oxygen species (ROS) content could be responsible for the alterations of m6A modification. Compared to the CON group, the AFB1 group elevated the ROS accumulation, which led to the augment in m6A modification, whereas dietary resveratrol supplementation decreased ROS, followed by the reduction of m6A levels. In conclusion, our findings indicated that resveratrol decreased AFB1-induced ROS accumulation, consequently contributing to the alterations of m6A modification, and eventually impacting on the hepatic function.
Plant Secondary Metabolites in the Battle of Drugs and Drug-Resistant Bacteria: New Heroes or Worse Clones of Antibiotics?
Authors: Gorlenko Cyrill L. , Kiselev Herman Yu. , Budanova Elena V. , Zamyatnin Andrey A. , Ikryannikova Larisa N.
Published: April 2020

Infectious diseases that are caused by bacteria are an important cause of mortality and morbidity in all regions of the world. Bacterial drug resistance has grown in the last decades, but the rate of discovery of new antibiotics has steadily decreased. Therefore, the search for new effective antibacterial agents has become a top priority. The plant kingdom seems to be a deep well for searching for novel antimicrobial agents. This is due to the many attractive features of plants: they are readily available and cheap, extracts or compounds from plant sources often demonstrate high-level activity against pathogens, and they rarely have severe side effects. The huge variety of plant-derived compounds provides very diverse chemical structures that may supply both the novel mechanisms of antimicrobial action and provide us with new targets within the bacterial cell. In addition, the rapid development of modern biotechnologies opens up the way for obtaining bioactive compounds in environmentally friendly and low-toxic conditions. In this short review, we ask the question: do antibacterial agents derived from plants have a chance to become a panacea against infectious diseases in the “post-antibiotics era”.
New Labdanes with Antimicrobial and Acaricidal Activity: Terpenes of Callitris and Widdringtonia (Cupressaceae)
Authors: Sadgrove Nicholas J. , Senbill Haytham , Van Wyk Ben-Erik , Greatrex Ben W.
Published: April 2020

In spite of the evidence for antimicrobial and acaricidal effects in ethnobotanical reports of Callitris and Widdringtonia, the diterpene acids from Widdringtonia have never been described and no comparison to the Australian clade sister genus Callitris has been made. The critically endangered South African Clanwilliam cedar, Widdringtonia wallichii (syn. W. cedarbergensis), of the Cederberg Mountains was once prized for its enduring fragrant timbers and an essential oil that gives an aroma comparable to better known Mediterranean cedars, predominantly comprised by widdrol, cedrol, and thujopsene. In South Africa, two other ‘cedars’ are known, which are called W. nodiflora and W. schwarzii, but, until now, their chemical similarity to W. wallichii has not been investigated. Much like Widdringtonia, Callitris was once prized for its termite resistant timbers and an ‘earthy’ essential oil, but predominantly guaiol. The current study demonstrates that the essential oils were similar across all three species of Widdringtonia and two known non-volatile diterpene acids were identified in leaves: the pimaradiene sandaracopimaric acid (1) and the labdane Z-communic acid (2) with a lower yield of the E-isomer (3). Additionally, in the leaves of the three species, the structures of five new antimicrobial labdanes were assigned: 12-hydroxy-8R,17-epoxy-isocommunic acid (4), 8S-formyl-isocommunic acid (5), 8R,17-epoxy-isocommunic acid (6), 8R-17R-epoxy-E-communic acid (7), and 8R-17-epoxy-E-communic acid (8). Australian Callitris columellaris (syn. C. glaucophylla) also produced 1 and its isomer isopimaric acid, pisiferal (9), and pisiferic acid (10) from its leaves. Callitris endlicheri (Parl.) F.M.Bailey yielded isoozic acid (11) as the only major diterpene. Diterpenes 4–6, pisiferic acid (10), spathulenol, and guaiol (12) demonstrated antimicrobial and acaricidal activity.
Is Blood a Good Indicator for Detecting Antimicrobials in Meat? Evidence for the Development of In Vivo Surveillance Methods
Authors: Serrano María Jesús , Mitjana Olga , Bonastre Cristina , Laborda Alicia , Falceto María Victoria , García-Gonzalo Diego , Abilleira Eunate , Elorduy Janire , Bousquet-Melou Alain , Mata Luis , Condón Santiago , Pagán Rafael
Published: April 2020

The introduction of antimicrobial residues in the food chain has a significant impact on human health. An innovative solution to avoid their presence in meat is the adaptation of current control methods for use with in vivo matrixes. Thus, the aim was to obtain paired blood and muscle samples from pigs treated with some of the main antimicrobials currently used in veterinary medicine (oxytetracycline, sulfamethoxypyridazine, enrofloxacin, amoxicillin), and to compare their rate of depletion in both matrixes. Antimicrobial concentrations in paired samples of blood and muscle were determined by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) or high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD). A comparison between values obtained in muscle and blood showed a similar distribution in both matrixes for oxytetracycline; for sulfamethoxypyridazine, a similar decrease rate but a concentration three times higher in blood compared to muscle was found; for enrofloxacin, we found significant differences in the rate of depletion, with similar antimicrobial concentrations in both matrixes with values close to the maximum residue limit (MRL) and higher amounts in muscle for values that lay considerably over the MRL. Conversely, amoxicillin depletion was so rapid that its appearance in carcasses does not seem to pose a risk. Therefore, blood would be a feasible matrix for the development of new in vivo tests.
The Antioxidant Content of Coffee and Its In Vitro Activity as an Effect of Its Production Method and Roasting and Brewing Time
Authors: Górecki Maciej , Hallmann Ewelina
Published: April 2020

Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world. The high production and health properties of coffee make it one of the best among daily drinks. Coffee is wrongly identified as only a stimulant because of its caffeine content. On the other hand, coffee is one of the best sources of other bioactive compounds, such as flavonoids and phenolic acids. Organic coffee is produced without artificial fertilizers and pesticides. Not only the high quality of beans but also roasting and brewing times guarantee the best taste and quality of coffee beverages. The aim of the present experiment was to determine the best level of roasting and brewing time for organic and conventional coffee. The experiment was carried out with Peru coffee beans from organic and conventional farms. The contents of caffeine and bioactive compounds were measured in different roasted and brewed coffee drinks. The obtained results showed that the conventional coffee contained significantly more caffeine, total flavonoids, and quercetin derivatives than the organic coffee. On the other hand, the organic coffee was characterized by a higher level of almost all bioactive compounds. The best level of roasting was determined to be medium, and the optimal brewing time was 3 minutes.
Oxidants, Antioxidants and Thiol Redox Switches in the Control of Regulated Cell Death Pathways
Authors: Benhar Moran
Published: April 2020

It is well appreciated that biological reactive oxygen and nitrogen species such as hydrogen peroxide, superoxide and nitric oxide, as well as endogenous antioxidant systems, are important modulators of cell survival and death in diverse organisms and cell types. In addition, oxidative stress, nitrosative stress and dysregulated cell death are implicated in a wide variety of pathological conditions, including cancer, cardiovascular and neurological diseases. Therefore, much effort is devoted to elucidate the molecular mechanisms linking oxidant/antioxidant systems and cell death pathways. This review is focused on thiol redox modifications as a major mechanism by which oxidants and antioxidants influence specific regulated cell death pathways in mammalian cells. Growing evidence indicates that redox modifications of cysteine residues in proteins are involved in the regulation of multiple cell death modalities, including apoptosis, necroptosis and pyroptosis. In addition, recent research suggests that thiol redox switches play a role in the crosstalk between apoptotic and necrotic forms of regulated cell death. Thus, thiol-based redox circuits provide an additional layer of control that determines when and how cells die.
Use of Plant Proteins as Microencapsulating Agents of Bioactive Compounds Extracted from Annatto Seeds (Bixa orellana L.)
Authors: Quintero Quiroz Julián , Velazquez Víctor , Corrales-Garcia Ligia Luz , Torres Juan D. , Delgado Efren , Ciro Gelmy , Rojas John
Published: April 2020

This study aimed to assess the thermal stability of the bioactive compounds from annatto seed extract, encapsulated by ionic gelation using quinoa proteins, lentil proteins, soy proteins, and sodium caseinate as carrying materials. The 10.0% aqueous dispersions of the different proteins (carriers) were prepared and mixed with the annatto seed extract. The dispersions were then extruded into a calcium chloride solution to induce the extract encapsulation. The capsules were characterized by encapsulation efficiency, particle size, infrared transmission spectroscopy, confocal microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, the polyphenol compounds, and bixin content from the free and encapsulated extract were assessed once stored for 12 d at different temperatures (4 °C, 25 °C, and 65 °C). The results demonstrated the ability of the proteins to encapsulate the annatto extract with encapsulation efficiencies ranging from 58% to 80%, where the protein structure and amino acid content were the relevant factors to obtain high encapsulation efficiencies. The free extracts stored at 65 °C for 12 d experienced a degradation of bixin and polyphenol compounds, respectively. Conversely, the encapsulated extract had degradations from ~34.00% to ~4.05% for polyphenol compounds and ~20.0% for bixin, respectively. These proteins have a potential encapsulation capacity of annatto extract by ionic gelation.
A Clay-Based Geopolymer in Loess Soil Stabilization
Authors: Hanegbi Nadav , Katra Itzhak
Published: April 2020

Soil erosion has environmental and socioeconomic significances. Loess soils cover about 10% of the global land area. Most of these soils are subjected to increased land uses such as unpaved roads, which increase soil destruction and dust emission to the atmosphere. There is a significant interest in applications for dust control and soil stabilization. Application of geopolymers may significantly reduce environmental impacts. This study examines the use of a metakaolin-based geopolymer for dust control and soil stabilization in a semi-arid loess soil. The application of the geopolymer for dust control in comparison with common products (brine, bitumen, polyvinyl acetate-PVA) resulted in no dust emission. As a soil stabilizer, the geopolymer tested in this study provides remarkably good results in the tensile test. The most successful composition of the geopolymer, which is activation solution of sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) together with an addition of 30% metakaolin, obtained soil strength of 23,900 N after 28 days. The attempt to replace NaOH with lime (CaO) in the activation solution was far inferior to the original composition. There is a strong potential to develop natural soil stabilizers from a mineral base that even surpass their capabilities over existing synthetic stabilizers.
Surface Functionalization of Polyethylene by Silicon Nitride Laser Cladding
Authors: Zanocco Matteo , Marin Elia , Boschetto Francesco , Adachi Tetsuya , Yamamoto Toshiro , Kanamura Narisato , Zhu Wenliang , McEntire Bryan J. , Bal B. Sonny , Ashida Ryutaro , Mazda Osam , Pezzotti Giuseppe
Published: April 2020

Functional coatings are commonly applied to biomaterials in order to improve their properties. In this work, polyethylene was coated with a silicon nitride (Si3N4) powder using a pulsed laser source in a nitrogen gas atmosphere. Several analytical techniques were used to characterize the functionalized surface of the polymer, including Raman spectroscopy, laser microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Antibacterial properties were tested in vitro against Staphylococcus epidermidis. The Si3N4 coating sensibly reduced the amount of living bacteria when compared to the uncoated polymer. Osteoconductivity was also tested in vitro using SaOS-2 osteosarcoma cells. The presence of Si3N4 coating resulted in an increased amount of hydroxyapatite. Coating of polyethylene with silicon nitride may lead to improved performance of indwelling orthopaedic or less invasive medical devices.
Planar Microwave Resonant Sensors: A Review and Recent Developments
Authors: Muñoz-Enano Jonathan , Vélez Paris , Gil Marta , Martín Ferran
Published: April 2020

Microwave sensors based on electrically small planar resonant elements are reviewed in this paper. By virtue of the high sensitivity of such resonators to the properties of their surrounding medium, particularly the dielectric constant and the loss factor, these sensors are of special interest (although not exclusive) for dielectric characterization of solids and liquids, and for the measurement of material composition. Several sensing strategies are presented, with special emphasis on differential-mode sensors. The main advantages and limitations of such techniques are discussed, and several prototype examples are reported, mainly including sensors for measuring the dielectric properties of solids, and sensors based on microfluidics (useful for liquid characterization and liquid composition). The proposed sensors have high potential for application in real scenarios (including industrial processes and characterization of biosamples).
Blockchain Implementation to Verify Archives Integrity on Cilegon E-Archive
Authors: Permatasari Intan , Essaid Meryam , Kim Hyeonwoo , Ju Hongtaek
Published: April 2020

A good archive management system must consider information security aspects, such as availability, confidentiality, and integrity. The Cilegon E-Archive (CEA) system is a centralized system for managing the lifecycle of archives. The existing CEA system has several problems, including a single point of failure, low data availability, and difficulty in proving the originality of files. This paper introduces a prototype for a new CEA system that integrates IPFS and the Ethereum private network. In addition, CEA DApp is developed as an interface for users in interacting with CEA system, and its functionality is managed by a smart contract. The results show that the conducted improvements into the CEA system highly improved the system security in terms of preventing archival forgeries.
Numerical and Experimental Analysis of Torsion Springs Using NURBS Curves
Authors: Kim Young Shin , Song Yu Jun , Jeon Euy Sik
Published: April 2020

Torsion springs, which transfer power through the twisting of their coil, provide advantages such as module simplification and efficient use of space. The design of a torsion spring has been formulated, but it is difficult to determine the local behaviors of torsion springs according to actual load conditions. This study proposes a torsion-spring design method through finite element analysis (FEA) using nonuniform-rational-basis-spline (NURBS) curves. Through experimentation, the angle and displacement values for the actual spring load were converted into useable data. Torsion-spring displacement values were obtained via experimentation and converted into coordinates that may be expressed using NURBS curves. The results of these experiments were then compared to those obtained via FEA, and the validity of this method was thereby verified.
Update on TB Vaccine Pipeline
Authors: Martin Carlos , Aguilo Nacho , Marinova Dessislava , Gonzalo-Asensio Jesus
Published: April 2020

In addition to antibiotics, vaccination is considered among the most efficacious methods in the control and the potential eradication of infectious diseases. New safe and effective vaccines against tuberculosis (TB) could be a very important tool and are called to play a significant role in the fight against TB resistant to antimicrobials. Despite the extended use of the current TB vaccine Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), TB continues to be transmitted actively and continues to be one of the 10 most important causes of death in the world. In the last 20 years, different TB vaccines have entered clinical trials. In this paper, we review the current use of BCG and the diversity of vaccines in clinical trials and their possible indications. New TB vaccines capable of protecting against respiratory forms of the disease caused by sensitive or resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains would be extremely useful tools helping to prevent the emergence of multi-drug resistance.
Allothermal Gasification of Peat and Lignite by a Focused Light Flow
Authors: Zaitsev Alexandr S. , Taburchinov Roman I. , Ozerova Irina P. , Pereira Amaro O. , Egorov Roman I.
Published: April 2020

Gasification of peat and lignite under a focused light flow was observed in a wide range of fuel moisture (up to 65 wt.%). The initial water content in the fuels under study had a different influence on the chemical composition of the synthesis gas (syngas). At the same time, the effect of light intensity was more predictable: in general, the production of gases grew with it. It was shown that the gasification of peat accelerated greatly when light intensity exceeded 100 W/cm2. Moreover, the conversion of peat and lignite required an order of magnitude lower intensity of the light flow than was necessary for the conversion of bituminous coal processing waste. The dynamics of the sample weight changes demonstrated that contrary to bituminous coals, the process was not purely allothermal for both peat and lignite. However, the fuel smoldering was not self-sustainable and stopped shortly after the pumping light was turned off.
Semantic Component Association within Object Classes Based on Convex Polyhedrons
Authors: Đurović Petra , Vidović Ivan , Cupec Robert
Published: April 2020

Most objects are composed of semantically distinctive parts that are more or less geometrically distinctive as well. Points on the object relevant for a certain robot operation are usually determined by various physical properties of the object, such as its dimensions or weight distribution, and by the purpose of object parts. A robot operation defined for a particular part of a representative object can be transferred and adapted to other instances of the same object class by detecting the corresponding components. In this paper, a method for semantic association of the object’s components within the object class is proposed. It is suitable for real-time robotic tasks and requires only a few previously annotated representative models. The proposed approach is based on the component association graph and a novel descriptor that describes the geometrical arrangement of the components. The method is experimentally evaluated on a challenging benchmark dataset.
Numerical Modelling of Thermal Insulation of Reinforced Concrete Ceilings with Complex Cross-Sections
Authors: Drobiec Łukasz , Wyczółkowski Rafał , Kisiołek Artur
Published: April 2020

The article describes the results of numerical analyses and traditional calculations of the heat transfer coefficient in ceilings with a complex cross-section, and with materials of varying density built-in inside the cross-section. Prefabricated prestressed reinforced concrete, composite reinforced, and ribbed reinforced concrete ceilings were analyzed. Traditional calculations were carried out in accordance with the EN ISO 6946:2017 standard, while the numerical analyses were carried out in a program based on the finite element method (FEM). It has been shown that calculations can be a good alternative to nondestructive testing (NDT) and laboratory tests, whose use in the case of ceilings with different geometries is limited. The differences between the calculations carried out in accordance with EN ISO 6946:2017, and the results of numerical analyses are 12%–39%. The way the air voids are taken into account has an impact on the calculation results. In the traditional method, an equivalent thermal conductivity coefficient was used, while in the numerical analysis, the coefficient was selected from the program’s material database. Since traditional calculations require simplifications, numerical methods should be considered to give more accurate results.
Vehicle-in-the-Loop in Global Coordinates for Advanced Driver Assistance System
Authors: Park Changwoo , Chung Seunghwan , Lee Hyeongcheol
Published: April 2020

Most vehicle controllers are developed and verified with V-model. There are several traditional methods in the automotive industry called “X-in-the-Loop (XIL)”. However, the validation of advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) controllers is more complicated and needs more environmental resources because the controller interacts with the external environment of the vehicle. Vehicle-in-the-Loop (VIL) is a recently being developed approach for simulating ADAS vehicles that ensures the safety of critical test scenarios in real-world testing using virtual environments. This new test method needs both properties of traditional computer simulations and real-world vehicle tests. This paper presents a Vehicle-in-the-Loop topology for execution in global Coordinates system. Also, it has a modular structure with four parts: synchronization module, virtual environment, sensor emulator and visualizer, so each part can be developed and modified separately in combination with other parts. This structure of VIL is expected to save maintenance time and cost. This paper shows its acceptability by testing ADAS on both a real and the VIL system.
Identification and Quantification of Turmeric Adulteration in Egg-Pasta by Near Infrared Spectroscopy and Chemometrics
Authors: Biancolillo Alessandra , Santoro Angela , Firmani Patrizia , Marini Federico
Published: April 2020

“Egg pasta” is a kind of pasta prepared by adding eggs in the dough; the color of this product is often associated to its quality, as it is proportional to the quantity of egg present in the dough. A possible adulteration on this product is represented by the addition of turmeric (not reported in the label) in the dough. The inclusion of this ingredient (which is minimal, given the strong coloring power of this spice) fraudulently accentuates the yellow color of the product, making it more attractive to the consumer. Given this scenario, the aim of the present work is to develop an analytical approach suitable at detecting the presence of turmeric as an adulterant in egg pasta. One hundred samples of traditional and adulterated egg pasta were analyzed by NIR spectroscopy and PLS-DA (Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis) in order to discriminate adulterated and compliant pasta. The classification model provided a total correct classification rate of 97.5% in external validation (40 samples). Eventually, the adulterant was quantified by PLS. This strategy provided satisfying results, achieving a RMSEP (Root Mean Square Error in Prediction) of 0.112 (%-w/w) in external validation.
Mucin-Grafted Polyethylene Glycol Microparticles Enable Oral Insulin Delivery for Improving Diabetic Treatment
Authors: A. Mumuni Momoh , E. Calister Ugwu , Aminu Nafiu , C. Franklin Kenechukwu , Musiliu Oluseun Adedokun , Usman Mohammed , Abdulmumuni Barikisu , Y. James Oyeniyi , C. Ofokansi Kenneth , A. Anthony Attama , C. Ibezim Emmanuel , Díaz Díaz David
Published: April 2020

In this study, different ratios of mucin-grafted polyethylene-glycol-based microparticles were prepared and evaluated both in vitro and in vivo as carriers for the oral delivery of insulin. Characterization measurements showed that the insulin-loaded microparticles display irregular porosity and shape. The encapsulation efficiency and loading capacity of insulin were >82% and 18%, respectively. The release of insulin varied between 68% and 92% depending on the microparticle formulation. In particular, orally administered insulin-loaded microparticles resulted in a significant fall of blood glucose levels, as compared to insulin solution. Subcutaneous administration showed a faster, albeit not sustained, glucose fall within a short time as compared to the polymeric microparticle-based formulations. These results indicate the possible oral delivery of insulin using this combination of polymers.
Method for Volume of Irregular Shape Pellets Estimation Using 2D Imaging Measurement
Authors: Laucka Andrius , Andriukaitis Darius , Valinevicius Algimantas , Navikas Dangirutis , Zilys Mindaugas , Markevicius Vytautas , Klimenta Dardan , Sotner Roman , Jerabek Jan
Published: April 2020

Growing population and decreasing amount of cultivated land conditions the increase of fertilizer demand. With the advancements of computerized equipment, more complex methods can be used for solving complex mathematical problems. In the fertilizer industry, the granulometric composition of products matters as much as the quality of production of chemical composition products. The shape and size of pellets determines their distribution over cultivated land areas. The effective distance of field spreading is directly related to the size and shape parameters of a pellet. Therefore, the monitoring of production in production lines is essential. The standard direct methods of the monitoring and control of granulometric composition requires too much time and human resources. These factors can be eliminated by using imaging measuring methods that have a variety of benefits, but require additional research in order to assure and determine the compliance of real-time results with results of the control equipment. One of the fastest, most flexible and largest amount of data providing methods is the processing and analysis of digital images. However, then we face the issue of the suitability of 2D images to be used for the evaluation of granulometric compositions, where processing of digital images provides only two dimensions of a pellet: length and width. This study proposes a method of evaluating an irregular pellet. After experimental research we determined < 2% of discrepancy when compared to the real volume of a pellet.
An Approach to Knowledge Base Completion by a Committee-Based Knowledge Graph Embedding
Authors: Choi Su Jeong , Song Hyun-Je , Park Seong-Bae
Published: April 2020

Knowledge bases such as Freebase, YAGO, DBPedia, and Nell contain a number of facts with various entities and relations. Since they store many facts, they are regarded as core resources for many natural language processing tasks. Nevertheless, they are not normally complete and have many missing facts. Such missing facts keep them from being used in diverse applications in spite of their usefulness. Therefore, it is significant to complete knowledge bases. Knowledge graph embedding is one of the promising approaches to completing a knowledge base and thus many variants of knowledge graph embedding have been proposed. It maps all entities and relations in knowledge base onto a low dimensional vector space. Then, candidate facts that are plausible in the space are determined as missing facts. However, any single knowledge graph embedding is insufficient to complete a knowledge base. As a solution to this problem, this paper defines knowledge base completion as a ranking task and proposes a committee-based knowledge graph embedding model for improving the performance of knowledge base completion. Since each knowledge graph embedding has its own idiosyncrasy, we make up a committee of various knowledge graph embeddings to reflect various perspectives. After ranking all candidate facts according to their plausibility computed by the committee, the top-k facts are chosen as missing facts. Our experimental results on two data sets show that the proposed model achieves higher performance than any single knowledge graph embedding and shows robust performances regardless of k. These results prove that the proposed model considers various perspectives in measuring the plausibility of candidate facts.
Special Issue: Selected Papers from IEEE ICASI 2019
Authors: Young Sheng-Joue , Chang Shoou-Jinn , Prior Stephen D. , Ji Liang-Wen
Published: April 2020

The fifth IEEE International Conference on Applied System Innovation 2019 (IEEE ICASI 2019, https://2019 [...]
Investigation on Interface Damage between Cement Concrete Base Plate and Asphalt Concrete Waterproofing Layer under Temperature Load in Ballastless Track
Authors: Chen Xianhua , Zhu Yu , Cai Degou , Xu Gang , Dong Tao
Published: April 2020

The interfacial bond between cement concrete base plate (CCBP) and asphalt concrete waterproofing layer (ACWL) is a weak portion in the newly developed Chinese high-speed railway ballastless track. The interface damage caused due to fluctuating temperature load and dynamic train load is one of the most critical problems in Northern China. This paper aims to investigate the interface damage evolution process under temperature load via experimental and simulation analysis. Full-scale transverse shear tests were performed to explore the interface bond-slip mode of the adjacent ACWL and CCBP. Then, a finite element model of a ballastless track structure was built and a cohesive zone model (CZM) was utilized to model the interface damage initiation, crack propagation, and delamination process under uniform/gradient temperature load. Furthermore, the dynamic response of the ballastless track where CCBP and ACWL were partly/totally debonded was investigated and compared with the perfectly bonded structure. The results demonstrate that bilinear CZM is capable of revealing the interface damage initiation, crack propagation, and delamination process under temperature load. The interface state between the adjacent CCBP and ACWL was greatly affected by temperature changes and the interface bonding state had a great impact on the dynamic response of ballastless track.
Superhydrophobic Self-Assembled Silane Monolayers on Hierarchical 6082 Aluminum Alloy for Anti-Corrosion Applications
Authors: Khaskhoussi Amani , Calabrese Luigi , Proverbio Edoardo
Published: April 2020

In this work, a two-stage methodology to design super-hydrophobic surfaces was proposed. The first step consists of creating a rough nano/micro-structure and the second step consists of reducing the surface energy using octadecyltrimethoxysilane. The surface roughening was realized by three different short-term pretreatments: (i) Boiling water, (ii) HNO3/HCl etching, or (iii) HF/HCl etching. Then, the surface energy was reduced by dip-coating in diluted solution of octadecyltrimethoxysilane to allow the formation of self-assembled silane monolayers on a 6082-T6 aluminum alloy surface. Super-hydrophobic aluminum surfaces were investigated by SEM-EDS, FTIR, profilometry, and contact and sliding angles measurements. The resulting surface morphologies by the three approaches were structured by a dual hierarchical nano/micro-roughness. The surface wettability varied with the applied roughening pretreatment. In particular, an extremely high water contact angle (around 180°) and low sliding angle (0°) were evidenced for the HF/HCl-etched silanized surface. The results of electrochemical tests demonstrate a remarkable enhancement of the aluminum alloy corrosion resistance through the proposed superhydrophobic surface modifications. Thus, the obtained results evidenced that the anti-wetting behavior of the aluminum surface can be optimized by coupling an appropriate roughening pretreatment with a self-assembled silane monolayer deposition (to reduce surface energy) for anticorrosion application.