bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Craniopharyngioma, Chronotypes and Metabolic Risk Profile
Authors: Di Somma Carolina , Scarano Elisabetta , Barrea Luigi , Solari Domenico , Riccio Enrico , Arianna Rossana , Cavallo Luigi Maria , Romano Fiammetta , Di Benedetto Elea , Rodriguez Alice , de Alteriis Giulia , Colao Annamaria
Published: September 2021

Aim: To investigate the potential association among Craniopharyngioma (CP), chronotypes and metabolic risk profile. Subjects and Methods: The study population included 28 patients (46.4% males; 42.6 ± 15.8 years) and 28 controls, age, gender and BMI matched (46.4% males; 46.5 ± 12.9 years). In this study sample, we evaluated: anthropometric measurements (waist circumference, WC; BMI), plasma glucose, lipid profile, and systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure. Morningness-Eveningness was measured with the Horne-Ostberg Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), which included 19 questions about preferred sleep time and daily performance. Results: in both patients and controls grade I obesity was detected in 15 subjects (53.6%), grade II obesity in 13 subjects (46.4%). In the patient group, the mean score of chronotype was 47.8 ± 12.6. In particular, 9 patients (32.1%) exhibited the morning chronotype, 6 (21.4%) the intermediate chronotype and 13 (46.4.%) the evening chronotype. No significant difference was found in gender and age among the chronotype categories. Patients with the evening chronotype had higher blood pressure values and worse metabolic parameters than those with the morning chronotype. In the control group, the mean score of the chronotype was 57.6 ± 9.5. In particular, 16 (57.1%) subjects exhibited the morning chronotype, 10 (35.7%) the intermediate chronotype and only 2 (7.1.%) the evening chronotype. The prevalence of intermediate and evening chronotypes was higher in females than males (p = 0.021), while males have a higher prevalence of the morning chronotype. Subjects with intermediate and evening chronotypes had worse metabolic parameters than those with the morning chronotype. In patients, the chronotype score was inversely correlated to WC, BMI, SBP, DBP, plasma glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol and positively correlated with HDL cholesterol. No correlation was found between age and chronotype. In controls, the chronotype score was inversely correlated to WC, BMI, plasma glucose, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol. No correlation was found among chronotype and age, blood pressure, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol. Considering the whole population of the study (patients and controls), at logistic regression the chronotype score was significantly associated with the presence of CP. Conclusions: for the first time thus far, our study puts the light on the association of the CP with chronotypes and metabolic alterations in this disease, which are the main determinants of the reduced quality of life, higher morbidity and mortality in this setting of patients. This finding suggests that alterations of chronotype might represent an adjunctive risk for CP patients and a possible target for their integrate management.
Dietary Interventions to Prevent Childhood Obesity: A Literature Review
Authors: Pereira Ana Rita , Oliveira Andreia
Published: September 2021

Several dietary interventions have been conducted to prevent/reduce childhood obesity, but most of them are known to have failed in tackling the obesity epidemic. This study aimed to review the existing literature on dietary interventions for the prevention of childhood obesity and their effectiveness. A literature search was conducted using PubMed Central®. Only articles published between 2009 and 2021, written in English, conducted in humans, and including children and/or adolescents (<18 years old) were considered. The majority of studies were school-based interventions, with some addressing the whole community, and including some interventions in the food sector (e.g., taxation of high fat/sugar foods, front-of-pack labelling) and through mass media (e.g., restrictions on food advertising for children) that directly or indirectly could help to manage childhood obesity. Most of the programs/interventions conducted focus mainly on person-based educational approaches, such as nutrition/diet education sessions, allied to the promotion of physical activity and lifestyles to students, parents, and school staff, and less on environmental changes to offer healthier food choices. Only a few trials have focused on capacity building and macro-policy changes, such as the adaptation of the built environment of the school, serving smaller portion sizes, and increasing the availability and accessibility of healthy foods and water in schools, and restricting the access to vending machines, for example. Overall, most of the intervention studies showed no consistent effects on changing the body mass index of children; they have only reported small weight reductions, clinically irrelevant, or no effects at all. Little is known about the sustainability of interventions over time.
Do Sand Smelt (Atherina presbyter Cuvier, 1829) Larvae Discriminate among Conspecifics Using Different Sensory Cues?
Authors: Vicente Patrícia , Faria Ana M.
Published: September 2021

The ability of shoaling fish to recognise and differentiate between potential groupmates may affect their fitness and survival. Fish are capable of social recognition and multiple sensory cues mediate the recognition mechanisms. This has been comprehensively studied for juvenile and adult freshwater species. However, the recognition ability and mechanisms intervening during the larval phase of marine species are yet poorly understood. Fish larvae are capable of discriminating conspecifics from heterospecifics based on chemical and/or visual cues, but whether this recognition occurs at finer scales, such as discerning among conspecifics of different reefs, is yet understudied. Here, we tested the hypothesis that larvae of a marine fish species, the sand smelt (Atherina presbyter Cuvier, 1829), are able to recognise and associate with conspecifics of their natal reef versus conspecifics of a non-natal reef based on three sensory modalities—chemical, visual, and chemical and visual simultaneously. Results do not support our hypothesis, but still provide evidence of group cohesion and indicate large differences in the relative importance of the different senses when associating with conspecifics, with visual cues playing a more important role than chemical cues alone.
Identification of Immunogenic Linear B-Cell Epitopes in C. burnetii Outer Membrane Proteins Using Immunoinformatics Approaches Reveals Potential Targets of Persistent Infections
Authors: Fontes Sílvia da Silva , Maia Fernanda de Moraes , Ataides Laura Santa’Anna , Conte Fernando Paiva , Lima-Junior Josué da Costa , Rozental Tatiana , da Silva Assis Matheus Ribeiro , Júnior Adonai Alvino Pessoa , Fernandes Jorlan , de Lemos Elba Regina Sampaio , Rodrigues-da-Silva Rodrigo Nunes
Published: September 2021

Coxiella burnetii is a global, highly infectious intracellular bacterium, able to infect a wide range of hosts and to persist for months in the environment. It is the etiological agent of Q fever—a zoonosis of global priority. Currently, there are no national surveillance data on C. burnetii’s seroprevalence for any South American country, reinforcing the necessity of developing novel and inexpensive serological tools to monitor the prevalence of infections among humans and animals—especially cattle, goats, and sheep. In this study, we used immunoinformatics and computational biology tools to predict specific linear B-cell epitopes in three C. burnetii outer membrane proteins: OMP-H (CBU_0612), Com-1 (CBU_1910), and OMP-P1 (CBU_0311). Furthermore, predicted epitopes were tested by ELISA, as synthetic peptides, against samples of patients reactive to C. burnetii in indirect immunofluorescence assay, in order to evaluate their natural immunogenicity. In this way, two linear B-cell epitopes were identified in each studied protein (OMP-H(51–59), OMP-H(91–106), Com-1(57–76), Com-1(191–206), OMP-P1(197–209), and OMP-P1(215–227)); all of them were confirmed as naturally immunogenic by the presence of specific antibodies in 77% of studied patients against at least one of the identified epitopes. Remarkably, a higher frequency of endocarditis cases was observed among patients who presented an intense humoral response to OMP-H and Com-1 epitopes. These data confirm that immunoinformatics applied to the identification of specific B-cell epitopes can be an effective strategy to improve and accelerate the development of surveillance tools against neglected diseases.
The Extrinsic Incubation Period of Zika Virus in Florida Mosquitoes Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus
Authors: Zimler Rebecca A. , Alto Barry W.
Published: September 2021

The Asian genotype of Zika virus (ZIKV) emerged in Brazil in 2015 and subsequently spread throughout the Americas. In July 2016, Florida experienced its first locally acquired ZIKV infection in the continental U.S. Concerns about health risks from ZIKV infection have increased the need to investigate the interactions between potential mosquito vectors and ZIKV. The time it takes for an arbovirus to propagate within a mosquito, and become transmissible, is the extrinsic incubation period (EIP). The EIP for potential mosquito vectors in Florida is unknown. To address this gap in the understanding of ZIKV epidemiology, Florida Aedes aegypti (L.) and Ae. albopictus (Skuse) were orally exposed to ZIKV infected blood meals and fully engorged mosquitoes were held at a constant temperature of 28 °C through the duration of the experiment. Saliva expectorates were collected from cohorts of mosquitoes and tested for the presence of ZIKV at three-day intervals over a period of 24 days to allow for an evaluation of the EIP of the emergent Asian lineage of ZIKV. High rates of infected bodies in Ae. albopictus (75–94%) and Ae. aegypti (68–86%) were observed throughout the incubation period, which did not differ by species. Higher rates of disseminated infection were observed later during the incubation period but did not differ between species. We calculated the 50% EIP to be shorter in Ae. albopictus than Ae. aegypti (16.2 and 18.2 days post infection, respectively). The competence for ZIKV observed in both species may contribute to high rates of ZIKV transmission in Florida populations.
Improved Radiolytic Stability of a 68Ga-labelled Collagelin Analogue for the Imaging of Fibrosis
Authors: Velikyan Irina , Rosenström Ulrika , Rosestedt Maria , Eriksson Olof , Antoni Gunnar
Published: September 2021

There is an unmet medical need for non-invasive, sensitive, and quantitative methods for the assessment of fibrosis. Herein, an improved collagelin analogue labelled with gallium-68 for use with positron emission tomography (PET) is presented. A cyclic peptide, c[CPGRVNleHGLHLGDDEGPC], was synthesized by solid-phase peptide synthesis, conjugated to 2-(4,7-bis(2-(tert-butoxy)-2-oxoethyl)-1,4,7-triazonan-1-yl)acetic acid, and labelled with gallium-68. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used for the quality and stability assessment of the collagelin analogue. Non-specific organ distribution, blood clearance, and excretion rates were investigated in healthy mice and rats using ex vivo organ distribution analysis and dynamic in vivo PET/CT. Mice with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced liver fibrosis were used for the investigation of specific binding via in vitro frozen section autoradiography, ex vivo organ distribution, and in vivo PET/CT. A non-decay corrected radiochemical yield (48 ± 6%) of [68Ga]Ga-NOTA-PEG2-c[CPGRVNleHGLHLGDDEGPC] ([68Ga]Ga-NO2A-[Nle13]-Col) with a radiochemical purity of 98 ± 2% was achieved without radical scavengers. The 68Ga-labelling was regioselective and stable at ambient temperature for at least 3 h. The autoradiography of the cryosections of fibrotic mouse liver tissue demonstrated a distinct heterogeneous radioactivity uptake that correlated with the fibrosis scores estimated after Sirius Red staining. The blood clearance and tissue washout from the [68Ga]Ga-NO2A-[Nle13]-Col was fast in both normal and diseased mice. Dosimetry investigation in rats indicated the possibility for 4–5 PET/CT examinations per year. Radiolytic stability of the collagelin analogue was achieved by the substitution of methionine with norleucine amino acid residue without a deterioration of its binding capability. [68Ga]Ga-NO2A-[Nle13]-Col demonstrated a safe dosimetry profile suitable for repeated scanning.
Multicomponent Peptide Hydrogels as an Innovative Platform for Cell-Based Tissue Engineering in the Dental Pulp
Authors: Afami Marina E. , El Karim Ikhlas , About Imad , Krasnodembskaya Anna D. , Laverty Garry , Lundy Fionnuala T.
Published: September 2021

In light of the increasing levels of antibiotic resistance, nanomaterials and novel biologics are urgently required to manage bacterial infections. To date, commercially available self-assembling peptide hydrogels have not been studied extensively for their ability to inhibit micro-organisms relevant to tissue engineering sites such as dental root canals. In this work, we assess the biocompatibility of dental pulp stem/stromal cells with commercially available multicomponent peptide hydrogels. We also determine the effects of dental pulp stem/stromal cell (DPSC) culture in hydrogels on growth factor/cytokine expression. Furthermore, to investigate novel aspects of self-assembling peptide hydrogels, we determine their antimicrobial activity against the oral pathogens Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, and Fusobacterium nucleatum. We show that self-assembling peptide hydrogels and hydrogels functionalized with the adhesion motif Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) are biocompatible with DPSCs, and that cells grown in 3D hydrogel cultures produce a discrete secretome compared with 2D-cultured cells. Furthermore, we show that soluble peptides and assembled hydrogels have antimicrobial effects against oral pathogens. Given their antibacterial activity against oral pathogens, biocompatibility with dental pulp stem/stromal cells and enhancement of an angiogenic secretome, multicomponent peptide hydrogels hold promise for translational use.
Licorice Germplasm Resources Identification Using DNA Barcodes Inner-Variants
Authors: Liu Qianwen , Guo Shuai , Zheng Xiasheng , Shen Xiaofeng , Zhang Tianyi , Liao Baosheng , He Wenrui , Hu Haoyu , Cheng Ruiyang , Xu Jiang
Published: September 2021

Based on the gradual transformation from wild growth to artificial cultivation, the accurate authentication of licorice seeds contributes to the first committed step of its quality control and is pivotal to ensure the clinical efficacy of licorice. However, it is still challenging to obtain genetically stable licorice germplasm resources due to the multi-source, multi-heterozygous, polyploid, and hybrid characteristics of licorice seeds. Here, a new method for determining the heterozygosity of licorice seed mixture, based on the various sites, and finding the composition characteristics of licorice seed is preliminarily designed and proposed. Namely, high-throughput full-length multiple DNA barcodes(HFMD), based on ITS multi-copy variation exist, the full-length amplicons of ITS2, psbA-trnH and ITS are directly sequenced by rDNA through the next-generation sequence(NGS) and single-molecule real-time (SMRT) technologies. By comparing the three sequencing methods, our results proved that SMRT sequencing successfully identified the complete gradients of complex mixed samples with the best performance. Meanwhile, HFMD is a brilliant and feasible method for evaluating the heterozygosity of licorice seeds. It shows a perfect interpretation of DNA barcoding and can be applied in multi-base multi-heterozygous and polyploid species.
Valorization Strategy for Leather Waste as Filler for High-Density Polyethylene Composites: Analysis of the Thermal Stability, Insulation Properties and Chromium Leaching
Authors: Kiliç Eylem , Oliver-Ortega Helena , Tarrés Quim , Delgado-Aguilar Marc , Fullana-i-Palmer Pere , Puig Rita
Published: September 2021

Leather waste (BF) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) were compounded in a lab scale internal mixer and processed by means of injection molding. In this study, leather waste and HDPE composites were characterized by instrumental techniques such as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermo-gravimetric Analysis (TGA), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Physical integrity of composites against chemical exposure and chromium-leaching properties of the composites were also investigated. This study shows that the incorporation of 30% leather waste fiber into HDPE composites decreases the thermal conductivity of the composite samples by 17% in comparison to that of neat HDPE samples. Composites showed no thermal degradation during processing cycle. Strong interfacial bonding between leather waste and polymer results in comparable low-leachate levels to maximum allowed concentration for nonhazardous waste, and good chemical resistance properties. The BF/HDPE composites could be a promising low-cost alternative in industrial application areas of HDPE, where high-mechanical strength and low-thermal conductivity is required.
Performance of Porous Slabs Using Recycled Ash
Authors: El-Sayed Taha Awadallah
Published: September 2021

Permeable concrete is an environmentally friendly material that improves water permeability and slip resistance. The manuscript describes a new study aimed at improving the strength of permeable concrete obtained using local materials for the partial replacement of cement with rice and wheat straw ash due to the high amount of silica and pozzolanic characteristics present in the ash. For this purpose, nine concrete mixes were made (Phase I). The mixes were classified into four groups: Group A, with cement/aggregate ratios of 0.23, 0.34, and 0.44 for Mixes 1, 2, and 3, respectively; Group B, with sand added at 10% and 15% to the coarse aggregate for Mixes 4 and 5; Group C, with rice straw ash replacement ratios of 10% and 15% in the cement for Mixes 6 and 7; and, finally, Group D with wheat straw ash replacement ratios of 10% and 15% in the cement for Mixes 8 and 9. For Groups B to D, the water/binder ratio was 0.238. Fresh and hardened concrete tests were conducted. The results showed that Mixes C and D, which contained rice and wheat straw ash, increased the compaction factor due to their spherical shape and higher surface area compared with traditional pervious concrete. Additionally, permeability and porosity increased slightly for the mixes using rice and wheat straw ash. This could be attributed to increasing the interconnected voids. Optimum porosity was reached with 15% rice straw ash. The optimum mix design from Phase I was used in Phase II. Therefore, six pervious concrete slabs, reinforced with different types of reinforcement, were tested under flexural load. With the help of ANSYS, a finite element model was created to verify the results of experiments. The results of the numerical simulation are consistent with the results of the experiment. This article represents a definite step to new knowledge in the field of research of permeable concrete obtained using the partial replacement of cement with rice and wheat straw ash. Hence, this form of concrete can be used for parking lot paving, sludge beds for sewage plants, swimming pool surfaces, bridge walkways, zoo area floors, and animal barns. This concrete can also be used in applications requiring lightweight concrete.
Numerical Study on the Characteristics of Methane Hedging Combustion in a Heat Cycle Porous Media Burner
Authors: Wang Fei , Li Xueming , Feng Shuai , Yan Yunfei
Published: September 2021

With the rapid development of portable devices and micro-small sensors, the demand for small-scale power supplies and high-energy-density energy supply systems is increasing. Comparing with the current popular lithium batteries, micro-scale burners based on micro-thermal photoelectric systems have features of high power density and high energy density, the micro-scale burner is the most critical part of the micro-thermal photovoltaic system. In this paper, the combustor was designed as a heat cycle structure and filled with porous media to improve the combustion characteristics of the micro combustor. In addition, the influence of the porous media distribution on the burner center temperature and wall temperature distribution were studied through numerical simulation. Furthermore, the temperature distribution of the combustor was studied by changing the porous media parameters and the wall parameters. The research results show that the heat cycle structure can reduce heat loss and improve combustion efficiency. When the combustion chamber is filled with porous media, it makes the radial center temperature rise by about 50 K and the temperature distribution more uniform. When filling the heat cycle channel with porous media the wall temperature can be increased. Finally, the study also found that as methane is combusted in the combustor, the temperature of the outer wall gradually increases as the intake air velocity increases. The results of this study provide a theoretical and practical basis for the further design of high-efficiency combustion micro-scale burners in the future.
Development of the Concept of Circular Supply Chain Management—A Systematic Review
Authors: Lengyel Péter , Bai Attila , Gabnai Zoltán , Mustafa Othman Mohammad Ahmed , Balogh Péter , Péter Erzsébet , Tóth-Kaszás Nikoletta , Németh Kornél
Published: September 2021

This systematic review presents the most important characteristics and trends of research in circular supply chain management (CSCM), taking into account the impact of COVID. In addition, the similarities and differences between the basic concepts often used as synonyms for sustainability are also presented. First, the sample database (39,000 records) was based on a search containing publications’ titles regarding supply chain management (SCM). After narrowing the topic from SCM towards CSCM, the considered paper characteristics were expanded, including abstract and author keywords, to get a manageable number of samples for the systematic analysis (6095 documents) and the most accurate results possible. The analysis’ base sample was divided into two periods (before and after 2012) due to a significant increase and change in the number of publications, their subject, characteristic journals and geographical location. Sustainability has emerged since 2012, while a circular approach emerged after 2017 with a significant share of research, mainly thanks to relevant EU policies. Although the role of the US has been decisive in the field, the European research bases of previous years have increasingly been replaced by Far Eastern dominance. Currently, CSCM’s most important journal is the International Journal of Supply Chain Management (Elsevier), but most articles on the impact of COVID have been published in Sustainability (MDPI). More effective policy implementation and the fight against COVID in the development of supply chains are also likely to spread the circular economic model in the future.
A Gift of Generosity—An Explanation of Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation for Muslim Audiences
Authors: Khan Mohammad Abdus Sayek
Published: September 2021

Diseased Organ and tissue donation and transplantation entails removing organ and tissues from someone (the donor) and transplanting them into another person (the recipient). Transplanting organs and tissues from one person hold the capacity to save or significantly improve the quality of life of multiple recipients. This is a rare opportunity for one to become an organ donor. In 2018, Australia had a population of 24.99 million. A total of 160,909 lives were lost that year; almost half of this death occurred in hospitals. However, a person may only be able to become a donor if their death occurs in a particular way and fulfils a defined set of special criteria—for example, while on the life support machine in an intensive care unit. Because of this, only 1211 people out of the large number of lives lost in 2018 were eligible to be potential organ donors. This is one of reasons we encourage everybody to consider the virtues of organ and tissue donation in any end-of-life discussion. Diseased organ donation occurs only when the clinician is certain that the person has died. The death is diagnosed by neurological criteria or by circulatory criteria which are discussed in detail in the article. This is an unconditional altruistic and non-commercial act. A large number of people are waiting on transplant list in Australia who are suffering from end stage organ failure; some of them will die waiting unless one receives an organ transplantation. Australians are known to be highly generous people. That is why 98% of Australian say ‘Yes’ to become an organ donor when they die. But in reality, only about 64% of families consent for organ donation on an average. There are widespread misconceptions and myths about this subject, mostly due to lack of information and knowledge. I have attempted to explain the steps of diseased organ donation in this article which, hopefully will be able to break some of those misconceptions. I have avoided to discuss living donation which is entirely a different subject. I have only touched on Islamic perspective of organ donation here as multiple Islamic scholars are going to shed lights here. We encourage everybody to ‘Discover’ the facts about organ and tissue donation, to make an informed ‘Decision’ and ‘Discuss’ this with the family. If the family knows the wishes of the loved one, it makes their decision-making process much easier during such a devastating and stressful time.
Estimating Fractional Vegetation Cover of Row Crops from High Spatial Resolution Image
Authors: Ma Xu , Lu Lei , Ding Jianli , Zhang Fei , He Baozhong
Published: September 2021

With high spatial resolution remote sensing images being increasingly used in precision agriculture, more details of the row structure of row crops are captured in the corresponding images. This phenomenon is a challenge for the estimation of the fractional vegetation cover (FVC) of row crops. Previous studies have found that there is an overestimation of FVC for the early growth stage of vegetation in the current algorithms. When the row crops are a form in the early stage of vegetation, their FVC may also have overestimation. Therefore, developing an algorithm to address this problem is necessary. This study used World-View 3 images as data sources and attempted to use the canopy reflectance model of row crops, coupling backward propagation neural networks (BPNNs) to estimate the FVC of row crops. Compared to the prevailing algorithms, i.e., empirical method, spectral mixture analysis, and continuous crop model coupling BPNNs, the results showed that the calculated accuracy of the canopy reflectance model of row crops coupling with BPNNs is the highest performing (RMSE = 0.0305). Moreover, when the structure is obvious, we found that the FVC of row crops was about 0.5–0.6, and the relationship between estimated FVC of row crops and NDVI presented a strong exponential relationship. The results reinforced the conclusion that the canopy reflectance model of row crops coupled with BPNNs is more suitable for estimating the FVC of row crops in high-resolution images.
An Improved Adaptive Subsurface Phytoplankton Layer Detection Method for Ocean Lidar Data
Authors: Zhong Chunyi , Chen Peng , Pan Delu
Published: September 2021

Phytoplankton, as the foundation of primary production, is of great significant for the marine ecosystem. The vertical distribution of phytoplankton contains key information about marine ecology and the optical properties of water bodies related to remote sensing.The common methods to detect subsurface phytoplankton biomass are often in situ measurements and passive remote sensing; however, the bio-argo measurement is discrete and costly, and the passive remote sensing measurement is limited to obtain the vertical information. As a component of active remote sensing, lidar technology has been proved as an effective method for mapping the vertical distribution of phytoplankton. In the past years, there have been few studies on the phytoplankton layer extraction method for lidar data. The existing subsurface layer extraction algorithms are often non-automatic, which need manual intervention or empirical parameters to set the layer extraction threshold. Hence, an improved adaptive subsurface phytoplankton layer detection method was proposed, which incorporates a curve fitting method and a robust estimation method to determine the depth and thickness of subsurface phytoplankton scattering layer. The combination of robust estimation method can realize automatic calculation of layer detection threshold according to the characteristic of each lidar signal, instead of an empirical fixed value used in previous works. In addition, the noise jamming signal can also be effectively detected and removed. Lidar data and in situ spatio-temporal matching Chlorophyll-a profile data obtained in Sanya Bay in 2018 was used for algorithm verification. The example result of step-by-step process illustrates that the improved method is available for adaptive threshold determination for layer detection and redundant noise signals elimination. Correlation analysis and statistical hypothesis testing shows the retrieved subsurface phytoplankton maximum depth by the improved method and in situ measurement is highly relevant. The absolute difference of layer maximum depth between lidar data and in situ data for all stations is less than 0.75 m, and mean absolute difference of layer thickness difference is about 1.74 m. At last, the improved method was also applied to the lidar data obtained near Wuzhizhou Island seawater, which proves that the method is feasiable and robust for various sea areas.
Remote Sensing of Wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America
Authors: Montgomery Joshua , Mahoney Craig , Brisco Brian , Boychuk Lyle , Cobbaert Danielle , Hopkinson Chris
Published: September 2021

The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North America is an extremely important habitat for a diverse range of wetland ecosystems that provide a wealth of socio-economic value. This paper describes the ecological characteristics and importance of PPR wetlands and the use of remote sensing for mapping and monitoring applications. While there are comprehensive reviews for wetland remote sensing in recent publications, there is no comprehensive review about the use of remote sensing in the PPR. First, the PPR is described, including the wetland classification systems that have been used, the water regimes that control the surface water and water levels, and the soil and vegetation characteristics of the region. The tools and techniques that have been used in the PPR for analyses of geospatial data for wetland applications are described. Field observations for ground truth data are critical for good validation and accuracy assessment of the many products that are produced. Wetland classification approaches are reviewed, including Decision Trees, Machine Learning, and object versus pixel-based approaches. A comprehensive description of the remote sensing systems and data that have been employed by various studies in the PPR is provided. A wide range of data can be used for various applications, including passive optical data like aerial photographs or satellite-based, Earth-observation data. Both airborne and spaceborne lidar studies are described. A detailed description of Synthetic Aperture RADAR (SAR) data and research are provided. The state of the art is the use of multi-source data to achieve higher accuracies and hybrid approaches. Digital Surface Models are also being incorporated in geospatial analyses to separate forest and shrub and emergent systems based on vegetation height. Remote sensing provides a cost-effective mechanism for mapping and monitoring PPR wetlands, especially with the logistical difficulties and cost of field-based methods. The wetland characteristics of the PPR dictate the need for high resolution in both time and space, which is increasingly possible with the numerous and increasing remote sensing systems available and the trend to open-source data and tools. The fusion of multi-source remote sensing data via state-of-the-art machine learning is recommended for wetland applications in the PPR. The use of such data promotes flexibility for sensor addition, subtraction, or substitution as a function of application needs and potential cost restrictions. This is important in the PPR because of the challenges related to the highly dynamic nature of this unique region.
1D Stochastic Inversion of Airborne Time-Domain Electromagnetic Data with Realistic Prior and Accounting for the Forward Modeling Error
Authors: Bai Peng , Vignoli Giulio , Hansen Thomas Mejer
Published: September 2021

Airborne electromagnetic surveys may consist of hundreds of thousands of soundings. In most cases, this makes 3D inversions unfeasible even when the subsurface is characterized by a high level of heterogeneity. Instead, approaches based on 1D forwards are routinely used because of their computational efficiency. However, it is relatively easy to fit 3D responses with 1D forward modelling and retrieve apparently well-resolved conductivity models. However, those detailed features may simply be caused by fitting the modelling error connected to the approximate forward. In addition, it is, in practice, difficult to identify this kind of artifacts as the modeling error is correlated. The present study demonstrates how to assess the modelling error introduced by the 1D approximation and how to include this additional piece of information into a probabilistic inversion. Not surprisingly, it turns out that this simple modification provides not only much better reconstructions of the targets but, maybe, more importantly, guarantees a correct estimation of the corresponding reliability.
A New Approach of 3D Lightning Location Based on Pearson Correlation Combined with Empirical Mode Decomposition
Authors: Wang Yanhui , Min Yingchang , Liu Yali , Zhao Guo
Published: September 2021

To improve the accuracy of pulse matching and the mapping quality of lightning discharges, the Pearson correlation method combined with empirical mode decomposition (EMD) is introduced for discharge electric field pulse matching. This paper uses the new method to locate the lightning channels of an intra-cloud (IC) lightning flash and a cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flash and analyzes the location results for the two lightning flashes. The results show that this method has a good performance in lightning location. Compared with the pulse-peak feature matching method, the positioning results of the new method are significantly improved, which is mainly due to the much larger number of positioning points (matched pulses). The number of located radiation sources has increased by nearly a factor of seven, which can significantly improve the continuity of the lightning channel and clearly distinguish the developmental characteristics. In the CG flash, there were three negative recoil streamers in the positive leader channel. After the three negative recoil streamers were finished, taking approximately 1 ms, 12 ms, and 2 ms, respectively, the negative leader channel underwent a K-process. The three negative recoil streamers are not connected to the K-processes in the negative leader channel. We think that the three negative recoil streamers may have triggered the three K-processes, respectively.
Sensor Selection Framework for Designing Fault Diagnostics System
Authors: Kulkarni Amol , Terpenny Janis , Prabhu Vittaldas
Published: September 2021

In a world of rapidly changing technologies, reliance on complex engineered systems has become substantial. Interactions associated with such systems as well as associated manufacturing processes also continue to evolve and grow in complexity. Consider how the complexity of manufacturing processes makes engineered systems vulnerable to cascading and escalating failures; truly a highly complex and evolving system of systems. Maintaining quality and reliability requires considerations during product development, manufacturing processes, and more. Monitoring the health of the complex system while in operation/use is imperative. These considerations have compelled designers to explore fault-mechanism models and to develop corresponding countermeasures. Increasingly, there has been a reliance on embedded sensors to aid in prognosticating failures, to reduce downtime, during manufacture and system operation. However, the accuracy of estimating the remaining useful life of the system is highly dependent on the quality of the data obtained. This can be enhanced by increasing the number of sensors used, according to information theory. However, adding sensors increases total costs with the cost of the sensors and the costs associated with information-gathering procedures. Determining the optimal number of sensors, associated operating and data acquisition costs, and sensor-configuration are nontrivial. It is also imperative to avoid redundant information due to the presence of additional sensors and the efficient display of information to the decision-maker. Therefore, it is necessary to select a subset of sensors that not only reduce the cost but are also informative. While progress has been made in the sensor selection process, it is limited to either the type of the sensor, number of sensors or both. Such approaches do not address specifications of the required sensors which are integral to the sensor selection process. This paper addresses these shortcomings through a new method, OFCCaTS, to avoid the increased cost associated with health monitoring and to improve its accuracy. The proposed method utilizes a scalable multi-objective framework for sensor selection to maximize fault detection rate while minimizing the total cost of sensors. A wind turbine gearbox is considered to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed framework.
A Total Lp-Norm Optimization for Bearing-Only Source Localization in Impulsive Noise with SαS Distribution
Authors: Luo Ji-An , Xue Chang-Cheng , Rong Ying-Jiao , Han Shen-Tu
Published: September 2021

This paper considers the problem of robust bearing-only source localization in impulsive noise with symmetric α-stable distribution based on the Lp-norm minimization criterion. The existing Iteratively Reweighted Pseudolinear Least-Squares (IRPLS) method can be used to solve the least LP-norm optimization problem. However, the IRPLS algorithm cannot reduce the bias attributed to the correlation between system matrices and noise vectors. To reduce this kind of bias, a Total Lp-norm Optimization (TLPO) method is proposed by minimizing the errors in all elements of system matrix and data vector based on the minimum dispersion criterion. Subsequently, an equivalent form of TLPO is obtained, and two algorithms are developed to solve the TLPO problem by using Iterative Generalized Eigenvalue Decomposition (IGED) and Generalized Lagrange Multiplier (GLM), respectively. Numerical examples demonstrate the performance advantage of the IGED and GLM algorithms over the IRPLS algorithm.
Wearable Inertial Gait Algorithms: Impact of Wear Location and Environment in Healthy and Parkinson’s Populations
Authors: Celik Yunus , Stuart Sam , Woo Wai Lok , Godfrey Alan
Published: September 2021

Wearable inertial measurement units (IMUs) are used in gait analysis due to their discrete wearable attachment and long data recording possibilities within indoor and outdoor environments. Previously, lower back and shin/shank-based IMU algorithms detecting initial and final contact events (ICs-FCs) were developed and validated on a limited number of healthy young adults (YA), reporting that both IMU wear locations are suitable to use during indoor and outdoor gait analysis. However, the impact of age (e.g., older adults, OA), pathology (e.g., Parkinson′s Disease, PD) and/or environment (e.g., indoor vs. outdoor) on algorithm accuracy have not been fully investigated. Here, we examined IMU gait data from 128 participants (72-YA, 20-OA, and 36-PD) to thoroughly investigate the suitability of ICs-FCs detection algorithms (1 × lower back and 1 × shin/shank-based) for quantifying temporal gait characteristics depending on IMU wear location and walking environment. The level of agreement between algorithms was investigated for different cohorts and walking environments. Although mean temporal characteristics from both algorithms were significantly correlated for all groups and environments, subtle but characteristically nuanced differences were observed between cohorts and environments. The lowest absolute agreement level was observed in PD (ICC2,1 = 0.979, 0.806, 0.730, 0.980) whereas highest in YA (ICC2,1 = 0.987, 0.936, 0.909, 0.989) for mean stride, stance, swing, and step times, respectively. Absolute agreement during treadmill walking (ICC2,1 = 0.975, 0.914, 0.684, 0.945), indoor walking (ICC2,1 = 0.987, 0.936, 0.909, 0.989) and outdoor walking (ICC2,1 = 0.998, 0.940, 0.856, 0.998) was found for mean stride, stance, swing, and step times, respectively. Findings of this study suggest that agreements between algorithms are sensitive to the target cohort and environment. Therefore, researchers/clinicians should be cautious while interpreting temporal parameters that are extracted from inertial sensors-based algorithms especially for those with a neurological condition.
Determination and Chemometrics-Assisted Comparative Analysis of Active Components in Different Tissue of Rana chensinensis
Authors: Zhang Jianqiu , Wang Zhongyao , Wang Shihan , Zhang Changli , Li Nan , Xu Dongliang , Yang Yong , Wang Yongsheng
Published: September 2021

In this study, the chemical composition of different tissues of Rana temporaria chensinensis David derived from the same individual was analyzed by comparative approach. First, pre-column derivatization combined with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was established to determine the content of 1-methyl hydantoin in samples, which used S1–S5 samples. The results indicated that 1-methyl hydantoin was determined in Oviductus Ranae (OR), Rana chensinensis ovum (RCO), Rana chensinensis meat (RCM), and Rana chensinensis skin (RCS), except for Rana chensinensis bone (RCB). Moreover, the content of it in RCS was the highest. In addition, the contents of six polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in different tissues of Rana chensinensis were measured by HPLC, including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), α-linolenic acid (ALA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), arachidonic acid (ARA), linoleic acid (LA) and oleic acid (OA). The results indicated that OR, RCO, RCM, RCS, and RCB all contained the above six PUFAs. With the aid of chemometrics methods, the results of principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) combined with the sequencing results of the total PUFAs content of each sample, showed that different tissues of Rana chensinensis could be divided into four categories, and the RCO sample was divided into one category because of the highest PUFAs content, which was a good source of PUFA. For comparison, OR and other tissue from the perspective of PUFAs, we also established OPLS-DA models of them. It could be found that the RCM was the most similar to the OR in the diversity and content of PUFAs. This study provided a theoretical basis for the further development and utilization of RCO, RCM, RCS, and RCB as by-products of OR.
Evaluation of Heavy Metal Tolerance Level of the Antarctic Bacterial Community in Biodegradation of Waste Canola Oil
Authors: Zahri Khadijah Nabilah Mohd , Gomez-Fuentes Claudio , Sabri Suriana , Zulkharnain Azham , Khalil Khalilah Abdul , Lim Sooa , Ahmad Siti Aqlima
Published: September 2021

Heavy metal contamination is accidentally becoming prevalent in Antarctica, one of the world’s most pristine regions. Anthropogenic as well as natural causes can result in heavy metal contamination. Each heavy metal has a different toxic effect on various microorganisms and species, which can interfere with other pollutant bioremediation processes. This study focused on the effect of co-contaminant heavy metals on waste canola oil (WCO) biodegradation by the BS14 bacterial community collected from Antarctic soil. The toxicity of different heavy metals in 1 ppm of concentration to the WCO-degrading bacteria was evaluated and further analyzed using half maximal inhibition concentration (IC50) and effective concentration (EC50) tests. The results obtained indicated that Ag and Hg significantly impeded bacterial growth and degradation of WCO, while interestingly, Cr, As, and Pb had the opposite effect. Meanwhile, Cd, Al, Zn, Ni, Co, and Cu only slightly inhibited the bacterial community in WCO biodegradation. The IC50 values of Ag and Hg for WCO degradation were found to be 0.47 and 0.54 ppm, respectively. Meanwhile, Cr, As, and Pb were well-tolerated and induced bacterial growth and WCO degradation, resulting in the EC50 values of 3.00, 23.80, and 28.98 ppm, respectively. The ability of the BS14 community to tolerate heavy metals while biodegrading WCO in low-temperature conditions was successfully confirmed, which is a crucial aspect in biodegrading oil due to the co-contamination of oil and heavy metals that can occur simultaneously, and at the same time it can be applied in heavy metal-contaminated areas.
New Approach for Mining Site Reclamation Using Alternative Substrate Based on Phosphate Industry By-Product and Sludge Mixture
Authors: Guéablé Yao Kohou Donatien , Bezrhoud Youssef , Moulay Haitam , Moughli Lhoussaine , Hafidi Mohamed , El Gharouss Mohamed , El Mejahed Khalil
Published: September 2021

Mining soils are generally characterized by soils having a coarse texture and low fertility, which makes revegetation a very difficult and delicate operation, especially in arid and semi-arid zones. The main objective of this work is to evaluate different substrates that can both contribute to the successful reclamation of phosphate mining soils and the valorization of phosphate by-product and sewage sludge. The study was carried out in pots under a greenhouse on Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum). The experimental design is a randomized complete block with ten treatments, four repetitions from five substrates: phosphogypsum (PG), phosphate sludge (PS), sewage sludge (SS), topsoil from mining (TS) and phosphate waste rocks (PWR); this corresponds to soil after rock phosphate extraction. Nitrogen fertilization was applied to treatments after soil depletion in treatments not receiving sludge. An aerial biomass measurement and nutrient analysis were carried out for the three cuts. The results showed that a proportion of 65% of PG enriched the substrate in phosphorus by improving the crop yield. The addition of 5% of SS contributed to a significant improvement of ryegrass aerial biomass. In the absence of SS application, the addition of nitrogen is required to maintain crop growth. For large-scale application, TS can be mixed with PS, SS and PG for mine site reclamation.