bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nanoliposome-Loaded Phenolics from Nasturtium officinale Improves Health Parameters in a Colorectal Cancer Mouse Model
Authors: Taghavinia Fatemeh , Teymouri Fatemeh , Farokhrouz Fatemeh , Bagherabad Elahe Hashemi , Farjami Sarasadat , Karimi Ehsan , Oskoueian Ehsan , Le Hieu Huu , Shakeri Majid
Published: December 2022

Nasturtium officinale contains high amounts of phytochemical compounds that work against oxidative damages leading to improved health conditions in animals as well as humans. The study was performed to investigate the health benefits of nonencapsulated and nanoliposome-encapsulated phenolic rich fractions obtained from Nasturtium officinale on mice induced colorectal cancer. The experiment focused on encapsulation efficiency in improving the effectiveness of plant bioactive compounds. Phenolic rich fractions (PRF) were successfully loaded in the nanoliposome structure, a nanometer in size, of spherical shape and with homogeneous dispersion. Induction of colorectal cancer in mice impaired weight gain and feed intake, liver function and structural characteristics of ileum, while the dietary administration of nanoliposome-encapsulated PRF regulated the expression of Caspase 3, Bax, Bcl2, iNOS and SOD genes in the tumor tissue. The addition of nonencapsulated PRF and nanoliposome encapsulated PRF at the concentration of 100 mg TPC/kg BW/day improved the genes expression, although the nanoliposome-encapsulated PRF revealed better health outcomes compared to nonencapsulated PRF. Furthermore, both PRF improved intestinal morphology when the mice were challenged with colorectal cancer. The higher health promoting activity of nanoliposome-encapsulated PRF could be associated with its enhanced intestinal absorption, bioavailability, bioaccessibility and bioactivity. Consequently, the nanoliposome-encapsulated PRF could be considered as a promising anticancer agent against colorectal cancer.
Metabolic Hepatic Disorders Caused by Ciguatoxins in Goldfish (Carassius auratus)
Authors: Ramos-Sosa María José , Hernández López Víctor , Sanchez-Henao Andres , García-Álvarez Natalia , Díaz-Marrero Ana R. , Rosario Inmaculada , Real Fernando , Fernández José J.
Published: December 2022

Ciguatera poisoning (CP) is a foodborne disease known for centuries; however, little research has been conducted on the effects of ciguatoxins (CTXs) on fish metabolism. The main objective of this study was to assess different hepatic compounds observed in goldfish (Carassius auratus) fed C-CTX1 using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics. Thirteen goldfish were treated with C-CTX1-enriched flesh and sampled on days 1, 8, 15, 29, 36, and 43. On day 43, two individuals, referred to as ‘Detox’, were isolated until days 102 and 121 to evaluate the possible recovery after returning to a commercial feed. At each sampling, hepatic tissue was weighed to calculate the hepatosomatic index (HSI) and analyzed for the metabolomics study; animals fed toxic flesh showed a higher HSI, even greater in the ‘Detox’ individuals. Furthermore, altered concentrations of alanine, lactate, taurine, glucose, and glycogen were observed in animals with the toxic diet. These disturbances could be related to an increase in ammonium ion (NH4+) production. An increase in ammonia (NH3) concentration in water was observed in the aquarium where the fish ingested toxic meat compared to the non-toxic aquarium. All these changes may be rationalized by the relationship between CTXs and the glucose–alanine cycle.
Management of Vaginal Hyperplasia in Bitches by Bühner Suture
Authors: Bucci Roberta , Fusi Jasmine , Robbe Domenico , Veronesi Maria Cristina , Carluccio Augusto
Published: December 2022

Vaginal hyperplasia in bitch is an exaggerated response of the vaginal mucosa to estrogens during the proestral–estral phase of the cycle that can protrude through the vulvar lips. The present study refers to the management of vaginal hyperplasia in bitches by Bühner vulvar suture. Fourteen private-owners animals were refereed for spontaneous vaginal hyperplasia and complete protrusion of the mucosa, without ischemic or necrotic areas, which occurred during the proestral–estral phase. Under general anesthesia, prolapsed mass was cleaned with 50% glucose solution to reduce oedema and gently repositioned; the Bühner suture was applied using a Gerlach needle and a sterile vaginal suture tape, maintaining a minimal opening to allow urination in order to avoid possible recurrence in the same estrus. None of the bitches showed recurrence during the current cycle, proving the effectiveness of the Bühner suture. To prevent the possible recurrence of vaginal hyperplasia at the subsequent estrus, all the bitches underwent an ovariectomy 2 months later, when the Bühner suture was removed. In conclusion, the Bühner suture proved to be useful for the conservative treatment of vaginal hyperplasia in medium- or large-sized bitches. However, this approach should be considered only for cases in which the prolapsed mass does not show trauma, ulceration, ischemic or necrotic areas.
Clonal Lineages and Virulence Factors of Carbapenem Resistant E. coli in Alameda County, California, 2017–2019
Authors: Slown Samuel , Walas Nikolina , Amato Heather K. , Lloyd Tyler , Varghese Vici , Bender Monica , Pandori Mark , Graham Jay
Published: December 2022

The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) has been increasing since the year 2000 and is considered a serious public health threat according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Limited studies have genotyped Carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli using whole genome sequencing to characterize the most common lineages and resistance and virulence genes. The aim of this study was to characterize sequence data from carbapenem-resistant E. coli isolates (n = 82) collected longitudinally by the Alameda County Public Health Laboratory (ACPHL) between 2017 and 2019. E. coli genomes were screened for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli virulence factor genes (VFGs). The carbapenem-resistant E. coli lineages were diverse, with 24 distinct sequence types (STs) represented, including clinically important STs: ST131, ST69, ST95, and ST73. All Ambler classes of Carbapenemases were present, with NDM-5 being most the frequently detected. Nearly all isolates (90%) contained genes encoding resistance to third-generation cephalosporins; blaCTX-M genes were most common. The number of virulence genes present within pandemic STs was significantly higher than the number in non-pandemic lineages (p = 0.035). Virulence genes fimA (92%), trat (71%), kpsM (54%), and iutA (46%) were the most prevalent within the isolates. Considering the public health risk associated with CRE, these data enhance our understanding of the diversity of clinically important E. coli that are circulating in Alameda County, California.
Evaluation of Retail Meat as a Source of ESBL Escherichia coli in Tamaulipas, Mexico
Authors: Martínez-Vázquez Ana Verónica , Mandujano Antonio , Cruz-Gonzalez Eduardo , Guerrero Abraham , Vazquez Jose , Cruz-Pulido Wendy Lizeth , Rivera Gildardo , Bocanegra-García Virgilio
Published: December 2022

In recent decades, the appearance of a group of strains resistant to most β-lactam antibiotics, called extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs), has greatly impacted the public health sector. The present work aimed to identify the prevalence of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli strains in retail meat from northeast Tamaulipas. A total of 228 meat samples were obtained from 76 different stores. A prevalence of E. coli ESBL of 6.5% (15/228) was detected. All (15/15) of the ESBL strains were multiresistant. Altogether, 40% (6/15) of the strains showed the presence of class 1 integrons. The isolates identified with blaCTX-M (20%) also showed co-resistance with the tet (A and B), str (A and B), and sul (2 and 3) genes. A total of 20% of the strains belonged to the B2 and D phylogroups, which are considered pathogenic groups. None of the ESBL-positive strains contained any of the virulence gene factors tested. The presence of ESBL-producing E. coli strains in meat indicates a potential risk to the consumer. Although most of these strains were classified as commensals, they were found to serve as reservoirs of multiresistance to antimicrobials and, therefore, are potential routes of dispersion of this resistance to other bacteria.
Synthesis, Physicochemical Properties and Molecular Docking of New Benzothiazole Derivatives as Antimicrobial Agents Targeting DHPS Enzyme
Authors: Azzam Rasha A. , Elboshi Heba A. , Elgemeie Galal H.
Published: December 2022

The drug-resistance problem is widely spread and becoming more common in community-acquired and nosocomial strains of bacteria. Therefore, finding new antimicrobial agents remains an important drug target. From this perspective, new derivatives of benzothiazole were synthesized and evaluated for their antimicrobial activity and ability to inhibit the DHPS enzyme. The synthesis was carried out by the reaction of benzothiazole N-arylsulphonylhydrazone with N-aryl-2-cyano-3-(dimethylamino)acrylamide, N-aryl-3-(dimethylamino)prop-2-en-1-one, arylaldehydes or diazonium salt of arylamine derivatives, which led to the formation of N-arylsulfonylpyridones 6a–d (yield 60–70%) and 12a–c (yield 50–60%),N-(2-(benzo[d]thiazole-2-yl)-3-arylacryloyl-4-methylsulfonohydrazide 14a–c (yield 60–65%), 4-(benzo[d]thiazole-2-yl)-5-aryl-1H-pyrazol-3(2H)-one 16a–c (yield 65–75%), and N′-(2-(benzo[d]thiazol-2-yl)-2-(2-arylhydrazono)acetyl)-4-arylsulfonohydrazide 19a–e (yield 85–70%). The antimicrobial evaluations resulted into a variety of microbial activities against the tested strains. Most compounds showed antimicrobial activity against S. aureus with an MIC range of 0.025 to 2.609 mM. The most active compound, 16c, exhibited superior activity against the S. aureus strain with an of MIC 0.025 mM among all tested compounds, outperforming both standard drugs ampicillin and sulfadiazine. The physicochemical–pharmacokinetic properties of the synthesized compounds were studied, and it was discovered that some compounds do not violate rule of five and have good bioavailability and drug-likeness scores. The five antimicrobial potent compounds with good physicochemical–pharmacokinetic properties were then examined for their inhibition of DHPS enzyme. According to the finding, three compounds, 16a–c, had IC50 values comparable to the standard drug and revealed that compound 16b was the most active compound with an IC50 value of 7.85 μg/mL, which is comparable to that of sulfadiazine (standard drug) with an IC50 value of 7.13 μg/mL. A docking study was performed to better understand the interaction of potent compounds with the binding sites of the DHPS enzyme, which revealed that compounds 16a–c are linked by two arene-H interactions with Lys220 within the PABA pocket.
Cutibacterium acnes Prosthetic Joint Infections: Is Rifampicin-Combination Therapy Beneficial?
Authors: Saltiel Grégoire , Meyssonnier Vanina , Kerroumi Younes , Heym Beate , Lidove Olivier , Marmor Simon , Zeller Valérie
Published: December 2022

No consensus has been reached on the optimal antibiotic regimen to treat Cutibacterium acnes PJIs (Ca-PJIs). In vitro studies showed excellent rifampicin efficacy against biofilm-associated C. acnes infections, but clinical studies did not confirm the superiority of rifampicin-combined therapy over monotherapy. This prospective cohort study was undertaken to analyze the outcomes of 70 patients who underwent exchange arthroplasty for chronic monomicrobial Ca-PJI and were treated with rifampicin or without between 2004 and 2019. The 37 patients treated from January 2004 to August 2014 were prescribed rifampicin-combination therapy and the 33 treated from September 2014 to December 2019 received monotherapy without rifampicin. The primary endpoint was the 2-year Kaplan–Meier-estimated reinfection-free probability, including relapses and new-pathogen PJIs. The 2-year reinfection-free rate was high and not different for patients who had received rifampicin or not (89.2% vs. 93.8%, respectively; p = 0.524). None of the patients relapsed and six developed new-pathogen PJIs. Our results do not support a benefit of rifampicin-combination therapy for patients who underwent exchange arthroplasty for chronic Ca-PJIs.
How to Identify Invasive Candidemia in ICU—A Narrative Review
Authors: Alves Joana , Alonso-Tarrés Carles , Rello Jordi
Published: December 2022

The incidence of invasive fungal infection in ICUs has increased over time, and Candida spp. is the most common cause. Critical care patients are a particular set of patients with a higher risk of invasive fungal infections; this population is characterized by extensive use of medical devices such as central venous lines, arterial lines, bladder catheters, hemodialysis and mechanical intubation. Blood cultures are the gold standard diagnosis; still, they are not an early diagnostic technique. Mannan, anti-mannan antibody, 1,3-β-D-glucan, Candida albicans germ tube antibody, Vitek 2, PNA-FISH, MALDI-TOF, PCR and T2Candida panel are diagnostic promising microbiological assays. Scoring systems are tools to distinguish patients with low and high risk of infection. They can be combined with diagnostic tests to select patients for pre-emptive treatment or antifungal discontinuation. Candidemia is the focus of this narrative review, an approach to contributing factors and diagnosis, with an emphasis on critical care patients.
Magnolia officinalis Bark Extract Prevents Enterocyte Death in a Colitis Mouse Model by Inhibiting ROS-Mediated Necroptosis
Authors: Lee Kang-In , Kim Hye Jin , Kim Hyungjun , Kim Min-Soo , Kim Jung Im , Park Ki-Sun
Published: December 2022

Necroptosis is a form of programmed cell death with features of necrosis and apoptosis that occurs in the intestinal epithelium of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. In addition, necroptosis has also been observed in enterocytes in animal models of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. Thus, the discovery of natural products for regulating necroptosis may represent an important therapeutic strategy for improving IBD. We found that Magnolia officinalis bark extract (MBE) prevented weight loss and suppressed the activation of the proinflammatory cytokine IL6 in DSS-induced colitis. Furthermore, MBE restored the length of the damaged colon and decreased the expression of necroptosis markers in mice with DSS-induced colitis. In vitro, necroptosis-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was reduced by MBE, and the expression of COX2, a target protein of ROS, was simultaneously suppressed. Both magnolol and honokiol, the two major bioactive compounds in MBE, inhibited necroptosis in human primary intestinal epithelial cells and colorectal adenocarcinoma cells. Our findings highlight the effectiveness of MBE in modulating enterocyte necroptosis and suggest that MBE may be developed as a natural, disease-targeting drug for the treatment of colitis.
Altered Metal Homeostasis Associates with Inflammation, Oxidative Stress, Impaired Glucose Metabolism, and Dyslipidemia in the Crosstalk between Childhood Obesity and Insulin Resistance
Authors: González-Domínguez Álvaro , Millán-Martínez María , Domínguez-Riscart Jesús , Mateos Rosa María , Lechuga-Sancho Alfonso María , González-Domínguez Raúl
Published: December 2022

Metals are redox-active substances that participate in central biological processes and may be involved in a multitude of pathogenic events. However, considering the inconsistencies reported in the literature, further research is crucial to disentangle the role of metal homeostasis in childhood obesity and comorbidities using well-characterized cohorts and state-of-the-art analytical methods. To this end, we studied an observational population comprising children with obesity and insulin resistance, children with obesity without insulin resistance, and healthy control children. A multi-elemental approach based on the size-fractionation of metal species was applied to quantify the total content of various essential and toxic elements in plasma and erythrocyte samples, and to simultaneously investigate the metal fractions conforming the metalloproteome and the labile metal pool. The most important disturbances in childhood obesity were found to be related to elevated circulating copper levels, decreased content of plasmatic proteins containing chromium, cobalt, iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, and zinc, as well as the sequestration of copper, iron, and selenium within erythrocytes. Interestingly, these metal disturbances were normally exacerbated among children with concomitant insulin resistance, and in turn were associated to other characteristic pathogenic events, such as inflammation, oxidative stress, abnormal glucose metabolism, and dyslipidemia. Therefore, this study represents one-step further towards a better understanding of the involvement of metals in the crosstalk between childhood obesity and insulin resistance.
Cosmeceutical Effects of Ishige okamurae Celluclast Extract
Authors: Yang Fengqi , Hyun Jimin , Nagahawatta D. P. , Kim Young Min , Heo Moon-Soo , Jeon You-Jin
Published: December 2022

Sulfated polysaccharides extracted from brown algae are unique algal polysaccharides and potential ingredients in the cosmeceutical, functional food, and pharmaceutical industries. Therefore, the present study evaluated the cosmeceutical effects, including antioxidant, anti-wrinkle, anti-inflammation, and photoprotective activities, of Ishige okamurae Celluclast extract (IOC). The IOC was abundant in sulfated polysaccharides (48.47%), polysaccharides (44.33%), and fucose (43.50%). Moreover, the IOC effectively scavenged free radicals, and its anti-inflammatory properties were confirmed in lipopolysaccharide-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages; therefore, the IOC may produce auxiliary effects by inhibiting reactive oxygen species (ROS). In vitro (Vero cells) and in vivo (zebrafish) studies further confirmed that the IOC produced a protective effect against hydrogen-peroxide-induced oxidative stress in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, the IOC suppressed intracellular ROS and apoptosis and enhanced HO-1 and SOD-1 expression through transcriptional activation of Nrf2 and downregulation of Keap1 in HaCaT cells. Furthermore, the IOC exhibited a potent protective effect against ultraviolet-B-induced skin damage and photoaging. In conclusion, the IOC possesses antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and photoprotective activities, and can, therefore, be utilized in the cosmeceutical and functional food industries.
The Influence of Ambient Temperature Changes on the Indicators of Inflammation and Oxidative Damage in Blood after Submaximal Exercise
Authors: Pawłowska Marta , Mila-Kierzenkowska Celestyna , Boraczyński Tomasz , Boraczyński Michał , Szewczyk-Golec Karolina , Sutkowy Paweł , Wesołowski Roland , Budek Marlena , Woźniak Alina
Published: December 2022

Physical activity has a positive effect on human health and well-being, but intense exercise can cause adverse changes in the organism, leading to the development of oxidative stress and inflammation. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of short-term cold water immersion (CWI) and a sauna bath as methods of postexercise regeneration on the indicators of inflammation and oxidative damage in the blood of healthy recreational athletes. Forty-five male volunteers divided into two groups: ‘winter swimmers’ who regularly use winter baths (n = 22, average age 43.2 ± 5.9 years) and ‘novices’ who had not used winter baths regularly before (n = 23, mean age 25 ± 4.8 years) participated in the study. The research was divided into two experiments, differing in the method of postexercise regeneration used, CWI (Experiment I) and a sauna bath (Experiment II). During Experiment I, the volunteers were subjected to a 30-min aerobic exercise, combined with a 20-min rest at room temperature (RT-REST) or a 20-min rest at room temperature with an initial 3-min 8 °C water bath (CWI-REST). During the Experiment II, the volunteers were subjected to the same aerobic exercise, followed by a RT-REST or a sauna bath (SAUNA-REST). The blood samples were taken before physical exercise (control), immediately after exercise and 20 min after completion of regeneration. The concentrations of selected indicators of inflammation, including interleukin 1β (IL-1β), interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 8 (IL-8), interleukin 8 (IL-8), interleukin 10 (IL-10), transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), as well as the activity of indicators of oxidative damage: α1-antitrypsin (AAT) and lysosomal enzymes, including arylsulfatase A (ASA), acid phosphatase (AcP) and cathepsin D (CTS D), were determined. CWI seems to be a more effective post-exercise regeneration method to reduce the inflammatory response compared to a sauna bath. A single sauna bath is associated with the risk of proteolytic tissue damage, but disturbances of cellular homeostasis are less pronounced in people who regularly use cold water baths than in those who are not adapted to thermal stress.
Resveratrol: Its Path from Isolation to Therapeutic Action in Eye Diseases
Authors: Pop Roxana , Daescu Adela , Rugina Dumitrita , Pintea Adela
Published: December 2022

Due to the confirmed therapeutic potential of resveratrol (Rv) for eye diseases, namely its powerful anti-angiogenic and antioxidant effects, this molecule must be studied more deeply. Nowadays, the pharmaceutic and pharmacokinetic available studies offer a troubling picture because of its low stability and bioavailability. To overcome this problem, researchers started to design and create different delivery systems that could improve the delivery amount of Rv. Therefore, this review aims to shed light on the proper and efficient techniques to isolate, purify and quantify the Rv molecule, and how this therapeutic molecule can be a part of a delivery system. The Rv great impact on aspects regarding its stability, bioavailability and absorption are also debated here, based on the existent literature on in vitro and in vivo human and animal studies. Moreover, after its absorption the Rv influence at the molecular level in ocular pathologies is described. In addition, the present review summarizes the available literature about Rv, hoping that Rv will gain more attention to investigate its unexplored side.
Mapping of the Upper Limb Work-Space: Benchmarking Four Wrist Smoothness Metrics
Authors: Scano Alessandro , Brambilla Cristina , Müller Henning , Atzori Manfredo
Published: December 2022

Smoothness is a commonly used measure of motion control. Physiological motion is characterized by high smoothness in the upper limb workspace. Moreover, there is evidence that smoothness-based models describe effectively skilled motion planning. Typical smoothness measures are based on wrist kinematics. Despite smoothness being often used as a measure of motor control and to evaluate clinical pathologies, so far, a smoothness map is not available for the whole workspace of the upper limb. In this work, we provide a map of the upper limb workspace comparing four smoothness metrics: the normalized jerk, the speed metric, the spectral arc length, and the number of speed peaks. Fifteen subjects were enrolled, performing several reaching movements in the upper limb workspace in multiple directions in five planes (frontal, left, right, horizontal and up). Smoothness of the wrist of each movement was computed and a 3D workspace map was reconstructed. The four smoothness metrics were in general accordance. Lower smoothness was found in the less dexterous sectors (up and left sectors), with respect to the frontal, horizontal, and right sectors. The number of speed peaks, frequently used for evaluating motion in neurological diseases, was instead not suitable for assessing movements of healthy subjects. Lastly, strong correlation was found especially between the normalized jerk and speed metric. These results can be used as a benchmark for motor control studies in various fields as well as clinical studies.
A Random Sampling-Based Method via Gaussian Process for Motion Planning in Dynamic Environments
Authors: Xu Jing , Qiao Jinghui , Han Xu , He Yu , Tian Hongkun , Wei Zhe
Published: December 2022

Motion planning is widely applied to industrial robots, medical robots, bionic robots, and smart vehicles. Most work environments of robots are not static, which leads to difficulties for robot motion planning. We present a dynamic Gaussian local planner (DGLP) method to solve motion planning problems in dynamic environments. In a dynamic environment, dynamic obstacles sometimes make part of the global path invalid, so the local invalid path needs to be local re-planned online. Compared with the node sampling-based methods building large-scale random trees or roadmaps, the Gaussian random path sampling (GRPS) module integrated in the DGLP directly samples smooth random paths discretized into sparse nodes to improve the local path re-planning efficiency. We also provide the path end orientation constraint (PEOC) method for the local re-planning paths in order to merge them smoothly into the global paths. In the robot experiments, the average planning time of the DGLP is 0.04s, which is at least 92.31% faster than the test methods, and its comprehensive evaluation scores, which consider the consuming time, path quality, and success rate of local re-planning, are at least 44.92% higher than the test methods. The results demonstrate that the proposed DGLP method is able to efficiently provide high-quality local re-planning paths in dynamic environments.
Flue Gas Condensation in a Model of the Heat Exchanger: The Effect of the Cooling Water Flow Rate and Its Temperature on Local Heat Transfer
Authors: Poškas Robertas , Sirvydas Arūnas , Kulkovas Vladislavas , Poškas Povilas , Jouhara Hussam , Miliauskas Gintautas , Puida Egidijus
Published: December 2022

In boiler houses, the biggest heat energy losses are caused by flue gas being released into the atmosphere. Installation of condensing heat exchangers allows reducing the temperature of the flue gas being released, condensation of water vapor, and, thus, efficient use of the waste heat. There are many investigations of average heat transfer in different types of condensing heat exchangers. They indicate also that the cooling water flow rate and its temperature are important parameters defining water vapor condensation efficiency. Investigations of local condensation heat transfer in condensing heat exchangers are very limited. Only recently experimental investigations of the flue gas temperature and Re number effect on local condensation heat transfer in the model of the condensing heat exchanger at a constant cooling water flow rate and its temperature have started being published. In this paper, for the first time, detailed experimental investigations of the cooling water flow rate and its temperature effect on local condensation heat transfer of the water vapor from the flue gas in the model of the condensing heat exchanger (long vertical tube) are presented. The results revealed that at higher flue gas Rein, the effect of the cooling water flow rate and its temperature has a stronger impact on local heat transfer distribution along the test section.
Detrital Mica Composition Quantitatively Indicates the Sediment Provenance along the Subei Coast to the Yangtze Estuary
Authors: Dong Zhicheng , Zhang Lina , Jin Bingfu
Published: December 2022

The influence of large rivers on the Subei littoral plain area requires more research than the results that have been available up to now. Thus, specific diagnostic indices of detrital mica are successfully applied for the first time to identify the detritus of the Yangtze River and the ancient Yellow River and to analyze their influence on the coast in the Subei littoral plain area. Based on field investigation and sample collection, detrital mica minerals within the 0.063–0.125 mm grain size fraction were selected and identified. Their content/ratio differentiations and possible origins were analyzed. Moreover, specific diagnostic indices were evaluated for detritus identification considering these two large rivers in addition to their provenance influences on the Subei littoral plain area. The results indicate that the detrital mica contents in the Yangtze River Estuary differed from those in the ancient Yellow River Estuary. The mass percentage in the former (average value of 32.2%) was much higher than that in the latter (average value of 13.1%). The former contained abundant weathered mica, with a particle percentage of approximately 50.6%, while the latter contained abundant biotite (with a particle percentage of approximately 40.9%). Differences, including but not limited to those above, could be attributed to basic geological, climatic and hydrodynamic conditions. In particular, the mica indices were clearly distinguished between these two river estuaries. These indices constitute specific diagnostic indices for differentiating river detritus and quantitative contribution analysis of detritus provenance in the Subei littoral plain area. Finally, the changes and quantitative contributions of four diagnostic indices demonstrated that in the Subei littoral plain area, northward from the Yangtze River Estuary to sample site SBY11 located in Yangkou town, Rudong County, detrital micas were mainly affected by the Yangtze River, and southward from the ancient Yellow River Estuary to sample site SBY12 located in Bengcha town, Rudong County, detrital micas were largely affected by the ancient Yellow River. The main mixing area should be located between these two towns. This study provides both a good example and an efficient approach to the application of detrital mica in detritus identification, mixed zone determination, sediment provenance analysis and transport tracing.
Effect of Adding Waste Polyethylene and GGBFS on the Engineering Properties of Cement Mortar
Authors: Hung Chang-Chi , Chang Jung-Nan , Wang Her-Yung , Wen Fu-Lin
Published: December 2022

The recycling of waste materials has become an important topic worldwide. Wastes can be effectively used in concrete to improve its characteristics. This study aimed to research cement mortar’s physical properties, mechanical properties, and durability. In a cement mortar with a fixed water-to-binder ratio (W/B) of 0.5, waste polyethylene (PE) was added at sand volume ratios of 0%, 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4%. Cement was replaced with 0%, 10%, and 20% ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS). The results showed that the slump and flow of mortar tended to decline as the added amount of waste PE increased, but they also increased with the increased replaced amount of GGBFS. The setting time of mortar was shortened as the waste PE increased but delayed as the amount of GGBFS increased. In terms of mechanical properties, the compressive strength of mortar declined as the replaced amount of waste PE increased. Using the GGBFS to replace part of the cement can improve the later mortar strength. This study found that when the added waste PE was within 2% and the replacement amount of GGBFS was 10%, the goal of recycling waste was reached most effectively, while maintaining the concrete’s mechanical properties.
Towards Closing STEAM Diversity Gaps: A Grey Review of Existing Initiatives
Authors: Hasti Henry , Amo-Filva Daniel , Fonseca David , Verdugo-Castro Sonia , García-Holgado Alicia , García-Peñalvo Francisco José
Published: December 2022

Although STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) and student-centered instruction are growing rapidly in popularity, their reach is not adequately distributed across diversity groups (including individuals of different genders, economic backgrounds, immigrant backgrounds, abilities, and races, among other characteristics). The CreaSTEAM project intends to address diversity gaps by developing STEAM-Labs, student-centered spaces that combine components of fab labs, media labs, and user labs to specifically target diversity gaps. This paper carried out an informal PRISMA systematic review of a collection of 124 worldwide STEAM diversity initiatives to gather data on existing best practices that will be used in the STEAM-Labs. The review studied the geographic distributions, organizational structures, founding years, and activity offerings of the initiatives, along with the dataset’s overall STEAM content area prevalence and diversity target area prevalence. STEM was the most common approach, and gender was the most common diversity target area. Since 2010 initiative creation has increased, with most growth in gender-focused initiatives.
The Impact of the Learning and Forgetting Effect on the Cost of a Multi-Unit Construction Project with the Use of the Simulated Annealing Algorithm
Authors: Podolski Michał , Rosłon Jerzy , Sroka Bartłomiej
Published: December 2022

Construction projects are often delayed. Their budgets are being exceeded. This is partly because construction project models rarely take human factors into account. The article focuses on the repetitive multi-unit projects that are often found in construction practices. They are an excellent example of construction works for which the optimization of certain processes can bring measurable financial benefits. In particular, the focus was on improving the key investment success indicator, the total cost of a project. This article presents the use of learning and forgetting phenomenon to improve construction schedules. The authors proposed an innovative model of the construction phase and optimized the schedule using a proprietary calculation algorithm using the simulated annealing phenomenon. The method was verified by a series of experiments and showcased by a case study. The results show that the presented methods can improve the construction planning process and better reflect the current construction conditions. The findings may impact residential, infrastructure, industrial, and commercial construction branches.
Nutritional, Antioxidant, Sensory, Energetic, and Electrical Properties of Enriched Pasta
Authors: Hlaváčová Zuzana , Madola Vladimír , Ivanišová Eva , Kunecová Daniela , Gálik Branislav , Hlaváč Peter , Božiková Monika , Vozárová Vlasta
Published: December 2022

The aim of the presented study was to determine the nutritional properties (dry matter, total protein, ash, and selected amino acid content), antioxidant properties (antioxidant activity; total polyphenol, flavonoid, and phenolic acid content; total carotenoid, chlorophyll, and anthocyanin), and sensory profile (general appearance, flavor, taste, aftertaste, overall acceptability) of pasta enriched with powdered nettle leaves, elderberry fruit, and carrot in additions of 3%. A control variant without the addition of plant material was prepared for comparison of the results. Two of our samples of pasta (with nettle and carrot) had lower calorific values by approximately 17%. However, the energy value of the pasta was not significantly affected by added substances. Electrical properties (resistance, impedance) were also measured, and resistivity was calculated. We found that impedance and resistivity were influenced by added components in pasta. In the frequency range from 20 kHz to 100 kHz, we were able to use the measured dependencies of the mentioned electrical properties to identify the type of addition to the pasta. Correlations exist between the electrical properties and nutritional properties of enriched pasta samples, and could be used to indetify value-added pasta in processing chain digitalization.
Stochastic Analysis of a Large-Span Continuous Girder High-Speed Railway Bridge under Fully Non-Stationary Earthquake
Authors: Xing Chenxi , Wang Hao , Xu Zidong , Liang Ruijun
Published: December 2022

The main objective of the present work is to evaluate the stochastic seismic response of a large-span continuous girder high-speed railway (CGHSR) bridge subjected to fully non-stationary seismic excitation. The stochastic ground motion is determined by a fully non-stationary ground acceleration model with both the time-varying intensity and frequency content. The stochastic seismic analysis of the large-span CGHSR bridge under a tri-directional earthquake, taking into consideration the wave passage effect, is performed using the pseudo excitation method (PEM) in frequency domain and the Monte Carlo sampling (MCS) method in time domain. A framework is proposed to determine the pseudo static displacement for the PEM under fully non-stationary seismic excitation, using the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD). A comparative study on the stochastic seismic response of the bridge is conducted using both the fully and modulated non-stationary ground acceleration. The results show that the structural nodal displacements estimated by the PEM agree well with those obtained by the MCS method. The proposed POD-based method works well in estimating the structural quasi-static displacement. Ignoring the frequency non-stationarity of the earthquake may underestimate the quasi-static displacement caused by the surface waves.
Effect of Raster Angle and Infill Pattern on the In-Plane and Edgewise Flexural Properties of Fused Filament Fabricated Acrylonitrile–Butadiene–Styrene
Authors: Qayyum Hamza , Hussain Ghulam , Sulaiman Muhammad , Hassan Malik , Ali Aaqib , Muhammad Riaz , Wei Hongyu , Shehbaz Tauheed , Aamir Muhammad , Altaf Khurram
Published: December 2022

Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) is a popular additive manufacturing process to produce printed polymer components, whereby their strength is highly dependent on the process parameters. The raster angle and infill pattern are two key process parameters and their effects on flexural properties need further research. Therefore, the present study aimed to print test specimens with varying raster angles and infill patterns to learn their influence on the in-plane and edgewise flexural properties of acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) material. The results revealed that the highest in-plane and edgewise flexural moduli were obtained when printing was performed at 0° raster angle. In comparison, the lowest values were obtained when the printing was executed with a 90° raster angle. Regarding the infill pattern, the tri-hexagon pattern showed the largest in-plane modulus, and the quarter-cubic pattern exhibited the greatest edgewise flexural modulus. However, considering both the modulus and load carrying capacity, the quarter-cubic pattern showed satisfactory performance in both planes. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy was used to investigate the failure modes, i.e., raster rupture, delamination of successive layers and void formation. The failure occurred either due to one or a combination of these modes.
Relevancy between Objects Based on Common Sense for Semantic Segmentation
Authors: Zhou Jun , Bai Xing , Zhang Qin
Published: December 2022

Research on image classification sparked the latest deep-learning boom. Many downstream tasks, including semantic segmentation, benefit from it. The state-of-the-art semantic segmentation models are all based on deep learning, and they sometimes make some semantic mistakes. In a semantic segmentation dataset with a small number of categories, images are often collected from a single scene, and there is a close semantic connection between any two categories. However, in the semantic segmentation dataset collected from multiple scenes, two categories may be irrelevant. The probability of objects in one category appearing next to objects in other categories is different, which is the basis of the paper. Semantic segmentation methods need to solve two problems of positioning and classification. This paper is dedicated to correcting those clearly wrong classifications that are contrary to reality. Specifically, we first calculate the relevancy between different class pairs. Then, based on this knowledge, we infer the category of a connected component according to the relationships of this connected component with its surrounding connected components and correct the obviously wrong classifications made by a deep learning semantic segmentation model. Several well-performing deep learning models are experimented on two challenging public datasets in the field of semantic image segmentation. Our proposed method improves the performance of UPerNet, OCRNet and SETR from 40.7%, 43% and 48.64% to 42.07%, 44.09% and 49.09% mean IoU on the ADE20K validation set, and the performance of PSPNet, DeepLabV3 and OCRNet from 37.26%, 37.3% and 39.5% to 38.93%, 38.95% and 40.63% mean IoU on the COCO-Stuff dataset, which shows the effectiveness of the method.
Deep Drawing of AISI 304 Blanks with Polymer Punches Produced by Additive Manufacturing: Effects of Process Scalability
Authors: Giorleo Luca
Published: December 2022

Rapid tooling is a methodology which aims to integrate additive manufacturing into the production of tools to be used in casting, forming or machining processes. In forming, rapid tooling is applied in the production of metallic or plastic tools that guarantee good performance in small- and medium-sized batch production. However, most punches tested to date have dimensions measured in millimeters and are therefore unsuitable for typical real-world industrial processes. In this study, the performance of plastic punches with geometries designed for industrial application was investigated. A deep drawing process involving AISI 304 blanks was created for the manufacturing of cups. Experimental and numerical analyses were conducted to measure the quality of the cups produced and the behaviour of the punches involved. The results indicate that when punch dimensions increase, a more precise cup geometry is produced (99% of drawing depth, 98% of cup precision on the fillet radius, and roundness error equal to 0.53%).
Design of a Highly Adaptable Advance Support for a Deep, Fully Mechanized Roadway and Analysis of Its Support Performance
Authors: Ding Ke , Wang Lianguo , Tian Jiansheng , Ren Bo , Jiang Chongyang , Wang Shuai
Published: December 2022

Considering the harsh environment of deep, fully mechanized working faces and the acutely imbalanced time distribution among excavation, support and anchoring, this paper designed a new type of highly adaptable advance support for fully mechanized roadways that boasts high adaptability, great support strength and a large working space. Firstly, the structure composition and working principle of the advance support were introduced. The structures and mechanical characteristics were then emphatically discussed. Subsequently, with the geological conditions of the 8224-machine roadway in the XT Coal Mine taken as an example, the loads of the advance support were obtained and then imported into the Ansys software to obtain the stress distribution and displacement distribution of the whole advance support and its parts through calculation. Based on the distribution, the stress and strain of the advance support were analyzed. The simulation results are as follows: Under various working conditions, the maximum displacement of the advance support was 4.5 mm, which is negligible compared to the overall size of the support; the maximum stress was 72.8 MPa, which is lower than the yield strength of the material (235 MPa). Therefore, the designed support can bear the pressure from the surrounding rock in the mine. Moreover, the roof beam, which is a weak link in the support, deserves more attention in subsequent engineering designs. This method conduces to not only parallel operations of excavation, support and anchoring, but also to rapid excavation and the safe production of roadways, providing fresh ideas for the advance support for fully mechanized roadways.
Combining Earliest Deadline First Scheduling with Scheduled Traffic Support in Automotive TSN-Based Networks
Authors: Leonardi Luca , Lo Bello Lucia , Patti Gaetano
Published: December 2022

Recent work on automotive communications based on the Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) standards proposed an approach to handle all the real-time frames in a uniform way regardless of their arrival pattern. According to such an approach, instead of binding all the frames of the same flow to a traffic class, each periodic or event-driven frame is scheduled based on its absolute deadline according to the Earliest Deadline First (EDF) algorithm. The approach does not impose additional frame overhead and does not require complex offline configurations that would be unsuitable for event-driven traffic. However, EDF scheduling cannot support time-driven communications. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a framework that combines the flexibility of online EDF frame scheduling for both periodic and event-driven traffic with the ability to guarantee temporal isolation to time-driven traffic. The paper describes the design of the proposed approach and the performance obtained using the OMNeT++ simulation environment.
Removing Chlorobenzene via the Synergistic Effects of Adsorption and Catalytic Oxidation over Activated Carbon Fiber Loaded with Transition Metal Oxides
Authors: Zhang Ying , Zhu Meiwen , Wei Qing , Wang Mingxi
Published: December 2022

This study focused on the elimination of chlorobenzene by dual adsorption/catalytic oxidation over activated carbon fibers (ACFs) loaded with transition metal oxides (TMOs). The TMOs were successfully loaded on the ACFs by the incipient wetness impregnation method, which has the advantages of easy preparation, low cost, and size uniformity. The removal effects for chlorobenzene (CB) were investigated on pristine ACFs and TMOs@ACFs in a fix-bed reactor. The adsorption/catalytic oxidation experiments result demonstrated that ACFs can be used as a very efficient adsorbent for the removal of low-concentration CB at the low temperature of 120 °C; the breakthrough time of CB over pristine ACFs can reach 15 h at an inlet concentration of 5000 ppmv and space velocity of 20,000 h−1. As the bed temperature rose above 175 °C, the CB removal mainly contributed to the catalytic oxidation of MnO2; a preferable CB removal ratio was achieved at higher temperatures in the presence of more MnO2. Therefore, CB can be effectively removed by the dual adsorbent/catalyst of MnO2@ACF at the full temperature range below 300 °C.
Temporal and Spatial Variation in Vegetation Coverage and Its Response to Climatic Change in Marshes of Sanjiang Plain, China
Authors: Liu Yiwen , Shen Xiangjin , Zhang Jiaqi , Wang Yanji , Wu Liyuan , Ma Rong , Lu Xianguo , Jiang Ming
Published: December 2022

Sanjiang Plain is the most extensive marsh distribution region in China. Marshes in this region can protect biodiversity, regulate climate, and provide habitats for wild animals and plants. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) is a crucial indicator of vegetation coverage, which may reflect ecosystem structure and functional features. Clarifying the spatiotemporal change of marsh coverage and its climatic drivers is vital for observing and predicting vegetation change in Sanjiang Plain. Using meteorological dataand MODIS NDVI data from 2000 to 2020, we analyzed the spatiotemporal variation in marsh vegetation coverage and climatic change effects in Sanjiang Plain. We found that the growing season vegetation NDVI of marsh increased significantly at a rate of 0.011/decade, indicating that the marsh vegetation growth has obviously improved during the past 21 years. Furthermore, we found that the increase of minimum (Tmin) and maximum (Tmax) temperature in July can significantly promote the marsh plant growth, and increasing nighttime Tmin has a stronger impact on promoting the growth than increasing daytime Tmax in this month. In addition, the increase of daytime Tmax in August can promote the marsh vegetation growth, whereas the increasing precipitation in August was unfavorable for the growth in Sanjiang Plain.