bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes and MicroRNAs in Cartilage Regeneration: Biogenesis, Efficacy, miRNA Enrichment and Delivery
Authors: Foo Jhi Biau , Looi Qi Hao , How Chee Wun , Lee Sau Har , Al-Masawa Maimonah Eissa , Chong Pei Pei , Law Jia Xian
Published: October 2021

Exosomes are the small extracellular vesicles secreted by cells for intercellular communication. Exosomes are rich in therapeutic cargos such as microRNA (miRNA), long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), small interfering RNA (siRNA), DNA, protein, and lipids. Recently, many studies have focused on miRNAs as a promising therapeutic factor to support cartilage regeneration. Exosomes are known to contain a substantial amount of a variety of miRNAs. miRNAs regulate the post-transcriptional gene expression by base-pairing with the target messenger RNA (mRNA), leading to gene silencing. Several exosomal miRNAs have been found to play a role in cartilage regeneration by promoting chondrocyte proliferation and matrix secretion, reducing scar tissue formation, and subsiding inflammation. The exosomal miRNA cargo can be modulated using techniques such as cell transfection and priming as well as post-secretion modifications to upregulate specific miRNAs to enhance the therapeutic effect. Exosomes are delivered to the joints through direct injection or via encapsulation within a scaffold for sustained release. To date, exosome therapy for cartilage injuries has yet to be optimized as the ideal cell source for exosomes, and the dose and method of delivery have yet to be identified. More importantly, a deeper understanding of the role of exosomal miRNAs in cartilage repair is paramount for the development of more effective exosome therapy.
Antikinetoplastid Activity of Sesquiterpenes Isolated from the Zoanthid Palythoa aff. clavata
Authors: Bethencourt-Estrella Carlos J. , Nocchi Nathalia , López-Arencibia Atteneri , San Nicolás-Hernández Desirée , Souto María L. , Suárez-Gómez Blanca , Díaz-Marrero Ana R. , Fernández José J. , Lorenzo-Morales Jacob , Piñero José E.
Published: October 2021

Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease are neglected tropical diseases that cause problems in developing countries. The causative agents, Leishmania spp. and Trypanosoma cruzi, produce a clinical picture that can be fatal for the patient, such as Chagas heart disease, visceral leishmaniasis and megacolon, among others. Current treatments for these diseases are not very effective and highly toxic, since they require very prolonged treatments. The development of innovative, effective and safe drugs to fight infections caused by these parasites remains a challenge. For this reason, in recent years, there has been an increase in the search for new therapies. In this study, the antikinetoplastid activity of 13 sesquiterpene lactones obtained from Palythoa aff. clavata was screened against L. amazonensis, L. donovani and T. cruzi. The results revealed that the sesquiterpene lactones anhydroartemorin (2), cis,trans-costunolide-14-acetate (3) and 4-hydroxyarbusculin A (11) were the most selective against the kinetoplastid species studied. These molecules seem to induce the mechanisms involved in an apoptotic-like death or programmed cell death (PCD) in the kinetoplastids, and since they do not cause necrosis, the inflammatory events associated with this type of cell death will not be triggered.
Transdermal Delivery of Macromolecules Using Two-in-One Nanocomposite Device for Skin Electroporation
Authors: Simon Juliette , Jouanmiqueou Bastien , Rols Marie-Pierre , Flahaut Emmanuel , Golzio Muriel
Published: October 2021

Delivery of hydrophilic molecules through the skin using electroporation is a promising alternative approach to intradermal injection. Recently, we developed a two-in-one electrode/reservoir material composed of carbon nanotubes and agarose hydrogel. In this work, we evaluated the potential of the device to achieve non-invasive transdermal drug delivery using skin electroporation. As it involved an electrode configuration different from the literature, critical questions were raised. First, we demonstrated the efficiency of the device to permeabilize the skin of hairless mice, as observed by propidium iodide (PI) uptake in the nuclei of the epidermis cells through macro fluorescence imaging and histology. Application of Lucifer yellow (LY) at different times after unipolar electroporation treatment demonstrated the partial reversibility of the skin permeabilization after 30 min, and as such, that barrier function properties tended to be restored. We uncovered, for the first time to our knowledge, an intrinsic asymmetry of permeation pathways generated in the stratum corneum during treatment. Electrophoresis was here the main driving force for macromolecule delivery, but it competed with passive diffusion through the generated aqueous pathways for smaller molecules. Finally, we validated 4 kDa dextran labelled with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FD4) as a model molecule to optimize the electrical parameters, needed to improve macromolecule delivery.
Healthy People and Interested Students: Medical and Pharmacy Students’ Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Public Health
Authors: Boyd Richard P. , DeVolld Trate A. , DiPietro Mager Natalie A. , Burke William J.
Published: October 2021

Little is known about health professions students’ awareness and attitudes regarding public health in the United States. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess medical and pharmacy students’ knowledge and interest in the Healthy People initiative as well as perceptions of public health content in their curricula. An electronic survey was distributed in March 2021 in seven schools across Ohio; participation was incentivized through a USD 5 donation to the Ohio Association of Foodbanks to aid in COVID-19 relief efforts (maximum USD 1000) for each completed survey. A total of 182 medical students and 233 pharmacy students participated (12% response rate). Less than one-third of respondents reported familiarity with Healthy People and correctly identified the latest edition. However, nearly all respondents agreed public health initiatives are valuable to the American healthcare system. Almost all students expressed a desire to practice interprofessionally to attain public health goals. Both medical and pharmacy students recognized core public health topics in their curricula, and nearly 90% wanted more information. These findings indicate that the majority of medical and pharmacy students in Ohio believe public health initiatives to be important, yet knowledge gaps exist regarding Healthy People. This information can guide curricular efforts and inform future studies of health professions students.
Effects of Salinity on the Growth and Nutrition of Taro (Colocasia esculenta): Implications for Food Security
Authors: Lloyd Georgia R. , Uesugi Akane , Gleadow Roslyn M.
Published: October 2021

Taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) is a staple food crop in the Asia-Pacific region in areas where rising sea levels are threatening agricultural production. However, little is known about its response to salinity. In this study, we investigated the effects of salinity on the growth, morphology, physiology, and chemical traits of taro to predict the impacts of rising sea levels on taro production and nutritional value in the Pacific. We grew taro (approximately 4 months old) with a range of NaCl treatments (0–200 mM) for 12 weeks. Full nutrient, micronutrient, and secondary metabolite analyses were conducted, including measures of calcium oxalate (CaOx), an irritant that reduces palatability. Significant reductions in growth and biomass were observed at and above 100 mM NaCl. Concentrations of macro- and micronutrients, including sodium, were higher on a per mass basis in corms of plants experiencing salt stress. Foliar sodium concentrations remained stable, indicating that taro may utilize a salt exclusion mechanism. There was a large amount of individual variation in the concentrations of oxalate and phenolics, but overall, the concentrations were similar in the plants grown with different levels of salt. The total contents of CaOx and phenolics decreased in plants experiencing salt stress. Taro’s ability to survive and produce corms when watered with a 200 mM NaCl solution places it among the salt-tolerant non-halophytes. The nutritional quality of the crop is only marginally affected by salt stress. Taro is, therefore, likely to remain a useful staple in the Pacific region in the future.
Manufacturing Technologies of Carbon/Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites and Their Properties: A Review
Authors: Rajak Dipen Kumar , Wagh Pratiksha H. , Linul Emanoil
Published: October 2021

Over the last few years, there has been a growing interest in the study of lightweight composite materials. Due to their tailorable properties and unique characteristics (high strength, flexibility and stiffness), glass (GFs) and carbon (CFs) fibers are widely used in the production of advanced polymer matrix composites. Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) and Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) composites have been developed by different fabrication methods and are extensively used for diverse engineering applications. A considerable amount of research papers have been published on GFRP and CFRP composites, but most of them focused on particular aspects. Therefore, in this review paper, a detailed classification of the existing types of GFs and CFs, highlighting their basic properties, is presented. Further, the oldest to the newest manufacturing techniques of GFRP and CFRP composites have been collected and described in detail. Furthermore, advantages, limitations and future trends of manufacturing methodologies are emphasized. The main properties (mechanical, vibrational, environmental, tribological and thermal) of GFRP and CFRP composites were summarized and documented with results from the literature. Finally, applications and future research directions of FRP composites are addressed. The database presented herein enables a comprehensive understanding of the GFRP and CFRP composites’ behavior and it can serve as a basis for developing models for predicting their behavior.
Fast and Efficient Removal of Uranium onto a Magnetic Hydroxyapatite Composite: Mechanism and Process Evaluation
Authors: Ou Tao , Peng Hairong , Su Minhua , Shi Qingpu , Tang Jinfeng , Chen Nan , Chen Diyun
Published: October 2021

The exploration and rational design of easily separable and highly efficient sorbents with satisfactory capability of extracting radioactive uranium (U)-containing compound(s) are of paramount significance. In this study, a novel magnetic hydroxyapatite (HAP) composite (HAP@ CoFe2O4), which was coupled with cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4), was rationally designed for uranium(VI) removal through a facile hydrothermal process. The U(VI) ions were rapidly removed using HAP@ CoFe2O4 within a short time (i.e., 10 min), and a maximum U(VI) removal efficiency of 93.7% was achieved. The maximum adsorption capacity (Qmax) of the HAP@CoFe2O4 was 338 mg/g, which demonstrated the potential of as-prepared HAP@CoFe2O4 in the purification of U(VI) ions from nuclear effluents. Autunite [Ca(UO2)2(PO4)2(H2O)6] was the main crystalline phase to retain uranium, wherein U(VI) was effectively extracted and immobilized in terms of a relatively stable mineral. Furthermore, the reacted HAP@CoFe2O4 can be magnetically recycled. The results of this study reveal that the suggested process using HAP@CoFe2O4 is a promising approach for the removal and immobilization of U(VI) released from nuclear effluents.
Correlations for Total Entropy Generation and Bejan Number for Free Convective Heat Transfer of an Eco-Friendly Nanofluid in a Rectangular Enclosure under Uniform Magnetic Field
Authors: Khetib Yacine , Abo-Dief Hala M. , Alanazi Abdullah K. , Cheraghian Goshtasp , Sajadi S. Mohammad , Sharifpur Mohsen
Published: October 2021

In this paper, focusing on the study of entropy generation (EGN), the convection flow of an eco-friendly nanofluid (N-F) in a rectangular enclosure is studied numerically. The nanoparticles (N-Ps) used are silver N-P, which are obtained in an eco-friendly manner from natural materials. By suspending these N-Ps in an equal mixture of water and ethylene glycol (E-G), the N-F has been prepared. There are two constant-temperature triangular obstacles with height w and base H that are placed on the hot wall. There is a magnetic field (M-F) in the x-direction. To simulate the N-F flow, eco-friendly N-P relations are used, and the equations are solved using the volume control method and the SIMPLE algorithm. The variables include Rayleigh number (Ra), Hartmann number (Ha), H, W, and the volume fraction of silver N-Ps. The effect of these parameters is evaluated on the EGN and Bejan number (Be). Finally, a correlation is expressed for the EGN for a range of variables. The most important results of this paper demonstrate that the addition of silver eco-friendly N-Ps intensifies the EGN so that the addition of 3% of N-Ps enhances the EGN by 3.8%. An increment in the obstacle length reduces the Be barrier while increasing the Ha, which enhances the Be when the convection is strong. Increasing the height of the obstacle intensifies entropy generation.
Experimental Investigation of Heat Transfer with Various Aqueous Mono/Hybrid Nanofluids in a Multi-Channel Heat Exchanger
Authors: Plant Robert , Hodgson Gregory , Impellizzeri Stefania , Saghir M. Ziad
Published: October 2021

The use of nanofluids for heat transfer has been examined in recent years as a potential method for augmentation of heat transfer in different systems. Often, the use of nanoparticles in a working fluid does not disrupt the system in significant ways. As a result of this general improvement of a system’s heat transfer capabilities with relatively few detrimental factors, nanofluids and hybrid nanofluids have become an area of considerable research interest. One subcategory of this research area that has been under consideration is the concentration of each of the nanoparticles, leading to either successful augmentation or hindrance. The focus of the current experimental investigation was to examine the resulting impact on heat transfer performance as a result of each nanofluid implemented in an identical three-channel heat exchanger. This work examined the experimental impacts of 0.5 wt% titania (TiO2), 1 wt% titania, a mixture of 0.5 wt% titania and 0.5% silica, and a 0.5 wt% hybrid nanofluid of titania synthetically modified with copper-based nanostructures (Cu + TiO2). The experimental work examined a range of heat flux densities from 3.85 W cm−2 to 7.51 W cm−2, and varying flow rates. Each of the nanoparticles were suspended in distilled water and then mixed using an ultrasonic water bath. The performances of each nanofluid were determined using the local Nusselt number to evaluate the possible thermal enhancement offered by each nanofluid mixture. While the 0.5 wt% Cu + TiO2 hybrid nanofluid did significantly increase performance, the use of a 0.5 wt% TiO2/SiO2 double nanofluid in a three-channel heat exchanger exhibited the greatest performance enhancement, with an average increase of 37.3% as compared to water.
Evaluation of Thermal Hazard Properties of Low Temperature Active Azo Compound under Process Conditions for Polymer Resin in Construction Industries
Authors: Tsai Chia-Feng , Wen I-Jyh
Published: October 2021

The application of polymerization initiators in a process can improve reaction efficiency and reduce energy loss. Azo compounds (azos) provide the required energy and promote polymerization for construction due to the heat release in the decomposition reaction. However, the heat release also brings related thermal hazards due to the lack of proper control. To reduce and avoid possible future hazards, the new azo initiators, 2,2′-Azobis(2-methylpropionamide)dihydrochloride (AIBA) is selected to explore the related thermal properties that are less studied by past literature. For the chemical process, its chemical reaction mechanism is extremely essential. In addition to being an influential foundation for process control, it is also used as a calculation basis for subsequent thermal hazard parameters, which is suitable for evaluating the degree of thermal hazard and emergency response. The assessment program includes kinetic model simulations and consecutive calculation on thermal safety parameters, such as TMRad and TCL for process operations. This study combines the thermogravimetric data with the nonlinear kinetics fitting on thermogram. The fitting results are derived back to the analysis formula which corresponds to the reaction mode to obtain the elementary reaction parameters and establish the kinetics process. The runaway mode and consequent thermal hazard parameters can also be obtained.
Mobile Emergency Power Source Configuration Scheme considering Dynamic Characteristics of a Transportation Network
Authors: Huang Tianen , Tang Jian , Wu Zhenjie , Wang Yuantao , Li Xiang , Xu Shuangdie , Wu Wenguo , Mo Yajun , Niu Tao , Dong Hang , Li Fan
Published: October 2021

Recently, with the large scale of power grids and the increase in frequency of extreme weather, the safe and stable operation of power systems is facing great challenges. Therefore, mobile emergency power source (MEPS) are a promising and feasible way to deal with extreme weather and reduce economic losses. However, the current urban power grid and transportation network are closely coupled, and the congested traffic hinders the rapid configuration of MEPSs. Therefore, this paper proposes an MEPS configuration scheme considering real-time traffic conditions. Firstly, the dynamic road traffic index (DRTI) is defined, which can fully describe the dynamic characteristics of traffic. The wavelet neural network (WNN) is used to predict the traffic flow. Then, combined with the knowledge of graph theory, an A-Star algorithm (AS) is used to determine the optimal path. Secondly, the optimal installation location of MEPSs is determined by forward–backward sweep method in distribution network. Finally, the feasibility, accuracy, and time cost of the proposed method are verified by numerical simulations, which can meet the requirements of online application.
An Adaptive Approach to Derive Sea Ice Draft from Upward-Looking Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs), Validated by Upward-Looking Sonar (ULS) Data
Authors: Belter Hans Jakob , Krumpen Thomas , Janout Markus A. , Ross Ed , Haas Christian
Published: October 2021

Moored upward-looking Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs) can be used to observe sea ice draft. While previous studies relied on the availability of auxiliary pressure sensors to measure the instrument depth of the ADCP, we present an adaptive approach that infers instrument depth from ADCP bottom track (BT) mode measurements of error velocity and range. The ADCP-derived ice draft time series are validated with data from adjacent Upward-Looking Sonar (ULS) moorings. We demonstrate that this method can be used to obtain daily mean sea ice draft time series that, on average, are within 20% of ULS-derived draft time series. ULS and ADCP ice draft time series were observed by four moorings in the Laptev Sea and show correlations between 0.7 and 0.9. This new approach is not a substitute for high-frequency, high-precision ULS measurements of ice draft but it provides a low-cost opportunity to derive daily mean ice draft time series accessing existing ADCP data that have not been not used for that purpose to date. This method has the potential to close data gaps and extend existing ice draft time series in all ice-covered regions and supports the validation of sea ice thickness products from satellite missions such as CryoSat-2, SMOS or ENVISAT.
First Comparative Analysis of the Simultaneous Horizontal Wind Observations by Collocated Meteor Radar and FPI at Low Latitude through 892.0-nm Airglow Emission
Authors: Gu Shengyang , Hou Xin , Li Na , Yi Wen , Ding Zonghua , Chen Jinsong , Hu Guoyuan , Dou Xiankang
Published: October 2021

The Fabry–Pérot interferometer (FPI) and meteor radar are two important techniques for measuring the horizontal wind field in mesopause region, the observations of which still lack comprehensive comparison. Kunming Observatory (25.6°N,103.8°E) has deployed both instruments in recent years and provides collocated meteor radar and FPI observations. The meteor radar measures the horizontal wind fields over 24 hours every day continuously, whereas the FPI can only work during the night with clear air condition. FPI horizontal wind data from the 892.0-nm airglow emission (with a peak height at ~87 km) from 26 January to 8 February 2019 were comparatively analyzed with simultaneous meteor radar observations, which cover the range between 80 and 90 km with a vertical resolution of 1.8 km. It was found that the temporal variations in the horizontal wind fields observed by the FPI and meteor radar were generally consistent with one another, with the highest 2-D correlation coefficients of 0.91 (0.88) at 88 (87) km for the meridional (zonal) wind, which agreed with the peak height of OH airglow emission observed by the TIMED/SABER instrument. In addition, the correlation coefficient for the weighted meteor radar horizontal wind by OH concentration between 86 and 88 km and 85 and 89 km increased slightly from 0.91 (0.89) to 0.92 (0.89) for the meridional (zonal) wind, which indicated the contribution of OH concentration beyond the peak height to the FPI wind observations. We also found that the absolute horizontal wind values detected by two instruments were linearly correlated with a slope of ~1.3 for both wind components, and meteor radar wind observations were usually larger than the FPI observations.
Spatial Variability and Temporal Heterogeneity of Surface Urban Heat Island Patterns and the Suitability of Local Climate Zones for Land Surface Temperature Characterization
Authors: Zhao Ziqi , Sharifi Ayyoob , Dong Xin , Shen Lidu , He Bao-Jie
Published: October 2021

This study investigated monthly variations of surface urban heat island intensity (SUHII) and the applicability of the local climate zones (LCZ) scheme for land surface temperature (LST) differentiation within three spatial contexts, including urban, rural and their combination, in Shenyang, China, a city with a monsoon-influenced humid continental climate. The monthly SUHII and LST of Shenyang were obtained through 12 LST images, with one in each month (within the period between 2018 and 2020), retrieved from the Thermal InfraRed Sensor (TIRS) 10 in Landsat 8 based on a split window algorithm. Non-parametric analysis of Kruskal-Wallis H test and a multiple pairwise comparison were adopted to investigate the monthly LST differentiations with LCZs. Overall, the SUHII and the applicability of the LCZ scheme exhibited spatiotemporal variations. July and August were the two months when Shenyang underwent strong heat island effects. Shenyang underwent a longer period of cool than heat island effects, occurring from November to May. June and October were the transition months of cool–heat and heat–cool island phenomena, respectively. The SUHII analysis was dependent on the definition of urban and rural boundaries, where a smaller rural buffering zone resulted in a weaker SUHI or surface urban cool island (SUCI) phenomenon and a larger urban area corresponded to a weaker SUHI or SUCI phenomenon as well. The LST of LCZs did not follow a fixed order, where in July and August, the LCZ-10 (Heavy industry) had the highest mean LST, followed by LCZ-2 (Compact midrise) and then LCZ-7 (Lightweight low-rise). In comparison, LCZ-7, LCZ-8 (Large low-rise) and LCZ-9 (Sparsely built) had the highest LST from October to May. The LST of LCZs varied with urban and rural contexts, where LCZ-7, LCZ-8 and LCZ -10 were the three built LCZs that had the highest LST within urban context, while LCZ-2, LCZ-3 (Compact low-rise), LCZ-8, LCZ-9 and LCZ-10 were the five built LCZs that had the highest LST within rural context. The suitability of the LCZ scheme for temperature differentiation varied with the month, where from July to October, the LCZ scheme had the strongest capability and in May, it had the weakest capability. Urban context also made a difference to the suitability, where compared with the whole study area (the combination of urban and rural areas), the suitability of built LCZs in either urban or rural contexts weakened. Moreover, the built LCZs had a higher level of suitability in an urban context compared with a rural context, while the land-cover LCZs within rural had a higher level of suitability.
COVID-19 Stigma and Charismatic Social Relationship: A Legitimization Narrative of President Trump’s Status as a Charismatic Leader following a SARS-CoV-2 Infection Reported by the Portuguese Media
Authors: Miguel Ferreira Carlos , Serpa Sandro
Published: October 2021

This concept paper aimed to understand how stigma, a concept usually associated with negative social relationships, in the context of a pandemic threat such as COVID-19 can, in some situations, structure a charismatic social relationship in a perceived positive association between stigma and a specific social characteristic. For this purpose, we used the example of the news selected and highlighted by several Portuguese media about the actions and messages developed by President Trump in the context of his infection with SARS-CoV-2 and the subsequent recovery process. These news reports gave visibility to a narrative that can be considered as reinforcing the legitimization of his condition as a charismatic leader in an electoral context marked by the pandemic threat. In conclusion, stigma associated with a pandemic health threat and generally linked to a negative social status can also reinforce admiration, trust, and belief in the charismatic leader by supporters and followers, as demonstrated with the plight of President Trump. Stigma can be a factor in social uplift in affirming an upward trajectory of social status and symbolic power for actors seen as ill, where stigma-motivated discrimination is experienced positively, unlike in most cases.
Return Rate Prediction in Blockchain Financial Products Using Deep Learning
Authors: Metawa Noura , Alghamdi Mohamemd I. , El-Hasnony Ibrahim M. , Elhoseny Mohamed
Published: October 2021

Recently, bitcoin-based blockchain technologies have received significant interest among investors. They have concentrated on the prediction of return and risk rates of the financial product. So, an automated tool to predict the return rate of bitcoin is needed for financial products. The recently designed machine learning and deep learning models pave the way for the return rate prediction process. In this aspect, this study develops an intelligent return rate predictive approach using deep learning for blockchain financial products (RRP-DLBFP). The proposed RRP-DLBFP technique involves designing a long short-term memory (LSTM) model for the predictive analysis of return rate. In addition, Adam optimizer is applied to optimally adjust the LSTM model’s hyperparameters, consequently increasing the predictive performance. The learning rate of the LSTM model is adjusted using the oppositional glowworm swarm optimization (OGSO) algorithm. The design of the OGSO algorithm to optimize the LSTM hyperparameters for bitcoin return rate prediction shows the novelty of the work. To ensure the supreme performance of the RRP-DLBFP technique, the Ethereum (ETH) return rate is chosen as the target, and the simulation results are investigated in different measures. The simulation outcomes highlighted the supremacy of the RRP-DLBFP technique over the current state of art techniques in terms of diverse evaluation parameters. For the MSE, the proposed RRP-DLBFP has 0.0435 and 0.0655 compared to an average of 0.6139 and 0.723 for compared methods in training and testing, respectively.
The Role of Public Transport during the Second COVID-19 Wave in Italy
Authors: Cartenì Armando , Di Francesco Luigi , Henke Ilaria , Marino Teresa Valentina , Falanga Antonella
Published: October 2021

Lockdown policies applied worldwide to limit the spread of COVID-19, and mainly based on health considerations, have negatively impacted on public transport (PT) usage, suspected as a means for the virus spreading due to difficulties ensuring social distancing. This resulted not only in a setback to sustainable mobility, but also impacting on equity and social exclusion issues. The paper aimed to cover this topic, investigating the conjecture that the spread of the coronavirus is directly correlated to PT usage. A correlation analysis among the daily number of certified coronavirus cases and the PT trips measured in the day in which the contagions occurred was performed within the second wave in Italy. The appropriateness of the case study is twofold because Italy was one of the main European countries with a high mass contagion and because the vaccination campaign had not yet started in Italy. Estimation results show a high correlation (up to 0.87) between COVID-19 contagion and PT trips performed 22 days before. This threshold indicates that quarantine measures, commonly set at two weeks and based only on incubation considerations, were inadequate as a containment strategy, and may have produced a possible slowdown in identifying new cases and hence, in adopting mitigation policies. A cause–effect test was also implemented, concluding that there is a strong causal link between COVID-19 and PT trips. The main issues discussed in this research cover the transportation and the health filed but also laid the groundwork for ethical considerations concerning the right to mobility and social equity. Obtained results could yield significant insights into the context variables that influence the spread of the virus, also helping appropriate definition of restrictive policies, thereby ensuring a sustainable recovery and development of urban areas in the post-pandemic era.
Analyzing Groups of Inpatients’ Healthcare Needs to Improve Service Quality and Sustainability
Authors: Hsu Ming-Hsia , Chen Chia-Mei , Juang Wang-Chuan , Cai Zheng-Xun , Kuo Tsuang
Published: October 2021

The trend towards personalized healthcare has led to an increase in applying deep learning techniques to improve healthcare service quality and sustainability. With the increasing number of patients with multiple comorbidities, they need comprehensive care services, where comprehensive care is a synonym for complete patient care to respond to a patient’s physical, emotional, social, economic, and spiritual needs, and, as such, an efficient prediction system for comprehensive care suggestions could help physicians and healthcare providers in making clinical judgement. The experiment dataset contained a total of 2.9 million electrical medical records (EMRs) from 250 thousand hospitalized patients collected retrospectively from a first-tier medical center in Taiwan, where the EMRs were de-identified and anonymized and where 949 cases had received comprehensive care. Recurrent neural networks (RNNs) are designed for analyzing time-series data but are still lacking in studying predicting personalized healthcare. Furthermore, in most cases, the collected evaluation data are imbalanced with a small portion of positive cases. This study examined the impact of imbalanced data in model training and suggested an effective approach to handle such a situation. To address the above-mentioned research issue, this study analyzed the care need in the different patient groupings, proposed a personalized care suggestion system by applying RNN models, and developed an efficient model training scheme for building AI-assisted prediction models. This study observed several findings: (1) the data resampling schemes could mitigate the impact of imbalanced data on model training, and the under-sampling scheme achieved the best performance with an ACC of 99.80%, a PPV of 70.18%, an NPV of 99.87%, a recall of 82.91%, and an F1 score of 0.7602, while the model trained with the original data had a very low PPV of 6.42% and a low F1 score of 0.1116; (2) patient clustering with multi-classier could predict comprehensive care needs efficiently with an ACC of 99.87%, a PPV of 77.90%, an NPV of 99.90%, a recall of 92.19%, and an F1 score of 0.8404; (3) the proposed long short-term memory (LSTM) prediction model achieved the best overall performance with an ACC of 99.80%, a PPV of 70.18%, an NPV of 99.87%, a recall of 82.91%, and an F1 score of 0.7602.
Information Leakage and Financing Decisions in a Supply Chain with Corporate Social Responsibility and Supply Uncertainty
Authors: Wu Junjian , Xu Henry
Published: October 2021

This paper investigates information leakage and financing simultaneously in a supply chain (SC) consisting of one capital-constrained supplier and two retailers with private demand-forecast signals. The supplier invests in corporate social responsibility (CSR) events and displays supply uncertainty. The supplier decides whether to leak information (L) or not (N). Additionally, the supplier has two financing strategies: bank credit financing (B) and trade credit financing (T). Thus, by combining the supplier’s information leakage and financing decisions, we formulated four possible strategies (i.e., NB, NT, LB, LT) and built a game analysis model to address the interaction of information leakage and financing decisions. We first provide the SC members’ optimal operational decisions (including the order quantity, the wholesale price and CSR effort level) under four strategies. Subsequently, we compare the profits of the suppliers and retailers under four strategies by combining analytical and numerical analysis. Several interesting results were found: (1) the supplier’s optimal wholesale price, CSR effort level, and profit under information leakage were higher than those under no information leakage; (2) the supplier’s financing decisions are dependent on the loan interest rate as low supply uncertainty and low supply correlation motivate the supplier to prefer choosing trade credit financing; and (3) finally, several interesting insights in managing SCs are provided.
Impact of Climate Change on Transportation Infrastructure: Comparing Perception Differences between the US Public and the Department of Transportation (DOT) Professionals
Authors: Aroke Olugbemi Mosunmola , Esmaeili Behzad , Kim Sojung Claire
Published: October 2021

With over 1.1 billion trips made daily for work, education, or leisure, transportation systems are vital to the functioning of cities in the United States. However, these systems are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The current study investigated perception differences about climate change between transportation professionals (N = 22) and the general public (N = 2034). The study revealed that (i) transportation professionals find climate change important, worrisome and harmful to themselves and future generations; (ii) knowledge of climate change and its consequences on transportation systems is limited on average among the general public; (iii) the public holds higher levels of misperceptions about climate change; (iv) the general public is more willing to embrace the suggestions of family and friends than climate scientists regarding the issue; (v) the general public holds a higher perception of behavioral control and confidence in their ability to carry out mitigative actions; and (vi) the public has lower information-seeking intentions about climate change. Based on the study findings, areas where perceptions differ may be considered during policy formulation and implementation processes to encourage pro-environmental behavioral changes that will reduce anthropogenic carbon emissions and enhance the functionality of transportation infrastructure.
Conceptual and Operational Integration of Governance, Financing, and Business Models for Urban Nature-Based Solutions
Authors: Egusquiza Aitziber , Arana-Bollar Maider , Sopelana Amaia , Babí Almenar Javier
Published: October 2021

Governance, financing, and business models are deeply interlinked and relevant for the successful implementation of urban nature-based solutions (NBS). However, during the definition of urban NBS projects the importance and interrelation of these models are usually neglected. To overcome this limitation, this paper presents an overarching framework (conceptual and operational) and a derived preselection web tool which interrelate governance, financing, and business models for NBS projects. First, based on recent literature, governance, financing, and business models that could be applied to NBS were mapped, and their integration proposed. Later, key contextual factors influencing NBS implementation were identified. They form the basis of a WHAT–WHO–HOW framework that structures the links between specific NBS projects, their implementation context, and the most suitable models. From that framework, and an analysis of 50 successful NBS case studies, a suitability matrix was developed with known models. The matrix allows pairing types of NBS and their initiating actors with suitable financing and governance models. Lastly, a tailored NBS business model canvas was designed to evaluate the business model components. From the overarching framework, the preselection web tool was created to guide decision-making on suitable governance, finance, and business models in the early phases of NBS projects.
Prototyping of a Novel Rammed Earth Technology
Authors: Giuffrida Giada , Caponetto Rosa , Nocera Francesco , Cuomo Massimo
Published: October 2021

Buildings of the future are called to meet increasingly high-performance requirements and to ensure adequate environmental sustainability of the production and construction chain. This issue has stimulated a keen interest in the use of natural materials in construction. Among these, raw earth has proved to be particularly interesting for its intrinsic availability, sustainability, and recyclability. In Europe, the spread of raw earth building technologies has often been hindered by the lack of specific legislation regulating its use for load-bearing structures, even if in many countries, it can be noticed a widespread and well-established constructive tradition. Some transoceanic research experiences attest that unfired earth can be used, together with different types of reinforcements, to create seismic-resistant buildings. After presenting a review of the main raw earth reinforced technologies, the present study focuses on a novel reinforced and modular rammed earth construction made with natural or recycled materials, developing a technology with low energy consumption and low environmental impact, specifically designed for areas with high seismic risk. In particular, the work presents the results of a prototyping procedure aiming at developing a new seismic-resistant construction system that combines rammed earth with timber reinforcement elements and nylon/polyester ropes. These elements have a dual function: (1) they are fundamental components of the construction process (as they integrate the formwork system), and (2) they act as seismic-resistant devices once the structure is completed. In line with the performance-based approach required by the construction sector, the study aims at defining a controlled and standardised supply chain for rammed earth construction.
Generating Multifunctional Landscape through Reforestation with Native Trees in the Tropical Region: A Case Study of Gunung Dahu Research Forest, Bogor, Indonesia
Authors: Rachmat Henti Hendalastuti , Ginoga Kirsfianti Linda , Lisnawati Yunita , Hidayat Asep , Imanuddin Rinaldi , Fambayun Rizki Ary , Yulita Kusumadewi Sri , Susilowati Arida
Published: October 2021

Gunung Dahu Research Forest (GDRF) is a 250 ha tropical degraded land reforested by native dipterocarps species. The reforestation success was valued by evaluating the planted trees’ growth performance, their potential timber stock, natural regeneration capacity, soil improvement, biological interdependence, and environmental services. This scientific report used a combination of literature review and also primary data processing to describe the reforestation success within the area. A hilly species of Shorea platyclados showed the best growth performance with its average diameter and height of 43 cm and 23 m, respectively, with its mean diameter annual increment of 2.1 cm/year and the predicted standing stock at 220 m3/ha. Six Shorea species were identified to show their natural regeneration capacity and the occurrence of ectomycorrhizal fruiting bodies, predominantly by the genus Rusula, determined the establishment of biological interdependency at the site. Reforestation improved soil organic matters as revealed by high soil porosity (51.06–52.32%) and infiltration rate (120–155.33 mm/h). The reforested landscape also ensures a continuous water supply and provides an economic benefit for the community. Thus, planting native trees for reforesting degraded tropical landscapes is prospective and may deliver multiple benefits in an ecological and economic view.
Smart Home Automation—Use Cases of a Secure and Integrated Voice-Control System
Authors: Venkatraman Sitalakshmi , Overmars Anthony , Thong Minh
Published: October 2021

Smart home automation is expected to improve living standards with the evolution of internet of things (IoT) that facilitate the remote control of residential appliances. There are, however, several factors that require attention for broader successful consumer adoption. This paper focusses on three key barriers: (i) different underlying technologies requiring an integrated voice-based control for ease of use, (ii) lack of trust due to security and privacy concerns, and (iii) unawareness of the use of machine intelligence by users for exploiting the full potential of smartness. Voice-controlled home environments are possible with cloud-based solutions that are being deployed commercially. However, there are drawbacks due to non-standard voice channels and commands with delays in meeting the required response time for real-time services. Adoption is also required to meet with the expected goals of simplicity, security, and integration. To address these barriers, we propose a model integrating IoT services and wireless technologies for developing a secure smart home automation with a voice-controlled artificial intelligence system. We demonstrate the model’s application in a variety of practical use cases, by implementing a secure and smart voice-based system for an integrated control of several home devices seamlessly.
Calibration of Low-Cost NO2 Sensors through Environmental Factor Correction
Authors: Miech Jason , Stanton Levi , Gao Meiling , Micalizzi Paolo , Uebelherr Joshua , Herckes Pierre , Fraser Matthew
Published: October 2021

Low-cost air quality sensors (LCSs) have become more widespread due to their low cost and increased capabilities; however, to supplement more traditional air quality networks, the performance of these LCSs needs to be validated. This study focused on NO2 measurements from eight Clarity Node-S sensors and used various environmental factors to calibrate the LCSs. To validate the calibration performance, we calculated the root-mean-square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), R2, and slope compared to reference measurements. Raw results from six of these sensors were comparable to those reported for other NO2 LCSs; however, two of the evaluated LCSs had RMSE values ~20 ppb higher than the other six LCSs. By applying a sensor-specific calibration that corrects for relative humidity, temperature, and ozone, this discrepancy was mitigated. In addition, this calibration improved the RMSE, MAE, R2, and slope of all eight LCS compared to the raw data. It should be noted that relatively stable environmental conditions over the course of the LCS deployment period benefited calibration performance over time. These results demonstrate the importance of developing LCS calibration models for individual sensors that consider pertinent environmental factors.
Estimating the Parameters of Extended Gravity Theories with the Schwarzschild Precession of S2 Star
Authors: Borka Duško , Borka Jovanović Vesna , Capozziello Salvatore , Zakharov Alexander F. , Jovanović Predrag
Published: October 2021

After giving a short overview of previous results on constraining of Extended Gravity by stellar orbits, we discuss the Schwarzschild orbital precession of S2 star assuming the congruence with predictions of General Relativity (GR). At the moment, the S2 star trajectory is remarkably fitted with the first post-Newtonian approximation of GR. In particular, both Keck and VLT (GRAVITY) teams declared that the gravitational redshift near its pericenter passage for the S2 star orbit corresponds to theoretical estimates found with the first post-Newtonian (pN) approximation. In 2020, the GRAVITY Collaboration detected the orbital precession of the S2 star around the supermassive black hole (SMBH) at the Galactic Center and showed that it is close to the GR prediction. Based on this observational fact, we evaluated parameters of the Extended Gravity theories with the Schwarzschild precession of the S2 star. Using the mentioned method, we estimate the orbital precession angles for some Extended Gravity models including power-law f(R), general Yukawa-like corrections, scalar–tensor gravity, and non-local gravity theories formulated in both metric and Palatini formalism. In this consideration, we assume that a gravitational field is spherically symmetric, therefore, alternative theories of gravity could be described only with a few parameters. Specifically, considering the orbital precession, we estimate the range of parameters of these Extended Gravity models for which the orbital precession is like in GR. Then we compare these results with our previous results, which were obtained by fitting the simulated orbits of S2 star to its observed astrometric positions. In case of power-law f(R), generic Yukawa-like correction, scalar–tensor gravity and non-local gravity theories, we were able to obtain a prograde orbital precession, like in GR. According to these results, the method is a useful tool to evaluate parameters of the gravitational potential at the Galactic Center.
Identification and Characterization of a Novel Epitope of ASFV-Encoded dUTPase by Monoclonal Antibodies
Authors: Zhang Shuai , Wang Rui , Zhu Xiaojing , Jin Jiaxin , Lu Wenlong , Zhao Xuyang , Wan Bo , Liao Yifei , Zhao Qin , Netherton Christopher L. , Zhuang Guoqing , Sun Aijun , Zhang Gaiping
Published: October 2021

Deoxyuridine 5′-triphosphate nucleotidohydrolase (dUTPase) of African swine fever virus (ASFV) is an essential enzyme required for efficient virus replication. Previous crystallography data have indicated that dUTPase (E165R) may serve as a therapeutic target for inhibiting ASFV replication; however, the specificity of the targeting site(s) in ASFV dUTPase remains unclear. In this study, 19 mouse monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were produced, in which four mAbs showed inhibitory reactivity against E165R recombinant protein. Epitope mapping studies indicated that E165R has three major antigenic regions: 100–120 aa, 120–140 aa, and 140–165 aa. Three mAbs inhibited the dUTPase activity of E165R by binding to the highly conserved 149–RGEGRFGSTG–158 amino acid sequence. Interestingly, 8F6 mAb specifically recognized ASFV dUTPase but not Sus scrofa dUTPase, which may be due to structural differences in the amino acids of F151, R153, and F154 in the motif V region. In summary, we developed anti-E165R-specific mAbs, and identified an important antibody-binding antigenic epitope in the motif V of ASFV dUTPase. Our study provides a comprehensive analysis of mAbs that target the antigenic epitope of ASFV dUTPase, which may contribute to the development of novel antibody-based ASFV therapeutics.