bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Electrochemical Immunosensor Modified with Nitrogen-Doped Reduced Graphene Oxide@Carboxylated Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes/Chitosan@Gold Nanoparticles for CA125 Detection
Authors: Gu Yingying , Gong Guoao , Jiang Yuting , Qin Jiangyang , Mei Yong , Han Jun
Published: July 2022

Lung cancer is one of the malignant tumors with the highest mortality rate, and the detection of its tumor marker carcinoma antigen 125 (CA125) is significant. Here, an electrochemical immunoassay for CA125 was described. Nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (N-rGO), carboxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CMWCNTs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were applied to co-modify glassy carbon electrode (GCE), after incubation with Anti-CA125, the modified electrode was employed for the specific detection of CA125. The N-rGO@CMWCNTs (Nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide@carboxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes) were used as a matrix, while CS@AuNPs (Chitosan@gold nanoparticles) with high conductivity and biocompatibility was immobilized on it through the reaction between carboxyl groups from CMWCNTs and amino groups, hydroxyl groups from chitosan (CS), resulting in the effect of double signal amplification. The immunosensor demonstrated excellent electrochemical performance with a linear detection range of 0.1 pg mL−1–100 ng mL−1, and the detection limit was as low as 0.04 pg mL−1 (S/N = 3). It had been verified that this method had good precision and high accuracy, and the immunosensor could remain stable for 10 days. This research provided a new method for the detection of CA125 in serum.
Nutrition in Pediatric Intensive Care: A Narrative Review
Authors: Kratochvíl Milan , Klučka Jozef , Klabusayová Eva , Musilová Tereza , Vafek Václav , Skříšovská Tamara , Djakow Jana , Havránková Pavla , Osinová Denisa , Štourač Petr
Published: July 2022

Nutrition support in pediatric intensive care is an integral part of a complex approach to treating critically ill children. Smaller energy reserves with higher metabolic demands (a higher basal metabolism rate) compared to adults makes children more vulnerable to starvation. The nutrition supportive therapy should be initiated immediately after intensive care admission and initial vital sign stabilization. In absence of contraindications (unresolving/decompensated shock, gut ischemia, critical gut stenosis, etc.), the preferred type of enteral nutrition is oral or via a gastric tube. In the acute phase of critical illness, due to gluconeogenesis and muscle breakdown with proteolysis, the need for high protein delivery should be emphasized. After patient condition stabilization, the acute phase with predominant catabolism converts to the anabolic phase and intensive rehabilitation, where high energy demands are the keystone of a positive outcome.
Eosinophilic Esophagitis in Esophageal Atresia: Is It Really a New Disease?
Authors: Pagliara Camilla , Zambaiti Elisa , Antoniello Luca M. , Gamba Piergiorgio
Published: July 2022

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic, immune-mediated esophageal disease. Symptoms are related to mucosal eosinophilic-predominant inflammation that leads to esophageal dysfunction. Recent data suggest that esophageal atresia (EA) patients may have an increased incidence of EoE compared to the general population. As EoE symptoms may be confused with EA-related symptoms, they may significantly worsen morbidity in this specific group of patients. We investigated specific characteristics of patients with AE and EoE compared to those with EoE only. We conducted an observational retrospective monocentric study including all patients diagnosed with EoE from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2021. For each patient, demographic, clinical and histopathological data were collected and then compared between the two cohorts (EA-EoE vs. EoE only). During the study period, 62 patients were included: 17 children were in the follow-up because of EA (18.1% of 94 EA patients screened in that period), while the other 45 presented EoE only. The demographic and clinical features of EA-EoE patients demonstrate a lower prevalence of allergic subjects (23.5% vs. 80%, p < 0.05), a lower age of presentation (3.1 vs. 12.2 years, p < 0.05), non-specific symptoms and a higher resolution rate with PPI therapy (64.7% vs. 17.8%, p < 0.05) compared to EoE-only patients. Our data confirm that EA patients are at high risk for developing EoE. As symptoms may overlap with the EA spectrum, early recognition of EoE may prevent patients from receiving unnecessary invasive therapeutic interventions and from developing complications from untreated EoE.
Mathematical Models and Nonlinear Optimization in Continuous Maximum Coverage Location Problem
Authors: Yakovlev Sergiy , Kartashov Oleksii , Podzeha Dmytro
Published: July 2022

This paper considers the maximum coverage location problem (MCLP) in a continuous formulation. It is assumed that the coverage domain and the family of geometric objects of arbitrary shape are specified. It is necessary to find such a location of geometric objects to cover the greatest possible amount of the domain. A mathematical model of MCLP is proposed in the form of an unconstrained nonlinear optimization problem. Python computational geometry packages were used to calculate the area of partial coverage domain. Many experiments were carried out which made it possible to describe the statistical dependence of the area calculation time of coverage domain on the number of covering objects. To obtain a local solution, the BFGS method with first-order differences was used. An approach to the numerical estimation of the objective function gradient is proposed, which significantly reduces computational costs, which is confirmed experimentally. The proposed approach is shown to solve the maximum coverage problem of a rectangular area by a family of ellipses.
Mesoscale Spatial Patterns of Gulf of Maine Rocky Intertidal Communities
Authors: Trott Thomas J.
Published: July 2022

Community similarity among macroinvertebrate species assemblages from 12 exposed rocky headlands surveyed in 2004, 2007, and 2012 was examined to resolve mesoscale patterns along an east–west linear distance of 366 km in the coastal Gulf of Maine. The goals were: (1) detect latitudinal patterns of species assemblage similarity and (2) relate species assemblage similarities to environmental factors. Assemblage similarities were correlated with latitude. There was a distinguishable grouping of sampling sites fitting two Gulf regions that separate at mid-coast Maine. This pattern was uniquely intertidal and not shown by subtidal species assemblages. β diversity was high, did not differ between regions, and species turnover accounted for 91% of it. Molluscs and crustaceans, major components of surveyed communities, contributed most of the dissimilarity between regions. Satellite-derived shore and sea surface temperatures explained a significant amount of the variation responsible for producing regional patterns. The regions corresponded with the two principal branches of the Gulf of Maine Coastal Current. These hydrographic features and associated environmental conditions are hypothesized to influence community dynamics and shape the dissimilarity between Gulf regions. The predicted warming of the Gulf of Maine portend change in species turnover from species invasions and range shifts potentially altering rocky intertidal community patterns.
Online Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Dental Students’ Perspective and Impact on Academic Performance, One Institution Experience
Authors: Lestari Widya , Ichwan Solachuddin J. A. , Yaakop Siti Zakirah , Sabaznur Nurina , Ismail Azlini , Sukotjo Cortino
Published: July 2022

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic caused all universities in Malaysia to switch to online learning, including for dental education. The effect of this switch has yet to be assessed. Thus, this study aimed to assess International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) dental students’ perspectives on the implementation of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on academic performance. Methods: Cross-sectional and retrospective methods were used. The handling, didactic benefits, motivation, and challenges of online learning were assessed via an online questionnaire, and academic performance was assessed by comparing professional exam scores pre- and post-online learning. Results: Among the 249 IIUM dental student respondents, a positive response was recorded for the management of online learning, despite a few challenges in the area of didactic benefits and motivation. A significant improvement (p-value < 0.05) was observed in examination scores in oral biology, microbiology, and pharmacology, while dental material and GMGS showed declines in performance. Other subjects showed no significant difference (p-value > 0.05) in mean scores before and after online learning. Conclusion: Generally, students had a positive response towards online learning management, despite facing some challenges. Based on the analysis of examination results, only two subjects in Year 2 and Year 3 were negatively affected by online learning during the pandemic.
RECA: Relation Extraction Based on Cross-Attention Neural Network
Authors: Huang Xiaofeng , Guo Zhiqiang , Zhang Jialiang , Cao Hui , Yang Jie
Published: July 2022

Extracting entities and relations, as a crucial part of many tasks in natural language processing, transforms the unstructured text information into structured information and provides corresponding data support for knowledge graph (KG) and knowledge vault (KV) construction. Nevertheless, the mainstream relation-extraction methods, the pipeline method and the joint method, ignore the dependency between the subject entity and the object entity. This work introduces a pre-trained BERT model and a dilated gated convolutional neural network (DGCNN) as an encoder to distinguish the long-range semantics representation from the input sequence. In addition, we propose a cross-attention neural network as a decoder to learn the importance of each subject word for each word of the input sequence. Experiments were undertaken with two extensive datasets, the New York Times Corpus (NYT) and WebNLG Corpus, and showed that our model performs significantly better than the CasRel model, outperforming the baseline by 1.9% and 0.7% absolute gain in terms of F1-score.
Performance Analysis of Cell-Free Massive MIMO System with Network-Assisted Full-Duplex under Time-Shifting Pilot Scheme
Authors: Ma Tao , Hu Yanfeng , Fan Zhenqi , Xia Xinjiang , Wang Dongming
Published: July 2022

A network-assisted full-duplex (NAFD) system based on a cell-free (CF) massive multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) framework has been proposed to satisfy the demands of higher data transmission rates and efficient communication. However, pilot contamination may occur due to the reuse of pilot sequences in a massive MIMO. With this consideration, we raise an asynchronous channel estimation method based on an uplink and downlink time-shifting pilot-sending scheme, which is able to avoid pilot sequence reuse when obtaining channel state information (CSI), while the data signals could be transmitted simultaneously at the same frequency. The transmission processes of the proposed method above are divided into three phases, including pilot phase, estimation phase, and data phase, in chronological order. When the uplink is in pilot phase, the corresponding downlink is in data phase and vice versa. After the channel state information estimation, both uplinks and downlinks are in data phase. The maximum ratio combination (MRC) receiver and the maximum ratio transmission (MRT) precoding are adopted in the uplink and downlink. The closed-form expressions are derived based on large-scale random matrix theory. We compared our asymptotic results with practical results in simulation, and find that they are well matched. Moreover, the proposed method is superior to the normal time-division duplex (TDD) system.
Trigger-Based K-Band Microwave Ranging System Thermal Control with Model-Free Learning Process
Authors: Wang Xiaoliang , Zhu Hongxu , Shen Qiang , Wu Shufan , Wang Nan , Liu Xuan , Wang Dengfeng , Zhong Xingwang , Zhu Zhu , Damaren Christopher
Published: July 2022

Micron-level accuracy K-band microwave ranging in space relies on the stability of the payload thermal control on-board; however, large quantities of thermal sensors and heating devices around the deployed instruments consume the precious inner communication resources of the central computer. Another problem arises, which is that the payload thermal protection environment can deteriorate gradually through years operating. In this paper, a new trigger-based thermal system controller design is proposed, with consideration of spaceborne communication burden reduction and actuator saturation, which guarantees stable temperature fluctuations of microwave payloads in space missions. The controller combines a nominal constant sampling PID inner loop and a trigger-based outer loop structure under constraints of heating device saturation. Moreover, an iterative model-free reinforcement learning process is adopted that can approximate the estimation of thermal dynamic modeling uncertainty online. Via extensive experiment in a laboratory environment, the performance of the proposed trigger thermal control is verified, with smaller temperature fluctuations compared to the nominal control, and obvious efficiency in system communications. The online learning algorithm is also tested with deliberate thermal conditions that deviate from the original system—the results can quickly converge to normal when the thermal disturbance is removed. Finally, the ranging accuracy is tested for the whole system, and a 25% (RMS) performance improvement can be realized by using a trigger-based control strategy—about 2.2 µm, compared to the nominal control method.
A Codec-Unified Deblurring Approach Based on U-Shaped Invertible Network with Sparse Salient Representation in Latent Space
Authors: Wang Meng , Wen Tao , Liu Haipeng
Published: July 2022

Existing deep learning architectures usually use a separate encoder and decoder to generate the desired simulated images, which is inefficient for feature analysis and synthesis. Aiming at the problem that the existing methods fail to fully utilize the correlation of codecs, this paper focuses on the codec-unified invertible networks to accurately guide the image deblurring process by controlling latent variables. Inspired by U-Net, a U-shaped multi-level invertible network (UML-IN) is proposed by integrating the wavelet invertible networks into a supervised U-shape architecture to establish the multi-resolution correlation between blurry and sharp image features under the guidance of hybrid loss. Further, this paper proposes to use L1 regularization constraints to obtain sparse latent variables, thereby alleviating the information dispersion problem caused by high-dimensional inference in invertible networks. Finally, we fine-tune the weights of invertible modules by calculating a similarity loss between blur-sharp variable pairs. Extensive experiments on real and synthetic blurry sets show that the proposed approach is efficient and competitive compared with the state-of-the-art methods.
Substantiation of In Situ Water Shut-Off Technology in Carbonate Oil Reservoirs
Authors: Shagiakhmetov Artem , Yushchenko Svetlana
Published: July 2022

The efficient development of carbonate oil deposits with excessive fissuring is a current challenge. Uneven and rapid well stream watering is considered as one of the factors that make the process of the development of carbon deposits more complicated. The purpose of the research is to diagnose and evaluate the mechanisms of well stream watering for carbon deposits and find applicable technology to prevent it. An overview of in situ water shut-off technologies was carried out. A description of the main materials used for water shut-off is presented, and selective methods are studied in more detail. A carbonate basin of an oil field is selected as the object of investigation. The geological and physical characteristics of this deposit are given. Analysis of possible causes and sources of water cut of the fluid is made according to the technique of K.S. Chan, under which the main reason for the watering of the well production is the breakthrough of formation and injection water through a system of highly permeable natural fractures and channels. Matrixes of applicability of in situ water shut-off technologies and polymer compositions are made. The composition based on carboxymethyl cellulose for in situ water shut-off is selected for the chosen deposit.
Mechanics and Natural Philosophy in History
Authors: Capecchi Danilo , Ruta Giuseppe
Published: July 2022

This entry presents a historical view of the meaning attributed to the terms mechanics and natural philosophy, from a hint to ancient Greece, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance to a special focus on the 18th Century, which represents a turning point for the development of modern physics and science in general. Since we are not concerned with the summation of the histories of natural philosophy and mechanics, but only with their interrelations, this makes a detailed description of the two disciplines unnecessary.
Trends in Research on Forest Ecosystem Services in the Most Recent 20 Years: A Bibliometric Analysis
Authors: Chen Shiyou , Chen Jie , Jiang Chunqian , Yao Richard T. , Xue Jianming , Bai Yanfeng , Wang Hui , Jiang Chunwu , Wang Silong , Zhong Yehui , Liu En , Guo Lina , Lv Shoufang , Wang Shuren
Published: July 2022

Forest resources and the flow of ecosystem services they provide play a key role in supporting national and regional economies, improving people’s lives, protecting biodiversity, and mitigating the impacts of climate change. Based on the ISI (Institute of Scientific Information) Web of Science (WoS) database, we used a bibliometric approach to analyze the research status, evolution process, and hotspots of forest ecosystem services (FES) from a compilation of 8797 documents published between 1997 and 2019. The results indicated that: (1) research on forest ecosystem services has developed rapidly over the past 23 years. Institutions in the United States and other developed countries have significantly contributed to undertake research on the topic of ecosystem services. (2) The 11 hotpot key focus areas of completed research were payments for ecosystem services, biodiversity conservation, forest governance, ecosystem approaches, climate change, nitrogen, ecosystem management, pollination, cities, ecological restoration, and policy. (3) The trade-off relationships among ecosystem services, ecosystem resilience and stability have become the research frontier in this field. (4) Future research on FES will likely focus on the formation and evolution mechanism of ecosystem services; the interaction, feedback and intrinsic connections of ecosystem services at different scales; analysis of the trade-offs and synergies; unified evaluation standards, evaluation systems, model construction and scenario analyses; in-depth studies of the internal correlation mechanism between forest ecosystem services and human wellbeing; and realization of cross-disciplinary and multi-method integration in sustainable forest management and decision-making.
Disentangling the Interspecific and Intraspecific Variation in Functional Traits of Desert Plant Communities under Different Moisture Gradients
Authors: Sun Li , Wang Hengfang , Cai Yan , Yang Qi , Chen Caijin , Lv Guanghui
Published: July 2022

Studying the inter- and intraspecific variation in plant functional traits elucidates their environmental adaptation strategies and the mechanisms of community construction. This study selected the desert plant community in the Lake Ebinur watershed as the research object and considered five different traits: plant height (H), diameter at breast height/base diameter (DBH/BD), leaf length (LL), leaf width (LW), and leaf thickness (LT). This study used redundancy and correlation analyses to investigate the inter- and intraspecies variation in community-level traits, its relationship with soil physicochemical factors under different soil moisture conditions, and their change laws. We also used variance decomposition to analyze the contribution of inter- and intraspecific variation to community weighting. The results showed the following: (1) the values of the plant community functional traits varied according to the water gradient, and the LL (p = 0.01) and DBH/BD (p = 0.038) varied significantly; (2) for intraspecific variation, the DBH/BD variation was high at a low moisture gradient, LL (p = 0.018) and LT (p = 0.030) variation were high at a high moisture gradient, and the differences were significant; (3) under a high moisture gradient, inter- and intraspecific variation contributed 85.8% and 35.7% to community weighting, respectively, whereas under low moisture gradients, inter- and intraspecific variation contributed 53.3% and 25.1%, respectively.
Productivity of Short-Rotation Poplar Crops: A Case Study in the NE of Romania
Authors: Dănilă Iulian-Constantin , Mititelu Cristian , Palaghianu Ciprian
Published: July 2022

In Romania, the productivity of the new clones of hybrid poplar has not been tested in recent years. This case study aims to fill a gap on the productivity map of the new poplar clones, estimating, by biomass measurements, the productivity of two clones (AF2 and AF8) with different planting densities (from 1333 trees·ha−1 to 2667 trees·ha−1). The short-rotation woody crops (SRWCs) were established in homogeneous conditions, in North-East (NE) Romania and the northern part of Suceava County. Using a specifically developed method, biomass production was estimated using destructive methods, with 190 poplar trees being harvested, measured, and weighed to compute the accumulated biomass for each growing season The biomass production of the crops with 1667 trees·ha−1 planting density highlighted significant differences in productivity in favour of the AF2 clone after five growing seasons. The crops shared similar annual growth patterns, and the stem biomass represents approximately 73–80% of the total biomass of the trees. The second research question concerning planting density influence on productivity showed fluctuations of biomass accumulations at different planting densities (1333 trees ha−1, 1667 trees ha−1 and 2667 trees ha−1) for a 5-year rotation. The outcomes emphasized the influence of the annual weather conditions—primarily the rainfall in May–June—on poplar growth, showing that productivity also depends on the genotype, density and biotic disturbances.
Study on Performance and Structural Design of Bamboo Helmet
Authors: Chen Lin , Yu Zixuan , Fei Benhua , Lin Chaoyang , Fang Changhua , Liu Huanrong , Ma Xinxin , Zhang Xiubiao , Sun Fengbo
Published: July 2022

The helmet is a mandatory tool for safe production, and bamboo helmets can be used as an alternative to the traditional plastic safety helmet. In this study, bamboo helmets were modified with urea-formaldehyde resin and have shown excellent impact resistance, good color sensitivity, and high gloss. The excellent performance of the bamboo helmet comes from the structure designed by imitating the gradient characteristics of bamboo and the modification of urea-formaldehyde resin. The pores and defects of bamboo in the helmet modified by urea-formaldehyde resin are filled and repaired. The chemical combination of urea-formaldehyde resin and bamboo reduces bamboo’s crystallinity and improves the bamboo helmet’s impact resistance. The development of bamboo helmets provides a supplement and option for the traditional helmet market while opening up new ways of bamboo utilization.
Simulation of Fire Extinguishing Agent Transport and Dispersion in Aircraft Engine Nacelle
Authors: Liu Rulin , Shi Hui , Zhou Qiyong , Ma Weitong , Wang Tengfei , Lu Song
Published: July 2022

The flow and dispersion characteristics of the fire extinguishing agent in the pipings and the concentration distribution in the nacelle are essential for optimizing the aircraft fire extinguishing system. In the present work, we developed a three-dimensional CFD model to simulate the transport and dispersion of the agent in piping and nacelle. The results show that the length and structure of the pipings near the nozzles affect the concentration, pressure, flow rate, and flow distribution of the extinguishing agent. The smaller the bend of the pipings near the nozzles and the angle of connection with the main piping, the less time it takes for the agent to reach the nozzles and the more mass flow rate of the agent is injected, which is more conducive to extinguishing fire rapidly. External ventilation and the blockage of the nacelle’s ribs and other components impact the concentration distribution of the fire extinguishing agent in the nacelle. The agent is mainly concentrated in the middle and rear areas of the engine nacelle. Agent concentration tests were carried out in the simulated engine nacelle. The experimental result is similar to the simulation result, which verifies the feasibility of the simulation method. The simulation method can be used to increase the concentration of fire extinguishing agent to meet the safety requirements by changing the outside ventilation and increasing the filling amount of fire extinguishing agent, so as to achieve the optimization of the fire extinguishing system.
Upcycling of Agro-Food Chain By-Products to Obtain High-Value-Added Foods
Authors: Difonzo Graziana , Grassi Silvia , Paciulli Maria
Published: July 2022

Rising challenges for food innovation and environmental issues have led to an increased interest in bio-economy and more sustainable food production [...]
Consumer Behaviour and Food Waste: Understanding and Mitigating Waste with a Technology Probe
Authors: Jones-Garcia Eliot , Bakalis Serafim , Flintham Martin
Published: July 2022

Globally, nearly one third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted. This equals a total of 1.3. billion tonnes per year, which is a large, unnecessary burden for the environment and the economy. Research and development have delivered a wealth of resources for understanding food waste, yet little is known about where food wasting occurs in the home. The study begins with a literature review of articles that deal with food waste and consumer behaviour, reflecting on their definition of ‘waste’, approach, findings and recommendations. Having noticed a lack of convergence in the literature, and an absence of research into digital technologies for the study of food waste, the potential for incorporating novel technology probe methodologies is explored. Building on the proliferation of internet of things devices, the ‘smart bin’ is introduced as an effective intervention for making visible routine household food wasting practices. These data were then triangulated with user interviews, leading to an enriched qualitative discussion and revealing drivers and mitigators of waste. This paper concludes with some reflections on the smart bin as a domestic product and how it might synthesise previous understandings of consumer behaviour, leading to better informed food waste policies and initiatives.
Impact of Protein Content on the Antioxidants, Anti-Inflammatory Properties and Glycemic Index of Wheat and Wheat Bran
Authors: Jimenez-Pulido Ivan Jesus , Daniel Rico , Perez Jara , Martínez-Villaluenga Cristina , De Luis Daniel , Martín Diana Ana Belén
Published: July 2022

Conventional wheat milling generates important volumes of wheat bran (WB), which is a concentrated source of polyphenols and insoluble fiber. In terms of health benefits and based on epidemiological and experimental evidence, these compounds contribute to reducing the risk of certain chronic pathologies. Protein concentration is the main quality factor conditioning wheat use in the agroindustry. When turning waste into feasible resources, it is essential to evaluate the variability of the raw material. The aim of this study was the evaluation of the impact of protein content in the valorization of WB based on its antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties and glycemic index (GI). A significantly (p ≤ 0.05) lower content of phenolic compounds was found in the whole grain (WG) fractions, both free (FP) and bound (BP), as compared to the WB phenolic fractions, differences that ranged from 4- to 6-fold (538 to 561 mg GAE 100 g−1 in WG vs. 1027 to 1236 in WB mg GAE 100 g−1 in FP and 2245 to 2378 vs. 6344 to 7232 mg GAE 100 g−1 in BP). A significant (p ≤ 0.05) effect of the protein content on the resulting phenolic content and antioxidant capacity was observed, especially in WG, but also in WB, although in the latter a significant (p ≤ 0.05) negative correlation was observed, and increasing the protein content resulted in decreasing total phenolic content, antioxidants, and ferric-reducing capacities, probably due to their different types of proteins. The highest protein content in WB produced a significant (p ≤ 0.05) reduction in GI value, probably due to the role of protein structure in protecting starch from gelatinization, along with phytic acid, which may bind to proteins closely associated to starch and chelate calcium ions, required for α-amylase activity. A significant (p ≤ 0.05) effect of the protein content on the GI was also found, which may be explained by the structural effect of the proteins associated with starch, reducing the GI (21.64). The results obtained show the importance of segregation of WB in valorization strategies in order to increase the efficiency of the processes.
The Fabrication and Characterization of Pickering Emulsion Gels Stabilized by Sorghum Flour
Authors: Song Linlin , Zhang Sheng , Liu Benguo
Published: July 2022

Pickering emulsion gels have potential application as solid fat substitutes and nutraceutical carriers in foods, but a safe and easily available food-derived particle emulsifier is the bottleneck that limits their practical application. In this study, the function of sorghum flour as a particle emulsifier to stabilize the oil-in-water (O/W) Pickering emulsion gels with medium chain triglycerides (MCT) in the oil phase was introduced. Sorghum flour had suitable size distribution (median diameter, 21.47 μm) and wettability (contact angle, 38°) and could reduce the interfacial tension between MCT and water. The oil phase volume fraction (φ) and the addition amount of sorghum flour (c) had significant effects on the formation of Pickering emulsion gels. When c ≥ 5%, Pickering emulsion gels with φ = 70% could be obtained. Microstructure analysis indicated that sorghum flour not only played an emulsifying role at the O/W interface but also prevented oil droplets from coalescing through its viscous effect in the aqueous phase. With increases in c, the droplet size of the emulsion gel decreased, its mechanical properties gradually strengthened, and its protective effect on β-carotene against UV irradiation also improved.
Dismemberment as a Method of Body Disposal in Spanish Forensic Cases
Authors: Mata-Tutor Pilar , Villoria-Rojas Catherine , Benito-Sánchez María , Marquez-Grant Nicholas
Published: July 2022

This study provides an overview of victim and offender data, the cause and manner of death, the dismemberment type, the post-dismemberment alteration, and the forensic investigation, for 35 Spanish forensic cases. The main aim of this study was to perform a retrospective analysis of dismemberment and body part alteration in Spain since 1990, in particular relating to burning. The sample was selected from a Spanish national database on criminal records (CENDOJ). Official court records were examined for 96 variables, which were analysed through non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis (nMDS). The results obtained revealed that the number of dismemberment cases between 1990 and 2016 totalled 35 (amounting to a total of 40 bodies) with an incidence of 0.29% of the total number of homicide cases in the database. Most of the aggressors were Spanish adult males, and the victims were adult females of foreign nationality. The most commonly employed tool used to kill and dismember was the knife. A total of 15.00% of the 40 bodies were further altered by fire. It was concluded that dismemberment and other postmortem actions contributed to complicating the forensic investigation and hindering the identification of the deceased.
Finite Difference–Collocation Method for the Generalized Fractional Diffusion Equation
Authors: Kumar Sandeep , Pandey Rajesh K. , Kumar Kamlesh , Kamal Shyam , Dinh Thach Ngoc
Published: July 2022

In this paper, an approximate method combining the finite difference and collocation methods is studied to solve the generalized fractional diffusion equation (GFDE). The convergence and stability analysis of the presented method are also established in detail. To ensure the effectiveness and the accuracy of the proposed method, test examples with different scale and weight functions are considered, and the obtained numerical results are compared with the existing methods in the literature. It is observed that the proposed approach works very well with the generalized fractional derivatives (GFDs), as the presence of scale and weight functions in a generalized fractional derivative (GFD) cause difficulty for its discretization and further analysis.
Preparation of Various Nanomaterials via Controlled Gelation of a Hydrophilic Polymer Bearing Metal-Coordination Units with Metal Ions
Authors: Nagai Daisuke , Isobe Naoki , Inoue Tatsushi , Okamoto Shusuke , Maki Yasuyuki , Yamanobe Takeshi
Published: July 2022

We investigated the gelation of a hydrophilic polymer with metal-coordination units (HPMC) and metal ions (PdII or AuIII). Gelation proceeded by addition of an HPMC solution in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) to a metal ion aqueous solution. An increase in the composition ratio of the metal-coordination units from 10 mol% to 34 mol% (HPMC-34) increased the cross-linking rate with AuIII. Cross-linking immediately occurred after dropwise addition of an HPMC-34 solution to the AuIII solution, generating the separation between the phases of HPMC-34 and AuIII. The cross-linking of AuIII proceeded from the surface to the inside of the HPMC-34 droplets, affording spherical gels. In contrast, a decrease in the ratio of metal-coordination units from 10 mol% to 4 mol% (HPMC-4) decreased the PdII cross-linking rate. The cross-linking occurred gradually and the gels extended to the bottom of the vessel, forming fibrous gels. On the basis of the mechanism for the formation of gels with different morphologies, the gelation of HPMC-34 and AuIII provided nanosheets via gelation at the interface between the AuIII solution and the HPMC-34 solution. The gelation of HPMC-4 and PdII afforded nanofibers by a facile method, i.e., dropwise addition of the HPMC-4 solution to the PdII solution. These results demonstrated that changing the composition ratio of the metal-coordination units in HPMC can control the gelation behavior, resulting in different types of nanomaterials.
Identification of Recurrent Chromosome Breaks Underlying Structural Rearrangements in Mammary Cancer Cell Lines
Authors: Senter Natalie C. , McCulley Andrew , Kuznetsov Vladimir A. , Feng Wenyi
Published: July 2022

Cancer genomes are characterized by the accumulation of small-scale somatic mutations as well as large-scale chromosomal deletions, amplifications, and complex structural rearrangements. This characteristic is at least partially dependent on the ability of cancer cells to undergo recurrent chromosome breakage. In order to address the extent to which chromosomal structural rearrangement breakpoints correlate with recurrent DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), we simultaneously mapped chromosome structural variation breakpoints (using whole-genome DNA-seq) and spontaneous DSB formation (using Break-seq) in the estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer cell line MCF-7 and a non-cancer control breast epithelium cell line MCF-10A. We identified concurrent DSBs and structural variation breakpoints almost exclusively in the pericentromeric region of chromosome 16q in MCF-7 cells. We fine-tuned the identification of copy number variation breakpoints on 16q. In addition, we detected recurrent DSBs that occurred in both MCF-7 and MCF-10A. We propose a model for DSB-driven chromosome rearrangements that lead to the translocation of 16q, likely with 10q, and the eventual 16q loss that does not involve the pericentromere of 16q. We present evidence from RNA-seq data that select genes, including SHCBP1, ORC6, and MYLK3, which are immediately downstream from the 16q pericentromere, show heightened expression in MCF-7 cell line compared to the control. Data published by The Cancer Genome Atlas show that all three genes have increased expression in breast tumor samples. We found that SHCBP1 and ORC6 are both strong poor prognosis and treatment outcome markers in the ER-positive breast cancer cohort. We suggest that these genes are potential oncogenes for breast cancer progression. The search for tumor suppressor loss that accompanies the 16q loss ought to be augmented by the identification of potential oncogenes that gained expression during chromosomal rearrangements.
Prenatal Detection of Novel Compound Heterozygous Splice Site Variants of the KIAA0825 Gene in a Fetus with Postaxial Polydactyly Type A
Authors: Yao Yanyi , Deng Shan , Zhu Feng
Published: July 2022

Postaxial polydactyly (PAP) is a common abnormality characterized by extra digits on hands and/or feet. To date, sequence variants in seven genes have been identified in non-syndromic PAP. In the present study, a fetus manifesting non-syndromic postaxial polydactyly type A (PAPA) was found by fetal ultrasonography. To better evaluate fetal prognosis, SNP array analysis and trio whole-exome sequencing (trio-WES) were performed to identify the underlying etiology. Although SNP array analysis revealed no abnormality, trio-WES identified compound heterozygous splice site variants in KIAA0825, c.-1-2A>T and c.2247-2A>G in intron 2 and intron 12, respectively. These two splice site variants were absent in control databases and were predicted to influence splicing by in silico analysis. To confirm the potential pathogenicity of the variants, in vitro splicing assays using minigene and RNA from peripheral leukocytes of the heterozygous parents were conducted. Minigene and RT-PCR assays demonstrated that the c.-1-2A>T variant led to the loss of the initiation codon, and the c.2247-2A>G variant mainly resulted in exon 13 skipping. Prenatal WES and subsequent functional studies are important approaches for defining the genetic etiology of fetuses with PAPA and are also essential for accurate genetic counseling and decision making. Taken together, this study expands the spectrum of KIAA0825 variations in PAPA patients and increases the knowledge of the molecular consequences of KIAA0825 splice site variants.
Exploring the Effects of Tourism Development on Air Pollution: Evidence from the Panel Smooth Transition Regression Model
Authors: Zhang Jun , Lu Youhai
Published: July 2022

Based on the theoretical framework of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC), this study investigates whether tourism development can decrease air pollution. This study applies the panel smooth transition regression approach and panel data for 2005–2019 from 283 prefecture-level cities in China to examine the nonlinear effect of tourism development on PM2.5, emissions. Our results reveal that the effects of tourism on PM2.5, emissions vary according to the modes of tourist arrivals. At the national level, the effect of tourism on PM2.5 emissions exhibits an inverted-U shape. At the regional level, tourism exerts a U-shaped impact on PM2.5 emissions in eastern China, and tourism is nonlinearly negatively associated with PM2.5 emissions in central and western China. An important theoretical contribution of our study is the proposal and validation of the U-shaped tourism-induced EKC hypothesis.
Comparing the Psychometric Properties among Three Versions of the UCLA Loneliness Scale in Individuals with Schizophrenia or Schizoaffective Disorder
Authors: Lin Chung-Ying , Tsai Ching-Shu , Jian Cian-Ruei , Chao Shu-Ru , Wang Peng-Wei , Lin Huang-Chi , Huang Mei-Feng , Yeh Yi-Chun , Liu Tai-Ling , Chen Cheng-Sheng , Lin Ya-Ping , Lee Shu-Ying , Chen Ching-Hua , Wang Yun-Chi , Chang Yu-Ping , Chen Yu-Min , Yen Cheng-Fang
Published: July 2022

The UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3; UCLA-LSV3) is widely used for assessing loneliness. Nevertheless, the validity of this scale for assessing loneliness in individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder has not been determined. Additionally, studies validating the eight-item and three-item versions of UCLA-LSV3 have not included individuals with severe mental illness; therefore, whether the short versions are comparable to the full 20-item version of UCLA-LSV3 for this population is unclear. The present study examined the unidimensional structure, internal consistency, concurrent validity, and test–retest reliability of the Chinese versions of UCLA-LSV3 (i.e., 20-item, 8-item, and 3-item versions) to determine which version is most appropriate for assessing loneliness in individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder in Taiwan. A total of 300 participants (267 with schizophrenia and 33 with schizoaffective disorder) completed the scales, comprising UCLA-LSV3, the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), the suicidality module of the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia–Epidemiological Version (K-SADS-E), and the family and peer Adaptation, Partnership, Growth, Affection, and Resolve (APGAR) index. Construct validity was evaluated through confirmatory factor analysis. The three versions of UCLA-LSV3 were compared with the CES-D, the suicidality module of the K-SADS-E, and the family and peer APGAR index to establish concurrent validity. The results indicated that all three versions of UCLA-LSV3 exhibited acceptable to satisfactory psychometric properties in terms of unidimensional constructs, concurrent validity, and test–retest reliability. The full version of UCLA-LSV3 had the best performance, followed by the eight-item version and the three-item version. Moreover, the three versions had relatively strong associations with each other. Therefore, when deliberating which version of UCLA-LSV3 is the best choice for assessing loneliness in individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, healthcare providers and therapists should consider time availability and practicality.
Emergency Transport Refusal during the Early Stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea
Authors: Ryu Min Young , Park Hang A. , Han Sangsoo , Park Hye Ji , Lee Choung Ah
Published: July 2022

We analyzed the changes in patients’ clinical characteristics and transport refusal pre- and post-COVID-19 and identified the reasons for transport refusal using emergency medical services run sheet data from pre-COVID-19 (April–December 2019) and post-COVID-19 (April–December 2020) in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. We included patients aged ≥18 years. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the relationship between patients’ personal factors and clinical characteristics and emergency transport refusal. During the control and study periods, 612,681 cases were reported; the transport refusal rates during the control and study periods were 6.7% and 8.2%, respectively. Emergency transport refusal was associated with younger age, the male sex, a normal mental status, a shock index < 1, and trauma in both the pre- and post-COVID-19 periods. Although fever prevented transport refusal during the pre-COVID-19 period (aOR, 0.620; 95% CI, 0.567–0.679), it became a significant risk factor for transport refusal during the post-COVID-19 period (aOR, 1.619; 95% CI, 1.534–1.709). The most common reason for transport refusal by critically ill patients was “because it was not accepted within the jurisdiction and remote transport was required.” It is necessary to expand the response capacity of patients with fever in the community to reduce the refusal of transport by critically ill patients.
Hydrogeochemical Evaluation of Groundwater Quality Parameters for Ogallala Aquifer in the Southern High Plains Region, USA
Authors: Haskell Derek , Heo Joonghyeok , Park Joonkyu , Dong Chao
Published: July 2022

The purposes of this study are to analyze the groundwater quality of the Ogallala Aquifer and evaluate the hydrological characteristics in the southern High Plains region of the Permian Basin, Texas. Levels of chloride, fluoride, nitrate, selenium, pH, and total dissolved solids (TDS) were analyzed for the period 1990–2016. Data concerning a total of 133 wells were collected from the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB), which is an open database provided by the US government. The average levels of contaminants were compared to their respective Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL) stipulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The study area experienced high concentrations of most parameters including chloride, fluoride, nitrate, selenium, and TDS, within the contaminants’ respective MCLs. Borden and Dawson counties experienced the highest overall amounts of groundwater pollutants. Possible sources of each contaminant are discussed, with oil and gas activities, agricultural practices, and other human actions impacting the conditions. This research provides important information about groundwater quality of the Ogallala Aquifer and contributes to understanding the response to development in the Permian Basin, Texas.
Diabetes, Hypertension, Atrial Fibrillation and Subsequent Stroke-Shift towards Young Ages in Brunei Darussalam
Authors: Bassa Burc , Güntürkün Fatma , Craemer Eva Maria , Meyding-Lamadé Uta , Jacobi Christian , Bassa Alp , Becher Heiko
Published: July 2022

Southeast Asia harbors a young population of more than 600 million people. Socioeconomic transition within the last decades, driven by globalization and rapid economic growth, has led to significant changes in lifestyle and nutrition in many countries of this region. Hence, an increase in the number of non-communicable diseases is seen in most populations of Southeast Asia. Brunei Darussalam is the smallest country in this region, with a population of around 400,000 inhabitants. Vast hydrocarbon resources have transformed Brunei into a wealthy industrialized country within the last few decades. We compared the age distribution and prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in ischemic stroke patients between the only stroke unit in Brunei Darussalam and a tertiary stroke center from Frankfurt/Germany. Between 2011 and 2016, a total number of 3877 ischemic stroke patients were treated in both institutions. Even after adjusting for age due to different population demographics, stroke patients in Brunei were younger compared to their German counterparts. The prevalence of hypertension and diabetes mellitus was significantly higher in young age groups in Brunei, whereas no difference was observed for older patients. The rapid socioeconomic transition might be a significant risk factor for the development of non-communicable diseases, including stroke.