bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
University Mentoring Programs during the Pandemic: Case Study of Hungarian Roma University Students
Authors: Dunajeva Jekatyerina
Published: February 2023

To improve the chances of Roma students succeeding in higher education, several initiatives have been established in recent decades, such as the Roma szakkollégium network (Roma Special Colleges), which joins various institutions around Hungary with the goal of helping Roma youth in higher education. This study inquiries into Roma university students and their support network during the pandemic through the work of Roma Special Colleges, considering that during the pandemic, it was the marginalized and vulnerable groups, such as the Roma, who disproportionally experienced challenges that affected their education. The aim of this study is to examine how Roma Special Colleges through their mentoring programs (1) were able to identify the specific needs of Roma university students during the pandemic; and (2) adapted their work to better assist Roma students during remote education. These findings, generated during a series of interviews with directors and program organizers of Roma Special Colleges, point out the importance of the personalized assistance that mentors in Roma colleges were able to provide, not only supplying needed IT tools and promoting academic success, but also fostering wellbeing, a sense of belonging and positive self-esteem among Roma students.
Analysis of Content Knowledge Categories in Preservice Teachers When Teaching the Concept of Number in Preschool
Authors: Chavira-Quintero Rigoberto , Olais-Govea José Manuel
Published: February 2023

This paper analyzes a cohort of 128 pre-service educators teaching the concept of numbers to 4–5 year old children. Through a professional practice report, which educators elaborate on during the last year of teaching training, we have constructed a dichotomous guide to examine content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, curricular content knowledge, and reflective practice categories in their teaching practice. A Bernoulli statistical analysis and the k-means algorithm applied to a sample of 51 lesson plans collected from practice reports leads us to conclude that there is a weak integration of knowledge categories in educators’ practice and suggests how to improve their teaching–learning process.
Creep Characteristic Test and Creep Model of Frozen Soil
Authors: Shao Yawu , Suo Yonglu , Xiao Jiang , Bai Yuan , Yang Tao
Published: February 2023

In order to research the creep deformation characteristics of frozen soil and the effect of various influencing factors on creep, indoor uniaxial creep tests were carried out on frozen soil specimens at temperatures of −5, −4, −3 and −2 °C under loads of 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75 σt, respectively. The creep deformation characteristics of frozen soil under different temperatures and load conditions are analyzed under unconfined conditions. The results show that under the uniaxial creep test conditions, when the load is low, there is no accelerated creep stage in the creep curve, which belongs to the decaying type creep; when the load is 0.75 σt, the creep curve enters the stage of accelerated creep, and the creep turns non-attenuated; temperature is the most important external factor affecting permafrost soil creep, and the proportion of ice is the key internal factor for affecting permafrost soil creep, the temperature is negatively correlated with the proportion of ice and the sensitivity of creep rate to temperature and load increases with the decrease of the proportion of ice; the damage variable D is introduced to modify the creep constitutive equation of the frozen soil, the creep process of frozen soil is well described by the modified creep constitutive equation for frozen soil.
Viable Supply Chain Management toward Company Sustainability during COVID-19 Pandemic in Malaysia
Authors: Zahari Mohd Khairulnizam , Zakuan Norhayati , Yusoff Mohd Effandi , Mat Saman Muhamad Zameri , Ali Khan Mohd Noor Azli , Muharam Farrah Merlinda , Yaacob Teh Zaharah
Published: February 2023

Since the pandemic first appeared in early 2020, the manufacturing industry across the globe has experienced a decline. Concerns regarding public health were present at the start of the new decade, and as the pandemic reached its peak in March 2020, manufacturers all over the world were forced to contend with high demand, reduced workforce requirements, subsequent lockdowns, and major disruptions to their supply chains to prevent the global spread of the pandemic. No research has been done on the interaction of these variables because the idea of VSCM is still relatively new, particularly in Malaysia’s manufacturing industry. The purpose of this study is to present management researchers with a novel idea for coping with a pandemic situation in today’s business environment. Furthermore, the purpose of this research is to determine VSCM practices that contribute to company sustainability so that such future incidents can be controlled and revamped. The report also advocated a VSCM framework to improve supply chain resilience and sustainability. This study’s objective is to analyze the relationship between viable supply chain management (VSCM) practices and company sustainability for manufacturing companies in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic. 197 respondents from Malaysian manufacturing companies were surveyed using a quantitative approach. Using PLS-SEM analysis, all surveys are examined. As a result, the direct relationship between VSCM and company sustainability has demonstrated a significant positive effect. The implication of this study is to strengthen the viability and reliability of viable supply chain management and contribute further to the COVID-19 outbreak’s impact on company sustainability. Moreover, a successful supply chain model would guarantee that manufacturers are compelled to respond swiftly to safeguard and support their employees and maintain operations that are critical lifelines for consumers and communities.
Performance Gap and Innovation Ambidexterity: A Moderated Mediation Model
Authors: Cheng Songsong , Fan Qunpeng , Song Yang
Published: February 2023

Innovation ambidexterity has become a crucial strategic action for creating sustainable competitive advantages. This research provides novel insights by establishing a connection between performance gaps and innovation ambidexterity. We employ the organization’s resource acquisition and management perspective to construct and empirically assess a moderated mediation model that sheds light on the underlying process—through the dual-mediating path of network broadening (NB) and network deepening (ND) and the moderating role of resource orchestration capabilities. Using subjective surveys and objective-matched data from 362 Chinese listed firms, we confirm the positive-performance-gap-combined innovation ambidexterity relationship, and we find that NB and ND play a parallel mediating role between performance gap and balanced and combined innovation ambidexterity, with ND playing a stronger mediating role than NB. Furthermore, resource orchestration capabilities play a moderating role between NB and balanced and combined innovation ambidexterity, as well as between ND and balanced and combined innovation ambidexterity. These results contribute to the research on social network and ambidexterity literature and provide guidance on how to overcome firms’ performance dilemmas. However, our study has certain methodological limitations that constrain the implications of our results, offering intriguing opportunities for future research.
Stand Structure and Dynamics of the Naturally Managed Oak-Dominated Forests and Their Relation to Environmental Variables in Swat Hindu Kush Range of Pakistan
Authors: Rahman Ataur , Khan Nasrullah , Ullah Rafi , Ali Kishwar
Published: February 2023

Although oak woodlands are a characteristic landscape component in the Swat Hindukush Mountain ranges, little is known about their current or historical stand population structure and regeneration dynamics related to environmental variables. Therefore, the present study assessed the stand structure, regeneration status, and relationship of oak communities with environmental variables. The study assessed 30 oak-dominated forest sites using the quadrates method, sampling 300 quadrates for evaluating the phytosociological and environmental variables. The stand structures of forests were dominated by four oak species, i.e., Quercus incana, Quercus baloot, Quercus dilatata, and Quercus semecarpifolia, distributed along with the elevation. The lower elevation stand structures were most diverse and dominated by Q. incana, having higher stand parameters, i.e., importance value index, basal area, and density. In contrast, the higher-elevation stand structures were dominated by Q. semecarpifolia, having stand parameters in moderate measures, while those at intermediate elevations have lower stand parameters. The environmental variables were negatively correlated with the stand structures, i.e., elevation (r = −0.51), precipitation (r = −0.47), and relative humidity (r = −0.77), whereas soil nutrients such as Potassium concentration have a significant negative relation with stands structure (r = −0.66) indicating their vital role in sustaining the oak communities. The communities were fairly regenerated, with an age structure between 12–36 years, indicating young communities. These results concluded that the observed wide range of variability in stand characteristics reflects the mechanisms that have shaped them. The recent anthropogenic factors, i.e., military operations and natural hazards such as the flood of 2010, have deliberately affected the communities under natural restoration.
A Demand-Side Inoperability Input–Output Model for Strategic Risk Management: Insight from the COVID-19 Outbreak in Shanghai, China
Authors: Jin Jian , Zhou Haoran
Published: February 2023

This paper proposes the dynamic inoperability input–output model (DIIM) to analyze the economic impact of COVID-19 in Shanghai in the first quarter of 2022. Based on the input–output model, the DIIM model introduces the sector elasticity coefficient, assesses the economic loss of the system and the influence of disturbances on other sectors through sectoral dependence, and simulates the inoperability and economic loss changes through time series. A multi-evaluation examination of the results reveals that the degree of inoperability of sub-sectors is inconsistent with the ranking of economic losses and that it is hard to quantify the impact of each sector directly. Different from the traditional DIIM model that only considers the negative part of the disaster, the innovation of this paper is that the negative value of the inoperability degree is used to measure the indirect positive growth of sectors under the impact of the Shanghai pandemic shock. At the same time, policymakers need to consider multi-objective optimization when making risk management decisions. This study uses surrogate worth trade-off to construct a multi-objective risk management framework to expand the DIIM model to enable policymakers to quantify the trade-off between economic benefit and investment costs when making risk management decisions.
Understanding Social Media Users’ Mukbang Content Watching: Integrating TAM and ECM
Authors: Song Hyo Geun
Published: February 2023

The purpose of this research is to examine the precursors of a social media user’s purchase intention and intention to watch mukbang content. This study collected empirical data from 399 social media users who had viewed mukbang content and used smart PLS to analyze the data. This analysis found that vicarious satisfaction and attractiveness of content performers had an effect on attitudes toward mukbang. Moreover, this study found that perceived ease of use and attitude toward mukbang content had an impact on the intention to watch mukbang content. Furthermore, the intention to watch mukbang was a motivator of purchase intention regarding food items in mukbang content. This study contributes to the literature by investigating the influence of mukbang watching on purchasing intention.
Vision and Inertial Navigation Combined-Based Pose Measurement Method of Cantilever Roadheader
Authors: Wan Jicheng , Zhang Xuhui , Zhang Chao , Yang Wenjuan , Lei Mengyu , Du Yuyang , Dong Zheng
Published: February 2023

Pose measurement of coal mine excavation equipment is an important part of roadway excavation. However, in the underground mining roadway of coal mine, there are some influencing factors such as low illumination, high dust and interference from multiple equipment, which lead to the difficulty in the position and pose measurement of roadheader with low measurement accuracy and poor stability. A combination positioning method based on machine vision and optical fiber inertial navigation is proposed to realize the position and pose measurement of roadheader and improve the accuracy and stability of the position and pose measurement. The visual measurement model of arm roadheader is established, and the optical fiber inertial navigation technology and the spatial coordinate transformation method are used. Finally, the Kalman filter fusion algorithm is used to fuse the two kinds of data to get the accurate roadheader pose data, and the inertia is compensated and corrected. Underground coal mine experiments are designed to verify the performance of the proposed method. The results show that the positioning error of the roadheader body using this method is within 40 mm, which meets the positioning accuracy requirements of roadway construction. This method compensates for the shortcomings of low accuracy and poor reliability of single vision measurement, single inertial navigation measurement and single odometer measurement.
A Superstructure Mixed-Integer Nonlinear Programming Optimization for the Optimal Processing Pathway Selection of Sludge-to-Energy Technologies
Authors: Morsy Omar , Hourfar Farzad , Zhu Qinqin , Almansoori Ali , Elkamel Ali
Published: February 2023

The perception of sewage sludge has increasingly changed from being a waste, which is a burden to the environment and society, to a useful resource of materials and renewable energy. There are several available technologies at different stages of maturity that aim to convert sludge to energy in the form of electricity and/or fuels. In this paper, a decision-making support tool is proposed to help in choosing the optimal pathway for the sludge-to-energy conversion from a techno-economic perspective. The conversion technologies under study are: (1) anaerobic digestion, (2) pyrolysis, (3) gasification, (4) incineration, (5) supercritical water oxidation, (6) supercritical water gasification, as well as the corresponding dewatering and drying methods for each technology. Different synergies between the available technologies are compared by the formulation of a superstructure optimization problem expressed in a mixed-integer non-linear program (MINLP) model. The applicability of the proposed model is explored via a case study for a hypothetical sludge treatment plant with a capacity of 100 tons of dry solids (tDS) per day. The model is solved via the BARON solver using GAMS software within a reasonable processing time. According to the obtained results, the fast pyrolysis technology, coupled with filter press dewatering and thermal drying as pre-treatment steps, show the most promising outcomes with the minimum treatment cost of USD 180/tDS. Fast pyrolysis converts the sludge to bio-oil, which can be used as an alternative fuel after further refining, and biochar, which can be used for soil amendment or adsorption purposes. The model parameters are subject to uncertainty that is addressed in the sensitivity analysis section of this paper. Moreover, the pyrolysis pathway shows a high degree of robustness in most of the sensitivity analysis scenarios. Meanwhile, anaerobic digestion coupled with fast pyrolysis demonstrates the best energy recovery performance upon increasing electricity prices.
Switzerland? The Best Choice for Accommodation in Europe for Skiing in the 2023 Season
Authors: Lixăndroiu Radu , Lupșa-Tătaru Dana
Published: February 2023

The study investigates the connections between tourists‘ hotel preferences and distance from resort expressed in meters, distance from ski lift expressed in meters, booking score, number of reviews, room type, feature of free cancellation, price expressed in Euro, type (private host/hotel), destination (ski-to-door access/travel sustainable property) from 10 highly appreciated European ski locations offered in from February 2023 by Booking, using a sustainable, electronic instrument for collecting and analyzing a large amount of data, Octoparse 8 and a multi-attribute decision model. Previous studies concerning tourist preferences and online behavior used traditional methods, such as questionnaires and surveys, being limited to a certain number of questions and respondents; thus, this study covers a research gap in the literature with regard to the use of a large amount of data, electronic instruments and multi-attribute models to rank the hotel locations, which derives from the difficulty in obtaining the necessary data to carry out an in-depth analysis. The results show that when selecting a hotel location from an exclusive ski resort, the tourists are interested in the number of reviews, the price and the distances from the resorts to the ski slopes, while the booking score is less important. This is translated into practical implications for marketers and hotel managers, presented at the end of the paper.
Technological Evaluation of Algae-Based Fillers for Polymer 3D Printing
Authors: Fiedler Maximilian , Schoemig Oliver , Fischer Fabian , Droeder Klaus
Published: February 2023

One approach to reducing the environmental footprint of conventional polymers is to compound them with bio-based fillers. Plant-based materials have already been successfully used as polymer fillers. In this context, algae-based fillers received minor attention. Due to their unique growth efficiency and ability to capture large amounts of CO2, the use of algae-based fillers could have economic and ecologic advantages. In this work, a possible use of algae as a sustainable filler for filament materials was technologically evaluated. In practical investigations, conventional polyethylene-terephthalate-glycol (PETG) was mixed with the microalgae spirulina platensis and chlorella vulgaris and extruded to 3D printing filaments. Based on printed test specimens and material samples, the printability, mechanical, and thermal properties of the composite were determined. Filaments with a homogeneous distribution of algae particles and stable diameters up to a filler content of 30 wt.% could be produced. All filaments had good printability and adequate moisture sensitivity for higher algae contents. For 30 wt.% the tensile strength of the produced filaments decreases from 54 MPa to 24 MPa, the flexural strength decreases from 87 MPa to 69 MPa, and the material operating temperature decreases slightly from 70 °C to 66 °C. The addition of smaller amounts of algae results in minor changes regarding the overall performance. The properties of the material were comparable to those of other natural fillers such as wood, bamboo or cork. The main objective of adding bio-based materials to polymeric matrices can be achieved. Our results suggest that algae-based filaments can be produced as a more sustainable and low-cost material.
Managing Sustainable Megaprojects along China’s New Silk Roads
Authors: Tan Willie , Tiong Robert
Published: February 2023

This editorial is for the Special Issue on managing sustainable megaprojects along China’s new silk routes [...]
A Green Cooperative Development Method Based on the IDEF0 Model of Manufacturing Knowledge: Case Study of a Carton-Filling Machine
Authors: Wang Beihai , Yao Chenghan , Li Xuezhong , Wei Guoliang
Published: February 2023

This is a case study of cooperative development between a college and a corporation to manufacture a carton-filling machine. Specifically, a green cooperative development method was proposed that would match the college’s design capabilities with the manufacturing capacity of the enterprise. This college–enterprise cooperative development represents an extensive collaboration between industry and academia. This method integrates design for manufacturing (DFM) theory and the integrated computer aided manufacturing definition (IDEF) method to establish the IDEF0 (functional) model of manufacturing knowledge that supports the design process. The model clarifies the specific manufacturing knowledge that enterprises should provide at the conceptual design stage, preliminary design stage and detailed design stage. The forms of communication and timing of knowledge provision needed to optimize development planning and design decisions based on the manufacturing capacity of the enterprise were also determined. Through this method, the college–enterprise cooperative development project (in this case, involving a carton-filling machine) was accomplished with less time, fewer design modifications and fewer parts needing to be reworked. The results show that this method can greatly reduce the run-in period of both parties, improve the efficiency of cooperative development and reduce the cost and waste of prototyping.
Smartphones as a Platform for Tourism Management Dynamics during Pandemics: A Case Study of the Shiraz Metropolis, Iran
Authors: Morabi Jouybari Hadigheh , Ghorbani Amir , Mousazadeh Hossein , Golafshan Azadeh , Akbarzadeh Almani Farahnaz , Dénes Dávid Lóránt , Krisztián Ritter
Published: February 2023

During the past three years and with the spread of the pandemic, smartphones were the most important communication bridge between tourists and organizations; now more than ever, they are intertwined with the lives of tourists and destination management organizations. Although much research has been conducted in this field, the investigation of the effects of the pandemic on the technology and functionality of smartphones is one of the topics that has been less discussed. Therefore, the current research was conducted to determine the role of smartphones in tourism management dynamics during the pandemic. The research method was qualitative (content analysis, theme analysis), and 32 people participated in the interview process as a statistical sample. Then, the oral interviews were transcribed, and a thematic analysis was performed. For the analysis of the interviews, MAXQDA 2020 software was used. The results of the research indicate that smartphones were one of the most important platforms for tourism management dynamics during the pandemic, and in the event of a pandemic in the future, they can help contain the destruction to a great extent in their current position.
Urban Regeneration and Touristification in the Sardinian Capital City of Cagliari, Italy
Authors: Leccis Francesca
Published: February 2023

Regeneration agendas and inbound tourism flows have long been considered a remedy for economic crisis. In port cities, a prominent role in urban regeneration is played by the waterfronts, which have been undergoing radical makeovers worldwide since the 1960s. The city of Cagliari stuck to the same recipe, promoting a series of regeneration initiatives and implementing a series of policies to boost the tourism sector. This study combines the use of primary and secondary sources and the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data to create a useful picture of both current reality and historical development of the city. It demonstrated that development strategies promoted in Cagliari, rather than balancing tourism promotion and local community needs, contributed to the amplification and acceleration of the touristification process. Therefore, many of the challenges posed by overtourism, dread in the literature, are today faced by Cagliari and its inhabitants. In addition, the study also identifies in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic a unique opportunity to reverse the touristification process and to achieve a sustainable manner of tourism development. Therefore, it offers some policy recommendations to define principled urban regeneration models, alternatives which are able to achieve urban revitalization while avoiding touristification.
Assessment of Indoor Air Quality in Small and Medium Food Industries and Effects towards Perceived IAQ Symptoms
Authors: Nazli Siti Nurshahida , Ul-Saufie Ahmad Zia , Abd Razak Azli , Elbayoumi Maher
Published: February 2023

Background: Cooking activities generate pollutants that can cause adverse health effects to occupants. This study aims to characterize the indoor air environment in small and medium food enterprises (SMEs), as studies in this area are scarce. Methods: A series of field measurements were conducted to investigate the IAQ at 14 SMEs selected in Pulau Pinang for three different cooking methods (frying, boiling, and baking). Data on environmental perception and health symptoms were obtained from 76 workers by using a validated questionnaire. Boosted regression tree (BRT) analysis and parametric tests were performed to evaluate the impact of the IAQ on the prevalence of disease symptoms. Results: The results showed that CO2, temperature, and relative humidity were higher than the standard limits, while PM2.5 and TVOC were below the standard limits. Using BRT analysis, CO2 was indicated as the highest pollutant to cause complaints by workers (41.55%), followed by CO (21.93%), relative humidity (11.81%), temperature (10.66%), PM2.5 (7.07%), and TVOC (6.99%). This study indicated that workers in SMEs food industries are affected by the indoor air quality at their workplace in which CO2 was the main parameter influencing their health. This study suggests that future research focuses on boiling and frying SMEs with CO2, CO, temperature, and relative humidity to be afforded emphasis.
Managing Asbestos Waste Using Technological Alternatives to Approved Deep Burial Landfill Methods: An Australian Perspective
Authors: Frangioudakis Khatib Georgia , Hollins Ian , Ross Justine
Published: February 2023

Given Australia’s significant and aged asbestos legacy, the long-term sustainability of effective and accessible asbestos waste management is a national priority of Australia’s Asbestos National Strategic Plan. The current policy for managing hazardous asbestos waste is via deep burial in landfill. Technological alternatives to approved deep burial landfill methods exist and could be considered innovative and sustainable additional options for managing asbestos waste, where these are proven viable, and where appropriate policy and regulatory changes are implemented. We present a summary of alternative asbestos waste management technologies and discuss issues influencing their potential application in the Australian context. Increasing the options for asbestos waste management in Australia may additionally facilitate the safe, planned removal of asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) from the built environment. Altogether, this will reduce the potential for exposure to asbestos fibres and work towards eliminating asbestos-related disease in Australia, therefore contributing towards achieving the overarching aim of Australia’s Asbestos National Strategic Plan.
High-Intensity Harmonic Generation with Energy Tunability Produced by Robust Two-Color Linearly Polarized Laser Fields
Authors: Lan Wendi , Wang Xinyu , Qiao Yue , Zhou Shushan , Chen Jigen , Wang Jun , Guo Fuming , Yang Yujun
Published: February 2023

By using the numerical solution of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation, we theoretically explored the high-order harmonic generation process under the interaction of high-intensity two-color ultrashort driving laser pulses with atoms. The symmetry of the electric field of the laser pulse will be broken. The producing electric field was controlled at the subcycle level by an IR laser and its second harmonic, which has the unique characteristic that two sequential half-cycles become distinct, rather than merely opposite in sign. Compared with the case of the atom in the fundamental laser pulse, the harmonic efficiency showed an increase of 1∼2 orders of magnitude at specific harmonic order with this combined pulse action. Through the theoretical analysis with the “three-step model”, it was demonstrated that the enhancement of the harmonic intensity is due to the fast ionization of electrons at the ionization moment and the short time from ionization to recombination of ionized electrons. In addition, effects of the peak field amplitude ratio, the full width at half maximum, the phase delay of the two-color pulses, the laser intensity and ionization probability on the harmonic efficiency enhancement were also investigated.
Breast Cancer Diagnosis in Thermography Using Pre-Trained VGG16 with Deep Attention Mechanisms
Authors: Alshehri Alia , AlSaeed Duaa
Published: February 2023

One of the most prevalent cancers in women is breast cancer. The mortality rate related to this disease can be decreased by early, accurate diagnosis to increase the chance of survival. Infrared thermal imaging is one of the breast imaging modalities in which the temperature of the breast tissue is measured using a screening tool. The previous studies did not use pre-trained deep learning (DL) with deep attention mechanisms (AMs) on thermographic images for breast cancer diagnosis. Using thermal images from the Database for Research Mastology with Infrared Image (DMR-IR), the study investigates the use of a pre-trained Visual Geometry Group with 16 layers (VGG16) with AMs that can produce good diagnosis performance utilizing the thermal images of breast cancer. The symmetry of the three models resulting from the combination of VGG16 with three types of AMs is evident in all its stages in methodology. The models were compared to state-of-art breast cancer diagnosis approaches and tested for accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, precision, F1-score, AUC score, and Cohen’s kappa. The test accuracy rates for the AMs using the VGG16 model on the breast thermal dataset were encouraging, at 99.80%, 99.49%, and 99.32%. Test accuracy for VGG16 without AMs was 99.18%, whereas test accuracy for VGG16 with AMs improved by 0.62%. The proposed approaches also performed better than previous approaches examined in the related studies.
Identification of Real-Life Mixtures Using Human Biomonitoring Data: A Proof of Concept Study
Authors: Rodriguez Martin Laura , Ottenbros Ilse , Vogel Nina , Kolossa-Gehring Marike , Schmidt Phillipp , Řiháčková Katarína , Juliá Molina Miguel , Varea-Jiménez Elena , Govarts Eva , Pedraza-Diaz Susana , Lebret Erik , Vlaanderen Jelle , Luijten Mirjam
Published: February 2023

Human health risk assessment of chemical mixtures is complex due to the almost infinite number of possible combinations of chemicals to which people are exposed to on a daily basis. Human biomonitoring (HBM) approaches can provide inter alia information on the chemicals that are in our body at one point in time. Network analysis applied to such data may provide insight into real-life mixtures by visualizing chemical exposure patterns. The identification of groups of more densely correlated biomarkers, so-called “communities”, within these networks highlights which combination of substances should be considered in terms of real-life mixtures to which a population is exposed. We applied network analyses to HBM datasets from Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, and Spain, with the aim to explore its added value for exposure and risk assessment. The datasets varied in study population, study design, and chemicals analysed. Sensitivity analysis was performed to address the influence of different approaches to standardise for creatinine content of urine. Our approach demonstrates that network analysis applied to HBM data of highly varying origin provides useful information with regards to the existence of groups of biomarkers that are densely correlated. This information is relevant for regulatory risk assessment, as well as for the design of relevant mixture exposure experiments.
Contribution of the TCRβ Repertoire to Marek’s Disease Genetic Resistance in the Chicken
Authors: Hearn Cari J. , Cheng Hans H.
Published: February 2023

Marek’s disease (MD) is a lymphoproliferative disease of chickens induced by Marek’s disease virus (MDV), an oncogenic α-herpesvirus. MDV has increased in virulence, prompting continued efforts in both improved vaccines and enhanced genetic resistance. Model pairs of genetically MD-resistant and MD-susceptible chickens that were either MHC-matched or MHC-congenic allowed characterization of T cell receptor (TCR) repertoires associated with MDV infection. MD-resistant chickens showed higher usage of Vβ-1 TCRs than susceptible chickens in both the CD8 and CD4 subsets in the MHC-matched model, and in the CD8 subset only in the MHC-congenic model, with a shift towards Vβ-1+ CD8 cells during MDV infection. Long and short read sequencing identified divergent TCRβ loci between MHC-matched MD-resistant and MD-susceptible chickens, with MD-resistant chickens having more TCR Vβ1 genes. TCR Vβ1 CDR1 haplotype usage in MD-resistant x MD-susceptible F1 birds by RNAseq indicated that the most commonly used CDR1 variant was unique to the MD-susceptible line, suggesting that selection for MD resistance in the MHC-matched model optimized the TCR repertoire away from dominant recognition of one or more B2 haplotype MHC molecules. Finally, TCR downregulation during MDV infection in the MHC-matched model was strongest in the MD-susceptible line, and MDV reactivation downregulated TCR expression in a tumor cell line.
Evaluation of Baculoviruses as Gene Therapy Vectors for Brain Cancer
Authors: Garcia Fallit Matías , Pidre Matías L. , Asad Antonela S. , Peña Agudelo Jorge A. , Vera Mariana B. , Nicola Candia Alejandro J. , Sagripanti Sofia B. , Pérez Kuper Melanie , Amorós Morales Leslie C. , Marchesini Abril , Gonzalez Nazareno , Caruso Carla M. , Romanowski Víctor , Seilicovich Adriana , Videla-Richardson Guillermo A. , Zanetti Flavia A. , Candolfi Marianela
Published: February 2023

We aimed to assess the potential of baculoviral vectors (BV) for brain cancer gene therapy. We compared them with adenoviral vectors (AdV), which are used in neuro-oncology, but for which there is pre-existing immunity. We constructed BVs and AdVs encoding fluorescent reporter proteins and evaluated their transduction efficiency in glioma cells and astrocytes. Naïve and glioma-bearing mice were intracranially injected with BVs to assess transduction and neuropathology. Transgene expression was also assessed in the brain of BV-preimmunized mice. While the expression of BVs was weaker than AdVs in murine and human glioma cell lines, BV-mediated transgene expression in patient-derived glioma cells was similar to AdV-mediated transduction and showed strong correlation with clathrin expression, a protein that interacts with the baculovirus glycoprotein GP64, mediating BV endocytosis. BVs efficiently transduced normal and neoplastic astrocytes in vivo, without apparent neurotoxicity. BV-mediated transgene expression was stable for at least 21 days in the brain of naïve mice, but it was significantly reduced after 7 days in mice systemically preimmunized with BVs. Our findings indicate that BVs efficiently transduce glioma cells and astrocytes without apparent neurotoxicity. Since humans do not present pre-existing immunity against BVs, these vectors may constitute a valuable tool for the delivery of therapeutic genes into the brain.
Insights into the Scenario of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Male Reproductive Toxicity
Authors: Mukherjee Anirban , Wanjari Uddesh , Gopalakrishnan Abilash , Kannampuzha Sandra , Murali Reshma , Namachivayam Arunraj , Ganesan Raja , Renu Kaviyarasi , Dey Abhijit , Vellingiri Balachandar , Prabakaran D.
Published: February 2023

COVID-19 has become a significant public health concern that has catastrophic consequences for society. Some preliminary evidence suggests that the male reproductive system may be an infection target for SARS-CoV-2. SARS-CoV-2 may be transmitted sexually, according to preliminary research. Testicular cells exhibit a high level of the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor, which enhances the entry of the SARS-CoV-2 into host cells. Some instances of COVID-19 have been documented to exhibit hypogonadism during the acute stage. Furthermore, systemic inflammatory reactions triggered by SARS-CoV-2 infection may cause oxidative stress (OS), which has been shown to have profoundly deleterious consequences on testicular functioning. This work gives a clear picture of how COVID-19 may affect male reproductive systems and calls attention to the many unanswered questions about the mechanisms by which this virus can be linked to men’s health and fertility.
Serological Protection Rates against TBEV Infection in Blood Donors from a Highly Endemic Region in Southern Germany
Authors: Dobler Gerhard , Euringer Kathrin , Kaier Klaus , Borde Johannes P.
Published: February 2023

Background: Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is the most significant tick-borne disease in Europe and Asia, with more than 10,000 cases per year worldwide. A surge of reported TBE cases can be observed despite the availability of highly efficient vaccines. There is little known about the serological immune protection rate of the population in Germany. The seroprotection rate is defined as the presence of neutralizing antibodies. In contrast, the vaccination rate, as defined by public health agencies, may differ from the true protection rate in a population. Materials and Methods: 2220 blood samples from inhabitants of the county Ortenaukreis in the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg in Germany were included in the study. These were tested for anti-TBEV IgG antibodies by an anti-TBEV-IgG-ELISA. Subsequently, all TBEV-IgG positive samples were confirmed for neutralizing antibodies in the micro serum neutralization assay. Results: From the overall 2220 samples, 2104 were included in the comparison because of the selection of specific age groups (ages 20–69). In our sample size, we found an average serological protection rate (presence of neutralizing antibodies) of 57% (518/908) for the female blood donors and of 52% (632/1196) for the male blood donors. Discussion: In this study, we present new findings on a highly endemic region in southern Germany. Additionally, we present current data regarding the serological TBEV protection rates in the Ortenaukreis in southern Germany and compare these with a dataset published by the RKI, which is based on vaccination reports of the primary care providers and health care insurers, and with a self-reporting study conducted by a vaccine manufacturer. Our results significantly exceed the official numbers of average active vaccination status by 23.2% for females and by 21% for males. This might indicate an even longer persistence of TBE-vaccination-induced antibody titers than previously assumed.
Predictive Modelling of Reference Evapotranspiration Using Machine Learning Models Coupled with Grey Wolf Optimizer
Authors: Heramb Pangam , Ramana Rao K. V. , Subeesh A. , Srivastava Ankur
Published: February 2023

Mismanagement of fresh water is a primary concern that negatively impacts agricultural productivity. Judicious use of water in agriculture is possible by estimating the optimal requirement. The present practice of estimating crop water requirements is using reference evapotranspiration (ET0) values, which is considered a standard method. Hence, predicting ET0 is vital in allocating and managing available resources. In this study, different machine learning (ML) algorithms, namely random forests (RF), extreme gradient boosting (XGB), and light gradient boosting (LGB), were optimized using the naturally inspired grey wolf optimizer (GWO) viz. GWORF, GWOXGB, and GWOLGB. The daily meteorological data of 10 locations falling under humid and sub-humid regions of India for different cross-validation stages were employed, using eighteen input scenarios. Besides, different empirical models were also compared with the ML models. The hybrid ML models were found superior in accurately predicting at all the stations than the conventional and empirical models. The reduction in the root mean square error (RMSE) from 0.919 to 0.812 mm/day in the humid region and 1.253 mm/day to 1.154 mm/day in the sub-humid region was seen in the least accurate model using the hyperparameter tuning. The RF models have improved their accuracies substantially using the GWO optimizer than LGB and XGB models.
Study on the Adsorption Relationship between Organic Matter and Particulate Matter in Water Distribution Pipes
Authors: Zhao Zhiling , Wang Lu , Wang Dongdong , Lai Tianneng
Published: February 2023

In the process of water distribution, the secondary pollution of drinking water cannot be ignored. There are many organic substances in the water supply network, some of which exist in a dissolved state in the water as dissolved organic matter (DOM), and some of which are adsorbed on the particulate matter to form particulate organic matter (POM). With the flow of water, the particles will be brought into the end user, and threaten the life and health of the user. In this study, two forms of organic matter in distributed water were comprehensively analyzed through micro-filtration membrane filtration, ultrasonic extraction, C18 column solid phase extraction, and GC-MS detection, and their changes in the flow process were explored. The results show that, as the sampling point moves away from the water source, the DOM decreases and the POM increases, and in all there were fewer DOM species than POM, indicating that more organic matter existed on particulate matter or in particle form, and relatively less organic matter existed in a dissolved state. POM in water mainly includes alcohol, ketone, ester, nitrogen, sulfur compounds, and benzene, and the content of POM in different particle size ranges is not the same. Some small particle size ranges have a higher content of POM, while some large particle size ranges have a higher content of POM, which does not show obvious regularity.
Association between Depressive Symptom Trajectory and Chronic Kidney Disease Progression: Findings from the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort Study
Authors: Missikpode Celestin , Ricardo Ana C. , Brown Julia , Durazo-Arvizi Ramon A. , Fischer Michael J. , Hernandez Rosalba , Porter Anna C. , Cook Judith A. , Anderson Amanda , Dolata Jacquie , Feldman Harold I. , Horwitz Edward , Lora Claudia , Wright Nunes Julie , Rao Panduranga S. , Lash James P ,   on behalf of the CRIC Study Group Investigators
Published: February 2023

Key Points

Depressive symptoms are largely stable over time among individuals with mild-to-moderate CKD

Low educational attainment, cigarette smoking, and poor quality of life are associated with persistent depressive symptoms

Persistent depressive symptoms are associated with nonlinear and rapid decline in kidney function

Background

Although depression is highly prevalent among individuals with CKD, little is known about the course of depressive symptoms over time. We characterized trajectories of depressive symptoms and CKD progression and evaluated the association between depressive symptoms trajectory and CKD progression.

Methods

Two thousand three hundred sixty-one individuals with mild-to-moderate CKD enrolled in the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort Study were analyzed. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was used to assess depressive symptoms at baseline and biennially. Higher BDI scores indicate worse depressive symptoms. eGFR was calculated using the 2021 CKD-EPI equation. Group-based trajectory models were used to determine trajectories of BDI score and eGFR change over time. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine factors associated with BDI trajectories and to evaluate the association of BDI trajectories with eGFR change.

Results

Over 8 years of follow-up, three patterns of depressive symptoms were identified: persistently low BDI score (57.7%), persistently moderate BDI score (33.1%), and persistently high BDI score (9.2%). Three eGFR trajectory groups were identified: nonlinear, rapid eGFR decline (21.5%); linear, expected eGFR decline (54.8%); and stable eGFR (23.7%). Predictors of persistently moderate and high BDI trajectories included low educational attainment, smoking, and poor quality of life. Compared with those with a persistently low BDI score, the odds for nonlinear, rapid eGFR decline were higher for those with persistently moderate BDI scores (odds ratio [OR], 1.45; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04 to 2.03) and persistently high BDI scores (OR, 1.90; 95% CI, 1.02 to 3.56). No association between moderate BDI score and linear, expected eGFR decline was observed.

Conclusions

Depressive symptoms remained largely stable among individuals with mild-to-moderate CKD, and persistently moderate and high BDI scores were associated with nonlinear, rapid eGFR decline. Future work is needed to better understand the interplay between depression and CKD progression.
Inflammation and Microbiota Regulation Potentiate Pneumonia Therapy by Biomimetic Bacteria and Macrophage Membrane Nanosystem
Authors: Li Yuan , Liu Xiangmei , Cui Zhenduo , Zheng Yufeng , Jiang Hui , Zhang Yu , Li Zhaoyang , Zhu Shengli , Chu Paul K , Wu Shuilin
Published: February 2023

While conventional nanosystems can target infected lung tissue, they cannot achieve precise cellular targeting and enhanced therapy by modulating inflammation and microbiota for effective therapy. Here, we designed a nucleus-targeted nanosystem with adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and reactive oxygen species stimuli–response to treat pneumonia coinfected with bacteria and virus that is enhanced through inflammation and microbiota regulation. The nucleus-targeted biomimetic nanosystem was prepared through the combined bacteria–macrophage membrane and loaded hypericin and ATP-responsive dibenzyl oxalate (MMHP) subsequently. The MMHP despoiled the Mg
2+
of intracellular cytoplasm in bacteria to achieve an effective bactericidal performance. Meanwhile, MMHP can target the cell nucleus and inhibit the H1N1 virus duplication by inhibiting the activity of nucleoprotein. MMHP possessed an immunomodulatory ability to reduce the inflammatory response and activate CD8
+
T cells for assisted infection elimination. During the mice model, the MMHP effectively treated pneumonia coinfected with
Staphylococcus aureus
and H1N1 virus. Meanwhile, MMHP mediated the composition of gut microbiota to enhance the pneumonia therapy. Therefore, the dual stimuli-responsive MMHP possessed promising clinical translational potential to therapy infectious pneumonia.
Determining Accuracy of Temperature Limit Change in Power Transformer Core Using Temperature-Time Parameter Method
Authors: PAMUK Nihat
Published: February 2023

The efficient transmission of electrical energy depends on amplifying voltage values with power transformers. To obtain higher efficiency from transformers, the core and winding type of transformer, the geometric structure of the core, and the shaping techniques in the windings are changed. This requires modeling transformer windings with equivalent circuits and calculating the inductance and electrical parameters appropriately. In this study, two-dimensional (2D) finite element solutions with energy perturbation and flux-coupling methods are used. The correctness of the inductance values of transformer windings was established, and the design was performed, by considering the inductance and electrical parameter values, which are comparable to the energy perturbation and flux connection. However, when two-dimensional calculated fields are used, the flux coupling method requires less computation and gives numerically more accurate results than the energy perturbation method. So, it is concluded that the flux-coupling approach should be chosen as the preferred method for calculating the inductance and electrical parameters of transformer windings. The numerical properties and equivalence of energy perturbation and flux-connection methods, the “apparent” inductance value of the primary and secondary field windings of power transformer operating under transient conditions, using the temperature-time parameter method, are calculated and its accuracy is demonstrated.