bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Synthesis and Evaluation of RGD−Conjugated Chitosan Gel as Daily Supplement for Body Weight Control
Authors: Chen Wei-Yao , Chen Yu-Ting , Ke Cherng-Jyh , Chen Ching-Yun , Lin Feng-Huei
Published: August 2021

(1) Background: Obesity is one of the most widespread chronic diseases and increases the risk of several other chronic diseases, especially type 2 diabetes. (2) Methods: Endobarrier is a new medical device what is worn in the small intestines for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity. However, given the invasive and other adverse effects of the Endobarrier, we propose the use of RGD peptide conjugated with chitosan (RC) as an alternative. (3) Results: The FTIR and NMR spectrum showed RGD peptide was successfully conjugated on chitosan and RGD−CT is retained in the small intestine even after digestion. In vitro of wst-1 and live and dead staining studies show that the RGD−CT gel is highly biocompatible and non-toxic. Rats treated with the RGD−CT gel for a short term showed significant decrease change more than 30% in body weight, while the blood and hematic biometrics were within normal values. (4) Conclusions: The RGD−CT gel is safe, suitable for the short-term, reducing visceral fat rate health food to control weight. In the future, it is expected to develop a safe, long-term effective, flexibility of use and low-side-effect anti-obesity therapy in the era of precision medicine by further modification.
Optimizing Optical Film Lamination to Enhance the Luminance of TFT-LCD Displays Using the Taguchi-NNGA Method
Authors: Leu Yungho , Lin Chia-Ming
Published: August 2021

Luminance is an essential quality of a TFT-LCD display. Manufacturers have attempted to improve the soft-to-hard lamination stage to enhance the luminance of their TFT-LCD displays. In addition, many customers have complained about the insufficient luminance of the TFT-LCD displays of the case company. While product engineers have kept tuning the control factors in the soft-to-hard lamination stage through the trial and error method, the improvement of the luminance was not good enough. This study aims to assist the product engineers to fine-tune the settings of the control factors using a new method composed of the Taguchi method, a neural network, and a genetic algorithm. The confirmation experiments showed that the proposed method had increased the average luminance of the TFT-LCD displays from 17.03 to 25.15, which was higher than the required luminance value of 25. As a result, the number of complaints on the TFT-LCD displays had been significantly reduced.
Tunable Planar Hall Effect in (Ga,Mn)(Bi,As) Epitaxial Layers
Authors: Andrearczyk Tomasz , Sadowski Janusz , Wróbel Jerzy , Figielski Tadeusz , Wosinski Tadeusz
Published: August 2021

We have thoroughly investigated the planar Hall effect (PHE) in the epitaxial layers of the quaternary compound (Ga,Mn)(Bi,As). The addition of a small amount of heavy Bi atoms to the prototype dilute ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As enhances significantly the spin–orbit coupling strength in its valence band, which essentially modifies certain magnetoelectric properties of the material. Our investigations demonstrate that an addition of just 1% Bi atomic fraction, substituting As atoms in the (Ga,Mn)As crystal lattice, causes an increase in the PHE magnitude by a factor of 2.5. Moreover, Bi incorporation into the layers strongly enhances their coercive fields and uniaxial magneto-crystalline anisotropy between the in-plane ⟨110⟩ crystallographic directions in the layers grown under a compressive misfit strain. The displayed two-state behaviour of the PHE resistivity at zero magnetic field, which may be tuned by the control of applied field orientation, could be useful for application in spintronic devices, such as nonvolatile memory elements.
MHD Laminar Boundary Layer Flow of a Jeffrey Fluid Past a Vertical Plate Influenced by Viscous Dissipation and a Heat Source/Sink
Authors: Muzara Hillary , Shateyi Stanford
Published: August 2021

This study investigates the effects of viscous dissipation and a heat source or sink on the magneto-hydrodynamic laminar boundary layer flow of a Jeffrey fluid past a vertical plate. The governing boundary layer non-linear partial differential equations are reduced to non-linear ordinary differential equations using suitable similarity transformations. The resulting system of dimensionless differential equations is then solved numerically using the bivariate spectral quasi-linearisation method. The effects of some physical parameters that include the Schmidt number, Eckert number, radiation parameter, magnetic field parameter, heat generation parameter, and the ratio of relaxation to retardation times on the velocity, temperature, and concentration profiles are presented graphically. Additionally, the influence of some physical parameters on the skin friction coefficient, local Nusselt number, and the local Sherwood number are displayed in tabular form.
A Hybrid Approach of VIKOR and Bi-Objective Decision Model for Emergency Shelter Location–Allocation to Respond to Earthquakes
Authors: Geng Shaoqing , Hou Hanping , Zhou Zhou
Published: August 2021

Earthquakes have catastrophic effects on the affected population, especially in undeveloped countries or regions. Minimizing the impact and consequences of earthquakes involves many decisions and disaster relief operations that should be optimized. A critical disaster management problem is to construct shelters with reasonable capacity in the right locations, allocate evacuees, and provide relief materials to them within a reasonable period. This study proposes a bi-objective hierarchical model with two stages, namely, the temporary shelter stage and the short-term shelter stage. The proposed objectives at different stages are to minimize the evacuation time, maximize the suitability based on qualitative factors, and minimize the number of sites while considering the demand, capacity, utilization, and budget constraints. The performance evaluation of the emergency shelter was carried out by fuzzy-VIKOR, and the most ideal location of the shelter was determined through multiple standards. Emergency management organizations can benefit from the collective expertise of multiple decision-makers because the proposed method uses their knowledge to automate the location and allocation process of shelters. In the case of Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, the results of using this hybrid approach provide the government with a range of options. This method can realize the trade-off between efficiency and cost in the emergency shelter location and material distribution, and realize reliable solutions in disaster emergencies.
Evolutionary Design of a System for Online Surface Roughness Measurements
Authors: Koblar Valentin , Filipič Bogdan
Published: August 2021

Surface roughness is one of the key characteristics of machined components as it affects the surface quality and, consequently, the lifetime of the components themselves. The most common method of measuring the surface roughness is contact profilometry. Although this method is still widely applied, it has several drawbacks, such as limited measurement speed, sensitivity to vibrations, and requirement for precise positioning of the measured samples. In this paper, machine vision, machine learning and evolutionary optimization algorithms are used to induce a model for predicting the surface roughness of automotive components. Based on the attributes extracted by a machine vision algorithm, a machine learning algorithm generates the roughness predictive model. In addition, an evolutionary algorithm is used to tune the machine vision and machine learning algorithm parameters in order to find the most accurate predictive model. The developed methodology is comparable to the existing contact measurement method with respect to accuracy, but advantageous in that it is capable of predicting the surface roughness online and in real time.
Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Augmentation Inhibits Proteolysis of Neutrophil Membrane Voltage-Gated Proton Channel-1 in Alpha-1 Deficient Individuals
Authors: Hawkins Padraig , Sya Julian , Hup Nee Kee , Murphy Mark P. , McElvaney Noel G. , Reeves Emer P.
Published: August 2021

Background and Objectives: Alpha-1 antitrypsin is a serine protease inhibitor that demonstrates an array of immunomodulatory functions. Individuals with the genetic condition of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) are at increased risk of early onset emphysematous lung disease. This lung disease is partly driven by neutrophil mediated lung destruction in an environment of low AAT. As peripheral neutrophil hyper-responsiveness in AATD leads to excessive degranulation and increased migration to the airways, we examined the expression of the membrane voltage-gated proton channel-1 (HVCN1), which is integrally linked to neutrophil function. The objectives of this study were to evaluate altered HVCN1 in AATD neutrophils, serine protease-dependent degradation of HVCN1, and to investigate the ability of serum AAT to control HVCN1 expression. Materials and Methods: Circulating neutrophils were purified from AATD patients (n = 20), AATD patients receiving AAT augmentation therapy (n = 3) and healthy controls (n = 20). HVCN1 neutrophil expression was assessed by flow cytometry and Western blot analysis. Neutrophil membrane bound elastase was measured by fluorescence resonance energy transfer. Results: In this study we demonstrated that HVCN1 protein is under-expressed in AATD neutrophils (p = 0.02), suggesting a link between reduced HVCN1 expression and AAT deficiency. We have demonstrated that HVCN1 undergoes significant proteolytic degradation in activated neutrophils (p < 0.0001), primarily due to neutrophil elastase activity (p = 0.0004). In addition, the treatment of AATD individuals with AAT augmentation therapy increased neutrophil plasma membrane HVCN1 expression (p = 0.01). Conclusions: Our results demonstrate reduced levels of HVCN1 in peripheral blood neutrophils that may influence the neutrophil-dominated immune response in the AATD airways and highlights the role of antiprotease treatment and specifically AAT augmentation therapy in protecting neutrophil membrane expression of HVCN1.
Adipose-Derived Stromal Cells and Mineralized Extracellular Matrix Delivery by a Human Decellularized Amniotic Membrane in Periodontal Tissue Engineering
Authors: Dziedzic Dilcele Silva Moreira , Mogharbel Bassam Felipe , Irioda Ana Carolina , Stricker Priscila Elias Ferreira , Perussolo Maiara Carolina , Franco Célia Regina Cavichiolo , Chang Hsueh-Wen , Abdelwahid Eltyeb , de Carvalho Katherine Athayde Teixeira
Published: August 2021

Periodontitis is a prevalent disease characterized by the loss of periodontal supporting tissues, bone, periodontal ligament, and cementum. The application of a bone tissue engineering strategy with Decellularized Human Amniotic Membrane (DAM) with adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs) has shown to be convenient and valuable. This study aims to investigate the treatments of a rat periodontal furcation defect model with DAM, ASCs, and a mineralized extracellular matrix (ECM). Rat ASCs were expanded, cultivated on DAM, and with a bone differentiation medium for four weeks, deposited ECM on DAM. Periodontal healing for four weeks was evaluated by micro-computed tomography and histological analysis after treatments with DAM, ASCs, and ECM and compared to untreated defects on five consecutive horizontal levels, from gingival to apical. The results demonstrate that DAM preserves its structure during cultivation and healing periods, supporting cell attachment, permeation, bone deposition on DAM, and periodontal regeneration. DAM and DAM+ASCs enhance bone healing compared to the control on the gingival level. In conclusion, DAM with ASC or without cells and the ECM ensures bone tissue healing. The membrane supported neovascularization and promoted osteoconduction.
Correlations between Properties of Pore-Filling Ion Exchange Membranes and Performance of a Reverse Electrodialysis Stack for High Power Density
Authors: Kim Hanki , Choi Jiyeon , Jeong Namjo , Jung Yeon-Gil , Kim Haeun , Kim Donghyun , Yang SeungCheol
Published: August 2021

The reverse electrodialysis (RED) stack-harnessing salinity gradient power mainly consists of ion exchange membranes (IEMs). Among the various types of IEMs used in RED stacks, pore-filling ion exchange membranes (PIEMs) have been considered promising IEMs to improve the power density of RED stacks. The compositions of PIEMs affect the electrical resistance and permselectivity of PIEMs; however, their effect on the performance of large RED stacks have not yet been considered. In this study, PIEMs of various compositions with respect to the RED stack were adopted to evaluate the performance of the RED stack according to stack size (electrode area: 5 × 5 cm2 vs. 15 × 15 cm2). By increasing the stack size, the gross power per membrane area decreased despite the increase in gross power on a single RED stack. The electrical resistance of the PIEMs was the most important factor for enhancing the power production of the RED stack. Moreover, power production was less sensitive to permselectivities over 90%. By increasing the RED stack size, the contributions of non-ohmic resistances were significantly increased. Thus, we determined that reducing the salinity gradients across PIEMs by ion transport increased the non-ohmic resistance of large RED stacks. These results will aid in designing pilot-scale RED stacks.
The Performance of 3D Printed Polymer Tools in Sheet Metal Forming
Authors: Tondini Fabio , Basso Alberto , Arinbjarnar Ulfar , Nielsen Chris Valentin
Published: August 2021

Additively manufactured polymer tools are evaluated for use in metal forming as prototype tools and in the attempt to make sheet metal more attractive to small production volumes. Printing materials, strategies and accuracies are presented before the tools and tested in V-bending and groove pressing of 1 mm aluminum sheets. The V-bending shows that the tools change surface topography during forming until a steady state is reached at around five strokes. The geometrical accuracy obtained in V-bending is evaluated by the spring-back angle and the resulting bend radius, while bending to 90° with three different punch nose radii. The spring-back shows additional effects from the elastic deflection of the tools, and the influence from the punch nose radius is found to be influenced by the printing strategy due to the ratio between tool radius and the printed solid shell thickness enclosing the otherwise less dense bulk part of the tool. Groove pressing shows the combined effect of groove heights and angular changes due to spring-back. In all cases, the repeatability is discussed to show the potential of tool corrections for obtaining formed parts closer to nominal values.
Analysis of the Process Parameters, Post-Weld Heat Treatment and Peening Effects on Microstructure and Mechanical Performance of Ti–Al Dissimilar Laser Weldings
Authors: Leo Paola , D’Ostuni Sonia , Nobile Riccardo , Mele Claudio , Tarantino Andrea , Casalino Giuseppe
Published: August 2021

Dissimilar Ti–Al laser weldings are very interesting due to their difficulties in being processed because of the different physical properties of the alloys and the crack formations during cooling and solidification. In this study, the effect of laser offset and defocusing on microstructure, geometry and mechanical properties response of 2 mm thick dissimilar AA6061/Ti-6Al-4V laser welds was analyzed. Moreover, in order to reduce residual stresses, the joints were both heat-treated and mechanically treated by ultrasonic peening. The welds microstructure was found to be martensitic in the Ti-6Al-4V fusion zone, columnar dendritic in the AA6061 fusion zone and partially martensitic in the Ti-6Al-4V heat-affected zone. Intermetallic compounds based on the Al–Ti system were detected at the AA6061/Ti-6Al-4V interface and in the aluminum fusion zone. Both negative defocusing and higher laser offset improved the tensile performance of the welds, mainly by reducing the amount of brittle intermetallic compounds. The stress relaxation heat treatment, leading to the aging of the martensite and the increasing of the size of the intermetallic compound, reduced the tensile strength and ductility of the joints. On the contrary, for dissimilar Al–Ti welds, mechanical treatment was effective in increasing joints ductility and, moreover, corrosion resistance.
Identification of Key Volatiles Differentiating Aromatic Rice Cultivars Using an Untargeted Metabolomics Approach
Authors: Jie Yu , Shi Tianyu , Zhang Zhongjei , Yan Qiaojuan
Published: August 2021

Non-aromatic rice is often sold at the price of aromatic rice to increase profits, seriously impairing consumer experience and brand credibility. The assessment of rice varieties origins in terms of their aroma traits is of great interest to protect consumers from fraud. To address this issue, the study identified differentially abundant metabolites between non-aromatic rice varieties and each of the three most popular aromatic rice varieties in the market using an untargeted metabolomics approach. The 656 metabolites of five rice grain varieties were determined by headspace solid-phase extraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and the multivariate analyses were used to identify differences in metabolites among rice varieties. The metabolites most differentially abundant between Daohuaxiang 2 and non-aromatic rice included 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline and acetoin; the metabolites most differentially abundant between Meixiangzhan 2 and non-aromatic rice included acetoin and 2-methyloctylbenzene,; and the metabolites most differentially abundant between Yexiangyoulisi and non-aromatic rice included bicyclo[4.4.0]dec,1-ene-2-isopropyl-5-methyl-9-methylene and 2-methylfuran. Overall, acetoin was the metabolite that was most differentially abundant between the aromatic and non-aromatic rice. This study provides direct evidence of the outstanding advantages of aromatic rice and acts a reference for future rice authentication processes in the marketplace.
Combining HPLC-DAD-QTOF-MS and HPLC-SPE-NMR to Monitor In Vitro Vitetrifolin D Phase I and II Metabolism
Authors: Sturm Sonja , Högner Christina , Seger Christoph , Stuppner Hermann
Published: August 2021

By combining HPLC-DAD-QTOF-MS and HPLC-SPE-NMR, the in vitro metabolism of vitetrifolin D, a pharmacologically active key molecule from Vitex agnus-castus in liver cell fractions, was investigated. Twenty-seven phase I and phase II metabolites were tentatively identified from the culture broth by HPLC-DAD-QTOF-MS. The subsequent HPLC-SPE-NMR analysis allowed for the unequivocal structural characterization of nine phase I metabolites. Since the preparative isolation of the metabolites was avoided, the substance input was much lower than in conventional strategies. The study did prove that the use of hyphenated instrumental analysis methodologies allows for the successful performance of in vitro metabolism studies, even if the availability of substances is very limited.
Bacteria, Fungi and Microalgae for the Bioremediation of Marine Sediments Contaminated by Petroleum Hydrocarbons in the Omics Era
Authors: Dell’ Anno Filippo , Rastelli Eugenio , Sansone Clementina , Brunet Christophe , Ianora Adrianna , Dell’ Anno Antonio
Published: August 2021

Petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs) are one of the most widespread and heterogeneous organic contaminants affecting marine ecosystems. The contamination of marine sediments or coastal areas by PHCs represents a major threat for the ecosystem and human health, calling for urgent, effective, and sustainable remediation solutions. Aside from some physical and chemical treatments that have been established over the years for marine sediment reclamation, bioremediation approaches based on the use of microorganisms are gaining increasing attention for their eco-compatibility, and lower costs. In this work, we review current knowledge concerning the bioremediation of PHCs in marine systems, presenting a synthesis of the most effective microbial taxa (i.e., bacteria, fungi, and microalgae) identified so far for hydrocarbon removal. We also discuss the challenges offered by innovative molecular approaches for the design of effective reclamation strategies based on these three microbial components of marine sediments contaminated by hydrocarbons.
Geochemical Occurrence of Rare Earth Elements in Mining Waste and Mine Water: A Review
Authors: Pyrgaki Konstantina , Gemeni Vasiliki , Karkalis Christos , Koukouzas Nikolaos , Koutsovitis Petros , Petrounias Petros
Published: August 2021

Μining waste, processing by-products and mine water discharges pose a serious threat to the environment as in many cases they contain high concentrations of toxic substances. However, they may also be valuable resources. The main target of the current review is the comparative study of the occurrence of rare earth elements (REE) in mining waste and mine water discharges produced from the exploitation of coal, bauxite, phosphate rock and other ore deposits. Coal combustion ashes, bauxite residue and phosphogypsum present high percentages of critical REEs (up to 41% of the total REE content) with ΣREY content ranging from 77 to 1957.7 ppm. The total REE concentrations in mine discharges from different coal and ore mining areas around the globe are also characterised by a high range of concentrations from 0.25 to 9.8 ppm and from 1.6 to 24.8 ppm, respectively. Acid mine discharges and their associated natural and treatment precipitates seem to be also promising sources of REE if their extraction is coupled with the simultaneous removal of toxic pollutants.
Chitosan/Phosphate Rock-Derived Natural Polymeric Composite to Sequester Divalent Copper Ions from Water
Authors: El Kaim Billah Rachid , Khan Moonis Ali , Wabaidur Saikh Mohammad , Jeon Byong-Hun , AM Amira , Majdoubi Hicham , Haddaji Younesse , Agunaou Mahfoud , Soufiane Abdessadik
Published: August 2021

Herein, a chitosan (CH) and fluroapatite (TNP) based CH-TNP composite was synthesized by utilizing seafood waste and phosphate rock and was tested for divalent copper (Cu(II)) adsorptive removal from water. The XRD and FT-IR data affirmed the formation of a CH-TNP composite, while BET analysis showed that the surface area of the CH-TNP composite (35.5 m2/g) was twice that of CH (16.7 m2/g). Mechanistically, electrostatic, van der Waals, and co-ordinate interactions were primarily responsible for the binding of Cu(II) with the CH-TNP composite. The maximum Cu(II) uptake of both CH and CH-TNP composite was recorded in the pH range 3–4. Monolayer Cu(II) coverage over both CH and CH-TNP surfaces was confirmed by the fitting of adsorption data to a Langmuir isotherm model. The chemical nature of the adsorption process was confirmed by the fitting of a pseudo-second-order kinetic model to adsorption data. About 82% of Cu(II) from saturated CH-TNP was recovered by 0.5 M NaOH. A significant drop in Cu(II) uptake was observed after four consecutive regeneration cycles. The co-existing ions (in binary and ternary systems) significantly reduced the Cu(II) removal efficacy of CH-TNP.
Red-Emitting SBBF (Single-Benzene-Based Fluorophore)-Silica Hybrid Material: One-Pot Synthesis, Characterization, and Biomedical Applications
Authors: Kim Jaehoon , An Jong Min , Jung Yuna , Kim Na Hee , Kim Youngwoong , Kim Dokyoung
Published: August 2021

We report, for the first time, a new red-emitting hybrid material based on a single-benzene-based fluorophore (SBBF) and silica. This robust formulation shows several features, including bright emissions at a red wavelength (>600 nm), high scalability (>gram-scale), facile synthesis (one-pot reaction; SBBF formation, hydrolytic condensation, propagation), high stability (under different humidity, pH, light), bio-imaging applicability with low cellular toxicity, and an antibacterial effect within Gram-negative/Gram-positive strains. Based on our findings, we believe that these hybrid materials can pave the way for the further development of dye-hybrid materials and applications in various fields.
Combined Spectroscopic and Computational Study of Nitrobenzene Activation on Non-Noble Metals-Based Mono- and Bimetallic Catalysts
Authors: Millán Reisel , Soriano María Dolores , Cerdá Moreno Cristina , Boronat Mercedes , Concepción Patricia
Published: August 2021

In this paper, substituted anilines are industrially obtained by direct hydrogenation of nitroaromatic compounds with molecular H2 using metals as catalysts. Previous theoretical studies proposed that the mechanism of the reaction depends on the nature of the metal used as a catalyst, and that rationally designed bimetallic materials might show improved catalytic performance. Herein, we present IR spectroscopic studies of nitrobenzene interactions with monometallic Ni/SiO2, Cu/SiO2 and Pd/SiO2, and with bimetallic CuNi/SiO2 and CuPd/SiO2 catalysts, both in the absence and presence of H2, combined with density functional theory (DFT) calculations on selected bimetallic NiCu(111) and PdCu(111) models. The results obtained experimentally confirm that the reaction mechanism on non-noble metals such as Ni proceeds through N-O bond dissociation, generating nitrosobenzene intermediates, while, on noble metals, such as Pd, H-attack is necessary to activate the NO bond. Moreover, a bimetallic CuPd/SiO2 catalyst with a Pd enriched surface is prepared that exhibits an enhanced H2 dissociation ability and a particular reactivity at the boundary between the two metals.
Analysis of Bee Population Decline in Lombardy during the Period 2014–2016 and Identification of High-Risk Areas
Authors: Cappa Veronica , Cerioli Monica Pierangela , Scaburri Alessandra , Tironi Marco , Farioli Marco , Nassuato Claudia , Bellini Silvia
Published: August 2021

The first events of bee decline in Italy were reported during 1999. Since then, population decline has frequently been reported in Lombardy. In this study, the association between bee decline and the type of land surrounding the apiary was evaluated. A risk map was developed to identify areas with the highest risk of decline. Apiaries in Lombardy were selected from the national beekeeping database (BDA). The study period was from 2014 to 2016. Apiaries were deemed “declined” if they reported at least one event of decline or tested positive for plant protection products; apiaries were “not declined” if they did not report any events of bee decline during the study period. Out of 14,188 apiaries extracted from the BDA, 80 were considered declined. The probability of an apiary being declined increases by 10% in orchards and by 2% in arable land for each additional km2 of land occupied by these crops. The study showed an association between bee decline and the type of territory surrounding the apiaries, and the areas at the greatest risk of decline in Lombardy were identified. This information can be used by Veterinary Services as a predictive parameter for planning prevention and control activities.
Acinetobacter baumannii Infections in Times of COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Rangel Karyne , Chagas Thiago Pavoni Gomes , De-Simone Salvatore Giovanni
Published: August 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has generated an overuse of antimicrobials in critically ill patients. Acinetobacter baumannii frequently causes nosocomial infections, particularly in intensive care units (ICUs), where the incidence has increased over time. Since the WHO declared the COVID-19 pandemic on 12 March 2020, the disease has spread rapidly, and many of the patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 needed to be admitted to the ICU. Bacterial co-pathogens are commonly identified in viral respiratory infections and are important causes of morbidity and mortality. However, we cannot neglect the increased incidence of antimicrobial resistance, which may be attributed to the excess use of antimicrobial agents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients with COVID-19 could be vulnerable to other infections owing to multiple comorbidities with severe COVID-19, prolonged hospitalization, and SARS-CoV-2-associated immune dysfunction. These patients have acquired secondary bacterial infections or superinfections, mainly bacteremia and urinary tract infections. This review will summarize the prevalence of A. baumannii coinfection and secondary infection in patients with COVID-19.
Thermal, Optical, and IR-Emission Properties of Extremely Low Hydroxyl TeO2-WO3-Bi2O3-La2O3-xEr2O3 Glasses for Mid-Infrared Photonics
Authors: Dorofeev Vitaly V. , Koltashev Vasily V. , Motorin Sergei E. , Plekhovich Alexander D. , Kim Arkady V.
Published: August 2021

A series of glass samples of the tungsten–tellurite system TeO2-WO3-Bi2O3-(4-x) La2O3-xEr2O3, x = 0; 0.4; 0.5; 0.7; 1.2; 2; 4 mol%, CEr = 0 - 15 × 1020 cm−3 were synthesized from high-purity oxides in an oxygen flow inside a specialized sealed reactor. In all samples of the series, an extremely low content of hydroxyl groups was achieved (~n × 1016 cm−3, more than 4 orders of magnitude lower than the concentration of erbium ions), which guarantees minimal effects on the luminescence properties of Er3+. The glasses are resistant to crystallization up to 4 mol% Er2O3, and the glass transition temperatures do not depend on the concentration of erbium oxide when introduced by replacing lanthanum oxide. Thin 0.2 mm plates have high transmittance at a level of 20% in the 4.7–5.3 µm range, and the absorption bands of hydroxyl groups at about 2.3, 3, and 4.4 µm, which are typical for ordinary tellurite glass samples, are indistinguishable. The introduction of erbium oxide led to an insignificant change in the refractive index. Er2O3-concentration dependences of the luminescence intensities and lifetimes near the wavelengths of 1.53 and 2.75 μm were found for the 4I13/2–4I15/2 and 4I11/2–4I13/2 /transitions of the Er3+ ion. The data obtained are necessary for the development of mid-infrared photonics; in particular, for the design of Er3+-doped fiber lasers.
Low-Light-Level Image Super-Resolution Reconstruction Based on a Multi-Scale Features Extraction Network
Authors: Wang Bowen , Zou Yan , Zhang Linfei , Hu Yan , Yan Hao , Zuo Chao , Chen Qian
Published: August 2021

Wide field-of-view (FOV) and high-resolution (HR) imaging are essential to many applications where high-content image acquisition is necessary. However, due to the insufficient spatial sampling of the image detector and the trade-off between pixel size and photosensitivity, the ability of current imaging sensors to obtain high spatial resolution is limited, especially under low-light-level (LLL) imaging conditions. To solve these problems, we propose a multi-scale feature extraction (MSFE) network to realize pixel-super-resolved LLL imaging. In order to perform data fusion and information extraction for low resolution (LR) images, the network extracts high-frequency detail information from different dimensions by combining the channel attention mechanism module and skip connection module. In this way, the calculation of the high-frequency components can receive greater attention. Compared with other networks, the peak signal-to-noise ratio of the reconstructed image was increased by 1.67 dB. Extensions of the MSFE network are investigated for scene-based color mapping of the gray image. Most of the color information could be recovered, and the similarity with the real image reached 0.728. The qualitative and quantitative experimental results show that the proposed method achieved superior performance in image fidelity and detail enhancement over the state-of-the-art.
Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Weigela subsessilis Callus Extract via Suppression of MAPK and NF-κB Signaling
Authors: Lim Hyeon-Ji , Jie Eun Yee , Park In-Sun , Kim Sang-Jun , Ahn Woo Seok , Jeong Seung-Il , Kim Suk Weon , Jung Chan-Hun
Published: August 2021

Weigela subsessilis is used in folk medicine to treat pain and allergic syndromes in Korea. However, the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities of W. subsessilis callus extract remain unexplored. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the W. subsessilis callus of pharmacological activity. Therefore, we first established in vitro calluses of W.subsessilis via plant tissue culture methods. We then evaluated the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of W. subsessilis callus extract in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated RAW264.7 macrophage cells. The W. subsessilis callus extract showed antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. These effects were regulated via suppression of mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling through LPS-induced translocation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) p65 from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. W. subsessilis callus extract also showed antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities in Propionibacterium acnes-treated HaCaT keratinocyte cells. These results indicate that W. subsessilis callus extract has antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities, suggesting its possible application in the treatment of inflammatory disorders.
Metabolomics Response to Drought Stress in Morus alba L. Variety Yu-711
Authors: Ackah Michael , Shi Yisu , Wu Mengmeng , Wang Lei , Guo Peng , Guo Liangliang , Jin Xin , Li Shaocong , Zhang Qiaonan , Qiu Changyu , Lin Qiang , Zhao Weiguo
Published: August 2021

Mulberry is an economically significant crop for the sericulture industry worldwide. Stresses such as drought exposure have a significant influence on plant survival. Because metabolome directly reflects plant physiological condition, performing a global metabolomic analysis is one technique to examine this influence. Using a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) technique based on an untargeted metabolomic approach, the effect of drought stress on mulberry Yu-711 metabolic balance was examined. For this objective, Yu-711 leaves were subjected to two weeks of drought stress treatment and control without drought stress. Numerous differentially accumulated metabolic components in response to drought stress treatment were revealed by multivariate and univariate statistical analysis. Drought stress treatment (EG) revealed a more differentiated metabolite response than the control (CK). We found that the levels of total lipids, galactolipids, and phospholipids (PC, PA, PE) were significantly altered, producing 48% of the total differentially expressed metabolites. Fatty acyls components were the most abundant lipids expressed and decreased considerably by 73.6%. On the other hand, the prenol lipids class of lipids increased in drought leaves. Other classes of metabolites, including polyphenols (flavonoids and cinnamic acid), organic acid (amino acids), carbohydrates, benzenoids, and organoheterocyclic, had a dynamic trend in response to the drought stress. However, their levels under drought stress decreased significantly compared to the control. These findings give an overview for the understanding of global plant metabolic changes in defense mechanisms by revealing the mulberry plant metabolic profile through differentially accumulated compounds.
Revitalizing Fertility of Nutrient-Deficient Virgin Sandy Soil Using Leguminous Biocompost Boosts Phaseolus vulgaris Performance
Authors: Abdelfattah Mahmoud A. , Rady Mostafa M. , Belal Hussein E. E. , Belal Eman E. , Al-Qthanin Rahmah , Al-Yasi Hatim M. , Ali Esmat F.
Published: August 2021

During the 2019 and 2020 seasons, nutrient-deficient virgin sandy soil was examined along with the investigation of the response of Phaseolus vulgaris plants to soil application with biocompost in integration with chemical fertilizers applied to soil and plants. Four treatments (100% of the recommended NPK fertilizer dose (control), 75% NPK applied to soil + 25% foliar spray, 75% NPK applied to soil + 25% foliar spray + leguminous compost (CL), and 75% NPK applied to soil + 25% foliar spray + CL containing Bacillus subtilis (biocompost; CLB)) were applied in a randomized complete block design. The 75% NPK applied to soil + 25% foliar spray + CLB was the best treatment, which exceeded other treatments in improving soil fertility and plant performance. It noticeably improved soil physicochemical properties, including available nutrients, activities of various soil enzymes (cellulase, invertase, urease, and catalase), soil cation exchange capacity, organic carbon content, and pH, as well as plant growth and productivity, and plant physiobiochemistry, including nutrients and water contents, and various antioxidant activities. The results of the 2020 season significantly outperformed those of the 2019 season, indicating the positive effects of biofertilizers as a strategy to combine soil supplementation with NPK fertilizers and allocate a portion of NPK fertilizers for foliar spraying of plants in nutrient-deficient sandy soils.
Fresh Compost Tea Application Does Not Change Rhizosphere Soil Bacterial Community Structure, and Has No Effects on Soybean Growth or Yield
Authors: Bali Rana , Pineault Jonathan , Chagnon Pierre-Luc , Hijri Mohamed
Published: August 2021

Soil bacteria drive key ecosystem functions, including nutrient mobilization, soil aggregation and crop bioprotection against pathogens. Bacterial diversity is thus considered a key component of soil health. Conventional agriculture reduces bacterial diversity in many ways. Compost tea has been suggested as a bioinoculant that may restore bacterial community diversity and promote crop performance under conventional agriculture. Here, we conducted a field experiment to test this hypothesis in a soybean-maize rotation. Compost tea application had no influence on bacterial diversity or community structure. Plant growth and yield were also unresponsive to compost tea application. Combined, our results suggest that our compost tea bacteria did not thrive in the soil, and that the positive impacts of compost tea applications reported elsewhere may be caused by different microbial groups (e.g., fungi, protists and nematodes) or by abiotic effects on soil (e.g., contribution of nutrients and dissolved organic matter). Further investigations are needed to elucidate the mechanisms through which compost tea influences crop performance.
Genome-Wide Analysis of Glycoside Hydrolase Family 35 Genes and Their Potential Roles in Cell Wall Development in Medicago truncatula
Authors: Yang Junfeng , Li Qian , Du Wenxuan , Yao Yu , Shen Guoan , Jiang Wenbo , Pang Yongzhen
Published: August 2021

Plant β-galactosidases (BGAL) function in various cell wall biogeneses and modifications, and they belong to the glycoside hydrolase family. However, the roles of BGAL family members in Medicago truncatula cell wall remodeling remain unclear. In this study, a total of 25 MtBGAL members of the glycoside hydrolase gene family 35 were identified, and they were clustered into nine sub-families. Many cis-acting elements possibly related to MeJA and abscisic acid responses were identified in the promoter region of the MtBGAL genes. Transcript analyses showed that these MtBGAL genes exhibited distinct expression patterns in various tissues and developing stem internodes. Furthermore, a stem-specific expression module associated with cell wall metabolic pathways was identified by weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA). In particular, MtBGAL1 and MtBGAL23 within the stem-specific expression module were highly expressed in mature stems. In addition, several genes involved in lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose and pectin pathways were co-expressed with MtBGAL1 and MtBGAL23. It was also found that MtBGAL1 and MtBGAL23 were localized to the cell wall at the subcellular level, indicating their roles in the modification of cell wall metabolites in Medicago. As a whole, these results will be useful for further functional characterization and utilization of BGAL genes in cell wall modifications aiming to improve the quality of legume forage crops.
Is Plant Life-History of Biseasonal Germination Consistent in Response to Extreme Precipitation?
Authors: Chen Yanfeng , Zhang Hui , Zhang Lingwei , Zhang Lan , Cao Qiumei , Liu Huiliang , Zhang Daoyuan
Published: August 2021

Future climate is projected to increase in the intensity and frequency of extreme precipitation events, and the resulting ecological consequences are often more serious than those of normal precipitation events. In particular, in desert ecosystems, due to the low frequency and strong fluctuation of extreme precipitation, the destructive consequences for desert plants caused by extreme precipitation have not received enough attention for some time. Based on statistics of extreme precipitation events (1965–2018) in the Gurbantunggut Desert, we investigated the effects of extreme precipitation (+0%, CK; +50%, W1; +100%, W2; +200%, W3; maintenance of field capacity, W4) on the plant life-history of the spring-germinated (SG) and autumn-germinated (AG) ephemeral plant Erodium oxyrhynchum by monitoring seedling emergence, survival, phenology, organ size, biomass accumulation, and allocation. The results showed that extreme precipitation caused about 2.5% seedling emergence of E. oxyrhynchum in autumn 2018 and 3.0% seedling emergence in early spring 2019, which means that most seeds may be stored in the soil or have died. Meanwhile, extreme precipitation significantly improved the survival, organ size, and biomass accumulation of SG and AG plants, and W3 was close to the precipitation threshold of SG (326.70 mm) and AG (560.10 mm) plants corresponding to the maximum individual biomass; thus, AG plants with a longer life cycle need more water for growth. Conversely, W4 caused AG plants to enter the leaf stage in advance and led to death in winter, which indicates that extreme precipitation may not be good for AG plants. Root and reproduction biomass allocation of SG and AG plants showed a significantly opposite trend under extreme precipitation treatments, which might be related to their different life-history strategies. Therefore, when only taking into account the changing trend of extreme precipitation from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 6 (CMIP6) climate projections data, we speculate that extreme precipitation may promote the growth of SG and AG plants from the beginning to the middle of this century, but extreme precipitation in autumn exceeding a certain threshold may adversely affect the survival of AG plants at the end of the century.
Characterization of Gold Mining Waste for Carbon Sequestration and Utilization as Supplementary Cementitious Material
Authors: Syed Hasan Sharifah Nur Munirah , Mohd Kusin Faradiella , Nik Daud Nik Norsyahariati , Saadon Muhammad Anwar , Mohamat-Yusuff Ferdaus , Ash’aari Zulfa Hanan
Published: August 2021

This study aims to identify the potential of gold mining waste for CO2 sequestration and its utilization for carbon storage in cementitious material. Samples of mine waste were identified from a gold mine for mineralogical and chemical composition analysis using X-ray diffractogram and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray. Mine waste was utilized in a brick-making process as supplementary cementitious material and as an agent for CO2 capture and storage in bricks. Carbonation curing was incorporated in brick fabrication to estimate CO2 uptake of the brick product. Results indicated that the mine wastes were composed of silicate minerals essential for mineral carbonation such as muscovite and illite (major) and chlorite-serpentine, aerinite, albite and stilpnomelane (moderate/minor phases). The mine wastes were identified as belonging to the highly pozzolanic category, which has a great role in improving the strength properties of brick products. Carbonated minerals served as an additional binder that increased the strength of the product. CO2 uptake of the product was between 0.24% and 0.57% for bricks containing 40–60% of gold mine waste, corresponding to 7.2–17.1 g CO2/brick. Greater performance in terms of compressive strength and water adsorption was observed for bricks with 3 h carbonation curing. The carbonation product was evidenced by strong peaks of calcite and reduced peaks for calcium hydroxide from XRD analysis and was supported by a densified and crystalline microstructure of materials. It has been demonstrated that gold mine waste is a potential feedstock for mineral carbonation, and its utilization for permanent carbon storage in brick making is in line with the concept of CCUS for environmental sustainability.
Enhanced Security Authentication Based on Convolutional-LSTM Networks
Authors: Qiu Xiaoying , Sun Xuan , Hayes Monson
Published: August 2021

The performance of classical security authentication models can be severely affected by imperfect channel estimation as well as time-varying communication links. The commonly used approach of statistical decisions for the physical layer authenticator faces significant challenges in a dynamically changing, non-stationary environment. To address this problem, this paper introduces a deep learning-based authentication approach to learn and track the variations of channel characteristics, and thus improving the adaptability and convergence of the physical layer authentication. Specifically, an intelligent detection framework based on a Convolutional-Long Short-Term Memory (Convolutional-LSTM) network is designed to deal with channel differences without knowing the statistical properties of the channel. Both the robustness and the detection performance of the learning authentication scheme are analyzed, and extensive simulations and experiments show that the detection accuracy in time-varying environments is significantly improved.
Automatic Quantification of Anterior Lamina Cribrosa Structures in Optical Coherence Tomography Using a Two-Stage CNN Framework
Authors: Rahman Md Habibur , Jeong Hyeon Woo , Kim Na Rae , Kim Dae Yu
Published: August 2021

In this study, we propose a new intelligent system to automatically quantify the morphological parameters of the lamina cribrosa (LC) of the optical coherence tomography (OCT), including depth, curve depth, and curve index from OCT images. The proposed system consisted of a two-stage deep learning (DL) model, which was composed of the detection and the segmentation models as well as a quantification process with a post-processing scheme. The models were used to solve the class imbalance problem and obtain Bruch’s membrane opening (BMO) as well as anterior LC information. The detection model was implemented by using YOLOv3 to acquire the BMO and LC position information. The Attention U-Net segmentation model is used to compute accurate locations of the BMO and LC curve information. In addition, post-processing is applied using polynomial regression to attain the anterior LC curve boundary information. Finally, the numerical values of morphological parameters are quantified from BMO and LC curve information using an image processing algorithm. The average precision values in the detection performances of BMO and LC information were 99.92% and 99.18%, respectively, which is very accurate. A highly correlated performance of R2 = 0.96 between the predicted and ground-truth values was obtained, which was very close to 1 and satisfied the quantification results. The proposed system was performed accurately by fully automatic quantification of BMO and LC morphological parameters using a DL model.