bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Synthesis Method on Antibacterial and Antibiofilm Activity Properties of BaFeO3-δ Perovskite Nanomaterials
Authors: khalaf eid , Abdel-Khalek E. K. , Askar Ahmed. A. , Motawea M. A. , Aboelnasr Mohamed A. , El-Bahnasawy H. H.
Published: April 2021

BaFeO3-δ perovskite nanomaterials have been synthesized by two different methods: co-precipitation (Cop) and sol-gel (Sol) methods. Rietveld analysis of the X-Ray diffraction (XRD) shows that the samples are crystallized in rhombohedral perovskite structure with space group R3c. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) of these samples showed the agglomerations of various particles. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) showed that the average particle size of BaFeO3-Cop sample is larger than that of BaFeO3-Sol sample. The amount of oxygen deficient (δ) and the valence states of Fe ions in these samples were determined from Mössbauer spectroscopy. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) shows the elemental compositions and surface electronic states of these samples. The thermal, optical and magnetic properties of these samples depend on the amount of oxygen deficient (δ) and the valence states of Fe ions. Furthermore, the antibacterial and antibiofilm activity of these samples was systematically investigated. The present results suggest that BaFeO3-δ superparamagnetic perovskite can be used as antibacterial and antibiofilm agent.
Somatic targeted mutation profiling of colorectal cancer precursor lesions
Authors: Santos Wellington dos , Reis Mariana Bisarro dos , Porto Jun , de Carvalho Ana Carolina , Matsushita Marcus , Oliveira Gabriela , Syrjänen Kari , Reis Rui Manuel , Guimaraes Denise
Published: April 2021

Most colorectal cancers (CRC) arise from precursor lesions. We aimed to characterize the mutation profile of CRC precursor lesions in a Brazilian population. In total, 90 FFPE lesions, including 67 adenomas, 7 sessile serrated lesions, and 16 hyperplastic polyps, were analyzed by next-generation sequencing. The genetic ancestry of the patients was estimated. Somatic driver mutations were identified in 66.7% of cases, including alterations in APC (32.2%), TP53 (20.0%), KRAS (18.9%), BRAF (13.3%) and EGFR (7.8%). Adenomas displayed a higher number of mutations, mainly in APC, compared to serrated polyps (73.1% vs. 47.8%, p = 0.039). Advanced adenomas had a higher frequency of mutation in KRAS and GNAS and a high overall mutation rate than early adenomas (92.9% vs. 59%, p = 0.002). Concerning the serrated pathway, a higher frequency of mutations, mainly in BRAF, was observed in sessile serrated lesions (85.7%) compared to hyperplastic polyps (31.3%, p = 0.027). A high degree of ancestry admixture was observed in the population, with a predominance of European followed by African components. The mutation profile of Brazilian colorectal precursor lesions exhibits a similar landscape to other populations. These results bestow the knowledge of CRC's biological history and may contribute to a molecular screening approach.
How Can Patient-Reported Outcomes of Periacetabular Osteotomy be Improved? A Short-Term Follow-up of 79 Hips.
Authors: Fan YiNuo , Li Weifeng , Wu Yunlong , Hong Guoju , Li Zhongfeng , Chen Lixin , Fang Hanjun , Zhou Chi , Chen Zhenqiu
Published: April 2021

Background

Bernese periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) is an effective treatment for patients with developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). PAO has been widely used in China, but few follow-up outcomes have been reported in the international community. Moreover, the risk factors affecting patient-reported outcomes have not been discussed in recent studies. In this study, patient-reported outcomes after PAO were reported, and risk factors affecting patient-reported outcomes were analyzed.
Methods

Patients who underwent PAO for DDH from January 2014 to January 2020 were selected as the study subjects, and 79 hips were included in the analysis after screening (71 patients, with an average follow-up time of 2.98 years). The Harris Hip Score (HHS) and International Hip Outcome Instrument-12 (iHOT-12) were used to assess hip function and patient quality of life. A HHS < 80 was defined as symptomatic hips, that is, an adverse outcome; otherwise, it indicated preserved hips. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to predict the risk factors influencing the patient-reported outcomes, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed on the risk factors to determine their sensitivity, specificity and cutoff value.
Results

Clinical outcome analysis demonstrates marked improvements in patient-reported outcomes. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that when the postoperative LCEA was > 38°, adverse outcomes were much more likely. However, a Tönnis angle of -10°-0 was a protective factor. In addition, hips with fair or poor joint congruency were 7.794-fold more likely to develop negative outcomes. The ROC curve analysis showed that the optimal thresholds for the LCEA and Tönnis angles used to predict outcomes after PAO were 38.1° and − 9°, respectively. The patients with a postoperative LCEA < 38.1° had a success rate of 83%. In contrast, the success rate was 32% for patients with a postoperative LCEA > 38.1°. In addition, while the patients with a postoperative Tönnis angle of -9°-0 had a success rate of 70%, and those with a Tönnis angle of 0–10° had a success rate of 65%; the success rate of a Tönnis angle <-9° was only 10%.
Conclusions

Our results demonstrate marked improvements in patient-reported outcomes. Among hips with preoperative excellent or good joint congruency treated by experienced surgeons who obtain the proper postoperative LCEA and Tönnis angles, good patient-reported outcomes can be expected.
Resting-State Network Connectivity in Newly Diagnosed Drug-Naïve Parkinson’s Disease Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment
Authors: Hou Yanbing , Wei Qianqian , Ou Ruwei , Zhang Lingyu , Yuan Xiaoqin , Gong Qiyong , Shang Huifang
Published: April 2021

Background: Cognitive impairment (CI) is one of the most frequent non-motor features in Parkinson's disease (PD). The frequency of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) was reported to exceed 40% in a large cohort of newly diagnosed PD patients.Method: Resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) data was collected in 47 newly diagnosed drug-naïve PD patients (including 28 PD patients with MCI (PD-MCI subgroup) and 19 PD patients with cognitively unimpaired (PD-CU subgroup)) and 28 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs). Independent component analysis (ICA) can decompose rs-fMRI data into resting state networks (RSNs). Brain intra- and inter-network alterations were investigated in RSNs among PD-MCI, PD-CU, and HCs groups.Results: Seven large-scale brain networks were extracted. The default mode network (DMN), visual network (VN) and sensorimotor network (SMN) were selectively vulnerable in the PD-MCI subgroup relative to the HC group. In PD-MCI patients, the reduced functional connectivity (FC) within the DMN was positively correlated with brief visuospatial memory test-revised (BVMT-R) scores (memory function); the reduced FC within the VN was positively correlated with clock copying test (CCT) scores (visuospatial function). In whole PD patients, the reduced FC within the SMN was negatively correlated with the Unified PD Rating Scale (UPDRS) part III scores. Moreover, FC between the SMN and limbic network, and between the ventral attention network (VAN) and VN were more prone to be damaged in PD patients.Conclusions: The DMN, VN and SMN were disrupted in PD-MCI patients. FC between the SMN and limbic network, and between the VAN and VN were also impaired in PD patients. The impaired intra- and inter-connectivity could provide further insights into the pathophysiological alterations of brain connectivity in newly diagnosed drug-naïve PD.
Prediction Dynamics of Malicious Objects in Internet of Things (IoT)
Authors: Saini Hemraj , Saini Dinesh Kumar , Mabrouk Anouar Ben , Tripathi Rajan , Gupta Punit
Published: April 2021

Presently, the Internet of Things (IoT) is playing an important role in data gathering and submitting information to different data analysis engines for most of the real-world applications. However, IoT applications have a danger of information theft or manipulation by malicious attacks which lead to a wrong conclusion or result. Therefore, malicious attacks are to be taken care of by using some means like prediction dynamics of malicious objects in IoT. In this manuscript, the behavior of malicious objects in the IoT network is studied with the help of two deterministic models. These models are working like the pre-predator model in IoT networks where prey consists of infected and uninfected nodes, whereas, the predator consists of malicious objects. Besides, the time delay is not much real in the spread of infection in networks due to the chaotic nature of the malicious object's outbursts, and therefore, these models are explored with delay differential equation modeling. Stochastic behavior of malicious objects in real dynamics of transmission of malicious objects makes things worse. Therefore, the study of proposed models in absence of anti-malicious software as well as in presence of anti-malicious software is carried out. Threshold conditions are characterized by the reproductive number and the system is identified as in an asymptotically stable state to help the fast recovery from malicious objects which helps to model the behavior of malicious objects spread in the real environment like IoT.
Understand the role of exosomal miRNA in the development of breast cancer in patients with chronic HBV infection
Authors: Xie Wenjun , Chen Chun , Lin Qiang , Li Huashui
Published: April 2021

Background: Female chronic hepatitis B patients has shown a higher incidence of breast cancer with poorer prognosis, compared to the non-infected female patients. A significant difference in miRNAs expression in serum exosomes has been identified between female patients with chronic HBV infection and non-infected female. Whether this difference could contribute to the differential incidence and development of breast cancer in these female patients has not been fully understood.Methods: Information of exosomal expression of miRNAs (expression profiles of GSE33857) were acquired from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Targeted genes of this miRNAs and the differentially expressed genes of breast cancer in GEPIA V2.0 database was used to obtain the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Four analytic methods were performed, including functional annotation, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and module construction, the clinical pathologic parameters analysis, alongsides prognosis analysis.Results: In the serum exsomes, expression of miR-1237-3p and miR-363-3p were down-regulated whilst expression of miR-100-5p, miR-125b-5p, miR-1260a, miR-1287-5p, miR-148a-3p, miR-885-5p and miR-99a-5p were up-regulated in female chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. 228 up-regulated genes and 641 down-regulated genes were selected as DEGs. The DEGs involved in several biological processes ranging from cellular response to hormone stimulus. According to the main enriched Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway was the pathways in cancer. Our analysis revealed that among the hub genes, CXCL11 was up-regulated and CXCL12, GNG2, LPAR1, GPR17, CXCL1, ADCY5, ADCY3, CX3CL1, S1PR1 were down-regulated. These genes expression levels were verified in UALCAN, Oncomine and HPA database. High expression level of CXCL11 and low expression levels of CXCL12, LPAR1, ADCY3 and CX3CL1 were positively correlated with some clinical pathological parameters that predicted worse prognosis. Kaplan-Meier (K-M) plotter analysis revealed that these genes that showed a low expression level were positively correlated with poor prognosis of breast cancer, and the high expression genes were negatively correlated with poor prognosis of breast cancer.Conclusion: This bioinformatics analysis study explored the mechanisms of chronic HBV related occurrence and development of breast cancer by changing the expression of miRNAs of serum exosomes. It provided novel directions and therapeutic strategy for chronic HBV infection associated occurrence and development of breast cancer in female patients.
Novel biological implication of a strictly monomorphic GCC repeat in the human PRKACB gene
Authors: Khamse Safoura , Jafarian Zahra , Bozorgmehr Ali , Tavakoli Mostafa , Iranian Hossein Afshar , Keshavarz Maryam , Moayedi Razieh , Ohadi Mina
Published: April 2021

Across human protein-coding genes, PRKACB (Protein Kinase CAMP-Activated Catalytic Subunit Beta) contains one of the longest GCC-repeats, and is predominantly expressed in the brain. Here we studied this STR in 300 human subjects, consisting of late-onset neurocognitive disorder (NCD) (N = 150) and controls (N = 150). We also studied the impact of this STR on the three-dimensional structure of DNA. While the PRKACB GCC-STR was strictly monomorphic at 7-repeats, we detected two 7/8 genotypes only in the NCD group. In comparison to all other lengths, (GCC)7 had the least effect on the three-dimensional structure of DNA, evidenced by minimal divergence between 0 and 7-repeats (divergence score = 0.04) and significant divergence between 0 and 8 repeats (divergence score = 0.50). A similar inert effect to the GCC-repeat was not detected in other classes of STRs such as GA and CA repeats. In conclusion, we report monomorphism of an exceptionally long GCC repeat in the PRKACB gene in human, its inert effect on DNA structure, and divergence in two cases of late-onset NCD. This is the first indication of natural selection for an exceptionally long monomorphic GCC-repeat, which probably evolved to function as an “epigenetic knob”, without changing the regional DNA structure.
Comparative Epidemiology and Outcomes among Trauma Patients transported by Private and Formal Pre-hospital Care Modes in Kigali, Rwanda
Authors: NZABANDORA Jean Paul , Bilal Saadiyah , Jing Ling , Henry Michael B. , Beeman Aly , Mbanjumucyo Gabin , Rosenberg Noah , Nyinawankusi Jeanne D’Arc , Sharma Vinay , Ndebwanimana Vincent , Muragizi Jean , Aluisio Adam R.
Published: April 2021

IntroductionInjuries account for approximately five million deaths worldwide and have high burdens in low- and middle-income countries, where pre-hospital systems are being developed to improve acute injury care. This study compares the characteristics and outcomes between trauma patients transported by formal emergency medical services (EMS), known as Service d’Aide Medicale Urgente, and by private transport to the emergency department (ED) at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Kigali (CHUK) in Rwanda.MethodsThis retrospective cohort study analysed a random sample of trauma patients from of the CHUK ED presenting between 1 August 2015 and 30 July 2016. Non-trauma patients and transferred patients were excluded. The primary outcomes were ED and inpatient dispositions and outcome characteristics of: admission, length of stay (LOS), mortality. Descriptive analyses were performed and differences in outcomes assessed based on transport modalities via Pearson Chi-Squared or Fisher’s Exact tests.ResultsThere were 556 trauma patients analysed, of which 87.1% were transported by private transport and the remainder by EMS. The median age was 28 years (IQR:18-39), 52.1% had serious injuries, based on the triage system at CHUK. Common mechanisms of injury included road traffic crashes (62.7%) and falls (17.1%). Median inpatient LOS for private transport patients was 7 days (IQR:3-16 days), compared to 9.5 days for EMS patients (IQR:4-18 days) (p=0.301). There was a significant relationship between ED disposition and transport method (p=0.005), with a higher number of admissions among EMS-transported patients. The observed mortality of EMS and privately transported patients were not significant different, however there were a higher percentage of deaths in the ED and inpatient setting among those who were privately transported. ConclusionWhile mortality and hospital LOS between EMS and private transport patients were not statistically significantly different, this may not reflect a lack of clinical significance. Future research will be needed to continue to assess the EMS utilisation rate, quality and impact on patient-centred outcomes and should include studies that prospectively investigate larger samples of patients to better evaluate the effects of EMS trauma care in Rwanda.
Calculating the water dissipation of buildings in urban areas based on global nighttime light data
Authors: Gao Han , Liu Jiahong , Mei Chao , Hao Wang , Shao Weiwei , Liu Chuang
Published: April 2021

Urban water dissipation is increasing gradually as urbanization progresses. Urban water dissipation mainly includes the dissipation of water in buildings and natural water evapotranspiration. Previous studies have mainly focused on calculating natural evapotranspiration in urban areas and have overlooked the dissipation of water in buildings under the influence of strong human-related water use activities. In this paper, the concept of building water dissipation (BWD) was proposed to describe the phenomenon that water dissipation occurs inside buildings. Moreover, a BWD calculation model was established and applied to calculate global building water dissipation. To reveal the specific water dissipation inside buildings, it is necessary to obtain the urban building floor area first. This paper proposed a new method to calculate the urban building floor area based on global nighttime light data obtained from NPP-VIIRS. Taking the floor area results into the BWD calculation model, the global building water dissipation in urban areas was found to be 127 billion m3 in 2015. The vast building water dissipation that occurs in urban areas mostly results from rapidly developing economies and intense human activities. The results provide a basic understanding of the nexus between water resources and the energy-heat island effect in urban areas.
Speech-to-touch sensory substitution: a 10-decibel improvement in speech-in-noise understanding after a short training
Authors: Ciesla Katarzyna , Wolak T. , Lorens A. , Skarżyński H. , Amedi A.
Published: April 2021

Understanding speech in background noise is challenging. Wearing face-masks during COVID19-pandemics made it even harder. We developed a multi-sensory setup, including a sensory substitution device (SSD) that can deliver speech simultaneously through audition and as vibrations on fingertips. After a short training session, participants significantly improved (16 out of 17) in speech-in-noise understanding, when added vibrations corresponded to low-frequencies extracted from the sentence. The level of understanding was maintained after training, when the loudness of the background noise doubled (mean group improvement of ~ 10 decibels). This result indicates that our solution can be very useful for the hearing-impaired patients. Even more interestingly, the improvement was transferred to a post-training situation when the touch input was removed, showing that we can apply the setup for auditory rehabilitation in cochlear implant-users. Future wearable implementations of our SSD can also be used in real-life situations, when talking on the phone or learning a foreign language. We discuss the basic science implications of our findings, such as we show that even in adulthood a new pairing can be established between a neuronal computation (speech processing) and an atypical sensory modality (tactile). Speech is indeed a multisensory signal, but learned from birth in an audio-visual context. Interestingly, adding lip reading cues to speech in noise provides benefit of the same or lower magnitude as we report here for adding touch.
Dssc Performance of Zinc - Tin - Vanadium Oxide Nanocomposite Using Beetroot (Beta Vulgaris) as Dye Sensitizer
Authors: Uthayarani K. , M Chitra , Vasanthapriya R. , Neelakandeswari N. , Girija E. K.
Published: April 2021

In this present work, zinc - tin - vanadium oxide (ZTVO) nanocomposite was prepared using hydrothermal route and was subjected to calcination at 600 0 C. The sample was systematically characterized by Powder X-ray Diffractometer (XRD), Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR), Field Emission Scanning electron Microscope (FE-SEM), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) and Ultraviolet- Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopic techniques. From the investigations, it is observed that this composite possess the combination of both individual and binary phases. The elongated nanostructures obtained due to the binary phases and spherical shaped nanostructures obtained due to the individual phase were observed from the FE-SEM image. The formation of the nanocomposite has further been confirmed from TEM and HRTEM images. ZTVO nanocomposite possess large surface area of 167.3 m2/g and pore size value around 11 nm. Also, the band gap of the material has been found to be 1.97 eV. Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) has been fabricated using this ZTVO nanocomposite as the photoanode and betalain dye extracted from beetroot (Beta vulgaris) as the natural dye. This simple protocol was formulated at a low cost for the first time for DSSC fabrication and it has attained the efficiency of 3.41%. This better efficiency of ZTVO might be due to larger surface area, presence of pores in addition to smaller band gap.
WSSH_DR: Weakly Supervised Sensitive Heatmap Framework to Classify and Localize Diabetic Retinopathy Lesions
Authors: Almukhtar Mohammed , Morad Ameer , Albadri Mustafa , Islam MD
Published: April 2021

Vision loss happens due to diabetic retinopathy (DR) in severe stages. Thus, an automatic detection method applied to diagnose DR in an earlier phase may help medical doctors to make better decisions. DR is considered one of the main risks, leading to blindness. Computer-Aided Diagnosis (CAD) systems play an essential role in detecting features in fundus images. Fundus images may include blood vessel area, exudates, micro-aneurysm, hemorrhages, and neovascularization. In this paper, our model combines automatic detection for the diabetic retinopathy classification with localization methods depending on weakly-supervised learning. The model has four stages; in stage one, various preprocessing techniques are applied for smoothing the data set. In stage two, the network had gotten deeply to the optic disk segment for eliminating any exudate's false prediction because the exudates had the same color pixel as the optic disk. Stage three, the network is fed through training data to classify each class label. Finally, the layers of the convolution neural network are re-edited, and the layers are used to localize the impact of DR on the eye's patient. The framework tackled the matching technique between two essential concepts where the classification problem depends on the supervised learning method. In comparison, the localization problem was obtained by the weakly supervised method. An additional layer known as weakly supervised sensitive heat map (WSSH) was added to detect the ROI of the lesion at a test accuracy of 98.65%.
Atmospheric Chlorine Reaction with N-Methyl-2-Pyrrolidinone (NMP)
Authors: Samai S. , Ferhati A.
Published: April 2021

Density functional theory (DFT) and Complete Basis Scale methods (CBS-QB3, G3B3) are used to investigate the reactivity, the mechanism, structure-reactivity relationship and the kinetics of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP) with Cl atom. To obtain rate constants of the reaction, the RRKM theory is employed at atmospheric pressure and temperature range 273–380 K. This study provides the rate coefficients and detailed H-abstraction mechanism for the reaction of Cl with NMP at high level of theoretical methods. The obtained rate constant ~ 0.92 x 10− 10 to 8.98 × 10− 10cm 3 molecule− 1s− 1 at 298 K agreed with those obtained previously for N,N-dimethyl formamide (DMF) and N,N-dimethyl acetamide (DMA). The study shows that the reaction mechanism of Cl with NMP goes favorably through an H-abstraction from N-methyl groups and adjacent CH2. The rates constants obtained for the three amides confirm our prediction regarding the structure-reactivity relationship where 1000/T.
How are Young Adults in Pakistan dealing with COVID-19: An Online Survey Assessing the Impact of Demographic Characteristics and Sources of Information on Awareness and Behaviors
Authors: Martins Ria Angeline , Martins Russell Seth , Zaidi Syeda Maryam Zehra , Saqib Scheryar , Ahmed Aiman , Charolia Zobiyah Sajid , Khalid Aliza , Nasir Aqsa Muhammad , Rabbani Azkah , Arshad Ainan
Published: April 2021

Background:The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has impacted a large majority of Pakistan’s population, with one particular demographic of stakeholders being the country’s young adult population. Our study looks to understand levels COVID-19-related awareness, perceptions, and behaviors, and sources of COVID-19-related knowledge, amongst Pakistan’s young adult population.Methods:This survey was conducted by the Aga Khan University over July-October 2020, via a Google Form disseminated on multiple social media platforms. All respondents aged between 18-35 years and currently residing in Pakistan were included.Results:The questionnaire received a total of 406 responses with the respondents having a mean age of 25.15 ± 5.80 years. 52.5% of the respondents were currently students. The vast majority relied on social media (83.7%), internet blogs/websites (83.3%) and newspapers/television (70.7%) as major sources of information regarding COVID-19. The highest percentage of individuals believed spread was possible through contaminated surfaces (95.3%), while 86.4% believed spread was possible via inhalation of droplets, and 52.0% via close contact with asymptomatic individuals. Alarmingly, 21.9% believed that transmission was possible through contact with packages shipped from China, and 16% believed COVID-19 could be contracted by eating food in Chinese restaurants. Moreover, 24.1% believed COVID-19 to be a biological weapon designed in a laboratory, while 23.9% were unsure.Conclusions: Our survey revealed some deficiencies in the understanding of transmission of SARS-CoV-2, along with racial biases and the prevalence of misinformation. Since young adults play an important role in the global response to the pandemic, our study suggests interventions that target the young adults in Pakistan in an attempt to increase their awareness about the pandemic and help them cope with its effects.
Measuring Behavior and Risk Perception to Inform Children’s Exposure Assessments and Communication Strategies
Authors: Morales Alma Anides , Huerta Diego , Ramirez-Andreotta Monica
Published: April 2021

Background: Waste management challenges, including transboundary sanitary sewage overflows (SSOs), have continuously been of concern along the US-Mexico border region. Sewage contamination contains high concentrations of pathogens excreted in human and animal feces increasing health-related risks and hindering quality of life. Limited literature exists on environmentally related risk perception studies in rural border town thus we aim to better understand risk perception in a rural border town school community after experiencing adjacent sewage effluent. Methods: This paper aims to characterize students’ spatial behavior and hand/object-to-mouth patterns to inform a risk assessment. Risk assessments often use published human behavior parameter values that may not be culturally or geographically representative. Parents and school staff were surveyed during several school events and provided with a link to an online survey. Results: Reported student behavior show a lower hand/object-to-mouth frequency for children ages 4-11, and a wider range of hand-to-mouth frequency for students ages 12-16, when compared to other values in the literature. Offensive odors, negative feelings, and general concerns mainly using informal language were frequently cited. Conclusions: Findings suggest a lack of information and understanding around SSOs, as well as a lack of communication, could contribute to a perceived low-risk or uncertainty around these events. Risk perception is a critical factor of vulnerability, thus effectively disseminating culturally appropriate risk information is an important part in decreasing exposure.
Novel PVA nanocomposite films: Synthesis, structure, optical and photocatalytic properties evaluation.
Authors: amaregouda yamanappagouda , Kamanna Kantharaju
Published: April 2021

The present work describes design and preparation of novel PVA nanocomposite films using CuO NTs and Asp by solution casting method. The required CuO NTs prepared by novel biogenic method using Robinia Pseudoacacia Leaf Extract. The prepared CuO NTs and nanocomposite films are characterized by various spectroscopy techniques. The adsorption and photocatalytic efficiencies of PVA nanocomposite films were compared with pristine CuO NTs. The adsorption capacity of PVA nanocomposite films showed higher due to functional groups, presence of active sites, high surface activity and semiconducting nature of CuO NTs and Asp embedded in PVA matrix. The adsorption behavior of the nanocomposite shows that adsorption isotherms and kinetics are in good agreement with Langmuir equation, Freundlich equation and pseudo-second-order, respectively. The comparative photocatalytic activities of the CuO NTs other nanocomposite films are examined methylene blue (MB) as a substrate degradation, and film PVA/CuO NTs/Asp showed highest (up to 77%) degradation compared to other films and CuO NTs in 50 min time duration. The improved photocatalytic behavior of PVA nanocomposite film attributed to its narrower band gap reduces the recombination rate of exited electron-hole, enhanced UV-Vis absorption intensity, improved utilization of sunlight and enhanced adsorption of dye due to functional groups, surface wettability, hydrophilic surface and self-cleaning nature.
Numerical Analysis of Staged Construction of an Embankment on Soft Soil
Authors: Ali Ayesha Binta , Ansary Mehedi Ahmed
Published: April 2021

The objective of this study was to predict the excess pore pressure and settlement of an embankment over soft ground, treated with vertical drain, through numerical analysis of staged construction. To carry out finite element analysis, numerical modeling software PLAXIS 3D was used. The practical demonstration was demonstrated by validating two case studies; the first one was a trial embankment at the Krishnapatnam Ultra Mega Power Project in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, India and the second one was the Second Bangkok International Airport or Suvarnabhumi Airport, about 30 km from the city of Bangkok, Thailand. After the successful validation of the program, detailed finite element modelling of an embankment resting on soft soil was conducted. Moreover, the degree of consolidation and factor of safety were also determined. There was rapid dissipation of excess pore pressure and maximum settlement at the mid-height of the embankment. In contrast, the dissipation of excess pore pressure was very slow just below the embankment and it increased with the increment of the depth of the clay layer. Moreover, with the rise of the distance from the centre of the embankment, the dissipation of the excess pore pressure also raised and took less time, the settlement also increased.
An entomological study of onchocerciasis vectors, Simulium damnosum s.l., in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
Authors: BOF Jean-Claude MAKENGA , MANSIANGI Paul , ZANGA Josué , ILUNGA Félicien , COPPIETERS Yves
Published: April 2021

Background

Onchocerciasis, a parasitic disease caused by the filarial worm Onchocerca volvulus transmitted through the bite of Simulium (black flies), is a cause of global concern, with the African population being majorly affected. This study focused on the bite rates, bite cycle, and transmission potential of Simulium damnosum s.l. in two sites with river blindness outbreaks in Kinshasa, DRC: Gombe (S1) and Mont-Ngafula at Kimwenza (S2).
Methods

From August 1, 2019, to July 31, 2020, we captured adult female black flies near breeding sites along the Congo River at S1 and Lukaya Valley at S2. Collections using human baits at the two sites were conducted for five days/month.
Results

A total of 6082 black flies of species Simulium squamosum (classified based on other entomological surveys) were captured during the study period. The daily cycle of aggression revealed two peaks: one between 8 and 9 a.m. and the other between 4 and 5 p.m. Low bite rates were observed between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. The annual biting rate/person reached 13,463 in S1 and 23,638 in S2, with a total of 37,101 bites/person. The average daily biting rate, 37 ± 10 and 69 ± 23 bites/day/person in S1 and S2, respectively, did not differ significantly (P = 0.8901). The high density of the host population can disrupt the transmission of vector-borne diseases by diluting the transmission indices. There was no evidence of onchocerciasis transmission at the study sites because of inadequate laboratory facilities in the DRC. Various larval supports have been identified: at Gombe: aquatic plants, plastic bags, dead leaves, and rocks; at Kimwenza: Ledermaniella ledermanii (the most abundant species at the site), plastic bags, artificial waste, and aquatic plants.
Conclusions

The study provides further evidence for the need for alternative strategies to eliminate the parasite in the formerly hyper-endemic foci.
Experimental Investigation of Early-Warning Critical Energy for Strainbursts
Authors: Ling Wang , Yan Ruyu , zhi Zhang , Lei Xie , chuhui Huang
Published: April 2021

This research aimed to establish an early-warning critical energy for coal instability based on the energy theory and acoustic emission characteristics of coal under triaxial compression. To obtain an early-warning critical strain energy indicating the increase in the risk of coal instability, conventional triaxial compression and acoustic emission (AE) tests were carried out on coal specimens taken from a 980-m-deep mine with initial confining pressures of 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 MPa. Stress-strain relations, AE features, and energy evolution characteristics during triaxial compression were analyzed. It was found that the energy evolution and AE event count changes across different loading stages. With increasing axial stress, most of the input energy stored in the coal specimens was in the form of elastic strain energy and the AE event count was close to zero, indicating that the coal grains reach a state of balance. After the elastic deformation stage, a portion of the input energy was consumed by inelastic deformation. Once the stress level exceeded the volumetric compressibility–dilatancy transition stress, the AE event entered a period of relative quiet, and the rate of energy dissipation abruptly accelerated, indicating that the coal grains achieved another state of balance before THE instability or failure. The balance of the rock grains is broken again (AE event count and the rate of energy dissipation both increased dramatically), coal achieved the peak strength and instability soon. The point at which the dissipated energy ratio α increased rapidly or the starting point of a quiet period, indicates an increase in the risk of coal instability. The corresponding elastic strain energy accumulated within the coal can be regarded as a precursor to instability or strainburst. Accordingly, a fitting formula is presented to predict the early-warning critical energy for brittle coal subject to different minimum principal stress. The analysis results in this paper can be helpful in the assessment of coal instability risk.
Tracking toxic hypoglycin A over two maturity stages of different positions in four Chinese litchi cultivars by UPLC-MS/MS
Authors: Tao Weili , Yang Yu , Wang Qiongjin , Chen Dong , Zhao Chuanyi , Lv Qian , Chen Yicun
Published: April 2021

Background

Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.), a member of Sapindaceae family, is a common fruit with deliciously fragrant, sweet flavors and high commercial value, besides edible arils, the pericarps and seeds of fruits and the leaves of litchi all exhibited meaningful bioactivities, while as the bibliography reported, hypoglycin A (HGA) as a toxic amino acid was naturally occurring in some members of Sapindaceae family.
Methods

In this work, an UPLC-MS/MS method was developed to quantified HGA in different parts of four litchi cultivars which at two maturity stages. Meanwhile, the methodological indicators of the established method were evaluated by selectivity, linearity, precious, accuracy, recovery and stability.
Results

The consequences expressed that the levels of HGA were highly associated with litchi cultivars and maturity stages. The positions of seeds and branches were the major source of HGA in the four litchi cultivars been detected, as for the edible arils, especially of ‘Fenghua’ and ‘Linglan’ were relative safety to be taken in.
Conclusion

This developed method can provide scientific technical support for relevant research of content determination and this founding can offer scientific data for the further research of human health that was related to litchi cultivars.
Effects of vegetation and topography on biomass patterns post-pinewood nematode disturbance in forest landscapes of southern Jiangxi Province, China
Authors: Fang Zhibin , Wu Zhiwei , Lin Shitao , Liu Qiang
Published: April 2021

Background: Assessing changes in forest ecosystems, especially forest biomass changes that occur due to disturbances, is essential for improving global carbon estimates.Bursaphelenchus xylophilus is an important pest that harms Pinus thunbergii forests, causing a large number of pine trees to wither and resulting in great losses in Pinus thunbergii forest biomass. Studying the factors affecting P. thunbergii) biomass losses caused by Bursaphelenchus xylophilus is of great significance in research on forest ecosystem health and climate change. In this study, taking Nankang District, Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province as the research area, based on field survey data combined with a random forest model, the relative importance of influencing factors on the biomass loss of P. thunbergii due to the Bursaphelenchus xylophilus-caused disease was analyzed.Results: The results revealed the following conclusions: (1) topographic and slope conditions significantly affected the P. thunbergii) biomass losses caused by the Bursaphelenchus xylophilus-related disease; (2) the two studied stand factors, vegetation type and vegetation coverage, had little effect on the P. thunbergii) biomass losses caused by Bursaphelenchus xylophilus; and (3) the marginal effect diagram showed that the elevation and slope were obviously related to biomass loss; biomass loss was positively related to elevation and negatively related to slope.Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that topographical factors dominantly affect the spread of the Bursaphelenchus xylophilus-caused disease, in turn causing large P. thunbergii forest biomass losses. Therefore, topographic factors affect the prevention and control of the disease caused by Bursaphelenchus xylophilus.
The trend of disruption in the functional brain network topology of Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Fathian Alireza , Jamali Yousef , Raoufy Mohammad Reza
Published: April 2021

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive disorder associated with cognitive dysfunction that alters the brain’s functional connectivity. Assessing these alterations has become a topic of increasing interest. However, a few studies have examined different stages of AD from a complex network perspective that cover different topological scales. This study analyzed the trend of functional connectivity alterations from a cognitively normal (CN) state through early and late mild cognitive impairment (EMCI and LMCI) and to Alzheimer’s disease. The analyses had been done at the local (hubs and activated links and areas), meso (clustering, assortativity, and rich-club), and global (small-world, small-worldness, and efficiency) topological scales. The results showed that the trends of changes in the topological architecture of the functional brain network were not entirely proportional to the AD progression, and these trends behaved differently at the earliest stage of the disease, i.e., EMCI. Further, it has been indicated that the diseased groups engaged somatomotor, frontoparietal, and default mode modules compared to the CN group. The diseased groups also shifted the functional network towards more random architecture. In the end, The methods introduced in this paper enable us to gain an extensive understanding of the pathological changes of the AD process.
An Emperor Penguin Optimization and Particle Swarm Optimization Control algorithm for PV with ZSI in Grid Connected System
Authors: M Vidhya , R Senthil Kumar
Published: April 2021

In the paper, a distributed controller for the analysis of SEPIC and Z-Source Inverter (ZSI) based grid-connected Photovoltaic (PV) system. The PV systems are modeled, designed and implemented to given maximum power output with the help of proposed controller. In the paper, a distributed controller is designed to provide maximum output power and to working by changing irradiance and providing various range of active power. An enhanced controller is specified as the Fractional Order PID (FOPID) controller with aid of hybrid approach. The hybrid approach is consisting of Emperor Penguin Optimization (EPO) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). FOPID controller is the advanced PID controller and it gives a better output and robustness than the traditional PID controller. To enhance the performance of the FOPID, the gain parameters are optimized with the utilization of hybrid approach. For achieving the optimal power management and maximum power tracking, the objective function is defined and specified their constraints also. Here, two various methods have been deliberated to changing the inverter operation with constant irradiance and varied irradiance. The proposed method is tested by using MATLAB/Simulink and it is contrasted with the previously developed methods like base model, Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) and PSO algorithm.
Hydrothermal Assisted Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Biogenic Silver Nanoparticles
Authors: Ekennia Anthony , Uduagwu Dickson N. , Nwaji Njemuwa N. , Olowu Olawale J. , Nwanji Obianuju L. , Udu David Agwu , Christopher Sonde U. , Oje Obinna O. , Andrew Tyopine A. , Inya Joseph E. , Nwosa Chidimma
Published: April 2021

We report on hydrothermal synthesis of biogenic silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using aqueous leaf extract of Alchornea laxiflora for threefold applications in antibacterial screening against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, tyrosinase inhibition of mushroom tyrosine enzymes with 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine as a substrate and photocatalytic degradation of malachite green dye. The mode of action for the tyrosinase application and kinetics of both the tyrosinase and photocatalytic activities were provided. The localized surface resonance bands of the AgNPs were observed within the range of 424 – 435 nm from the electronic spectral analysis. Fourier transform-infrared studies reveal the functional groups of plant metabolites such as phenolic compounds and amines on the nanoparticles. The Energy Dispersive X-ray result reveals the presence of silver and other elemental compositions from the plant extract. X-ray diffraction result showed a face-centred cubic crystalline structure for the AgNPs. The SEM analyses reveal that the nanoparticles are spherical in shape with average size range of 20-52 nm. The AgNPs exhibited a dose dependent tyrosinase inhibition activity with IC50 of 20.83 µg/ml and a competitive mode of inhibition. The results of photocatalytic degradation of malachite green dye depicted rapid photo inspired degradation of 86 % in less than a min and at reaction rate of 0.136 min-1. The silver nanoparticles showed enhanced antibacterial activities compared to the precursors: silver nitrate and aqueous extract of Alchornea laxiflora.
Application of Response Surface Methodology for Optimization of Mushroom Saccharification using Crude Enzymatic Extract from Solid-State Fermentation of Pineapple Peels by Aspergillus niger KWM
Authors: Ojwang Daniel Otieno , Jakim Mulaa F. , Obiero George , Midiwo Jacob
Published: April 2021

Mushrooms are a rich source of high value compounds. Efficient enzymatic degradation of mushroom cell-wall matrix is therefore critical in the recovery of cellular components in high yields. In the present study, the effect of reaction variables on mushroom saccharification using crude enzymatic extract was evaluated and optimized using the central composite design based on the response surface methodology. The crude extract displayed CMCase, Fpase and xylanase activities of 1.23Umg− 1 protein, 0.95Umg− 1 protein and 1.52 Umg− 1 protein. The model was validated by the analysis of variance with a coefficient of determination of 0.866 and F test value of 7.39, making the model valid at the 95 % confidence limit. The model achieved glucose yield of 1.490mg/mL at pH 6.5, temperature 50oC, enzyme load of 5% (v/v) and reaction time of 12h. The experiment using optimal model conditions yielded 1.582 mg/mL glucose which is 1.1 folds higher than the predicted model value. This study demonstrated potential of crude extract from solid-state fermentation of low-cost pineapple peels in mushroom processing.
Dragline Stripping Method Review to Maximize Productivity and Coal Recovery at Major Fault Zone - A Case Study
Authors: Gupta Shishir , Kumar Rahul , Mahato Umesh , Conley Russell
Published: April 2021

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
High-performance perovskite solar cells obtained by hybridizing SnS quantum dots with CH3NH3PbI3
Authors: Zhou Liya , Zhong Xiaoying , Fan Hua , Lu Jiangying , Ou Yingjun
Published: April 2021

In this work, SnS quantum dot (QDs) were added into the CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPI) perovskite precursor solution to fabricate MAPI/SnS QDs films with preferred (110) orientation and a perovskite film with large crystal size. This hybrid material showed increased light harvesting ability and a red shift with respect to the number of SnS QDs. As a result, an enhanced performance was achieved in the perovskite solar cells (PSCs) based on MAPI/SnS QDs prepared from the S5, exhibiting a maximum photoelectric conversion efficiency (PCE) of 10.15%, an open-circuit voltage (Voc) of 1.41 V and a fill factor (FF) of 65%.