bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dissolution Kinetics of Meloxicam Formulations Co-Milled with Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
Authors: Patera Jan , Němečková Pavla , Zámostný Petr
Published: October 2022

Meloxicam (MLX) is a poorly soluble drug exhibiting strong hydrophobicity. This combination of properties makes dissolution enhancement by particle size reduction ineffective; therefore, combined formulation approaches are required. Various approaches were investigated in this study, including milling, solid dispersions, and self-emulsified lipid formulations. Whereas milling studies of MLX and its co-milling with various polymers have been reported in recent literature, this study is focused on investigating the dissolution kinetics of particulate formulations obtained by co-milling MLX with sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) in a planetary ball mill with 5–25 wt.% SLS content. The effects of milling time and milling ball size were also investigated. No significant reduction in drug crystallinity was observed under the investigated milling conditions according to XRD data. For the dissolution study, we used an open-loop USP4 dissolution apparatus, and recorded dissolution profiles were fitted according to the Weibull model. The Weibull parameters and a novel criterion—surface utilization factor—were used to evaluate and discuss the drug release from the perspective of drug particle surface changes throughout the dissolution process. The most effective co-milling results were achieved using smaller balls (2 mm), with a co-milling time of up to 15 min SLS content of up to 15 wt.% to increase the dissolution rate by approximately 100 times relative to the physical mixture reference. The results suggest that for hydrophobic drugs, particle performance during dissolution is very sensitive to surface properties and not only to particle size. Co-milling with SLS prepares the surface for faster drug release than that achieved with direct mixing.
Coastal Wild Grapevine Accession (Vitis vinifera L. ssp. sylvestris) Shows Distinct Late and Early Transcriptome Changes under Salt Stress in Comparison to Commercial Rootstock Richter 110
Authors: Carrasco David , Zhou-Tsang Andres , Rodriguez-Izquierdo Alberto , Ocete Rafael , Revilla María Angeles , Arroyo-García Rosa
Published: October 2022

Increase in soil salinity, driven by climate change, is a widespread constrain for viticulture across several regions, including the Mediterranean basin. The implementation of salt-tolerant varieties is sought after to reduce the negative impact of salinity in grape production. An accession of wild grapevine (Vitis vinifera L. ssp. sylvestris), named AS1B, found on the coastline of Asturias (Spain), could be of interest toward the achievement of salt-tolerant varieties, as it demonstrated the ability to survive and grow under high levels of salinity. In the present study, AS1B is compared against widely cultivated commercial rootstock Richter 110, regarding their survival capabilities, and transcriptomic profiles analysis allowed us to identify the genes by employing RNA-seq and gene ontology analyses under increasing salinity and validate (via RT-qPCR) seven salinity-stress-induced genes. The results suggest contrasting transcriptomic responses between AS1B and Richter 110. AS1B is more responsive to a milder increase in salinity and builds up specific mechanisms of tolerance over a sustained salt stress, while Richter 110 maintains a constitutive expression until high and prolonged saline inputs, when it mainly shows responses to osmotic stress. The genetic basis of AS1B’s strategy to confront salinity could be valuable in cultivar breeding programs, to expand the current range of salt-tolerant rootstocks, aiming to improve the adaptation of viticulture against climate change.
Calcium Signaling in Plant-Insect Interactions
Authors: Parmagnani Ambra S. , Maffei Massimo E.
Published: October 2022

In plant–insect interactions, calcium (Ca2+) variations are among the earliest events associated with the plant perception of biotic stress. Upon herbivory, Ca2+ waves travel long distances to transmit and convert the local signal to a systemic defense program. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), Ca2+ and electrical signaling are interlinked to form a network supporting rapid signal transmission, whereas the Ca2+ message is decoded and relayed by Ca2+-binding proteins (including calmodulin, Ca2+-dependent protein kinases, annexins and calcineurin B-like proteins). Monitoring the generation of Ca2+ signals at the whole plant or cell level and their long-distance propagation during biotic interactions requires innovative imaging techniques based on sensitive sensors and using genetically encoded indicators. This review summarizes the recent advances in Ca2+ signaling upon herbivory and reviews the most recent Ca2+ imaging techniques and methods.
Applications of Hemp Polymers and Extracts in Food, Textile and Packaging: A Review
Authors: Promhuad Khwanchat , Srisa Atcharawan , San Horman , Laorenza Yeyen , Wongphan Phanwipa , Sodsai Janenutch , Tansin Kittichai , Phromphen Phannaphat , Chartvivatpornchai Nawarat , Ngoenchai Phurit , Harnkarnsujarit Nathdanai
Published: October 2022

Hemp (Cannabis sativa Linn) is a high-yielding annual crop farmed for its stalk fiber and oil-producing seeds. This specialized crop is currently experiencing a revival in production. Hemp fiber contains pectin, hemicellulose and lignin with superior strength, while hemp seed oil contains unsaturated triglycerides with well-established nutritional and physiological properties. Therefore, focus on the utilization of hemp in various industries is increasing globally. This study reviewed recent applications of hemp components, including fiber and extract, in food, textile and packaging applications. Hemp fibers mainly consisting of cellulose derivatives have superior strength to be used as reinforcements in thermoplastic packaging and paper. Combined physical and chemical modifications of hemp fibers improved mechanical and barrier properties of composite materials. Physically and chemically processed hemp extracts have been used in food and non-food applications. Functional foods containing hemp oils deliver nutrients by their unsaturated lipids. High-quality hemp fiber with several fiber modifications has been applied in garments. Innovative applications of hemp components and by-products are increasing, thereby facilitating utilization of green sustainable biomaterials.
Mattel’s Barbie: Investigation of a Symbol—Analysis of Polymeric Matrices and Degradation Phenomena for Sixteen Dolls from 1959 to 1976
Authors: Macchia Andrea , Biribicchi Chiara , Zaratti Camilla , Testa Chiari Katiuscia , D’Ambrosio Martina , Toscano Denise , Izzo Francesca Caterina , La Russa Mauro Francesco
Published: October 2022

Mattel’s Barbie dolls are the most famous and iconic dolls since 1959. Today, they are being collected by individuals and often conserved in museum environments due to their cultural and historical significance reflecting everyday life and historical events. However, just like most museum objects made of plastics, both historical and more recent Barbies show evident degradation phenomena. Firstly, Barbies were made of plasticized polyvinyl chloride (PVC), affected by the migration of additives—mostly the plasticizers—from the bulk phase to the outermost layer, appearing as a tacky and glossy exudate. Over the years, Barbies’ polymeric constituents were replaced with more stable ones, whose additives migration is limited compared to PVC, even though still occurring. Multispectral photography in visible (VIS) and ultraviolet (UV) light, microscopical observations in VIS and UV light, and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy in the Attenuated Total Reflectance mode (FT-IR ATR) were performed to characterize the constituent materials of 15 Barbies produced between 1959 and 1976, bridging the information gap on their processing over the years. The micro-invasive multi-analytical approach also allowed for the characterization of the degradation products, permitting the reference of the exudated compound to the specific bulk polymer.
Clinical Outcomes of Dental Implants with Two Different Internal Connection Configurations—A RCT
Authors: Menini Maria , Pesce Paolo , Corvino Emilio , Iannello Giuliano , Baldi Domenico , Canullo Luigi
Published: October 2022

Background: The aim of the present study was to highlight clinical and radiographical differences among implants sharing the same macro-geometry but with two different prosthodontic connections. Methods: Patients requiring at least 2 implants in the posterior area of the jaw were randomly divided into two groups (Conical (CS) and Internal Hexagonal (IH) connection). At implant surgery (T0), insertion torque, implant stability quotient (ISQ values recorded by resonance frequency analysis, RFA), and soft tissue thickness (STH) were assessed. A 1-abutment/1-time protocol was applied, and the prosthesis was realized following a fully digital workflow. At the 36-month follow-up periapical x-rays were taken. In order to statistically analyse differences among the two groups and the different variables, paired T-test was used. Linear regression analysis was conducted to analyze how marginal bone loss (MBL) was affected by other independent variables. A neural network created to predict the success (good or not good) of the implant itself was implemented. Results: 30 out of 33 patients (14 males, 16 females, mean age: 68.94 ± 13.01 years) (32 CS and 32 IH) were analyzed. No implants failed. Marginal bone loss at the 3-year time-point was 0.33 ± 0.34 mm and 0.43 ± 0.37 mm respectively for CS and IH with a significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.004). The presence of keratinized gingiva (p = 0.034) significantly influenced MBL. Conclusions: Both the implant connections investigated presented optimal clinical outcomes with minimal marginal bone loss; however, CS implants and implants with the presence of a greater width of keratinized tissue presented significantly lower MBL.
Faith, Authenticity, and Pro-Social Values in the Lives of Young People in Germany
Authors: Gärtner Christel , Hennig Linda
Published: October 2022

Increasing secularization, pluralization, and individualization have done much to weaken denominational identities and traditional religiosity in most Western countries since the 1960s, with the effect that—to echo Niklas Luhmann—being religious requires purely religious reasons. This also applies to young people, for whom religion is still an option, but precisely one option among others, and according to Charles Taylor quite a challenging one. In our article, we want to focus on young people who actively engage with faith and religion, and who take up a different position with regard to religion than their peers during their adolescence. The data are in-depth interviews with families with three generations present. We will explore the ways in which teenagers (aged 12–19) and young adults (aged 22–25) are confronted with religious issues, as well as how they decide upon these issues and justify their decisions. We will argue that both the societal context and the life phase of adolescence or young adulthood make it likely that a person will base decisions regarding religion upon the criterion of authenticity. Our findings demonstrate that especially positioning towards the question of belief can be a lengthy and conflictual process. We identified two main forms of religiosity that are socially accepted in contemporary society: deriving a sense of social responsibility from faith and transforming and translating belief and religious experience into secular contexts.
Toward Synodality and Social Transformation: Lived Religion of Select Catholic Women Servant Leaders
Authors: Del Castillo Fides A.
Published: October 2022

Basic ecclesial communities (BECs) are flourishing in the Philippines. While many Filipina Catholics are leading the “new way of being Church,” little research has been conducted on their lived religion. Investigating the servant leadership of women in BECs provides us with a better understanding of the indispensable contributions of grassroots women to the Church and society toward synodality and transformation. As a response to this research gap, this study explores the concepts of faith and praxis among Filipina Catholic servant leaders (bai) of BECs in Mindanao. In this article, laylayan theology is used as a framework, and empirical phenomenology as a method of analysis to draw attention to BECs as a locus theologicus and privilege the marginalized voices of the bai. The study reveals that the select bai conceptualize the Catholic faith as personal yet ecclesial. The Church can participate in the missio Dei by fostering the communion of communities and engaging in social transformation. In addition, the bai maintain that the Church can remain relevant to the signs of the times by fostering fraternal collaboration of communities, evangelizing the youths, and promoting sacramental attitudes. The study affirms that women have the genuine freedom to realize their Christian identity and vocations, and one way to achieve this is through active participation in BECs.
Extinction Effect of Foliar Dust Retention on Urban Vegetation as Estimated by Atmospheric PM10 Concentration in Shenzhen, China
Authors: Yu Tianfang , Wang Junjian , Chao Yiwen , Zeng Hui
Published: October 2022

Foliar dust retention is a crucial source of uncertainty when monitoring the vegetation index using satellite remote sensing. As ground sampling conditions are limited by vegetation dust retention, separating the extinction effect of foliar dust retention from the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) poses a significant challenge. In this study, we conducted a correlation test between the relative change in NDVI (δNDVI, an indicator of extinction effect) retrieved by the Gaofen-4 satellite and the atmospheric PM10 concentration in different meteorological periods (before, during, and after rainfall) across 14 stations in Shenzhen City, China. The results showed a significant correlation between δNDVI and atmospheric PM10 concentration during the before-rainfall period and weaker correlations for the other periods (R = 0.680, p < 0.001, n = 63 when excluding the during- and after-rainfall data). The correlation was more significant for the stations with low NDVI values, and a coastal station had a distinct regression slope of δNDVI versus PM10 from the other stations, indicating that the extinction effect of foliar dust retention in high-NDVI and coastal areas may not be well predicted by the general δNDVI–PM10 relationship. This provides a new quantitative basis for estimating the extinction effect of foliar dust retention using PM10 data for future improvement of the accuracy of vegetation monitoring by remote sensing.
Leveraging Expert Demonstration Features for Deep Reinforcement Learning in Floor Cleaning Robot Navigation
Authors: Cimurs Reinis , Merchán-Cruz Emmanuel Alejandro
Published: October 2022

In this paper, a Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL)-based approach for learning mobile cleaning robot navigation commands that leverage experience from expert demonstrations is presented. First, expert demonstrations of robot motion trajectories in simulation in the cleaning robot domain are collected. The relevant motion features with regard to the distance to obstacles and the heading difference towards the navigation goal are extracted. Each feature weight is optimized with respect to the collected data, and the obtained values are assumed as representing the optimal motion of the expert navigation. A reward function is created based on the feature values to train a policy with semi-supervised DRL, where an immediate reward is calculated based on the closeness to the expert navigation. The presented results show the viability of this approach with regard to robot navigation as well as the reduced training time.
Benign COVID-19 in an Aggressive Case of Aquaporin-4 Neuromyelitis Optica Treated with Tocilizumab
Authors: Vecchio Domizia , Solaro Claudio , Virgilio Eleonora , Naldi Paola , Bottero Rugiada , Masuccio Fabio , Capobianco Marco , Cantello Roberto
Published: October 2022

Aggressive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSDs) with antibodies (Abs) against aquaporin-4 (AQP4) can be treated by blocking the interleukin 6 (IL6) pathways with tocilizumab. This IL6-inhibitor was employed to treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia with unconclusive results. We present a 52-year-old woman with AQP4 NMOSD, unresponsive to rituximab, that stabilized on tocilizumab one year after the disease onset. She was bed-bound and progressively recovered her mobility. During intensive rehabilitation, she presented fever and cough for one week with nasopharyngeal swabs positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This mild COVID-19 recovered spontaneously without sequelae, and the monthly tocilizumab infusions were continued for another 10 months. Subsequently, serious and prolonged respiratory and urinary infections caused treatment interruption, and then her disease re-activated. In our case, tocilizumab was effective in preventing NMOSD relapse and was safe to use during SARS-CoV-2 infection.
The Rapid and Participatory Assessment of Land Suitability in Development Cooperation
Authors: De Marinis Pietro , Ferrario Paolo Stefano , Sali Guido , Senes Giulio
Published: October 2022

Development cooperation in agriculture aims to contribute to the achieving of a large part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN 2030 Agenda, especially the first three, No Poverty (1), Zero Hunger (2), and Good Health and Well-being (3). Development cooperation in agriculture tries to help local communities to increase their awareness, participation, and skills about the management of land and environmental resources, in order to realize sustainable development. In this context, methods of participatory assessment of land suitability have been widely and successfully applied. The present research took place in the framework of a real development cooperation intervention in Nord Kivu (Democratic Republic of Congo) and aimed to implement a rapid participatory assessment of land suitability. In this context, where official and detailed data are not available, the study fostered the active involvement of local experts and used geographical information systems (GIS) to identify the most suitable crops to be supported in different zones of the study area. Toward this aim, the authors used a procedure based on the following steps: the identification of relevant land use types (LUTs), mapping capability factors, describing the responses of each LUT to the different capability factors, mapping potential land suitability for the LUTs, mapping accessibility, mapping land suitability for the LUTs. Resulting maps and tables were used to identify the most suitable areas for the different uses. Globally, forestry was the most suited use (99.6% of the study area is potentially highly suitable), followed by the cropping of manioc, sorghum, banana, oil palm, bean and cattle grazing in decreasing order (62.6% of the study area is potentially highly suitable for grazing). When accessibility is considered, forestry presents the largest decrease in the class of high potential suitability (−34.9% equal to a loss of 24,945.5 ha), while less adaptable uses, such as cattle grazing showed lower decreases in highly suitable class (−11.2%) and larger increases in scarcely suitable class (+9.5%). At a later stage, the comparison between computed suitability and actual land use helped with identifying the areas where forestry should be the only (or most) supported activity and the areas where to push integrated land uses. Our interpretation of the results allows us to recommend the adoption of agroforestry and intercropping as the main methodologies to integrate multiple aims such as the environmental conservation and the improvement of livelihoods.
Research on Decentralized Storage Based on a Blockchain
Authors: Meng Lu , Sun Bin
Published: October 2022

The current distributed storage solutions are still concentrated in third-party storage service providers, and the stored data are concentrated in a few cloud servers, which inevitably brings the risk of data loss, leakage, and tampering, so it is imperative to study a distributed storage and decentralized storage system. How to maintain the consistency of data in a distributed environment has become a problem in building decentralized applications, until the emergence of blockchain technology, whose decentralized, non-tamperable, and traceable features can solve this problem well. In this paper, we design a decentralized storage system combining Hyperledger Fabric and Inter Planetary File System (IPFS). In addition, from the perspective of security and availability of the decentralized storage system, we study the partitioning and the k-r allocation scheme of the stored data, propose the allocation function about the stored files, derive the mathematical formula of file security and availability based on the allocation function, and discuss the optimal parameter setting of the allocation function based on the formula to guarantee the high security and availability of the stored files. The experimental results show that the performance of the k-r allocation policy based on the minimum number nodes (MNN) is better than that of the k-r allocation policy based on the minimum slices number (MSN); however, with the same security and availability guarantees, the MNN policy will have more copies relative to the MSN policy, which is relatively wasteful of space.
Permeable Pavement Systems for Effective Management of Stormwater Quantity and Quality: A Bibliometric Analysis and Highlights of Recent Advancements
Authors: Singer Mohamed N. , Hamouda Mohamed A. , El-Hassan Hilal , Hinge Gilbert
Published: October 2022

In recent years, there has been growing interest in the field of permeable pavement systems (PPS), especially in the scope of stormwater management as a sustainable urban drainage system (SUDS). In this study, a comprehensive bibliometric analysis followed by a systematic review were conducted to capture the nature and evolution of literature, intellectual structure networks, emerging themes, and knowledge gaps in the field of PPS. Relevant publications over 22 years (2000–2021) were retrieved from the Web of Science database for analysis. Results revealed that slight modifications within the PPS layers or incorporation of innovative filters could result in improved contaminant removal efficiency. Impermeable soils and PPS pore size were the main limiting factors affecting the permeability and infiltration rates. A combination of maintenance procedures was presented and proven effective in mitigating clogging effects, mostly occurring at the upper 1.5–2.5 cm of the PPS. Although partial replacement of the PPS mix design with recycled aggregates improved the overall permeability, the compressive strength was slightly compromised. The present study also discusses several evolving aspects for water quality improvements, innovative investigations that include recycled aggregates, and other lessons learned and future research directions in the area of PPS. Findings from the conducted analysis provide researchers, designers, urban planners, and even municipalities with research gaps and technical deficiencies in implementing and investigating PPS.
BIM-Based Multi-Objective Optimization of Low-Carbon and Energy-Saving Buildings
Authors: Zhao Liang , Zhang Wei , Wang Wenshun
Published: October 2022

Global warming and other environmental problems are increasing the demand for green and low-carbon buildings. The development of high-performance computers and building information models has a significant impact on low-carbon buildings. Low-carbon building design needs to comprehensively consider geography, climate, material, cost and other factors, a highly complex multidisciplinary research problem. Therefore, it is urgent to use advanced modeling and simulation technology, involving BIM, parametric design, cloud platform and evolutionary algorithm. This paper proposes a BIM based low-carbon building design optimization framework, which realizes the comprehensive trade-off function of building low-carbon energy saving and daylighting performance through an improved genetic algorithm. The framework drives BIM through parameterization and integrates building environment information, geometric information and operation information, including six parts: BIM model establishment, parameter-driven development, building performance simulation, multi-objective optimization design, Pareto frontier analysis, and energy-saving decision-making and evaluation. The case study shows that the simulation results obtained through the framework can effectively achieve building energy conservation while maximizing the lighting performance of the building, providing a scientific basis and reference for construction professionals to design low-carbon buildings. Finally, the application advantages and limitations of the framework in low-carbon building design and its application prospects in low-carbon energy-saving building design are discussed. This research has made contributions to the multi-disciplinary low-carbon energy conservation research field, realized the multi-objective optimization strategy of building performance based on BIM, genetic algorithm and simulation, and is an important supplement to existing building energy conservation and emission reduction optimization design.
Investigating the Effects of E-Marketing Factors for Agricultural Products on the Emergence of Sustainable Consumer Behaviour
Authors: Zia Adil , Alzahrani Musaad
Published: October 2022

The digitalisation of services is a process that is gaining traction worldwide owing to the numerous benefits that it provides to sellers and consumers. This study aimed to explore the impact of e-marketing factors for agricultural products on the sustainable consumer behaviour. The technology acceptance model (TAM) and the extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2) model were used to investigate the factors that trigger long-term behavioural changes towards more sustainable consumer behaviour. Trust and continuance intention (CI) constitute sustainable consumer behaviours. The survey-based data were collected from 172 farmers in and around the Al-Baha province of Saudi Arabia. The findings reveal that, out of the six factors, social influence (SI), hedonic motives (HM), and perceived risk (PR) had a significant impact on trust whereas the perceived usefulness (PU), information quality (IQ), and the perceived ease of use (PEOU) had an insignificant impact on trust. Trust appears to had a substantial positive impact on the development of CI. Furthermore, the significant moderation of age and the insignificant moderation of education are observed among trust–CI relationship. Therefore, policymakers should concentrate on the factors such as SI and decrease the factors that are related to the PR in order to achieve a higher level of trust. This study contributes to the literature on e-marketing of agricultural products resulting in the formation of CI that triggers long-term behavioural changes towards more sustainable consumer behaviour.
Sustainability Assessment of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC): Environmental, Social, Economic, and Cultural Analysis
Authors: Aboulnaga Mohsen , Puma Paola , Eletrby Dalia , Bayomi Mai , Farid Mohamed
Published: October 2022

This article presents an assessment of sustainability conducted post the opening of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC), which underwent vast development that had significant impacts, not only on the global level but also on the international attention towards Egypt’s great civilization. The study investigates the impact of the NMEC’s environmental, social, and economic sustainability and cultural value. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were adopted. The qualitative includes a preliminary study followed by site visits for collecting data and mapping the four sustainability pillars: environmental, social, economic, and cultural. The quantitative approach has been conducted by exploiting 33 indicators to measure five sustainability dimensions in addition to the UNESCO 15 Thematic Indicators for Culture in the 2030 Agenda; the impact of NMEC on social media using the data scraping technique exploiting GitHub. Energy audit results illustrate that the total annual energy consumption is 491,376.00 kWh (79% in the ground fl. & 21% in the Mummies fl.), as well as 19.98 kWh/m2 (Gr. fl.) and 144 kWh/m2 (Mummies fl.); the first matches RIBA’s benchmark for museums, well below the ranking ‘Good’ (50 kWh/m2). Social sustainability impacts indicate that the word count’s effect on social media is 27%, 31%, and 42% on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, respectively, while the number of followers is 92%, 7%, and 1%. On Google, it is 1275 and ranks 4.7, whereas the number of posts is 231, 350, and 258. Economic sustainability assessment has been addressed by calculating the revenues throughout one year since the grand opening, and the total revenues amount to USD 2,794,047. The cultural sustainability assessment showed a positive response to the evaluation recorded for 9 out of 15 indicators. The sustainability assessment of the NMEC plays a key role in assuring livable and regenerative cities.
The Sustainable Development of Forest Food
Authors: Huang Weilung , Chen Si , Zhang Xiaomei , Zhao Xuemeng
Published: October 2022

This paper aims to study the sustainable development of forest food by exploring the input–output relationship of forest food value chains (FFVC) and its mediating effect on the integrity and agglomeration of FFVC. Through a literature review and interviews with experts, this paper included measurement variables, such as FFVC’s input, output, integrity, and agglomeration, and used PLS-SEM to study their relationships and the mediating effects of Chinese FFVC. The results showed that first, the measurement of FFVC’s integrity and agglomeration focused on FFVC’s rationality, development, comparative advantages, scale, space, network, and innovation; second, there was evidence of a significant input–output relationship of FFVC; third, there was a significant mediating effect of integrity and agglomeration of FFVC, which should be included in the government’s policies to promote FFVC; forth, Chinese FFVC is still at its infancy, and the government must implement FFVC sustainable development policies to promote the rationalization, upgrading, and spatial coupling of integrity and agglomeration of FFVC.
A DRL-Driven Intelligent Optimization Strategy for Resource Allocation in Cloud-Edge-End Cooperation Environments
Authors: Fang Chao , Zhang Tianyi , Huang Jingjing , Xu Hang , Hu Zhaoming , Yang Yihui , Wang Zhuwei , Zhou Zequan , Luo Xiling
Published: October 2022

Complex dynamic services and heterogeneous network environments make the asymmetrical control a curial issue to handle on the Internet. With the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the fifth generation (5G), the emerging network applications lead to the explosive growth of mobile traffic while bringing forward more challenging service requirements to future radio access networks. Therefore, how to effectively allocate limited heterogeneous network resources to improve content delivery for massive application services to ensure network quality of service (QoS) becomes particularly urgent in heterogeneous network environments. To cope with the explosive mobile traffic caused by emerging Internet services, this paper designs an intelligent optimization strategy based on deep reinforcement learning (DRL) for resource allocation in heterogeneous cloud-edge-end collaboration environments. Meanwhile, the asymmetrical control problem caused by complex dynamic services and heterogeneous network environments is discussed and overcome by distributed cooperation among cloud-edge-end nodes in the system. Specifically, the multi-layer heterogeneous resource allocation problem is formulated as a maximal traffic offloading model, where content caching and request aggregation mechanisms are utilized. A novel DRL policy is proposed to improve content distribution by making cache replacement and task scheduling for arriving content requests in accordance with the information about users’ history requests, in-network cache capacity, available link bandwidth and topology structure. The performance of our proposed solution and its similar counterparts are analyzed in different network conditions.
Experimental Study on Dielectric Fluid Immersion Cooling for Thermal Management of Lithium-Ion Battery
Authors: Han Jeong-Woo , Garud Kunal Sandip , Hwang Seong-Guk , Lee Moo-Yeon
Published: October 2022

The rapidly growing commercialization of electric vehicles demands higher capacity lithium-ion batteries with higher heat generation which degrades the lifespan and performance of batteries. The currently widely used indirect liquid cooling imposes disadvantages of the higher thermal resistance and coolant leakage which has diverted the attention to the direct liquid cooling for the thermal management of batteries. The present study conducts the experimental investigation on discharge and heat transfer characteristics of lithium-ion battery with direct liquid cooling for the thermal management. The 18,650 lithium-ion cylindrical battery pack is immersed symmetrically in dielectric fluid. The discharge voltage and capacity, maximum temperature, temperature difference, average temperature, heat absorbed, and heat transfer coefficient are investigated under various conditions of discharge rates, inlet temperatures, and volume flow rates of coolant. The operating voltage and discharge capacity are decreasing with increase in the volume flow rate and decrease in the inlet temperature for all discharge rates. At the higher discharge rate of 4C, the lowest battery maximum temperatures of 60.2 °C and 44.6 °C and the highest heat transfer coefficients of 2884.25 W/m2-K and 2290.19 W/m2-K are reported for the highest volume flow rate of 1000 mLPM and the lowest inlet temperature of 15 °C, respectively.
On the Construction of Growth Models via Symmetric Copulas and Stochastic Differential Equations
Authors: Rupšys Petras , Petrauskas Edmundas
Published: October 2022

By nature, growth regulatory networks in biology are dynamic and stochastic, and feedback regulates their growth function at different ages. In this study, we carried out a stochastic modeling of growth networks and demonstrated this method using three mixed effect four-parameter Gompertz-type diffusion processes and a combination thereof using the conditional normal copula function. Using the conditional normal copula, newly derived univariate distributions can be combined into trivariate and bivariate distributions, and their corresponding conditional bivariate and univariate distributions. The link between the predictor variable and the remaining one or two explanatory variables can be formalized using copula-type densities and a numerical integration procedure. In this study, for parameter estimation, we used a semiparametric maximum pseudo-likelihood estimator procedure, which was characterized by a two-step technique, namely, separately estimating the parameters of the marginal distributions and the parameters of the copula. The results were illustrated using two observed longitudinal datasets, the first of which included the age, diameter, and potentially available area of 39,437 trees (48 stands), while the second included the age, diameter, potentially available area, and height of 8604 trees (47 stands) covering uneven mixed-species (pine, spruce, and birch) stands. All results were implemented using the MAPLE symbolic algebra system.
Aflatoxin Contamination of Maize, Groundnut, and Sorghum Grown in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger and Aflatoxin Exposure Assessment
Authors: Falade Titilayo D. O. , Neya Adama , Bonkoungou Saïdou , Dagno Karim , Basso Adamou , Senghor Amadou Lamine , Atehnkeng Joseph , Ortega-Beltran Alejandro , Bandyopadhyay Ranajit
Published: October 2022

Aflatoxin contamination of staple crops by Aspergillus flavus and closely related fungi is common across the Sahel region of Africa. Aflatoxins in maize, groundnut, and sorghum collected at harvest or from farmers’ stores within two weeks of harvest from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger were quantified. Thereafter, aflatoxin exposure values were assessed using per capita consumption rates of those crops. Mean aflatoxin concentrations in maize were high, 128, 517, and 659 µg/kg in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, respectively. The estimated probable daily intake (PDI) of aflatoxins from maize ranged from 6 to 69, 29 to 432, and 310 to 2100 ng/kg bw/day in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, respectively. Similarly, mean aflatoxin concentrations in sorghum were high, 76 and 259 µg/kg in Mali and Niger, respectively, with an estimated PDI of 2–133 and 706–2221. For groundnut, mean aflatoxin concentrations were 115, 277, and 628 µg/kg in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, respectively. Aflatoxin exposure values were high with an estimated 9, 28, and 126 liver cancer cases/100,000 persons/year in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, respectively. Several samples were extremely unsafe, exceeding manyfold regulatory levels of diverse countries (up to 2000 times more). Urgent attention is needed across the Sahel for integrated aflatoxin management for public health protection, food and nutrition security, and access to trade opportunities.
The Economic and Fiscal Impact of Influenza Vaccination for Health Care Workers in Italy
Authors: Calabrò Giovanna , Rumi Filippo , Fallani Elettra , Ricciardi Roberto , Cicchetti Americo
Published: October 2022

Influenza has a significant impact on the health care system and also on production and economic systems. Vaccinated health care workers (HCWs) are more likely to have improved productivity compared to unvaccinated workers. The study aim was to estimate the economic and fiscal impact of an influenza vaccination program for HCWs in Italy. We performed a cost analysis aimed to estimate the indirect costs (productivity losses due to working days lost) and the increase in tax revenues derived from the increase in vaccination coverage among HCWs. Assuming an incremental increase in vaccination coverage of 10% per year over a period of 5 years, total savings could be obtained in terms of a reduction in productivity losses equal to −€4,475,497.16 and an increase in tax revenues of €327,158.84. This revenue could be used to finance other health interventions. Our results are fundamental in view of the sustainability of health systems and of a value-based allocation of health resources. Therefore, a complete social perspective, including the fiscal impact of flu vaccination, should be adopted to assess the economic value of influenza vaccines. Currently, health policies based on the whole value of flu vaccination are needed.
Morganella Morganii Infection in Hirudo Medicinalis (Iran): A Case Report
Authors: Rahmati Holasoo Hooman , Tamai Iradj Ashrafi , Brück Wolfram Manuel , Pakbin Babak , Nasiri Alireza , Azizi Amirparsa
Published: October 2022

Medicinal leeches (Hirudo medicinalis) are used in surgical and non-surgical manners. Morganella morganii is an opportunistic and zoonotic pathogenic bacterium causing serious clinical complications. In this study, we isolated, discovered and characterized M. morganii-infected H. medicinalis. We detected and identified M. morganii in all inflamed and swollen Hirudo medicinalis samples. The 16S rRNA sequence of the isolates confirmed all strains of M. morganii. All strains were sensitive to Ceftriaxone, Ceftiofur, Danofloxacin, Ciprofloxacin, Enrofloxacin, Oxytetracycline, and Meropenem and were resistant to Erythromycin, Amoxicillin, Ampicillin, Cefazolin, Colistin, Penicillin G, and Lincomycin. This pathogenic bacterium is a zoonotic pathogen, and monitoring the prevalence rate of this bacteria is strongly necessary for leeches used in human medical treatment and care. Finally, all infected leeches were treated successfully in this case report study.
A Literature Review and Result Interpretation of the System Identification of Arch Dams Using Seismic Monitoring Data
Authors: Cheng Lin , Ma Chunhui , Yuan Xina , Yang Jie , Hu Liangcai , Zheng Dongjian
Published: October 2022

The system identification of concrete dams using seismic monitoring data can reveal the practical dynamic properties of structures during earthquakes and provide valuable information for the analysis of structural seismic response, finite element model calibration, and the assessment of postearthquake structural damage. In this investigation, seismic monitoring data of the Pacoima arch dam were used to identify the structural modal parameters. The identified modal parameters of the Pacoima arch dam, derived in different previous studies that used forced vibration tests (FVT), numerical calculation, and seismic monitoring, were compared. Meanwhile, different modal identification results using the input-output (IO) methods and the output-only (OO) identification methods as well as the linear time-varying (LTV) modal identification method were adopted to compare the modal identification results. Taking into account the different excitation, seismic input, and modal identification methods, the reasons for the differences among these identification results were analyzed, and some existing problems in the current modal identification of concrete dams are pointed out. These analysis results provide valuable guidance regarding the selection of appropriate identification methods and the evaluation of the system identification results for practical engineering applications.
Analysis and Parameter Design of SiC-Based Current Source Inverter (CSI)
Authors: Yang Xingjian , Zhao Zhennan , Wang Cheng , Xu Jianzhi , Liu Kefu , Qiu Jian
Published: October 2022

Current source inverters (CSIs) use inductors as the major component to store energy. Compared with voltage source inverters (VSIs), CSIs have two advantages: 1. They can avoid the converter failure caused by capacitor failures, and 2. The load current does not increase with load mutation or even short-circuit failure. Therefore, CSIs can be a promising technology for EV charging. However, the waveforms, parameter design procedure, and power efficiency are still unclear. Therefore, it is unclear if CSIs are suitable for EV chargers. This article derives the closed-loop equations of the critical components, including the inductor current waveforms and the voltage ripple. Especially, the load over-voltage phenomenon is derived and verified to further ensure the reliability of the CSI system. Based on the derived equations and reliability requirements, the parameter design procedure is proposed. The power efficiency of both the Si- and SiC-based converters are derived and compared to remove the barrier of applying CSIs in EV chargers in the industry. Our simulations and experiments verify the correctness of the system modeling, over-voltage phenomenon, and power efficiency. All the simulation files (using PLECS) and calculation files (using MATLAB) are attached for the readers to verify and/or further modify.
En Venezuela, "Todo está muy normal"
Authors: Stefanoni Pablo
Published: October 2022

La situación venezolana se ha venido transformando en el plano interno y externo. Se observa una consolidación de Nicolás Maduro en el poder, en medio de un esfuerzo del gobierno bolivariano por mostrar que el país salió del pozo, pese a las sanciones económicas. La coyuntura política latinoamericana y la invasión rusa de Ucrania han cambiado también el contexto geopolítico internacional. Con negociaciones en varios planos entre Caracas y Washington, la oposición —al igual que el debilitado “gobierno encargado”— busca reposicionarse en el nuevo escenario —y reorganizarse internamente— con vistas a las presidenciales de 2024.
Fine-grained Image Classification using Convolutional Neural Network and Support Vector Machine
Authors: Shi Yu , Lin Tao , He Wei , Chen Biao , Wang Ruixia , Jiang Nan , Zhang Yabo
Published: October 2022

Although vast neural network models can classify images, sub-classification for each image class requires retraining the exisiting model with new fine-grained data, subject to high training cost and uncertain classification accuracy. To solve the aforementioned problems, a method using Convolution Neural Network and Support Vector Machine is proposed, where the former extracts general features from images for sub-classification while the latter categorizes these features. The method can be rapidly deployed in most Internet of Things systems to identify various targets; its effectiveness in reducing training cost and improving classification accuracy is verified through experiments.
The prevalence of documented cardiovascular-related pregnancy complications: cross-sectional study in an academic primary care centre
Authors: Bhat Shivani , Elman Debbie , Pyakurel Aakriti , Fleming Karen
Published: October 2022

Background

Pregnancy and the postpartum period offer a unique opportunity to identify patients with risk factors leading to premature cardiovascular disease (CVD), which often go unrecognised.

Aim

This study investigates self-reported prevalence of CVD-related pregnancy complications and its documentation in electronic medical records (EMRs) in an academic family health team (AFHT).

Design & setting

A retrospective cross-sectional survey conducted from 2016 to 2017 in an AFHT.

Method

The survey assessed self-reported pregnancy complications and obstetric histories of adult females. EMRs of responders who provided consent were appraised for documented pregnancy complications, and management of traditional cardiovascular risk factors post-pregnancy.

Results

Out of 211 responders, 28% (n= 60) had at least one pregnancy complication reported in the survey and/or in the EMR, of which 67% (n= 40) had the complication documented in their EMR. The most prevalent complications were preterm birth (PTB; 12%,n= 25), hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP; 10%,n= 22), and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM; 7%,n= 14). Twenty-nine per cent (n= 4) of the patients with GDM had a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test result documented post-pregnancy. Of those with HDP, 36% (n= 8) had body mass index and 50% (n= 11) had a blood pressure measurement recorded after delivery.

Conclusion

There has been a significant lack of documentation of pregnancy-related cardiovascular risk factors and subsequent management, introducing a missed opportunity for early cardiovascular intervention. Adequate documentation of pregnancy complications in the EMR and better transitions in care between obstetric and primary care teams could potentially enable clinicians to intervene early and better manage females at increased risk of CVD.
Fake News e Covid-19: análise de projetos governamentais brasileiros de checagem de fatos
Authors: Lemos André , Reis Guilherme
Published: October 2022

O objetivo deste artigo é mostrar que em três projetos governamentais de checagem de informações falsas, a estrutura da verificação é similar à das Fake News (FN) que pretendem combater. Os projetos nem sempre apresentam provas concretas com referências claras e objetivas sobre a falseabilidade das informações. Investigamos duas iniciativas do governo federal (Saúde sem Fake News e Ministério da Saúde Responde) e uma do governo baiano (Bahia contra o Fake), cujo intuito é checar informações sobre a pandemia de Covid-19 e informar ao público sobre a veracidade ou não destas. Foram analisadas todas as checagens dos três projetos entre fevereiro e setembro de 2020. Apontamos ainda que, devido à forma de divulgação dessas checagens, torna-se imprescindível que as ações de verificação de informações falsas sejam disseminadas em rede para que surtam efeito e para que também ocorram iniciativas contra os seus financiadores, visto que não acontece em nenhum desses projetos. Eles se restringem apenas a publicar as checagens nos sites e no bot do WhatsApp, o que limita bastante o alcance e a eficiência da ação contra as FN.