bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Experimental Study on Engineering Characteristics of High-Speed Railway Subgrade Filler in Island Permafrost Regions
Authors: Liu Xiaohe , Cai Degou , Yan Hongye , Bi Zongqi , Li Zhuqing
Published: February 2023

The high-speed railway (HSR) subgrade has a strict settlement-control standard at the mm level, but its deformation stability is significantly threatened on permafrost with poor thermal stability and in susceptible-to-thawing settlements. Therefore, the filler suitable for permafrost regions needs to be explored and determined. In this study, the frost heaves, permeabilities and static strength characteristics of three coarse fillers were experimentally investigated, and the optimal subgrade filler was determined for the certain HSR, the first HSR in permafrost regions around the world. The test fillers include pure fillers, 5% cement improved fillers and 5% cement + 3% modifier improved fillers, and the effects of curing time, modifier content and freeze–thaw cycles were analyzed. The test results show that: (1) the frost heave rate and permeability coefficient decrease with the increase of curing time and modifier content, while increasing with the freeze-thaw cycles; (2) After six freeze–thaw cycles, the cement + modifier improved filler’s frost heave rate and permeability coefficient are 0.51 and 0.00331 cm/s, a larger decrease in the frost heave rate (more than 50%) and the permeability coefficient (about one order of magnitude) than that of pure filler; (3) The cement + modifier improved filler shares the highest compressive strength under different curing times and freeze-thaw cycles. In summary, the modifier has a more significant influence on the engineering characteristics than the curing time or freeze-thaw cycles, and the cement + modifier improved filler has the best comprehensive performance. This study will provide a technical reference for the foundation-treatment and disease-prevention of HSRs in island permafrost regions.
Research on Automatic Pavement Crack Recognition Based on the Mask R-CNN Model
Authors: Wang Pengcheng , Wang Chao , Liu Hongwu , Liang Ming , Zheng Wenhui , Wang Hao , Zhu Shichao , Zhong Guoqiang , Liu Shang
Published: February 2023

Pavement will inevitably be damaged in the process of use; pavement damage detection and assessment are an important part of maintenance management. In order to prevent road diseases, it is necessary to fix the road cracks and implement automatic road crack inspection and monitoring. In this paper, the automatic identification of road cracks is realized by constructing the Mask R-CNN model. The labeled area can be segmented by pixels and positioned at the original data by integrating the image data used for training and the labeled data into a network model. The effect of the training model can be improved by increasing the number of data sets, the pixel of the fracture image, the background of the fracture, and the marking method of the fracture type. The validity and accuracy of the test results were characterized by RPN bounding-box loss, classification loss, mask loss, and total loss.
Modeling Collaborative Behaviors in Energy Ecosystems
Authors: Adu-Kankam Kankam O. , Camarinha-Matos Luis M.
Published: February 2023

The notions of a collaborative virtual power plant ecosystem (CVPP-E) and a cognitive household digital twin (CHDT) have been proposed as contributions to the efficient organization and management of households within renewable energy communities (RECs). CHDTs can be modeled as software agents that are designed to possess some cognitive capabilities, enabling them to make autonomous decisions on behalf of their human owners based on the value system of their physical twin. Due to their cognitive and decision-making capabilities, these agents can exhibit some behavioral attributes, such as engaging in diverse collaborative actions aimed at achieving some common goals. These behavioral attributes can be directed to the promotion of sustainable energy consumption in the ecosystem. Along this line, this work demonstrates various collaborative practices that include: (1) collaborative roles played by the CVPP manager such as (a) opportunity seeking and goal formulation, (b) goal proposition/invitation to form a coalition or virtual organization, and (c) formation and dissolution of coalitions; and (2) collaborative roles played by CHDTs which include (a) acceptance or decline of an invitation based on (i) delegation/non-delegation and (ii) value system compatibility/non-compatibility, and (b) the sharing of common resources. This study adopts a simulation technique that involves the integration of multiple simulation methods such as system dynamics, agent-based, and discrete event simulation techniques in a single simulation environment. The outcome of this study confirms the potential of adding cognitive capabilities to CHDTs and further shows that these agents could exhibit certain collaborative attributes, enabling them to become suitable as rational decision-making agents in households.
Modeling 2D Arrangements of Graphene Nanoribbons
Authors: Tene Talia , Guevara Marco , Bonilla García Nataly , Borja Myrian , Vacacela Gomez Cristian
Published: February 2023

In the last two decades, interest in graphene has grown extensively due to its extraordinary properties and potential for various applications such as sensing and communication. However, graphene is intrinsically a semimetal with a zero bandgap, which considerably delays its use where a suitable bandgap is required. In this context, quasi-one-dimensional counterparts known as graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) have demonstrated sizeable bandgaps and versatile electronic properties, which make them promising candidates for photonic and plasmonic applications. While progress has recently been made toward the synthesis of GNRs, theoretical models to envisage their electronic and optical properties have been restricted to ab initio approaches, which are not feasible for wide systems because of the large number of atoms tangled. Here, we use a semi-analytical model based on Dirac cone approximation to show the adjustable electronic and plasmonic characteristics of wide and experimental GNRs, both freestanding and non-freestanding. This approach utilizes the group velocity of graphene, which is calculated using density functional computations (vF=0.829×106 m s−1), as the primary input. Importantly, our research reveals that at the terahertz level, the plasmon-momentum dispersion is highly responsive to changes by varying the ribbon width or charge carrier concentrations, the other involved parameters can be manipulated by setting values from experiments or more sophisticated predictions. In particular, this model can replicate the electronic properties of GNRs on Ge(001) and GNRs on Au(111). From the plasmonic side, the plasmon spectrum of graphene microribbon arrays of 4 μm wide on Si/SiO2 and GNR arrays on Si are found in good agreement with experiments. The potential use of GNRs in sensing molecules such as chlorpyrifos-methyl is also discussed. Chlorpyrifos-methyl is chosen as the test molecule because it is a commonly used insecticide in agriculture, but its high toxicity to organisms and humans makes it a concern. It has been established that the plasmon resonances of all the studied GNRs occur at the same frequency as chlorpyrifos-methyl, which is 0.95 THz. Our findings can serve as a useful guide for future experiments.
Hilarini (Diptera: Empididae) from the Auckland Islands New Zealand, the Homoplastic Loss of the Male Silk-Producing Basitarsus in Two Insular Species, and Notes on the Empidoidea of the Subantarctic Islands
Authors: Bickel Daniel J.
Published: February 2023

The New Zealand taxa of the superfamily Empidoidea (minus Dolichopodidae) are briefly summarized. Two species, Hilara ranui n. sp. and Hilarempis motumaka n. sp. (Diptera: Empididae: Empidinae), from the Auckland Islands of New Zealand, where they appear to be common, are described. Both species show a homoplastic loss or reversal of the swollen, silk-producing, fore basitarsi characteristic of males in their respective genera. The environmental conditions of the Subantartic islands and their selective pressure on empidoid taxa are discussed.
Delimitation of Some Taxa of Ulnaria and Fragilaria (Bacillariophyceae) Based on Genetic, Morphological Data and Mating Compatibility
Authors: Zakharova Yulia , Marchenkov Artyom , Petrova Darya , Bukin Yurij , Morozov Aleksey , Bedoshvili Yekaterina , Podunay Yulia , Davidovich Olga , Davidovich Nikolai , Bondar Alexander , Kahlert Maria , Likhoshway Yelena
Published: February 2023

Fragilaria and Ulnaria are two closely related diatom genera for which the delimitation and circumscription of several species is unclear. We studied strains isolated from Lake Baikal and compared them with the species from freshwater reservoirs in Europe and Asia using phylogenetic and species delimitation methods, microscopy and interclonal crossing experiments. The results of the phylogenetic analyses of the fragments of rbcL and 18S rRNA genes revealed that baikalian F. radians clade was independent from the representatives of the genus from other localities. Among Ulnaria we found the following 18S rRNA phylogenetic tree groups at species level: U. acus, U. ulna and U. danica. Genetic distance between genera varied between 3.9–10.2% substitutions in rbcL gene and 3.2–11.5% in 18S rRNA. The boundary between intraspecies and interspecies polymorphism for studied species of Ulnaria and Fragilaria in these marker genes was around 0.8% substitutions. Morphometric characters of individual strains showed their variability and division into F. radians, U. acus and U. ulna together with U. danica. Strains of U. acus and U. danica from different localities of Europe and Asia were sexually compatible inside the species. Sexual reproduction has never been observed in monoclonal cultures, either between this species or with strains of the Fragilaria.
Role of Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Characterization of Mediastinal Lymphadenopathy
Authors: Ramamoorthy Eniyavel , Garg Mandeep , Singh Paramjeet , Aggarwal Ashutosh N. , Gupta Nalini
Published: February 2023

Background: To assess the diagnostic performance of diffusion-weighted (DW) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the characterization of mediastinal lymph nodes and compare them with morphological parameters. Methods: A total of 43 untreated patients with mediastinal lymphadenopathy underwent DW and T2 weighted MRI followed by pathological examination in the period from January 2015 to June 2016. The presence of diffusion restriction, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value, short axis dimensions (SAD), and T2 heterogeneous signal intensity of the lymph nodes were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and forward step-wise multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: The ADC of malignant lymphadenopathy was significantly lower (0.873 ± 0.109 × 10−3 mm2/s) than that of benign lymphadenopathy (1.663 ± 0.311 × 10−3 mm2/s) (p = 0.001). When an ADC of 1.0955 × 10−3 mm2/s was used as a threshold value for differentiating malignant from benign nodes, the best results were obtained with a sensitivity of 94%, a specificity of 96%, and an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.996. A model combining the other three MRI criteria showed less sensitivity (88.9%) and specificity (92%) compared to the ADC-only model. Conclusion: The ADC was the strongest independent predictor of malignancy. The addition of other parameters failed to show any increase in sensitivity and specificity.
Investigating the Use of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Odor Expression as a Non-Invasive Diagnostic Tool—Pilot Study
Authors: Crespo-Cajigas Janet , Gokool Vidia A. , Ramírez Torres Andrea , Forsythe Liam , Abella Benjamin S. , Holness Howard K. , Johnson Alan T. Charlie , Postrel Richard , Furton Kenneth G.
Published: February 2023

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been enormous interest in the development of measures that would allow for the swift detection of the disease. The rapid screening and preliminary diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection allow for the instant identification of possibly infected individuals and the subsequent mitigation of the disease spread. Herein, the detection of SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals was explored using noninvasive sampling and low-preparatory-work analytical instrumentation. Hand odor samples were obtained from SARS-CoV-2-positive and -negative individuals. The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were extracted from the collected hand odor samples using solid phase microextraction (SPME) and analyzed using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Sparse partial least squares discriminant analysis (sPLS-DA) was used to develop predictive models using the suspected variant sample subsets. The developed sPLS-DA models performed moderately (75.8% (±0.4) accuracy, 81.8% sensitivity, 69.7% specificity) at distinguishing between SARS-CoV-2-positive and negative -individuals based on the VOC signatures alone. Potential markers for distinguishing between infection statuses were preliminarily acquired using this multivariate data analysis. This work highlights the potential of using odor signatures as a diagnostic tool and sets the groundwork for the optimization of other rapid screening sensors such as e-noses or detection canines.
Measurement of Uncertainty in Prediction of No-Reflow Phenomenon after Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Using Systemic Immune Inflammation Index: The Gray Zone Approach
Authors: Ozturk Ebru , Esenboga Kerim , Kurtul Alparslan , Kilickap Mustafa , Karaagaoglu Ergun , Karakaya Jale
Published: February 2023

Systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), which is a good predictive marker for coronary artery disease, can be calculated by using platelet, neutrophil, and lymphocyte counts. The no-reflow occurrence can also be predicted using the SII. The aim of this study is to reveal the uncertainty of SII for diagnosing ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients who were admitted for primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for the no-reflow phenomenon. A total of 510 consecutive acute (STEMI) patients with primary PCI were reviewed and included retrospectively. For diagnostic tests which are not a gold standard, there is always an overlap between the results of patients with and without a certain disease. In the literature, for quantitative diagnostic tests where the diagnosis is not certain, two approaches have been proposed, named “grey zone” and “uncertain interval”. The uncertain area of the SII, which is given the general term “gray zone” in this article, was constructed and its results were compared with the “grey zone” and “uncertain interval” approaches. The lower and upper limits of the gray zone were found to be 611.504–1790.827 and 1186.576–1565.088 for the grey zone and uncertain interval approaches, respectively. A higher number of patients inside the gray zone and higher performance outside the gray zone were found for the grey zone approach. One should be aware of the differences between the two approaches when making a decision. The patients who were in this gray zone should be observed carefully for detection of the no-reflow phenomenon.
The Diagnostic and Prognostic Role of Biomarkers in Chronic Rhinosinusitis
Authors: Seah Jun Jie , Thong Mark , Wang De Yun
Published: February 2023

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) refers to an inflammatory disease of the sinonasal mucosa, with a significant economic burden and impact on quality of life. The diagnosis of CRS is conventionally made on careful history and physical examination, including nasoendoscopic assessment which requires technical expertise. There has been increasing interest in using biomarkers in the non-invasive diagnosis and prognostication of CRS, tailored to the disease inflammatory endotype. Potential biomarkers currently being studied can be isolated from peripheral blood, exhaled nasal gases or nasal secretions, as well as sinonasal tissue. In particular, various biomarkers have revolutionized the way in which CRS is managed, revealing new inflammatory pathways where novel therapeutic drugs are employed to curb the inflammatory process, which may be different from one patient to the next. Biomarkers that have been extensively studied in CRS, such as eosinophil count, IgE, and IL-5, have been associated with a TH2 inflammatory endotype which correlates with an eosinophilic CRSwNP phenotype that predicts a poorer prognosis, tends to recur after conventional surgical treatment, but responds to glucocorticoid treatment. Newer biomarkers that demonstrate potential, such as nasal nitric oxide, can support a diagnosis of CRS with or without nasal polyps, especially when invasive tests such as nasoendoscopy are unavailable. Other biomarkers such as periostin can be used to monitor disease course after treatment of CRS. With a personalized treatment plan, the management of CRS can be individualized, optimizing treatment efficiency and reducing adverse outcomes. As such, this review aims to compile and summarize the existing literature regarding the utility of biomarkers in CRS in terms of diagnosis and prognostication, and also makes recommendations for further studies to fill current knowledge gaps.
The Cauchy Distribution in Information Theory
Authors: Verdú Sergio
Published: February 2023

The Gaussian law reigns supreme in the information theory of analog random variables. This paper showcases a number of information theoretic results which find elegant counterparts for Cauchy distributions. New concepts such as that of equivalent pairs of probability measures and the strength of real-valued random variables are introduced here and shown to be of particular relevance to Cauchy distributions.
FESSD: Feature Enhancement Single Shot MultiBox Detector Algorithm for Remote Sensing Image Target Detection
Authors: Guo Jianxin , Wang Zhen , Zhang Shanwen
Published: February 2023

Automatic target detection of remote sensing images (RSI) plays an important role in military surveillance and disaster monitoring. The core task of RSI target detection is to judge the target categories and precise location. However, the existing target detection algorithms have limited accuracy and weak generalization capability for RSI with complex backgrounds. This study presents a novel feature enhancement single shot multibox detector (FESSD) algorithm for remote sensing target detection to achieve accurate detection of different categories targets. The FESSD introduces feature enhancement module and attention mechanism into the convolution neural networks (CNN) model, which can effectively enhance the feature extraction ability and nonlinear relationship between different convolution features. Specifically, the feature enhancement module is used to extract the multi-scale feature information and enhance the model nonlinear learning ability; the self-learning attention mechanism (SAM) is used to expand the convolution kernel local receptive field, which makes the model extract more valuable features. In addition, the nonlinear relationship between different convolution features is enhanced using the feature pyramid attention mechanism (PAM). The experimental results show that the mAP value of the proposed method reaches 81.9% and 81.2% on SD-RSI and DIOR datasets, which is superior to other compared state-of-the-art methods.
Experimental Research on the Effect of Particle Parameters on Dynamic Stall Characteristics of the Wind Turbine Airfoil
Authors: Li Deshun , He Ting , Wang Qing
Published: February 2023

The frequent appearance of sandy and dusty weather in Northwest China impacts the wind turbine. Meanwhile, the non-constant phenomena, dynamic stall speed during the wind turbine operation, will lead to large load fluctuations and unsafe operation. However, few studies have been conducted at home and abroad on the effect of particle parameters on the dynamic stall of airfoils. This paper investigates the impact of particle parameters on the airfoil dynamic stall through numerical simulation of the coupling between the continuous phase and discrete phase by using the SST k-ω turbulence model for a two-dimensional NACA 0012 airfoil. The effect of particle parameters on the airfoil dynamic stall aerodynamic performance, the impact of the flow field around the airfoil, and the particles motion were studied, respectively. The investigation shows a reduction in the aerodynamic performance of the airfoil, due to the addition of particles. The effect is more prominent under a large angle of attack and less under a small angle of attack. When the angle of attack increases, the loss rate of lift coefficient in the windy and sandy environment gradually decreases, while irregular fluctuations emerge when the angle of attack decreases, and the overall rate of change increases more significantly, compared to the stage of the increasing angle of attack. For the particle diameter under 50 μm, the larger the particle diameter, the more significant the change of lift coefficient becomes, as well as the larger the vortex volume near the airfoil’s leading edge, and a large number of particles gather at the suction surface of the airfoil. For the particle diameter of 50 μm, the lift coefficient decreases at any angle of attack of the airfoil movement to the oscillation cycle, the vortex volume decreases, and a large number of particles gather at the pressure surface of the airfoil. However, for particle diameters above 50 μm, the lift coefficient gets reduced, followed by a decrease in the vortex volume near the airfoil leading edge with the increase of particle diameter, so that plenty of particles gather on the pressure surface of that airfoil. At the stage of increasing the airfoil angle of attack, with the increase of particle concentration, there is a gradual decrease of the peak lift coefficient and stall angle of attack of the airfoil, as well as a corresponding decrease of the drag coefficient divergence angle of attack and peak value. In contrast, when the airfoil angle of attack is decreased, the airflow reattachment process obviously lags behind that of the clean air. As the particle concentration increases, the airfoil separation point occurs earlier, and the higher the concentration, the earlier the separation point. The erosion maximum airfoil erosion rate increases with the particle concentration.
Load Evaluation for Tower Design of Large Floating Offshore Wind Turbine System According to Wave Conditions
Authors: Ahn Hyeonjeong , Ha Yoon-Jin , Kim Kyong-Hwan
Published: February 2023

This study entailed a load evaluation for the tower design of a large floating offshore wind turbine system in accordance with the wave conditions. The target model includes the IEA 15 MW reference wind turbine and a semi-submersible VolturnUS-S reference floating offshore wind turbine platform from the University of Maine. The OpenFAST, which is an aero-hydro-servo-elastic fully coupled analysis tool, was used for load analysis. The DLC1.2 and 1.6 were used as the design load cases, and the environmental conditions suitable for the design load cases were cited in the VolturnUS-S platform report. Load evaluation was performed according to time series and FFT results. The findings of the study are as follows: first, in the correlation analysis, the tower-top deflection had the highest correlation, and this further affects nacelle acceleration. Second, the tower-base pitch moment increased with the significant wave height. However, the wave peak period increased until it matched the tower-top deflection frequency and decreased thereafter. Third, the comparison between the normal and severe sea state conditions revealed that the tower-base pitch moments for the two conditions are almost similar, despite the conditions wherein the wave spectral energy differs by a factor of 3.5. Fourth, the tower shape is changed while adjusting the diameter of the tower, and the tower-top and tower-base pitch moments are reviewed using a redesigned tower. Even if the mass is the same, adjusting the diameter of the tower reduces only the pitch moment.
The Structural and Electromagnetic Comparative Analysis of the Bifilar-Meander-Type Winding Method of Superconducting DC Circuit Breaker
Authors: Park Sang-Yong , Kim Geon-Woong , Jeong Ji-Sol , Choi Hyo-Sang
Published: February 2023

As the utilization of DC systems increases worldwide, the importance of DC cutoff technology is increasing. We proposed a hybrid DC cutoff technology combining an SFCL (superconducting fault-current-limiter) and a mechanical DC circuit breaker. This model can perform a fault-current-limiting operation through the quenching of the SFCL and a breaking operation through an artificial cutoff zero point of a mechanical DC circuit breaker. In particular, the SFCL is responsible for the growth of the initial fault current according to the DC characteristics. As the DC system’s supply and demand increase, the DC system’s capacity also increases. Therefore, the fault-current-limiting capability of the SFCL should be increased according to the increasing DC system breaking capacity. The fault-current-limiting capability can be increased by increasing the superconducting wires used in the SFCL. Current commercially available SFCLs use bifilar-helical-type and bifilar-spiral-type winding methods. These have the disadvantage of increased volume with increased capacity. To compensate for these disadvantages, we proposed a bifilar-meander-type winding method. In this paper, a new bifilar-meander-type winding method was introduced. In addition, the structural and electromagnetic parts of the existing winding method and the bifilar-meander-type winding method were compared and analyzed for differences. The program used for this analysis is the electromagnetic analysis Maxwell program. As a result, it was confirmed that the bifilar-meander-type winding method is superior to the conventional bifilar-helical and bifilar-spiral types.
Experimental Analysis of Reaction Heat of CO2 Absorption of Phase Change Absorber AEP-DPA at Low Partial Pressure
Authors: Lu Shijian , Yang Fei , Zhang Juanjuan , Wang Ning , Liu Ling , Kang Guojun , Zhao Dongya , Yu Xulin , Li Qingfang
Published: February 2023

The reaction heat of CO2 absorption by organic amines is directly related to the regenerative heat consumption of absorbers. Therefore, it is necessary to study and determine the heat of absorption reaction and heat of regeneration reaction of CO2 capture solvent before its industrial validation and application. According to the law of thermodynamics, a computer model of the heat of absorption reaction and desorption reaction is established and verified. The heat of reaction of the AEP-DPA phase transition absorption system was studied under different ratios, absorption temperatures, reaction concentrations and reaction pressures. The heat of reaction increases with concentration and decreases with pressure. The reaction heat of the AEP-DPA phase transition absorption system and MEA were compared. The optimum reaction conditions were as follows: AEP-DPA ratio 6:4, absorption temperature 40 °C. The reduction rate of absorption heat and regenerative heat of the AEP-DPA phase change absorption system is more than 35% and 31%, respectively.
Development and Experimental Characterization of an Innovative Tank-in-Tank Hybrid Sensible–Latent Thermal Energy Storage System
Authors: Frazzica Andrea , Palomba Valeria , Freni Angelo
Published: February 2023

This study focuses on the development and testing under lab-controlled conditions of a hybrid sensible–latent thermal energy storage (TES) system for domestic hot water (DHW) provision in residential buildings. The TES system’s design is based, for the first time in the literature, on a commercial tank-in-tank architecture integrating a macro-encapsulated commercial phase change material (PCM) inside the external tank to guarantee the safe provision of DHW and increase overall energy storage density at a reasonable cost. The PCM is a salt hydrate with a nominal melting temperature of 58 °C. The overall tank-in-tank TES volume is about 540 dm3. Almost one tenth of this volume is occupied by the PCM macro-capsules. The developed TES system was comparatively tested against the same configuration operated as a sensible TES. The obtained results showed the ability of the PCM to increase the thermal inertia inside the external tank, thus guaranteeing the quite stable provision of heat to the integral DHW tank during the stand-by periods. This effect was confirmed by the PCM’s ability to achieve an energy storage capacity up to 16% higher than the reference sensible TES system.
Application of Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence for Interfacial Transfer Phenomena
Authors: Dulin Vladimir , Cherdantsev Andrey , Volkov Roman , Markovich Dmitriy
Published: February 2023

The present review describes the current achievements in the applications of a planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) method for the diagnostics of liquid films, bubbles, individual droplets, and sprays. Such flows are related with strongly curved interphases, which often results in additional high errors during the PLIF data quantification because of laser light reflection, refraction, and absorption. The present review demonstrates that a two-color PLIF approach and a PLIF modification for regularly structured illumination resolves the reflection- and refraction-caused errors. The latter modification ensures proper phase separation in the measurement cross-section and visualization of the interface dynamics. The former approach provides the accurate evaluation of the local temperature and concentration both in liquid and gaseous phases even in the case of strong variations of the laser sheet intensity. With intensified cameras, the PLIF method is used for multi-parameter diagnostics of the two-phase combustion of sprays in combustion chambers with optical access. It visualizes and quantifies the liquid fuel evaporation and mixing, to measure temperature in the gas and liquid phases and to reveal the regions of pollutant formation. The PLIF technique can also be easily combined with a particle image (or tracking) velocimetry method, to evaluate local heat and mass transfer.
Verification of Structural Strength of Spur Roads Constructed Using a Locally Developed Method for Mountainous Areas: A Case Study in Kochi University Forest, Japan
Authors: Suzuki Yasushi , Hashimoto Shouma , Aoki Haruka , Katayama Ituski , Yoshimura Tetsuhiko
Published: February 2023

Owing to steep terrain and complicated geology, constructing spur roads with low cost and sufficient strength is crucial for sustainable forest management in Japan. The Shimanto method was developed for making narrow spur roads robust against collapse around the 2000s in the Shimanto geology belt area, where the strata were slanted because of an accretion wedge. Kochi University Forest adopted this method and constructed some routes of spur roads in the 2010s. In the present study, we assessed the performance of this method in terms of the roadbed strength and bearing capacity. Two routes were selected, namely Sites 1 and 2, constructed in 2013–2016 and 2019–2021, and tested in 2017 and 2021, respectively. The roadbed strength was measured up to a depth of 100 cm using a handy dynamic cone penetrometer with a rammer of 5 kg. The results showed that the roadbed strength of the embankment side was weaker than that of the cut slope side, although the method was supposed to compact the roadbeds equally over the road width. However, most of the roadbeds had sufficient strength; the younger ones tended to have lower strength than the older ones, and the same tendency was observed for the bearing capacity. It was suggested that the soil under the road width should be excavated more widely toward the cut slope side before compaction.
Quantitative Genetics of a Hybrid Population of Eucalyptus nitens × Eucalyptus globulus: Estimation of Genetic Parameters and Implications for Breeding Strategies
Authors: Ibarra Luis , Hodge Gary , Acosta Juan José
Published: February 2023

In Chile, interspecific hybrids between Eucalyptus nitens × Eucalyptus globulus (GloNi) were developed by Arauco Forestry to capture specific traits from each parental species: growth rate and cold resistance from E. nitens (NIT) and wood properties from E. globulus (GLO). Field tests of E. nitens × E. globulus were distributed in two geographic zones: Arauco (12 tests) and Valdivia (15 tests), where growth and wood properties measurements were recorded at different ages. The hybrid population is composed of clones from 28 full-sib families, being the result of crossing 12 E. nitens females and 8 E. globulus males. Progeny from each of these families were vegetatively propagated and tested on each growth zone, with a total of 1214 clones developed. The quantitative genetic parameter estimates reveal high genetic variation in hybrid volume gain and wood properties, which make possible large genetic gain in all traits analyzed. Additionally, E. nitens has a considerable impact on the volume gain of the hybrid, making it important to test more parents in future interspecific crosses in both hybrid zones. In contrast, E. globulus demonstrated zero impact in volume. In wood traits, E. globulus in Arauco zone demonstrates a large effect on the genetic variability of these traits; meanwhile, in the Valdivia zone, E. nitens and E. globulus parents contributed roughly similar amounts of genetic variation. The high General Hybridizing Ability (GHA) and General Combining Ability (GCA) relationship between hybrid progeny and pure species progeny performance indicates that parents could be selected for interspecific crosses based on pure species test results for volume and wood properties.
Adaptation Responses of Dioecious and Hermaphroditic Tree Species to Abiotic Stress
Authors: Liu Xuejiao , Dong Tingfa , Zhang Sheng
Published: February 2023

As sessile organisms, plants must cope with an ever-changing environment, including frequent abiotic stresses that are detrimental to plant growth and development, e [...]
Study on Soil Moisture Characteristics in Southern China Karst Plant Community Structure Types
Authors: Gu Xing , Xiong Kangning , Wu Chenxu , Luo Ding
Published: February 2023

An understanding of soil moisture variation patterns under different plant community structures is crucial for the restoration of vegetation in southern China karst regions. Therefore, four plant community structure types: arbor + herb (AH), shrub + herb (SH), arbor + shrub + herb (ASH), and herb (H), were selected as the research objects. A soil moisture sensor was used to monitor the soil moisture content in the 0–70 cm soil layer, to analyze the variation characteristics of soil moisture content and to explore the differences under different plant community structure types. The results indicate that: (1) A total of 31 plant species in 31 genera and 18 families were recorded, among which herbs were the most abundant. There were significant differences in diversity indexes for ASH and H. The differences between Shannon–Wiener index and Simpson index of AH and H were significant, and between AH and SH in Pielou index and Simpson index were statistically significant. The Pielou index between SH and H was significantly different. (2) There were significant differences in soil water content among the four plant community types, showing SH > AH > H > ASH. The variation of soil moisture was consistent with the trend of rainfall, with the surface soil moisture more sensitive to rainfall events, and the deeper soil moisture had a lag. The Shannon–Wiener index was significantly and positively correlated with the Simpson index and the Margalef index. There was a highly significant positive correlation between Margalef index and Simpson index. The 20–30 cm soil layer was highly negatively correlated with the Margalef index and significantly and negatively correlated with the Shannon–Wiener index and the Simpson index. (3) The response of soil moisture of plant community structure types to light rain event was not obvious. The growth rates of soil water content in the 30–50 and 50–70 cm layers of the SH were higher in moderate rain event than that in heavy rain event, and H, AH, and ASH had larger growth rates in heavy rain events. The results provide a reference for the effective utilization of soil and water resources and the restoration of vegetation, as well as for plant community structure configuration decisions in the southern China karst region.
H2S Emission and Microbial Community of Chicken Manure and Vegetable Waste in Anaerobic Digestion: A Comparative Study
Authors: Tian Guangliang , Yeung Marvin , Xi Jinying
Published: February 2023

In order to solve the problem of H2S corrosion in biogas utilization, it is necessary to understand the characteristics and mechanisms of H2S production in chicken manure anaerobic digestion (CMAD) and vegetable waste anaerobic digestion (VWAD). In this study, lab-scale batch tests of CMAD and VWAD were conducted for 67 days at 35 °C. The results showed that sulfide was found to be the major form of sulfur in CMAD (accounting for 90%) and VWAD (70%). The average concentration of H2S was 198 ± 79 ppm in CMAD and 738 ± 210 ppm in VWAD. Moreover, 81% of total H2S was produced at 20 days of methane production in CMAD, but 80% of total H2S was produced in the first day in VWAD because of the rapid production of biogas and fermentation acidification. The sulfide ion equilibrium model could universally and feasibly predict the H2S production in CMAD and VWAD. The abundance of Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Euryarchaeota accounted for about 95% of the total microbes in both CMAD and VWAD; the influence of the fermentation stage on the microbial community was greater than that of the difference between CM and VW; the abundance of SRB was 0.01~0.07%, while that concerning organosulfur compounds fermentation was 22.8~30.5%. This study indicated that the H2S concentration of CMAD biogas was more than five times that of VWAD because CM is alkalescent but VW is acidic.
Fractal-Fractional Caputo Maize Streak Virus Disease Model
Authors: Ackora-Prah Joseph , Seidu Baba , Okyere Eric , Asamoah Joshua K. K.
Published: February 2023

Maize is one of the most extensively produced cereals in the world. The maize streak virus primarily infects maize but can also infect over 80 other grass species. Leafhoppers are the primary vectors of the maize streak virus. When feeding on plants, susceptible vectors can acquire the virus from infected plants, and infected vectors can transmit the virus to susceptible plants. However, because maize is normally patchy and leafhoppers are mobile, leafhoppers will always be foraging for food. Therefore, we want to look at how leafhoppers interact on maize farms using Holling’s Type III functional response in a Caputo fractal-fractional derivative sense. We show that the proposed model has unique positive solutions within a feasible region. We employed the Newton polynomial scheme to numerically simulate the proposed model to illustrate the qualitative results obtained. We also studied the relationship between the state variables and some epidemiological factors captured as model parameters. We observed that the integer-order versions of the model exaggerate the impact of the disease. We also observe that the increase in the leafhopper infestation on maize fields has a devastating effect on the health of maize plants and the subsequent yield. Furthermore, we noticed that varying the conversion rate of the infected leafhopper leads to a crossover effect in the number of healthy maize after 82 days. We also show the dynamics of varying the maize streak virus transmission rates. It indicates that when preventive measures are taken to reduce the transmission rates, it will reduce the low-yielding effect of maize due to the maize streak virus disease.
Exploiting Autophagy-Dependent Neoantigen Presentation in Tumor Microenvironment
Authors: Koustas Evangelos , Trifylli Eleni-Myrto , Sarantis Panagiotis , Papadopoulos Nikolaos , Papanikolopoulos Konstantinos , Aloizos Georgios , Damaskos Christos , Garmpis Nikolaos , Garmpi Anna , Matthaios Dimitris , Karamouzis Michalis V.
Published: February 2023

Autophagy constitutes a well-known homeostatic and catabolic process that is responsible for degradation and recycling of cellular components. It is a key regulatory mechanism for several cellular functions, whereas its dysregulation is associated with tumorigenesis, tumor–stroma interactions and resistance to cancer therapy. A growing body of evidence has proven that autophagy affects the tumor microenvironment, while it is also considered a key factor for function of several immune cells, such as APCs, T-cells, and macrophages. Moreover, it is implicated in presentation of neo-antigens of tumor cells in both MHC-I and MHC-II in dendritic cells (DCs) in functional activity of immune cells by creating T-cell memory, as well as in cross-presentation of neo-antigens for MHC-I presentation and the internalization process. Currently, autophagy has a crucial role in immunotherapy. Emergence of cancer immunotherapy has already shown some remarkable results, having changed therapeutic strategy in clinical practice for several cancer types. Despite these promising long-term responses, several patients seem to lack the ability to respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Thus, autophagy through neo-antigen presentation is a potential target in order to strengthen or attenuate the effects of immunotherapy against different types of cancer. This review will shed light on the recent advances and future directions of autophagy-dependent neo-antigen presentation and consequently its role in immunotherapy for malignant tumors.
Characterization of the MMP9 Gene and Its Association with Cryptocaryon irritans Resistance Traits in Trachinotus ovatus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Authors: Liu Jun , Zhu Ke-Cheng , Pan Jin-Min , Guo Hua-Yang , Liu Bao-Suo , Zhang Nan , Yang Jing-Wen , Zhang Dian-Chang
Published: February 2023

The MMPs are endogenous proteolytic enzymes that require zinc and calcium as cofactors. MMP9 is one of the most complex matrix metalloproteinases in the gelatinase family and has many biological functions. In mammals, mmp9 is thought to be closely associated with cancer. However, studies in fish have rarely been reported. In this study, to understand the expression pattern of the ToMMP9 gene and its association with the resistance of Trachinotus ovatus to Cryptocaryon irritans, the sequence of the MMP9 gene was obtained from the genome database. The expression profiles were measured by qRT–PCR, the SNPs were screened by direct sequencing, and genotyping was performed. The ToMMP9 gene contained a 2058 bp ORF encoding a putative amino acid sequence of 685 residues. The homology of the ToMMP9 in teleosts was more than 85%, and the genome structure of ToMMP9 was conserved in chordates. The ToMMP9 gene was expressed in different tissues of healthy individuals and was highly expressed in the fin, the gill, the liver and the skin tissues. The ToMMP9 expression in the skin of the infected site and its adjacent sites increased significantly after C. irritans infection. Two SNPs were identified in the ToMMP9 gene, and the SNP (+400A/G) located in the first intron was found to be significantly associated with the susceptibility/resistance to C. irritans. These findings suggest that ToMMP9 may play an important role in the immune response of T. ovatus against C. irritans.
Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of the PPO Gene Family in Cotton (Gossypium) and Their Expression Variations Responding to Verticillium Wilt Infection
Authors: Yang Shuhan , Ge Qun , Wan Sumei , Sun Zhihao , Chen Yu , Li Yanfang , Liu Qiankun , Gong Juwu , Xiao Xianghui , Lu Quanwei , Shi Yuzhen , Peng Renhai , Shang Haihong , Chen Guodong , Li Pengtao
Published: February 2023

Polyphenol oxidases (PPOs) are copper-binding metalloproteinases encoded by nuclear genes, ubiquitously existing in the plastids of microorganisms, plants, and animals. As one of the important defense enzymes, PPOs have been reported to participate in the resistant processes that respond to diseases and insect pests in multiple plant species. However, PPO gene identification and characterization in cotton and their expression patterns under Verticillium wilt (VW) treatment have not been clearly studied. In this study, 7, 8, 14, and 16 PPO genes were separately identified from Gossypium arboreum, G. raimondii, G. hirsutum, and G. barbadense, respectively, which were distributed within 23 chromosomes, though mainly gathered in chromosome 6. The phylogenetic tree manifested that all the PPOs from four cotton species and 14 other plants were divided into seven groups, and the analyses of the conserved motifs and nucleotide sequences showed highly similar characteristics of the gene structure and domains in the cotton PPO genes. The dramatically expressed differences were observed among the different organs at various stages of growth and development or under the diverse stresses referred to in the published RNA-seq data. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) experiments were also performed on the GhPPO genes in the roots, stems, and leaves of VW-resistant MBI8255 and VW-susceptible CCRI36 infected with Verticillium dahliae V991, proving the strong correlation between PPO activity and VW resistance. A comprehensive analysis conducted on cotton PPO genes contributes to the screening of the candidate genes for subsequent biological function studies, which is also of great significance for the in-depth understanding of the molecular genetic basis of cotton resistance to VW.
Impacts of Eccentric Resistance Exercise on DNA Methylation of Candidate Genes for Inflammatory Cytokines in Skeletal Muscle and Leukocytes of Healthy Males
Authors: Hunter David John , James Lynsey S. , Hussey Bethan , Ferguson Richard A. , Lindley Martin R. , Mastana Sarabjit S.
Published: February 2023

Physical inactivity and a poor diet increase systemic inflammation, while chronic inflammation can be reduced through exercise and nutritional interventions. The mechanisms underlying the impacts of lifestyle interventions on inflammation remain to be fully explained; however, epigenetic modifications may be critical. The purpose of our study was to investigate the impacts of eccentric resistance exercise and fatty acid supplementation on DNA methylation and mRNA expression of TNF and IL6 in skeletal muscle and leukocytes. Eight non-resistance exercise-trained males completed three bouts of isokinetic eccentric contractions of the knee extensors. The first bout occurred at baseline, the second occurred following a three-week supplementation of either omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid or extra virgin olive oil and the final bout occurred after eight-weeks of eccentric resistance training and supplementation. Acute exercise decreased skeletal muscle TNF DNA methylation by 5% (p = 0.031), whereas IL6 DNA methylation increased by 3% (p = 0.01). Leukocyte DNA methylation was unchanged following exercise (p > 0.05); however, three hours post-exercise the TNF DNA methylation decreased by 2% (p = 0.004). In skeletal muscle, increased TNF and IL6 mRNA expression levels were identified immediately post-exercise (p < 0.027); however, the leukocyte mRNA expression was unchanged. Associations between DNA methylation and markers of exercise performance, inflammation and muscle damage were identified (p < 0.05). Acute eccentric resistance exercise is sufficient to induce tissue-specific DNA methylation modifications to TNF and IL6; however, neither eccentric training nor supplementation was sufficient to further modify the DNA methylation.