bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Induction of Spermiation in Sterlet Acipenser ruthenus by PLGA Microparticle Delivery with Sustained Alarelin Release
Authors: Podhorec Peter , Knowles Jindřiška , Vysloužil Jakub , Boryshpolets Sergii , Kubová Kateřina , Rodina Marek , Kholodnyy Vitaliy , Sotnikov Anatolii , Gela David , Dzyuba Borys
Published: November 2021

Carp pituitary treatment versus poly (lactiac-co-glycolic acid) microparticles with slow release of Alarelin at 35 µg kg−1 or 200 µg kg−1 body weight to induce spermiation was compared in sterlet Acipenser ruthenus. All hormone treatments initially increased testosterone and 11-ketotestosterone, with a subsequent decline in testosterone but consistent high levels of 11-ketotestosterone at 48 and 72 h post-treatment. Spermiation did not differ between hormone-treated groups, and was not detected in controls receiving saline solution. Administration of the carp pituitary led to maximum sperm production 24 h post-treatment, followed by a decrease at 48 h post-treatment, with no sperm obtained at 72 h. The effect of Alarelin at 35 µg kg−1 bw and carp pituitary did not differ at 24 and 48 h post-treatment, whereas 200 µg kg−1 bw Alarelin was associated with significantly lower spermatozoon concentration 24 h post-treatment compared to carp pituitary, with no difference in milt volume. Higher relative sperm production was observed 48 h after injection of Alarelin at 200 µg kg−1 bw compared to carp pituitary. Spermatozoon motility was significantly higher in fish receiving Alarelin at 35 µg kg−1 bw than 200 µg kg−1 bw. The treatment with optimal effect on inducing spermiation was poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) microparticles with slow release of Alarelin at 35 µg kg−1 bw.
An Update on Zoonotic Cryptosporidium Species and Genotypes in Humans
Authors: Ryan Una , Zahedi Alireza , Feng Yaoyu , Xiao Lihua
Published: November 2021

The enteric parasite, Cryptosporidium is a major cause of diarrhoeal illness in humans and animals worldwide. No effective therapeutics or vaccines are available and therefore control is dependent on understanding transmission dynamics. The development of molecular detection and typing tools has resulted in the identification of a large number of cryptic species and genotypes and facilitated our understanding of their potential for zoonotic transmission. Of the 44 recognised Cryptosporidium species and >120 genotypes, 19 species, and four genotypes have been reported in humans with C. hominis, C. parvum, C. meleagridis, C. canis and C. felis being the most prevalent. The development of typing tools that are still lacking some zoonotic species and genotypes and more extensive molecular epidemiological studies in countries where the potential for transmission is highest are required to further our understanding of this important zoonotic pathogen. Similarly, whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and amplicon next-generation sequencing (NGS) are important for more accurately tracking transmission and understanding the mechanisms behind host specificity.
Staphylococcus-Induced Bacteriospermia In Vitro: Consequences on the Bovine Spermatozoa Quality, Extracellular Calcium and Magnesium Content
Authors: Ďuračka Michal , Husarčíková Kamila , Jančov Mikuláš , Galovičová Lucia , Kačániová Miroslava , Lukáč Norbert , Tvrdá Eva
Published: November 2021

Bacterial contamination of bovine ejaculates intended for artificial insemination may be reflected in a significant economic loss due to unsuccessful fertilization as well as health issues of the recipients. The Staphylococcus genus represents a large part of bacteriocenosis of bovine ejaculates. Therefore, this study aims to get a closer look on the effects of Staphylococcus-induced bacteriospermia under in vitro conditions on bovine sperm quality. Prior to inducing bacteriospermia, spermatozoa were separated from each ejaculate using Percoll® Plus gradient medium in order to limit the effects only to the selected bacterial species. Seven Staphylococcus species previously isolated from bovine semen were used for our experiments at a turbidity of 0.5 McFarland (equivalent to 1.5 × 108 colony-forming units per mL). The contaminated semen samples were incubated at 37 °C and at times of 0, 2, and 4 h, motility, mitochondrial membrane potential, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, sperm DNA fragmentation, and magnesium (Mg) and calcium (Ca) extracellular concentration were analyzed and compared with the control group (uncontaminated). The results showed no significant changes at the initial measurement. However, significant adverse effects were observed after 2 h and 4 h of incubation. Most notably, the presence of S. aureus, S. warneri, S. kloosii, and S. cohnii caused a significantly increased ROS production, leading to sperm DNA fragmentation, changes in the mitochondrial membrane potential, and a decreased sperm motility. Furthermore, the presence of Staphylococcus species led to lower extracellular concentrations of Mg and Ca. In conclusion, the overgrowth of Staphylococcus bacteria in bovine semen may contribute to oxidative stress resulting in sperm DNA fragmentation, altered mitochondrial membrane potential, and diminished sperm motility.
Cetacean Acoustic Welfare in Wild and Managed-Care Settings: Gaps and Opportunities
Authors: Stevens Paige E. , Hill Heather M. , Bruck Jason N.
Published: November 2021

Cetaceans are potentially at risk of poor welfare due to the animals’ natural reliance on sound and the persistent nature of anthropogenic noise, especially in the wild. Industrial, commercial, and recreational human activity has expanded across the seas, resulting in a propagation of sound with varying frequency characteristics. In many countries, current regulations are based on the potential to induce hearing loss; however, a more nuanced approach is needed when shaping regulations, due to other non-hearing loss effects including activation of the stress response, acoustic masking, frequency shifts, alterations in behavior, and decreased foraging. Cetaceans in managed-care settings share the same acoustic characteristics as their wild counterparts, but face different environmental parameters. There have been steps to integrate work on welfare in the wild and in managed-care contexts, and the domain of acoustics offers the opportunity to inform and connect information from both managed-care settings and the wild. Studies of subjects in managed-care give controls not available to wild studies, yet because of the conservation implications, wild studies on welfare impacts of the acoustic environment on cetaceans have largely been the focus, rather than those in captive settings. A deep integration of wild and managed-care-based acoustic welfare research can complement discovery in both domains, as captive studies can provide greater experimental control, while the more comprehensive domain of wild noise studies can help determine the gaps in managed-care based acoustic welfare science. We advocate for a new paradigm in anthropogenic noise research, recognizing the value that both wild and managed-care research plays in illustrating how noise pollution affects welfare including physiology, behavior, and cognition.
Resistance to 16-Membered Macrolides, Tiamulin and Lincomycin in a Swine Isolate of Acholeplasma laidlawii
Authors: Tavío María M. , Ramírez Ana S. , Poveda Carlos , Rosales Rubén S. , Malla Cristina F. , Poveda José B.
Published: November 2021

Acholeplasma (A.) laidlawii is an opportunistic pathogen with the ability to disseminate resistance determinants to antibiotics; however, its resistance to macrolides has been less studied. The aim of the present study was to characterize the mechanisms responsible for the resistance to macrolides, tiamulin and lincomycin found in a strain of A. laidlawii isolated from a pig with pneumonia. MICs of erythromycin, 15- and 16-membered macrolides, tiamulin and lincomycin were determined by microdilution method with and without reserpine, an inhibitor of ABC efflux pumps and regions of the genome were sequenced. Reserpine only decreased lincomycin MIC but it did not change the MICs of macrolides and tiamulin. The analysis of the DNA sequence of 23S rRNA showed nucleotide substitutions at eight different positions, although none of them were at positions previously related to macrolide resistance. Five mutations were found in the L22 protein, one of them at the stop codon. In addition, two mutations were found in the amino acid sequence of L4. The combination of multiple mutations in the ribosomal proteins L22 and L4 together with substitutions in 23S rRNA DNA sequence was associated with the resistance to macrolides, the pleuromutilin and lincomycin in the studied A. laidlawii strain.
Antioxidant Capacity of Free Volatile Compounds from Olea europaea L. cv. Oblica Leaves Depending on the Vegetation Stage
Authors: Jurišić Grubešić Renata , Nazlić Marija , Miletić Tina , Vuko Elma , Vuletić Nenad , Ljubenkov Ivica , Dunkić Valerija
Published: November 2021

Previous research on specialized metabolites of olive leaves has focused on the phenolic components and their biological role. The research in this article focuses on the metabolites that form free volatile compounds (FVCs). The composition of FVCs is divided into compounds isolated in the oil phase (essential oils; EO) and in the aqueous phase (hydrosols; Hy) from leaves of Olea europaea L. cultivar Oblica. Plant material was collected from the same olive tree over a six-month period, from December to May, and analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The compounds β-caryophyllene, α-humulene, allo-aromadendrene, docosane, hexadecanoic acid and oleic acid were identified in all EO study periods. In the Hy in all studied periods, the major compounds are α-pinene, β-ionone, myristicin, docosane, 1-hexanol, oleic acid and (E)-β-damascenone. The differences in the qualitative composition of FVC are directly related to the phenological development of the leaves. Antioxidant capacity of the EOs and hydrosols was measured with two methods, ORAC and DPPH. Hydrosol extracts showed higher capacity than the EOs in all methods.
Commiphora myrrh Supplementation Protects and Cures Ethanol-Induced Oxidative Alterations of Gastric Ulceration in Rats
Authors: Lebda Mohamed A. , Mostafa Rabab E. , Taha Nabil M. , Abd El-Maksoud Eman M. , Tohamy Hossam G. , Al Jaouni Soad K. , El-Far Ali H. , Elfeky Mohamed S.
Published: November 2021

Gastric ulceration is a multifactorial disease defined as a defect in the gastric wall that extends through the muscularis mucosae into the deeper layers of the wall. The most common cause of gastric ulceration is alcohol consumption. In the current study, rats were gavaged by ethanol to investigate the protective (before ethanol) and curative (after ethanol) ability of Commiphora myrrh (myrrh) oil and extract against gastric ulcer oxidative alterations induced by ethanol. Myrrh significantly improved ulcer index, histomorphology, and periodic acid Schiff (PAS) impaired by ethanol. In addition, myrrh improved the antioxidant potential of gastric mucosa through enhancement of nuclear factor related to erythroid 2 (Nrf2), total glutathione (GSH), reduced GSH, and oxidized glutathione (GSSG), along with significant reduction in malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. Amelioration of gastric oxidative stress by myrrh enables gastric mucosa to counteract the ethanol’s inflammatory and apoptotic processes leading to improved gastric proliferation and healing. Interestingly, myrrh extract showed better protective and curative effects than myrrh oil against gastric ulceration.
Gardeniae Fructus Attenuates Thioacetamide-Induced Liver Fibrosis in Mice via Both AMPK/SIRT1/NF-κB Pathway and Nrf2 Signaling
Authors: Shin Mi-Rae , Lee Jin A , Kim Minju , Lee Sehui , Oh Minhyuck , Moon Jimin , Nam Joo-Won , Choi Hyukjae , Mun Yeun-Ja , Roh Seong-Soo
Published: November 2021

Liver fibrosis, which means a sort of the excessive accumulation of extracellular matrices (ECMs) components through the liver tissue, is considered as tissue repair or wound-healing status. This pathological stage potentially leads to cirrhosis, if not controlled, it progressively results in hepatocellular carcinoma. Herein, we investigated the pharmacological properties and underlying mechanisms of Gardeniae Fructus (GF) against thioacetamide (TAA)-induced liver fibrosis of mice model. GF not only attenuated hepatic tissue oxidation but also improved hepatic inflammation. We further confirmed that GF led to ameliorating liver fibrosis by ECMs degradations. Regarding the possible underlying mechanism of GF, we observed GF regulated epigenetic regulator, Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), in TAA-injected liver tissue. These alterations were well supported by SIRT1 related signaling pathways through regulations of its downstream proteins including, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), p47phox, NADPH oxidase 2, nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2 (Nrf2), and heme oxygenase-1, respectively. To validate the possible mechanism of GF, we used HepG2 cells with hydrogen peroxide treated oxidative stress and chronic exposure conditions via deteriorations of cellular SIRT1. Moreover, GF remarkably attenuated ECMs accumulations in transforming growth factor–β1-induced LX-2 cells relying on the SIRT1 existence. Taken together, GF attenuated liver fibrosis through AMPK/SIRT1 pathway as well as Nrf2 signaling cascades. Therefore, GF could be a clinical remedy for liver fibrosis patients in the future.
A Digital Twin-Based Platform towards Intelligent Automation with Virtual Counterparts of Flight and Air Traffic Control Operations
Authors: Yiu Cho Yin , Ng Kam K. H. , Lee Ching-Hung , Chow Chun Ting , Chan Tsz Ching , Li Kwok Chun , Wong Ka Yeung
Published: November 2021

Automation technologies have been deployed widely to boost the efficiency of production and operations, to trim the complicated process, and to reduce the human error involved. Nevertheless, aviation remains human-centred and requires collaboration between different parties. Given the lack of a collaborative decision-making training platform for air traffic operations in the industry, this study utilises the concept of cyber-physical systems (CPS) to formulate a system architecture for pilots and air traffic control officers training in collaborative decision making by linking and integrating the virtual counterparts of flights and air traffic control operations. Collaborative decision-making training and the corresponding intelligent automation aids could be realised and supported. A performance analysis via a flight task undertaken with different computational load settings was prepared to evaluate the platform’s latency and integrity. The latency is presented using its 95% confidence interval, and integrity is presented using the percentage of data loss during wireless transmission. The results demonstrated convincing performance and a promising system robustness in both domains.
Electrochemical Synthesis of Nano-Sized Silicon from KCl–K2SiF6 Melts for Powerful Lithium-Ion Batteries
Authors: Gevel Timofey , Zhuk Sergey , Leonova Natalia , Leonova Anastasia , Trofimov Alexey , Suzdaltsev Andrey , Zaikov Yuriy
Published: November 2021

Currently, silicon and silicon-based composite materials are widely used in microelectronics and solar energy devices. At the same time, silicon in the form of nanoscale fibers and various particles morphology is required for lithium-ion batteries with increased capacity. In this work, we studied the electrolytic production of nanosized silicon from low-fluoride KCl–K2SiF6 and KCl–K2SiF6–SiO2 melts. The effect of SiO2 addition on the morphology and composition of electrolytic silicon deposits was studied under the conditions of potentiostatic electrolysis (cathode overvoltage of 0.1, 0.15, and 0.25 V vs. the potential of a quasi-reference electrode). The obtained silicon deposits were separated from the electrolyte residues, analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and spectral analysis, and then used to fabricate a composite Si/C anode for a lithium-ion battery. The energy characteristics of the manufactured anode half-cells were measured by the galvanostatic cycling method. Cycling revealed better capacity retention and higher coulombic efficiency of the Si/C composite based on silicon synthesized from KCl–K2SiF6–SiO2 melt. After 15 cycles at 200 mA·g−1, material obtained at 0.15 V overvoltage demonstrates capacity of 850 mAh·g−1.
Vehicle Routing Optimization System with Smart Geopositioning Updates
Authors: Belka Radosław , Godlewski Mateusz
Published: November 2021

Solving the vehicle routing problem (VRP) is one of the best-known optimization issues in the TLS (transport, logistic, spedition) branch market. Various variants of the VRP problem have been presented and discussed in the literature for many years. In most cases, batch versions of the problem are considered, wherein the complete data, including customers’ geographical distribution, is well known. In real-life situations, the data change dynamically, which influences the decisions made by optimization systems. The article focuses on the aspect of geopositioning updates and their impact on the effectiveness of optimization algorithms. Such updates affect the distance matrix, one of the critical datasets used to optimize the VRP problem. A demonstration version of the optimization system was developed, wherein updates are carried out in integration with both open source routing machine and GPS tracking services. In the case of a dynamically changing list of destinations, continuous and effective updates are required. Firstly, temporary values of the distance matrix based on the correction of the quasi-Euclidean distance were generated. Next, the impact of update progress on the proposed optimization algorithms was investigated. The simulation results were compared with the results obtained “manually” by experienced planners. It was found that the upload level of the distance matrix influences the optimization effectiveness in a non-deterministic way. It was concluded that updating data should start from the smallest values in the distance matrix.
Experimental Behavior of a Full-Scale Housing Section Built with Cold-Formed Steel Shear Wall Panels under Horizontal Monotonic and Cyclic Loading
Authors: Moreno Cobo Matilde , Carazo Alvarez Juan D. , Méndez de Hasbun Patricia , Hasbun Hasbun José Carlos , Amador Ana María Gómez , Jiménez de Cisneros Juan José
Published: November 2021

This paper presents the results of an experimental study on the behavior of the cold- formed steel shear wall panel (CFSSWP) with fibrocement panels as sheathing, when it is subjected in-plane shear deformations and flexural deformation under perpendicular monotonically increasing horizontal loads on the longest plane. A full-scale housing section was built with three walls and a ceiling using commonly used construction details in El Salvador. The strength and stiffness of the experimental specimen tested overcame significantly critical demand imposed by the technical design standards in this country. Additionally, a simplified finite element model was defined with the objective to analyze stresses in the components. The results of the numerical model were similar to the experimental model tested.
Error Analysis of Integrated Absorbance for TDLAS in a Nonuniform Flow Field
Authors: Li Renjie , Li Fei , Lin Xin , Yu Xilong
Published: November 2021

As an effective optical diagnosis method, tunable diode-laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) has increasingly moved to examine nonuniform flows, such as two-dimensional combustion diagnosis. To investigate the effect of nonuniformity along the line of sight in a measurement using TDLAS, the integrated absorbance (IA, the key intermediate quantity in TDLAS) error was quantified. The error distribution is obtained from the line-shape parameters through the comprehensive analysis of the line-shape function and the fitting method. The effects of the fitting function and the absorption line overlap are also considered. A general method for estimating the error is given. The work illustrates the applicability of TDLAS technology in nonuniform flow fields and provides input parameters for the evaluation of tunable diode laser absorption tomography error.
Thermo-Optical Characterization of Cu- and Zr-Modified TiO2 Photocatalysts by Beam Deflection Spectrometry
Authors: Abdelhamid Mahmoud , Korte Dorota , Cabrera Humberto , Pliekhova Olena , Ebrahimpour Zeinab , Štangar Urška Lavrenčič , Franko Mladen
Published: November 2021

Cu/Zr-modified TiO2 photocatalysts were prepared in the form of nanopowders and characterized by photothermal spectrometry, UV–Vis spectrophotometry and X-ray diffraction (XRD) to investigate the effect of Cu/Zr content on their thermo-optical and transport properties. Adding Cu (0.05%) caused a change in the light absorption range limit, which reduced from 3.25 eV for pure TiO2 to 2.85 eV for Cu-modified TiO2. The decrease in energy band gap was accompanied by a 19.5% decrease in the charge carrier lifetime, which is not favorable for photocatalysis. The decrease in charge carrier lifetime can be minimized by additional modification of TiO2 with Zr (1%), which showed insignificant effects on the energy band gap of the investigated materials. Furthermore, modification of TiO2 with Zr affected the material’s structure and increased its specific surface area, which improved the adsorption of degraded compounds as well as the absorption of light. Altogether, these effects resulted in higher photocatalytic degradation rate constants of the investigated TiO2-based photocatalyst. It was also found that modification of TiO2 with Cu and/or Zr increases both the material’s thermal diffusivity and conductivity due to changes in the band gap and structure of material. Beam deflection spectrometry (BDS) has demonstrated high potential in materials’ characterization which stems from its high sensitivity and precision.
Biological Methods in Biodiesel Production and Their Environmental Impact
Authors: Biernat Krzysztof , Matuszewska Anna , Samson-Bręk Izabela , Owczuk Marlena
Published: November 2021

This publication presents the technologies of enzymatic biodiesel production in comparison to the conventional methods using acid and base catalysts. Transesterification with conventional catalysts has some disadvantages, and for this reason, alternative methods of biodiesel production have been investigated. These solutions include the replacement of chemical catalysts with biological ones, which show substrate specificity in relation to fats. Replacing chemical with biological catalysts causes elimination of some disadvantages of chemical processes, for instance: high temperatures of reaction, problematic process of glycerol purification, higher alcohol-to-oil molar ratios, and soap formation. Moreover, it causes operational cost reduction and has a positive environmental impact. This is due to the lower temperature of the process, which in turn translates into lower cost of equipment and lower GHG emissions associated with the need to provide less heat to the process. The increase of biofuels’ demand has led to the technology of enzymatic biodiesel production being constantly being developed. This research mainly focuses on the possibility of obtaining cheaper and more effective biocatalysts, as well as increasing the durability of enzyme immobilization on different materials.
An Analytical Method for Elastic Seismic Response of Structures Considering the Effect of Ground Motion Duration
Authors: Liang Qianqian , Zhao Chen , Hu Jun , Zeng Hui
Published: November 2021

The response to earthquake ground motion is composed of three basic elements, namely, amplitude, frequency, and duration. The seismic response of a structure is controlled by the particular combination of these three elements. The seismic response spectra reflect the earthquake ground motion’s frequency-domain features and provide the maximum response amplitude of a single-degree-of-freedom system to a given earthquake ground motion but do not consider the duration factor. However, the analysis of post-earthquake damage shows that the seismic response duration has a strong impact on the damage to structures. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a simple and practical analytical method to account for the seismic response duration. The present study was conducted based on the response spectra theory. We introduce an analytical method of elastic seismic response, which considers its duration by adding the time-domain dimension of earthquakes. The time-domain spectral matrix is used to solve the time-dependent seismic response through the vibration mode decomposition method. The time-domain vibration mode decomposition reaction spectrum not only takes into account the maximum seismic reaction of each vibration mode but also considers the seismic reaction of different vibration modes occurring at the same time, at each moment. The dynamic time duration of the structure’s seismic reaction is quantified by the time-domain seismic reaction spectrum to obtain a more accurate analysis method for the seismic reaction of the structure.
Analytical Modeling of the Maximum Power Point with Series Resistance
Authors: Garcia Alfredo Sanchez , Strandberg Rune
Published: November 2021

This paper presents new analytical expressions for the maximum power point voltage, current, and power that have an explicit dependence on the series resistance. An explicit expression that relates the series resistance to well-known solar cell parameters was also derived. The range of the validity of the model, as well as the mathematical assumptions taken to derive it are explained and discussed. To test the accuracy of the derived model, a numerical single-diode model with solar cell parameters whose values can be found in the latest installment of the solar cell efficiency tables was used. The accuracy of the derived model was found to increase with increasing bandgap and to decrease with increasing series resistance. An experimental validation of the analytical model is provided and its practical limitations addressed. The new expressions predicted the maximum power obtainable by the studied cells with estimated errors below 0.1% compared to the numerical model, for typical values of the series resistance.
Silicon Photonic Micro-Transceivers for Beyond 5G Environments
Authors: Kurata Kazuhiko , Giorgi Luca , Cavaliere Fabio , O’Faolain Liam , Schulz Sebastian A. , Nishiyama Kohei , Hagihara Yasuhiko , Yashiki Kenichiro , Muto Takashi , Kobayashi Shigeru , Kuwata Makoto , Pitwon Richard
Published: November 2021

Here, we report on the design and performance of a silicon photonic micro-transceiver required to operate in 5G and 6G environments at high ambient temperatures above 105 °C. The four-channel “IOCore” micro-transceiver incorporates a 1310 nm quantum dot laser system and operates at a data rate of 25 Gbps and higher. The 5 × 5 mm micro-transceiver chip benefits from a multimode coupling interface for low-cost assembly and robust connectivity at high temperatures as well as an optical redundancy scheme, which increases reliability by over an order of magnitude.
Effect of Soil Washing with Ferric Chloride on Cadmium Removal and Soil Structure
Authors: Dong Jing , Sun Qi , Zhang Xue , Zhou Yuan , Xia Longchao , Yuan Jin
Published: November 2021

In China, arable soils contaminated with cadmium (Cd) threaten human health. Ferric chloride (FeCl3) is a highly efficient agent that can remove Cd from contaminated soils. However, it is unknown whether FeCl3 damages the soil structure and consequently affects crop growth. In this study, we investigated the impacts of Cd extraction by FeCl3 on the structure of a paddy soil on the basis of comparisons of control (without washing agents) and hydrochloric acid (HCl) treatments. According to our results, the removal efficiency increased with the decrease in soil initial pH, as adjusted by FeCl3. However, the low pH of 2.0 caused a partial loss of soil mineral components, with an Al release of 4.4% in the FeCl3-treated soil versus 1.3% in the HCl-treated soil. In contrast, the amount of released Al was less than 0.2% in the control and in the FeCl3 treatments with initial pH values of 3.0 and 4.0. The washing agents caused soil TOC loss of 27.1%, 17.5%, and 2.76% in the pH 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 FeCl3 treatments, compared with 15.5% in the initial pH 2.0 HCl treatment. The use of FeCl3 represents an optimum tradeoff between removal efficiency and the loss of soil components to restore Cd-polluted soils by adjusting the initial pH to 3.0 with the addition of FeCl3. Under this condition, the amount of Al loss was less than 0.2%, and the extraction efficiency reached 40.3%, compared to an efficiency of 39.7% with HCl at an initial pH of 2.0. In conclusion, FeCl3 could effectively remove Cd from contaminated soil.
Random Subspace Ensembles of Fully Convolutional Network for Time Series Classification
Authors: Zhang Yangqianhui , Mo Chunyang , Ma Jiajun , Zhao Liang
Published: November 2021

Time series classification (TSC) task is one of the most significant topics in data mining. Among all methods for this issue, the deep-learning-based shows superior performance for its good adaption to raw series data and automatic extraction of features. However, rare eyes are kept on composing ensembles of these superior individual classifiers to achieve further breakthroughs. The existing deep learning ensembles NNE did a heavy work of combining 60 individuals but did not maximize the deserving improvement, since it merely pays attention to the diversity of individuals but ignores their accuracy. In this paper, we propose to construct an ensemble of Full Convolutional Neural Networks (FCN) by Random Subspace Method (RSM), named RSM-FCN. FCN is a simple but outstanding individual classifier and RSM is suitable for high dimensional data such as time series, but there are few instances. Thus, the combination of these strengths, RSM-FCN provides a highly cost-effective approach to yield promising results. Experiments on the UCR dataset demonstrate the effectiveness and reasonability of the proposed method.
Smart Electric Vehicle Charging via Adjustable Real-Time Charging Rates
Authors: Smith Theron , Garcia Joseph , Washington Gregory
Published: November 2021

This paper presents a plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) charging control algorithm, Adjustable Real-Time Valley Filling (ARVF), to improve PEV charging and minimize adverse effects from uncontrolled PEV charging on the grid. ARVF operates in real time, adjusts to sudden deviations between forecasted and actual baseloads, and uses fuzzy logic to deliver variable charging rates between 1.9 and 7.2 kW. Fuzzy logic is selected for this application because it can optimize nonlinear systems, operate in real time, scale efficiently, and be computationally fast, making ARVF a robust algorithm for real-world applications. In addition, this study proves that when the forecasted and actual baseload vary by more than 20%, its real-time capability is more advantageous than algorithms that use optimization techniques on predicted baseload data.
A Method for Calculating the Velocity of Corner-to-Corner Rear-End Collisions of Vehicles Based on Collision Deformation Analysis
Authors: Cao Yi , Ye Xingwang , Han Geng
Published: November 2021

To improve the efficiency of solving vehicle collision velocity and provide sufficient evidence for the identification of accident responsibility, we proposed a method combining the momentum equation and finite element simulation. We built a finite element simulation model of a vehicle where multiple collision simulation experiments were carried out, and studied the calculation method of collision deformation. After fitting and analyzing the simulated deformation data of an accident vehicle under different velocities through collision simulation experiments, a relationship model between collision velocity and deformation was established, and a method to solve the collision velocity was proposed by combing the existing two-dimensional collision momentum equation of the vehicle. For actual collision cases, the proposed velocity solution method and the simulation software were used for reconstruction analyses, respectively, and the results of the instantaneous contact velocity of vehicle collision were compared. It was found that the velocity calculation results obtained using the two methods above were in good agreement; the shape and depth of the simulated deformation were consistent with the actual deformation of the vehicle.
Review on Early Warning Methods for Rockbursts in Tunnel Engineering Based on Microseismic Monitoring
Authors: Zhang Shichao , Tang Chunan , Wang Yucheng , Li Jiaming , Ma Tianhui , Wang Kaikai
Published: November 2021

Due to the different geological conditions and construction methods associated with different projects, rockbursts in deep-buried tunnels often present different precursor characteristics, bringing major challenges to the early warning of rockbursts. To adapt to the complexity of engineering, it is necessary to review the latest advancements in rockburst early warning and to discuss general early warning methods. In this article, first, microseismic monitoring and localization methods applicable under tunneling construction are reviewed. Based on the latest engineering examples and research progress, the microseismic evolution characteristics of the rockburst formation process are summarized, and the formation process and mechanism of structure-type and delayed rockbursts are analyzed. The different methods for predicting the risk and level of rockbursts using microseismic indices are reviewed, and the implementation methods and application cases for predicting potential rockburst areas and rockburst probability based on a mechanical model are expounded. Finally, combined with the new practice in early warning methods, development directions for the early warning of rockbursts are put forward.
A Novel Deep Neural Network-Based Approach to Measure Scholarly Research Dissemination Using Citations Network
Authors: Aljohani Naif Radi , Fayoumi Ayman , Hassan Saeed-Ul
Published: November 2021

We investigated the scientific research dissemination by analyzing the publications and citation data, implying that not all citations are significantly important. Therefore, as alluded to existing state-of-the-art models that employ feature-based techniques to measure the scholarly research dissemination between multiple entities, our model implements the convolutional neural network (CNN) with fastText-based pre-trained embedding vectors, utilizes only the citation context as its input to distinguish between important and non-important citations. Moreover, we speculate using focal-loss and class weight methods to address the inherited class imbalance problems in citation classification datasets. Using a dataset of 10 K annotated citation contexts, we achieved an accuracy of 90.7% along with a 90.6% f1-score, in the case of binary classification. Finally, we present a case study to measure the comprehensiveness of our deployed model on a dataset of 3100 K citations taken from the ACL Anthology Reference Corpus. We employed state-of-the-art graph visualization open-source tool Gephi to analyze the various aspects of citation network graphs, for each respective citation behavior.
Hybrid-Based Analysis Impact on Ransomware Detection for Android Systems
Authors: Almohaini Rana , Almomani Iman , AlKhayer Aala
Published: November 2021

Android ransomware is one of the most threatening attacks that is increasing at an alarming rate. Ransomware attacks usually target Android users by either locking their devices or encrypting their data files and then requesting them to pay money to unlock the devices or recover the files back. Existing solutions for detecting ransomware mainly use static analysis. However, limited approaches apply dynamic analysis specifically for ransomware detection. Furthermore, the performance of these approaches is either poor or often fails in the presence of code obfuscation techniques or benign applications that use cryptography methods for their APIs usage. Additionally, most of them are unable to detect ransomware attacks at early stages. Therefore, this paper proposes a hybrid detection system that effectively utilizes both static and dynamic analyses to detect ransomware with high accuracy. For the static analysis, the proposed hybrid system considered more than 70 state-of-the-art antivirus engines. For the dynamic analysis, this research explored the existing dynamic tools and conducted an in-depth comparative study to find the proper tool to integrate it in detecting ransomware whenever needed. To evaluate the performance of the proposed hybrid system, we analyzed statically and dynamically over one hundred ransomware samples. These samples originated from 10 different ransomware families. The experiments’ results revealed that static analysis achieved almost half of the detection accuracy—ranging around 40–55%, compared to the dynamic analysis, which reached a 100% accuracy rate. Moreover, this research reports some of the high API classes, methods, and permissions used in these ransomware apps. Finally, some case studies are highlighted, including failed running apps and crypto-ransomware patterns.
SMCSPO-Based Robust Control of AUV in Underwater Environments including Disturbances
Authors: Kim Hyun-Hee , Lee Min Cheol , Cho Hyeon-Jin , Hwang Jun-Ho , Won Jong-Seob
Published: November 2021

In the underwater environment, robust control algorithms are required to control autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) at high speed while preventing large nonlinearities and disturbances. Sliding mode control (SMC) is a well-known robust control theory and has been widely used not only in AUV control but also in systems such as industrial robots which have high nonlinearity in their system dynamics. However, SMC has the disadvantage of causing chattering on the control input, and it is difficult to apply this method to the control fins of an AUV system that cannot move its fins at high speed underwater. In this work, a design for a sliding mode control with sliding perturbation observer (SMCSPO) algorithm is applied to AUVs, and the simulation results under underwater disturbance conditions are discussed. From simulation using MATLAB, it is confirmed that AUV control using SMCSPO shows better trajectory tracking control performance without chattering than PID control.
Differences at Species Level and in Repertoires of Secondary Metabolite Biosynthetic Gene Clusters among Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) and Type Strains of S. coelicolor and Its Taxonomic Neighbors
Authors: Komaki Hisayuki , Tamura Tomohiko
Published: November 2021

Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) is used worldwide for genetic studies, and its complete genome sequence was published in 2002. However, as the whole genome of the type strain of S. coelicolor has not been analyzed, the relationship between S. coelicolor A3(2) and the type strain is not yet well known. To clarify differences in their biosynthetic potential, as well as their taxonomic positions, we sequenced whole genomes of S. coelicolor NBRC 12854T and type strains of its closely related species—such as Streptomyces daghestanicus, Streptomyces hydrogenans, and Streptomyces violascens—via PacBio. Biosynthetic gene clusters for polyketides and non-ribosomal peptides were surveyed by antiSMASH, followed by bioinformatic analyses. Type strains of Streptomyces albidoflavus, S. coelicolor, S. daghestanicus, S. hydrogenans, and S. violascens shared the same 16S rDNA sequence, but S. coelicolor A3(2) did not. S. coelicolor A3(2) and S. coelicolor NBRC 12854T can be classified as Streptomycesanthocyanicus and S. albidoflavus, respectively. In contrast, S. daghestanicus, S. hydrogenans, and S. violascens are independent species, despite their identical 16S rDNA sequences. S. coelicolor A3(2), S. coelicolor NBRC 12854T, S. daghestanicus NBRC 12762T, S. hydrogenans NBRC 13475T, and S. violascens NBRC 12920T each harbor specific polyketide synthase (PKS) and non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) gene clusters in their genomes, whereas PKS and NRPS gene clusters are well conserved between S. coelicolor A3(2) and S. anthocyanicus JCM 5058T, and between S. coelicolor NBRC 12854T and S. albidoflavus DSM 40455T, belonging to the same species. These results support our hypothesis that the repertoires of PKS and NRPS gene clusters are different between different species.
An Overview of Experiences Made and Tools Used to Inform the Public on Ambient Air Quality
Authors: Fino Alessandra , Vichi Francesca , Leonardi Cristina , Mukhopadhyay Krishnendu
Published: November 2021

Legislative regulations on atmospheric pollution have been established in different parts of the world for addressing air quality management. An important public commitment, common among all nations, is to ensure environmental safety and health protection, particularly for the most fragile population groups. Each country has its own rules and practices to provide adequate and timely information on ambient air quality. Information is given either through easily accessible media, including websites and apps, or by traditional means of telecommunication. An air quality index (AQI) is definitely a valuable tool for disseminating data on the main regulated pollutants and represents a readable indicator of the prevailing situation of air quality in the area. Several calculating expressions were formulated to combine, in a unique value, different parameters, and a few methods were created to determine and compare different AQIs. This paper gives almost a global overview of approaches and tools used to inform the public about the status of the ambient air quality. Different AQIs are analyzed to contribute to the sharing of air quality management practices and information to raise public awareness and to help policymakers to act accordingly.
Impact of Solar Activity on Global Atmospheric Circulation Based on SD-WACCM-X Simulations from 2002 to 2019
Authors: Teng Chen-Ke-Min , Gu Sheng-Yang , Qin Yusong , Dou Xiankang
Published: November 2021

In this study, a global atmospheric model, Specified Dynamics Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model with thermosphere and ionosphere eXtension (SD-WACCM-X), and the residual circulation principle were used to study the global atmospheric circulation from the lower to upper atmosphere (~500 km) from 2002 to 2019. Our analysis shows that the atmospheric circulation is clearly influenced by solar activity, especially in the upper atmosphere, which is mainly characterized by an enhanced atmospheric circulation in years with high solar activity. The atmospheric circulation in the upper atmosphere also exhibits an ~11 year period, and its variation is highly correlated with the temporal variation in the F10.7 solar index during the same time series, with a maximum correlation coefficient of up to more than 0.9. In the middle and lower atmosphere, the impact of solar activity on the atmospheric circulation is not as obvious as in the upper atmosphere due to some atmospheric activities such as the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO), El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), sudden stratospheric warming (SSW), volcanic forcing, and so on. By comparing the atmospheric circulation in different latitudinal regions between years with high and low solar activity, we found the atmospheric circulation in mid- and high-latitude regions is more affected by solar activity than in low-latitude and equatorial regions. In addition, clear seasonal variation in atmospheric circulation was detected in the global atmosphere, excluding the regions near 10−4 hPa and the lower atmosphere, which is mainly characterized by a flow from the summer hemisphere to the winter hemisphere. In the middle and low atmosphere, the atmospheric circulation shows a quasi-biennial oscillatory variation in the low-latitude and equatorial regions. This work provides a referable study of global atmospheric circulation and demonstrates the impacts of solar activity on global atmospheric circulation.
Spatio-Temporal Variability of Hydroclimatology in the Upper Cauca River Basin in Southwestern Colombia: Pre- and Post-Salvajina Dam Perspective
Authors: Cerón Wilmar L. , Kayano Mary T. , Ocampo-Marulanda Camilo , Canchala Teresita , Rivera Irma Ayes , Avila-Diaz Alvaro , Andreoli Rita V. , de Souza Itamara Parente
Published: November 2021

The Cauca River rises in the Colombian Andes and is the main tributary of the Magdalena River, which drains to the Caribbean Sea. The La Balsa station monitors the Upper Cauca basin and is located just downstream of La Salvajina hydroelectric facility. At this station, the discharge time series for November–January during 1950–2019 shows a statistically significant downward break, and change of distribution after 1986 has been documented after La Salvajina started operation. We assessed the spatio-temporal variability of hydroclimatology in the upper Cauca River basin during the pre- and post-Salvajina dam periods to better understand this break. Post-Salvajina, low (high) discharge events are linked to negative (positive) precipitation and soil moisture anomalies that are greater in magnitude and extension than those recorded in the pre-Salvajina period in response to the more intense El Niño events (more intense and frequent central La Niña events) after 1986. Therefore, it is necessary to consider possible future rainfall scenarios and non-infrastructure measures (i.e., reforestation, territorial planning, integrated watershed management, etc.) to mitigate floods and droughts impacts. The contribution of this study is to provide evidence for the need for foresight in the design of any structural or non-structural flood measures.
Systematic Studies of the Circadian Clock Genes Impact on Temperature Compensation and Cell Proliferation Using CRISPR Tools
Authors: Wu Yue , Tian Tian , Wu Yin , Yang Yu , Zhang Yunfei , Qin Ximing
Published: November 2021

Mammalian circadian genes are capable of producing a self-sustained, autonomous oscillation whose period is around 24 h. One of the major characteristics of the circadian clock is temperature compensation. However, the mechanism underlying temperature compensation remains elusive. Previous studies indicate that a single clock gene may determine the temperature compensation in several model organisms. In order to understand the influence of each individual clock gene on the temperature compensation, twenty-three well-known mammalian clock genes plus Timeless and Myc genes were knocked out individually, using a powerful gene-editing tool, CRISPR/Cas9. First, Bmal1, Cry1, and Cry2 were knocked out as examples to verify that deleting genes by CRISPR is effective and precise. Cell lines targeting twenty-two genes were successfully edited in mouse fibroblast NIH3T3 cells, and off-target analysis indicated these genes were correctly knocked out. Through measuring the luciferase reporters, the circadian periods of each cell line were recorded under two different temperatures, 32.5 °C and 37 °C. The temperature compensation coefficient Q10 was subsequently calculated for each cell line. Estimations of the Q10 of these cell lines showed that none of the individual cell lines can adversely affect the temperature compensation. Cells with a longer period at lower temperature tend to have a shorter period at higher temperature, while cells with a shorter period at lower temperature tend to be longer at higher temperature. Thus, the temperature compensation is a fundamental property to keep cellular homeostasis. We further conclude that the temperature compensation is a complex gene regulation system instead of being regulated by any single gene. We also estimated the proliferation rates of these cell lines. After systematically comparing the proliferation rates and circadian periods, we found that the cell growth rate is not dependent on the circadian period.