bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Is There an Optimal Timing of Adductor Canal Block for Total Knee Arthroplasty?—A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Poon Yan-Yuen , Yang Johnson Chia-Shen , Chou Wen-Yi , Lu Hsiao-Feng , Hung Chao-Ting , Chin Jo-Chi , Wu Shao-Chun
Published: June 2021

Adductor canal block (ACB) has gained popularity for postoperative pain control after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). However, its role in TKA has been questioned recently. Our study aimed to clarify the role of ACB in reducing postoperative pain after TKA and to elucidate an optimal timing to perform ACB for better outcomes. We conducted a comprehensive review of the perioperative records of 652 patients undergoing primary TKA from January 2019 to December 2019. Patients were divided into three groups: Group A received general anesthesia without ACB, Group B received ACB before inducing general anesthesia, and Group C received ACB at the post-anesthesia recovery unit (PACU). Patients in Groups B and C had lower pain visual analogue scale (VAS) scores than patients in Group A at the PACU. Opioid consumption was similar among the three groups; however, a slightly higher dose was required by Group A patients. Higher VAS scores were recorded in the ward in Group A than in Groups B and C with the leg at rest. In addition, higher VAS scores were recorded in Group A than in Groups B and C with the leg in continuous passive motion (CPM) training. More patients in Group A (34.9%) quit their first CPM training after a few cycles than those in Groups B (27.0%) and C (20.1%). Group A patients required a higher per kg dose of opioids in the ward than Groups B and C patients. Additionally, the hourly consumption of sevoflurane was similar among the three groups of patients, while Group A and C patients required a higher hourly per kg dose of intraoperative opioids than Group B patients. More patients in Group A (67.6%) and C (61.7%) developed intraoperative hypertension than patients in Group B (52.7%). There was no significant difference in PON (postoperative nausea), POV (postoperative vomiting), postoperative dizziness, or patient satisfaction among the three groups of patients. Group A patients had a longer length of hospital stay compared to Group B and C patients. In conclusion, preoperative ACB could be a better choice for patients undergoing TKA as it decreases intraoperative opioid consumption and facilitates a stable hemodynamic state during surgery.
The Relationship between the Immigrant Rate and Health Status in the General Population in France
Authors: Perrot Jeanne , Hamel Jean-François , Lamer Antoine , Levaillant Mathieu
Published: June 2021

Mostly studied at the individual level, the analysis of immigrants’ health status at a populational level may provide a different perspective to investigate, including social determinants as part of the explanation of the relationship between them and health status in France. We analyzed freely accessible databases curated by French public bodies. The dependent variables were death rate and mean age at death. Immigrant rate and covariates associated with either of the outcomes were explored in univariate and multivariate models. Linear models were used to explain the mean age at death, whereas tobit models were used to explain the death rate. The immigrant rate varied markedly from one department to another, as did healthcare accessibility, population’s age profile, and economic covariates. Considering univariate models, almost all the studied covariates were significantly associated with comes. The immigrant rate was associated with a lower death rate and a lower age at death. In multivariate models, the immigrant rate was no longer associated with age at death but was still negatively associated with the death rate. In France, the departments with a higher proportion of immigrants were those with a lower death rate, possibly because immigrants are attracted to economically thriving areas.
Analysis of Australia’s Fiscal Vulnerability to Crisis
Authors: Rajaguru Gulasekaran , Khan Safdar Ullah , Rahman Habib-Ur
Published: June 2021

Fiscal vulnerability, like a contagion, poses a threat to financial sector stability, which can lead towards sovereign default. This study aimed to assess fiscal vulnerability to crisis by investigating the Australian economy’s gross public debt, net public debt, and net financial liabilities. We used a threshold regression model and compared results with the baseline deficit–debt framework of analysis. The results of the base model suggested that the economy is fiscally sustainable, and that the primary surplus remains unaffected by increasing levels of public debt. In contrast, the threshold regression model indicated that the increasing level of debt has eroded primary surplus below the threshold level of 30.89% of public debt to GDP. These results need further investigation. Therefore, we modified our basic threshold model to capture budget deficit and surplus as a threshold in response to changes in public debt. The results from the sequential threshold regression model using the debt to GDP ratio and primary budget surplus identifying the periods of 1991, 1992, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2019 as times of likely vulnerability to fiscal crisis. The overall results confirmed that the primary surplus remained sustainable over the estimated threshold level of public debt in all other sample periods and these findings persisted across alternative measures of public debt.
Wealth of Wind and Visitors: Tourist Industry Attitudes towards Wind Energy Development in Iceland
Authors: Sæþórsdóttir Anna Dóra , Wendt Margrét , Tverijonaite Edita
Published: June 2021

The interest in harnessing wind energy keeps increasing globally. Iceland is considering building its first wind farms, but its landscape and nature are not only a resource for renewable energy production; they are also the main attraction for tourists. As wind turbines affect how the landscape is perceived and experienced, it is foreseeable that the construction of wind farms in Iceland will create land use conflicts between the energy sector and the tourism industry. This study sheds light on the impacts of wind farms on nature-based tourism as perceived by the tourism industry. Based on 47 semi-structured interviews with tourism service providers, it revealed that the impacts were perceived as mostly negative, since wind farms decrease the quality of the natural landscape. Furthermore, the study identified that the tourism industry considered the following as key factors for selecting suitable wind farm sites: the visibility of wind turbines, the number of tourists and tourist attractions in the area, the area’s degree of naturalness and the local need for energy. The research highlights the importance of analysing the various stakeholders’ opinions with the aim of mitigating land use conflicts and socioeconomic issues related to wind energy development.
Machine Learning Protocols in Early Cancer Detection Based on Liquid Biopsy: A Survey
Authors: Liu Linjing , Chen Xingjian , Petinrin Olutomilayo Olayemi , Zhang Weitong , Rahaman Saifur , Tang Zhi-Ri , Wong Ka-Chun
Published: June 2021

With the advances of liquid biopsy technology, there is increasing evidence that body fluid such as blood, urine, and saliva could harbor the potential biomarkers associated with tumor origin. Traditional correlation analysis methods are no longer sufficient to capture the high-resolution complex relationships between biomarkers and cancer subtype heterogeneity. To address the challenge, researchers proposed machine learning techniques with liquid biopsy data to explore the essence of tumor origin together. In this survey, we review the machine learning protocols and provide corresponding code demos for the approaches mentioned. We discuss algorithmic principles and frameworks extensively developed to reveal cancer mechanisms and consider the future prospects in biomarker exploration and cancer diagnostics.
Laser Powder Bed Fusion of Chromium Bronze Using Recycled Powder
Authors: Pelevin Ivan A. , Burmistrov Maxim A. , Ozherelkov Dmitriy Yu. , Shinkaryov Alexander S. , Chernyshikhin Stanislav V. , Gromov Alexander A. , Nalivaiko Anton Yu.
Published: June 2021

Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) of Cu-0.5Cr was carried out using recycled powder taken out from the LPBF machine after previous printing. Various volumetric defects characterized the powder wherein particle size distribution was the same as virgin powder. Using recycled powder resulted in extra spherical pore formation after the LPBF process. Despite that, a relative density of 99.2% was achieved by LPBF parameters optimization. Solidified microstructure with a small volume of defects consisted of an oversaturated dendritic Cu matrix and nano-sized Cr precipitations providing strengthening mechanism occurrence. The possibility of a satisfactory level of mechanical properties with σ0.2 = 136.8 MPa, UTS = 187.4 MPa, along with 15.5% of elongation achieving, was shown.
Thermoelectric Properties of Cu2Se Synthesized by Hydrothermal Method and Densified by SPS Technique
Authors: Nieroda Paweł , Kusior Anna , Leszczyński Juliusz , Rutkowski Paweł , Koleżyński Andrzej
Published: June 2021

The aim of the work was to obtain copper (I) selenide Cu2Se material with excellent thermoelectric properties, synthesized using the hydrothermal method and densified by the spark plasma sintering (SPS) method. Chemical and phase composition studies were carried out by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) methods. Measurements of thermoelectric transport properties, i.e., electrical conductivity, the Seebeck coefficient, and thermal conductivity in the temperature range from 300 to 965 K were carried out. Based on these results, the temperature dependence of the thermoelectric figure of merit ZT as a function of temperature was determined. The obtained, very high ZT parameter (ZT~1.75, T = 965 K) is one of the highest obtained so far for undoped Cu2Se.
Investigation of Compressive and Tensile Behavior of Stainless Steel/Dissolvable Aluminum Bimetallic Composites by Finite Element Modeling and Digital Image Correlation
Authors: Li Xiuhui , Ghasri-Khouzani Morteza , Bogno Abdoul-Aziz , Liu Jing , Henein Hani , Chen Zengtao , Qureshi Ahmed Jawad
Published: June 2021

This study reports fabrication, mechanical characterization, and finite element modeling of a novel lattice structure based bimetallic composite comprising 316L stainless steel and a functional dissolvable aluminum alloy. A net-shaped 316L stainless steel lattice structure composed of diamond unit cells was fabricated by selective laser melting (SLM). The cavities in the lattice structure were then filled through vacuum-assisted melt infiltration to form the bimetallic composite. The bulk aluminum sample was also cast using the same casting parameters for comparison. The compressive and tensile behavior of 316L stainless steel lattice, bulk dissolvable aluminum, and 316L stainless steel/dissolvable aluminum bimetallic composite is studied. Comparison between experimental, finite element analysis (FEA), and digital image correlation (DIC) results are also investigated in this study. There is no notable difference in the tensile behavior of the lattice and bimetallic composite because of the weak bonding in the interface between the two constituents of the bimetallic composite, limiting load transfer from the 316L stainless steel lattice to the dissolvable aluminum matrix. However, the aluminum matrix is vital in the compressive behavior of the bimetallic composite. The dissolvable aluminum showed higher Young’s modulus, yield stress, and ultimate stress than the lattice and composite in both tension and compression tests, but much less elongation. Moreover, FEA and DIC have been demonstrated to be effective and efficient methods to simulate, analyze, and verify the experimental results through juxtaposing curves on the plots and comparing strains of critical points by checking contour plots.
Shear Strength of Externally U-Bonded Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer High-Strength Reinforced Concrete
Authors: Ibrahim Basil , Leblouba Moussa , Altoubat Salah , Barakat Samer
Published: June 2021

In this paper, we investigate the contribution of Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) to the load-carrying capacity of shear-strengthened Reinforced Concrete (RC) beams. Specifically, the investigation is focused on the FRP’s contribution in the presence and absence of shear stirrups. To this end, two sets of full-scale RC beam specimens were tested to failure in a simply supported setup. Set 1 consisted of specimens without shear stirrups whereas Set 2 included steel stirrups spaced at 170 mm. One and two layers of FRP discrete strips were bonded to the beams in a U-jacketing configuration. To investigate the contribution of FRP and its interaction with the stirrups, two different locations were considered when bonding the FRP strips: between the stirrups (referred to as Off-beams) and at the same level of the stirrups (referred to as On). Results of the experimental program showed that strengthening the beams with two layers of FRP does not necessarily translate to improved capacity. Furthermore, the location of FRP strips with respect to the location of shear stirrups has an influence on the beam’s overall behavior, especially its displacement ductility. This is an important parameter to consider to avoid premature failure of RC members. Test results were then used to assess the performance and accuracy of the predictions of ACI PRC-440.2-17 and fib-TG9.3. Both design codes were found to be conservative with an average prediction-to-test ratio of 0.7.
Bending Vibration Characteristics of a Novel Piezoelectric Composite Trilaminar Vibrator
Authors: Lv Ning , Zhong Chao , Wang Jiacheng , Wang Likun
Published: June 2021

In this work, the bending vibration characteristics of the 2-2 piezoelectric composite trilaminar vibrator are studied by the finite element simulation and experiment. The simulation results show that the trilaminar vibrator has lower resonant frequency and larger vibration displacement under the fixed boundary condition compared with that of the free boundary condition, and its performance is relatively good. Then, the 2-2 piezoelectric composite and piezoelectric ceramic trilaminar vibrators are fabricated and their performances are tested under the fixed boundary condition. The experimental and simulation results show that the vibrator has pure bending vibration characteristics in the frequency band of 1.2–1.4 kHz, especially the 2-2 piezoelectric composite vibrator, which has lower frequency, higher electromechanical coupling coefficient and larger bending vibration displacement; thus, the 2-2 piezoelectric composite trilaminar vibrator is a better choice for the fabrication of a low-frequency transducer.
Damped Newton Stochastic Gradient Descent Method for Neural Networks Training
Authors: Zhou Jingcheng , Wei Wei , Zhang Ruizhi , Zheng Zhiming
Published: June 2021

First-order methods such as stochastic gradient descent (SGD) have recently become popular optimization methods to train deep neural networks (DNNs) for good generalization; however, they need a long training time. Second-order methods which can lower the training time are scarcely used on account of their overpriced computing cost to obtain the second-order information. Thus, many works have approximated the Hessian matrix to cut the cost of computing while the approximate Hessian matrix has large deviation. In this paper, we explore the convexity of the Hessian matrix of partial parameters and propose the damped Newton stochastic gradient descent (DN-SGD) method and stochastic gradient descent damped Newton (SGD-DN) method to train DNNs for regression problems with mean square error (MSE) and classification problems with cross-entropy loss (CEL). In contrast to other second-order methods for estimating the Hessian matrix of all parameters, our methods only accurately compute a small part of the parameters, which greatly reduces the computational cost and makes the convergence of the learning process much faster and more accurate than SGD and Adagrad. Several numerical experiments on real datasets were performed to verify the effectiveness of our methods for regression and classification problems.
Obesity May Not Be Associated with 28-Day Mortality, Duration of Invasive Mechanical Ventilation and Length of Intensive Care Unit and Hospital Stay in Critically Ill Patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Pouwels Sjaak , Ramnarain Dharmanand , Aupers Emily , Rutjes-Weurding Laura , van Oers Jos
Published: June 2021

Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between obesity and 28-day mortality, duration of invasive mechanical ventilation and length of stay at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and hospital in patients admitted to the ICU for SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective observational cohort study in patients admitted to the ICU for SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, in a single Dutch center. The association between obesity (body mass index > 30 kg/m2) and 28-day mortality, duration of invasive mechanical ventilation and length of ICU and hospital stay was investigated. Results: In 121 critically ill patients, pneumonia due to SARS-CoV-2 was confirmed by RT-PCR. Forty-eight patients had obesity (33.5%). The 28-day all-cause mortality was 28.1%. Patients with obesity had no significant difference in 28-day survival in Kaplan–Meier curves (log rank p 0.545) compared with patients without obesity. Obesity made no significant contribution in a multivariate Cox regression model for prediction of 28-day mortality (p = 0.124), but age and the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score were significant independent factors (p < 0.001 and 0.002, respectively). No statistically significant correlation was observed between obesity and duration of invasive mechanical ventilation and length of ICU and hospital stay. Conclusion: One-third of the patients admitted to the ICU for SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia had obesity. The present study showed no relationship between obesity and 28-day mortality, duration of invasive mechanical ventilation, ICU and hospital length of stay. Further studies are needed to substantiate these findings.
Study of Acid Whey Fouling after Protein Isolation Using Nanofiltration
Authors: Simonič Marjana , Pintarič Zorka Novak
Published: June 2021

In this paper, nanofiltration (NF) of acid whey after isolation of proteins was studied. Two membranes were tested: NF-99 (Alfa Laval) and DL (Osmonic Desal). Based on previous measurements that determined the highest efficiency in separating lactic acid and lactose whey, the pH was adjusted to 3. First, the most appropriate transmembrane pressure (TMP) was determined based on the highest flux measured. The TMP range was 5–25 bar for the DL membrane and 10–30 bar for the NF-99 membrane. The temperature was kept at 4 °C using a thermostat. The mechanisms of membrane fouling were investigated. The Hermia models and the modified Tansel model were applied to study the fouling mechanism and to determine which membrane would foul earlier and more severely, respectively. The most suitable TMP was determined at 20 bar. Despite the 1.4 times higher flux of the sample at DL, the fouling rate was higher when NF-99 was used. The results showed that the Tansel model is suitable for predicting the fouling time of protein-isolated whey by nanofiltration.
Molecular Diffusion of ABCA1 at the Cell Surface of Living Cells Assessed by svFCS
Authors: Raducka-Jaszul Olga , Wójtowicz Karolina , Sikorski Aleksander F. , Chimini Giovanna , Hamon Yannick , Trombik Tomasz
Published: June 2021

Extensive studies showed the crucial role of ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporter ABCA1 in organizing the lipid microenvironment at the plasma membrane (PM) of living cells. However, the exact role of this protein in terms of lipid redistribution and lateral reorganization of the PM is still being discussed. Here, we took advantage of the spot variation fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (svFCS) to investigate the molecular dynamics of the ABCA1 expressed at the PM of Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO-K1). We confirmed that this protein is strongly confined into the raft nanodomains. Next, in agreement with our previous observations, we showed that amphotericin B does not affect the diffusion properties of an active ABCA1 in contrary to inactive mutant ABCA1MM. We also evidenced that ApoA1 influences the molecular diffusion properties of ABCA1. Finally, we showed that the molecular confinement of ABCA1 depends on the cholesterol content in the PM, but presumably, this is not the only factor responsible for that. We concluded that the molecular dynamics of ABCA1 strongly depends on its activity and the PM composition. We hypothesize that other factors than lipids (i.e., proteins) are responsible for the strong confinement of ABCA1 in PM nanodomains which possibility has to be elucidated.
Fire Resistance and Seismic Performance Study of a High-Strength Construction Steel Using Creep and Internal Friction Analysis
Authors: Xu Zhenlin , Yang Lei , Du Xiaojie , Li Zhaodong , Yang Zhongmin , Jia Xiquan , He Yizhu
Published: June 2021

Fire resistance and seismic performance are the two of the most important considerations for the design of construction steel. The fire resistance of the high-strength construction steel, Q460FRE, which contains low Mo, was investigated by means of creep test under different experiment conditions. Then, the seismic performance of the Q460FRE steel, after being subjected to various fire temperatures, was characterized by internal friction analysis. The Q460FRE steel exhibited excellent fire resistance, and the yield strength at 600 °C was 67.4% of the yield strength at room temperature. The constitutive equation of creep stress and fracture time at 600 °C was established. The bearing tensile stress of the Q460FRE steel should be lower than 337 MPa to ensure at least 1 h to evacuate from the fire. The creep stress and alternating temperature significantly affected the serration behavior of the creep strain. The internal friction analysis indicated that the seismic performance of the Q460FRE steel decreased with the increase in fire temperature, being consistent with the analysis results of the seismic performance characterized by the yield ratio.
Effects of High-Intensity Ultrasound on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of 2195 Aluminum Ingots
Authors: Hu Yuqi , Jiang Ripeng , Li Xiaoqian , Li Anqing , Xie Ziming
Published: June 2021

The microstructural refinement of 2195 aluminum alloy ingots is particularly important for improving their industrial applications and mechanical properties. Combined with vacuum casting and inert gas protection, scalable high-strength ultrasonic melt processing (USMT) technology was used to manufacture 2195 aluminum alloy cylindrical ingots. Then, the influence of USMT on the main microstructural components (primary α-Al grains, secondary phase network, and precipitated particles) was studied. Our experiments show that the main microstructure of the ingot was improved after the introduction of ultrasound. Compared to the ingot formed without USMT, the size and morphology of the primary α-Al phase were optimized. The agglomeration of coarsening secondary phases can be alleviated, and the large layered secondary phase network becomes discontinuous throughout the ingot under USMT. At the same time, the mechanical properties of the solidified aluminum alloy ingots were also tested, and comparisons were made between samples formed with and without USMT. The results show that the stress concentration caused by the large area of coarse secondary phase in the ingot leads to the decrease of mechanical properties.
Analysis of the Visual Appearance of AISI 430 Ferritic Stainless Steel Flat Sheets Manufactured by Cool Rolling and Bright Annealing
Authors: González-Leal Juan M. , Gallero Enrique , Blanco Eduardo , Ramírez del Solar Milagrosa , Nuñez Andrés , Almagro Juan F.
Published: June 2021

This article reports on the relation between the surface topography and the optical reflectance, both total and diffuse, of different samples of AISI 430 ferritic stainless steel. Gaussian filters with different cutoff wavelengths were applied to the height maps of the surface topography of the samples, to separate the different scales of surface roughness involved in optical scattering in the visible range of the spectrum. Significant anisotropy, related to the rolling process, was found in the topography. An effective roughness slope parameter was defined from the dependence of the ratio between the root mean square height and the autocorrelation length on the cutoff wavelength. This roughness slope demonstrated an exceptionally good linear relationship with CIE 1931 luminance, which was calculated from the diffuse reflection spectra. The color uniformity of the samples was analyzed based on their CIE L*a*b* coordinates under daylight and LED illumination. The results confirmed the strong influence of manufacturing process on the surface characteristics of AISI 430 ferritic stainless steel sheet products with a bright finish.
Electrostatically Tuned Optical Filters Based on Hybrid Plasmonic-Dielectric Thin Films for Hyperspectral Imaging
Authors: Abdelghfar Ahmed , Mousa Mohamed A. , Fouad Bassant M. , Saad Ahmed H. , Anous Noha , Gaber Noha
Published: June 2021

Hyperspectral imaging has a wide range of uses, from medical diagnostics to crop monitoring; however, conventional hyperspectral imaging systems are relatively slow, bulky, and rather costly. In this paper, we present an inexpensive, compact tunable optical filter for hyperspectral applications. The filter is based on a Fabry-Pérot interferometer utilizing hybrid metallic-dielectric mirrors and actuated using a MEMS electrostatic actuator. The optical filter is designed using the transfer matrix method; then, the results were verified by an electromagnetic wave simulator. The actuator is based on a ring-shaped parallel plate capacitor and is designed using COMSOL Multiphysics. An actuation displacement of 170 nm was used, which is the required distance to tune the filter over the whole visible range (400–700 nm). There are two designs proposed for the optical filter: the first was optimized to provide maximum transmission and the other is optimized to have minimum full-width-half-maximum (FWHM) value. The first design has a maximum transmission percentage of 94.45% and a minimum transmission of 86.34%; while the minimum FWHM design had an average FWHM value of 7.267 nm. The results showed improvements over the current commercial filters both in transmission and in bandwidth.
Development of a Low-Cost Wearable Data Glove for Capturing Finger Joint Angles
Authors: Wu Changcheng , Wang Keer , Cao Qingqing , Fei Fei , Yang Dehua , Lu Xiong , Xu Baoguo , Zeng Hong , Song Aiguo
Published: June 2021

Capturing finger joint angle information has important applications in human–computer interaction and hand function evaluation. In this paper, a novel wearable data glove is proposed for capturing finger joint angles. A sensing unit based on a grating strip and an optical detector is specially designed for finger joint angle measurement. To measure the angles of finger joints, 14 sensing units are arranged on the back of the glove. There is a sensing unit on the back of each of the middle phalange, proximal phalange, and metacarpal of each finger, except for the thumb. For the thumb, two sensing units are distributed on the back of the proximal phalange and metacarpal, respectively. Sensing unit response tests and calibration experiments are conducted to evaluate the feasibility of using the designed sensing unit for finger joint measurement. Experimental results of calibration show that the comprehensive precision of measuring the joint angle of a wooden finger model is 1.67%. Grasping tests and static digital gesture recognition experiments are conducted to evaluate the performance of the designed glove. We achieve a recognition accuracy of 99% by using the designed glove and a generalized regression neural network (GRNN). These preliminary experimental results indicate that the designed data glove is effective in capturing finger joint angles.
Killing Effect of Bacillus velezensis FZB42 on a Xanthomonas campestris pv. Campestris (Xcc) Strain Newly Isolated from Cabbage Brassica oleracea Convar. Capitata (L.): A Metabolomic Study
Authors: Mácha Hynek , Marešová Helena , Juříková Tereza , Švecová Magdaléna , Benada Oldřich , Škríba Anton , Baránek Miroslav , Novotný Čeněk , Palyzová Andrea
Published: June 2021

The potential use of Bacillus velezensis FZB42 for biological control of various phytopathogens has been documented over the past few years, but its antagonistic interactions with xanthomonads has not been studied in detail. Novel aspects in this study consist of close observation of the death of Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris cells in a co-culture with B. velezensis FZB42, and quantification of lipopeptides and a siderophore, bacillibactin, involved in the killing process. A new robust Xcc-SU isolate tolerating high concentrations of ferric ions was used. In a co-culture with the antagonist, the population of Xcc-SU was entirely destroyed within 24–48 h, depending on the number of antagonist cells used for inoculation. No inhibitory effect of Xcc-SU on B. velezensis was observed. Bacillibactin and lipopeptides (surfactin, fengycin, and bacillomycin) were present in the co-culture and the monoculture of B. velezensis. Except for bacillibactin, the maximum contents of lipopeptides were higher in the antagonist monoculture compared with the co-culture. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the death of Xcc-SU bacteria in co-culture was caused by cell lysis, leading to an enhanced occurrence of distorted cells and cell ghosts. Analysis by mass spectrometry showed four significant compounds, bacillibactin, surfactin, fengycin, and bacillomycin D amongst a total of 24 different forms detected in the co-culture supernatant: Different forms of surfactin and fengycin with variations in their side-chain length were also detected. These results demonstrate the ability of B. velezensis FZB42 to act as a potent antagonistic strain against Xcc.
Enterocin Cross-Resistance Mediated by ABC Transport Systems
Authors: Teso-Pérez Claudia , Martínez-Bueno Manuel , Peralta-Sánchez Juan Manuel , Valdivia Eva , Maqueda Mercedes , Fárez-Vidal M. Esther , Martín-Platero Antonio M.
Published: June 2021

In their struggle for life, bacteria frequently produce antagonistic substances against competitors. Antimicrobial peptides produced by bacteria (known as bacteriocins) are active against other bacteria, but harmless to their producer due to an associated immunity gene that prevents self-inhibition. However, knowledge of cross-resistance between different types of bacteriocin producer remains very limited. The immune function of certain bacteriocins produced by the Enterococcus genus (known as enterocins) is mediated by an ABC transporter. This is the case for enterocin AS-48, a gene cluster that includes two ABC transporter-like systems (Transporter-1 and 2) and an immunity protein. Transporter-2 in this cluster shows a high similarity to the ABC transporter-like system in MR10A and MR10B enterocin gene clusters. The aim of our study was to determine the possible role of this ABC transporter in cross-resistance between these two different types of enterocin. To this end, we designed different mutants (Tn5 derivative and deletion mutants) of the as-48 gene cluster in Enterococcus faecalis and cloned them into the pAM401 shuttle vector. Antimicrobial activity assays showed that enterocin AS-48 Transporter-2 is responsible for cross-resistance between AS-48 and MR10A/B enterocin producers and allowed identification of the MR10A/B immunity gene system. These findings open the way to the investigation of resistance beyond homologous bacteriocins.
Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens Associated with Dromedary Camels (Camelus dromedarius) in Northern Kenya
Authors: Getange Dennis , Bargul Joel L. , Kanduma Esther , Collins Marisol , Bodha Boku , Denge Diba , Chiuya Tatenda , Githaka Naftaly , Younan Mario , Fèvre Eric M. , Bell-Sakyi Lesley , Villinger Jandouwe
Published: June 2021

Ticks and tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) are major constraints to camel health and production, yet epidemiological data on their diversity and impact on dromedary camels remain limited. We surveyed the diversity of ticks and TBPs associated with camels and co-grazing sheep at 12 sites in Marsabit County, northern Kenya. We screened blood and ticks (858 pools) from 296 camels and 77 sheep for bacterial and protozoan TBPs by high-resolution melting analysis and sequencing of PCR products. Hyalomma (75.7%), Amblyomma (17.6%) and Rhipicephalus (6.7%) spp. ticks were morphologically identified and confirmed by molecular analyses. We detected TBP DNA in 80.1% of blood samples from 296 healthy camels. “Candidatus Anaplasma camelii”, “Candidatus Ehrlichia regneryi” and Coxiella burnetii were detected in both camels and associated ticks, and Ehrlichia chaffeensis, Rickettsia africae, Rickettsia aeschlimannii and Coxiella endosymbionts were detected in camel ticks. We also detected Ehrlichia ruminantium, which is responsible for heartwater disease in ruminants, in Amblyomma ticks infesting camels and sheep and in sheep blood, indicating its endemicity in Marsabit. Our findings also suggest that camels and/or the ticks infesting them are disease reservoirs of zoonotic Q fever (C. burnetii), ehrlichiosis (E. chaffeensis) and rickettsiosis (R. africae), which pose public health threats to pastoralist communities.
Acid Stable Yeast Cell-Associated Tannase with High Capability in Gallated Catechin Biotransformation
Authors: Leangnim Nalapat , Aisara Jakkrit , Unban Kridsada , Khanongnuch Chartchai , Kanpiengjai Apinun
Published: June 2021

Previously, nine tannin-tolerant and tannase-producing yeasts were isolated from Miang; all produced cell-associated tannase (CAT) during growth in tannin substrate. Among which, only CAT from Sporidiobolus ruineniae showed better stability than its purified form. Yet, it is of particular interest to directly characterize CATs from the latter yeasts. In this study, four CATs from yeasts, namely Cyberlindnera rhodanensis A22.3, Candida sp. A39.3, Debaryomyces hansenii A45.1, and Cy. rhodanensis A45.3 were characterized. The results indicate that all CATs were produced within the same production yield (11 mU/mL). Most CATs exhibited similar pH and temperature optima and stabilities, except for CAT from Cy. rhodanensis A22.3. This CAT was assigned as acid-stable tannase due to its unusual optimum pH of 2.0 with pH stability and half-life thermostability in the range of pH 2.0–4.0, and 70 °C, respectively. All CATs demonstrated high substrate specificity toward epigallocatechin gallate and epicatechin gallate, thus forming epigallocatechin and epicatechin, respectively. Moreover, they showed operational stability to repeated use for up to five cycles without loss of the initial activity. Therefore, CATs from these yeasts could be useful for the extraction and biotransformation of tea catechins and related applications.
Engaging English Language Learners as Cultural Informants in the Design of a Social Robot for Education
Authors: Björling Elin A. , Louie Belinda , Wiesmann Patriya , Kuo Annie Camey
Published: June 2021

Background: There are 4.9 million English Language Learners (ELLs) in the United States. Only 2% of educators are trained to support these vulnerable students. Social robots show promise for language acquisition and may provide valuable support for students, especially as we return to needing smaller classes due to COVID-19. While cultural responsiveness increases gains for ELLs, little is known about the design of culturally responsive child–robot interactions. Method: Therefore, using a participatory design approach, we conducted an exploratory study with 24 Spanish-speaking ELLs at a Pacific Northwest elementary school. As cultural informants, students participated in a 15-min, robot-led, small group story discussion followed by a post-interaction feedback session. We then conducted reflexive critiques with six ELL teachers who reviewed the group interactions to provide further interpretation on design feature possibilities and potential interactions with the robot. Results: Students found the social robot engaging, but many were hesitant to converse with the robot. During post-interaction dialogue students articulated the specific ways in which the social robot appearance and behavior could be modified to help them feel more comfortable. Teachers postulated that the social robot could be designed to engage students in peer-to-peer conversations. Teachers also recognized the ELLs verbosity when discussing their experiences with the robot and suggested such interactions could stimulate responsiveness from students. Conclusion: Cultural responsiveness is a key component to successful education in ELLs. However, integrating appropriate, cultural responsiveness into robot interactions may require participants as cultural informants to ensure the robot behaviors and interactions are situated in that educational community. Utilizing a participatory approach to engage ELLs in design decisions for social robots is a promising way to gather culturally responsive requirements to inform successful child–robot interactions.
Effects of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles on Physiological and Anatomical Indices in Spring Barley Tissues
Authors: Rajput Vishnu D. , Minkina Tatiana , Fedorenko Aleksei , Chernikova Natalia , Hassan Tara , Mandzhieva Saglara , Sushkova Svetlana , Lysenko Vladimir , Soldatov Mikhail A. , Burachevskaya Marina
Published: June 2021

The aim of the present work was to investigate the toxic effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs, particle size < 50 nm) on the physiological and anatomical indices of spring barley (Hordeum sativum L.). The results show that ZnO NPs inhibited H. sativum growth by affecting the chlorophyll fluorescence emissions and causing deformations of the stomatal and trichome morphology, alterations to the cellular organizations, including irregularities of the chloroplasts, and disruptions to the grana and thylakoid organizations. There was a lower number of chloroplasts per cell observed in the H. sativum leaf cells treated with ZnO NPs as compared to the non-treated plants. Cytomorphometric quantification revealed that ZnO NPs decreased the size of the chloroplast by 1.5 and 4 times in 300 and 2000 mg/L ZnO NP-treated plants, respectively. The elemental analysis showed higher Zn accumulation in the treated leaf tissues (3.8 and 10.18-fold with 300 and 2000 mg/L ZnO NPs, respectively) than the untreated. High contents of Zn were observed in several spots in ZnO NP-treated leaf tissues using X-ray fluorescence. Deviations in the anatomical indices were significantly correlated with physiological observations. The accumulation of Zn content in plant tissues that originated from ZnO NPs was shown to cause damage to the structural organization of the photosynthetic apparatus and reduced the photosynthetic activities.
Growth, Properties and Applications of Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 Ferroelectric Nanomaterials
Authors: Liu Yuan , Ji Yun , Yang Ya
Published: June 2021

The emerging demands for miniaturization of electronics has driven the research into various nanomaterials. Lead-free Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 (BNT) ferroelectric nanomaterials have drawn great interest owing to their superiorities of large remanent polarization, high pyroelectric and piezoelectric coefficients, unique photovoltaic performance and excellent dielectric properties. As attractive multifunctional ferroelectrics, BNT nanomaterials are widely utilized in various fields, such as energy harvest, energy storage, catalysis as well as sensing. The growing desire for precisely controlling the properties of BNT nanomaterials has led to significant advancements in material design and preparation approaches. BNT ferroelectric nanomaterials exhibit significant potential in fabrication of electronic devices and degradation of waste water, which pushes forward the advancement of the Internet of things and sustainable human development. This article presents an overview of research progresses of BNT ferroelectric nanomaterials, including growth, properties and applications. In addition, future prospects are discussed.
Socio-Demographic Characteristics, Body Weight Status and Energy Intake among Users and Non-Users of Dietary Supplements among Government Employees in Putrajaya, Malaysia
Authors: Mohd Ashri Muhamad Hasrol , Abu Saad Hazizi , Adznam Siti Nur Άsyura
Published: June 2021

The use of dietary supplements is prevalent among many groups worldwide. However, few studies have examined their use among government employees. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the association among sociodemographic characteristics, body weight status, and energy intake with dietary supplement use among government employees in Putrajaya, Malaysia. Simple random sampling was used to select a sample of 460 government employees from six ministries in Putrajaya, Malaysia. The data used in this study were collected through anthropometric measurements (height, weight, % body fat, waist and hip circumferences), a self-administered questionnaire (sociodemographic characteristics and dietary supplements use), and an interviewer-administered questionnaire (24-hour dietary recall; fruit and vegetable intake). The results indicated that the prevalence of dietary supplement use was 55.4%, with vitamin C (38.4%) being the most popular type of dietary supplement. Health issues (80.8%) were the most common reason for usage, internet (59.2%) was the main source of information, and pharmacies (71.8%) were the most indicated places to purchase dietary supplements. A multivariate analysis showed that participants who were female, married, had better monthly income, lived within a smaller household size, had a normal body mass index, classified as having unhealthily high body fat percentage, did not skip breakfast, and consumed at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day were significantly more likely to use dietary supplements. In conclusion, health-conscious groups were more prone to consume dietary supplements, and due to the high prevalence of dietary supplement use, dissemination of accurate scientific information regarding dietary supplements is highly recommended among government employees.
Relationship between Anthropometric Parameters and Sensory Processing in Typically Developing Brazilian Children with a Pediatric Feeding Disorder
Authors: Junqueira Patrícia , dos Santos Dyandra Loureiro Caron , Lebl Mariana Célia Guerra , de Cesar Maria Fernanda Cestari , dos Santos Amaral Carolina Antunes , Alves Thais Coelho
Published: June 2021

In this study, we aimed to relate anthropometric parameters and sensory processing in typically developing Brazilian children diagnosed with a pediatric feeding disorder (PFD). This was a retrospective study of typically developing children with a PFD. Anthropometric data were collected and indices of weight-for-age, length/height-for-age, and body mass index-for-age (BMI-for-age) were analyzed as z-scores. Sensory profile data were collected for auditory, visual, tactile, vestibular, and oral sensory processing. We included 79 medical records of children with a PFD. There were no statistically significant (p > 0.05) relationships between the anthropometric variables (weight-, length/height-, or BMI-for-age) and the sensory variables (auditory, visual, tactile, vestibular, or oral sensory processing). In conclusion, we found no relationship between anthropometric parameters and sensory processing in the sample of typically developing Brazilian children diagnosed with a PFD under study.
Up-Regulation of Specific Bioactive Lipids in Celiac Disease
Authors: Martín-Masot Rafael , Galo-Licona Jose , Mota-Martorell Natàlia , Sol Joaquim , Jové Mariona , Maldonado José , Pamplona Reinald , Nestares Teresa
Published: June 2021

Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune enteropathy linked to alterations of metabolism. Currently, limited untargeted metabolomic studies evaluating differences in the plasma metabolome of CD subjects have been documented. We engage in a metabolomic study that analyzes plasma metabolome in 17 children with CD treated with a gluten-free diet and 17 healthy control siblings in order to recognize potential changes in metabolic networks. Our data demonstrates the persistence of metabolic defects in CD subjects in spite of the dietary treatment, affecting a minor but significant fraction (around 4%, 209 out of 4893 molecular features) of the analyzed plasma metabolome. The affected molecular species are mainly, but not exclusively, lipid species with a particular affectation of steroids and derivatives (indicating an adrenal gland affectation), glycerophospholipids (to highlight phosphatidic acid), glycerolipids (with a special affectation of diacylglycerols), and fatty acyls (eicosanoids). Our findings are suggestive of an activation of the diacylglycerol-phosphatidic acid signaling pathway in CD that may potentially have detrimental effects via activation of several targets including protein kinases such as mTOR, which could be the basis of the morbidity and mortality connected with untreated CD. However, more studies are necessary to validate this idea regarding CD.
Pharmacokinetics and Bioavailability of Carprofen in Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Broodstock
Authors: Uney Kamil , Durna Corum Duygu , Terzi Ertugrul , Corum Orhan
Published: June 2021

The aim of this study was to determine the pharmacokinetics of carprofen following intravenous (IV), intramuscular (IM) and oral routes to rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) broodstock at temperatures of 10 ± 1.5 °C. In this study, thirty-six healthy rainbow trout broodstock (body weight, 1.45 ± 0.30 kg) were used. The plasma concentrations of carprofen were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography and pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated using non-compartmental analysis. Carprofen was measured up to 192 h for IV route and 240 h for IM, and oral routes in plasma. The elimination half-life (t1/2λz) was 30.66, 46.11, and 41.08 h for IV, IM and oral routes, respectively. Carprofen for the IV route showed the total clearance of 0.02 L/h/kg and volume of distribution at steady state of 0.60 L/kg. For IM and oral routes, the peak plasma concentration (Cmax) was 3.96 and 2.52 μg/mL with the time to reach Cmax of 2 and 4 h, respectively. The bioavailability was 121.89% for IM route and 78.66% for oral route. The favorable pharmacokinetic properties such as the good bioavailability and long t1/2λz for IM and oral route of carprofen suggest the possibility of its effective use for the treatment of various conditions in broodstock.