bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of Hinoki Cypress Wood on Diversity of Microflora: A Case Study from Owase City Hall
Authors: Tanaka Daisuke , Uei Daisuke , Matsui Jun , Matsunaga Masahiro , Morimoto Masaaki , Maruyama Fumito
Published: September 2021

Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) shows durability against termites and wood decay-causing fungi and is used as a construction material in Japan. However, the effects of the material are still not fully understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether Hinoki cypress has antimicrobial effects against airborne microorganisms. We examined the influence of Hinoki cypress on the growth of airborne bacteria and fungi using culture-based methods. The growth of bacterial colonies was observed after day 3 in the control group without Hinoki material. In contrast, the growth of bacterial colonies was observed after day 13 in the experimental group containing Hinoki material. In the experimental group, the number of fungal colonies was smaller than that in the control group, suggesting the antifungal effect of Hinoki cypress to some extent. In addition, we characterized the community structure of airborne bacteria in two rooms with and without cypress wood by the culture-independent method of PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. This also suggested differences in the community structure of airborne bacteria depending on the presence or absence of Hinoki cypress wood. These results indicate that Hinoki cypress might be a useful functional material in building environments.
Millepora aff. exaesa (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa) Recorded in the Mesophotic Environment of Mount La Pérouse, Southwestern Indian Ocean—Expedition La Pérouse 2019
Authors: Boissin Emilie , Bourmaud Chloé Annie-France , Ballesta Laurent , Mulochau Thierry , Gravier-Bonnet Nicole
Published: September 2021

In recent years, mesophotic coral ecosystems have been a growing topic of interest [...]
Erosive Pustular Dermatosis of the Scalp: A Clinicopathologic Study of Fifty Cases
Authors: Michelerio Andrea , Vassallo Camilla , Fiandrino Giacomo , Tomasini Carlo Francesco
Published: September 2021

Erosive pustular dermatosis of the scalp (EPDS) is an uncommon, pustular, idiopathic disorder typically occurring on the scalp of the elderly, whose diagnosis requires close clinicopathologic correlations. Recently, the primary histopathologic characteristic of EPDS has been identified in some biopsies from hair-bearing scalp lesions as a sterile, vesiculo-pustule involving the infundibulum of hair follicles. To further delineate the clinicopathologic spectrum of the disease, we led a retrospective study of 50 patients (36 males and 14 females) with a diagnosis of EPDS between 2011 and 2021, reviewing clinical and histopathological data. Androgenetic alopecia was present in 32 patients. Triggering factors were present in 21 patients. The vertex was the most common location; one patient also had leg involvement. Two cases were familial. Disease presentation varied markedly from tiny, erosive, scaly lesions to crusted and hemorrhagic plaques, mimicking pustular pyoderma gangrenosum (PPG). Biopsies of patients with severe androgenetic or total baldness produced specimens showing nonspecific pathologic changes (39/50), while in 11 patients with a hair-bearing scalp histopathologic examination, changes were specific. The clinicopathologic similarities between EPDS and PPG suggest that EPDS should be included in the spectrum of autoinflammatory dermatoses. Clinicians could consider the possibility of associated disorders rather than managing EPDS as a sui generis skin disorder.
Family-Centred Care for Children with Biopsychosocial Support Needs: A Scoping Review
Authors: Carrington Lizz , Hale Leigh , Freeman Claire , Qureshi Ayesha , Perry Meredith
Published: September 2021

Children’s health and wellness are influenced by a wide range of biological, psychological or social factors with a rising number of children requiring supportive healthcare. Family-centred care is considered best practice paediatric healthcare; however, processes and actions are not well explored in the literature. This research aimed to synthesise the evidence on the processes of implementation of family-centred care for children with biopsychosocial support needs and identify outcome measures used in the studies. A scoping search across Cinahl, Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, Psyc INFO, Embase and Education Research Complete for English language publications published between 2005 and 14 October 2020 was conducted. A total of 42 studies met the inclusion criteria: a focus on the processes of implementation of family-centred care for children aged 0–21 years with biopsychosocial needs. Diversity in the implementation of interventions of family-centred care was evident due to heterogeneity in study populations, methodology and reporting. Health condition or impairment focused outcome measures were found to be standard with a paucity of outcomes measuring participation or activity. Theoretical and practical elements of implementing interventions were identified as novel and key attributes of family-centred care and contributed to a new standardised framework for the processes of implementation of family-centred care. Future research should address whether mapping family-centred care to the International Classification of Function model helps families and health professionals identify meaningful participation and activity outcomes, which in turn may guide the processes of implementation of family-centred care interventions.
Using Non-Additive Entropy to Enhance Convolutional Neural Features for Texture Recognition
Authors: Florindo Joao , Metze Konradin
Published: September 2021

Here we present a study on the use of non-additive entropy to improve the performance of convolutional neural networks for texture description. More precisely, we introduce the use of a local transform that associates each pixel with a measure of local entropy and use such alternative representation as the input to a pretrained convolutional network that performs feature extraction. We compare the performance of our approach in texture recognition over well-established benchmark databases and on a practical task of identifying Brazilian plant species based on the scanned image of the leaf surface. In both cases, our method achieved interesting performance, outperforming several methods from the state-of-the-art in texture analysis. Among the interesting results we have an accuracy of 84.4% in the classification of KTH-TIPS-2b database and 77.7% in FMD. In the identification of plant species we also achieve a promising accuracy of 88.5%. Considering the challenges posed by these tasks and results of other approaches in the literature, our method managed to demonstrate the potential of computing deep learning features over an entropy representation.
Two-Dimensional EspEn: A New Approach to Analyze Image Texture by Irregularity
Authors: Espinosa Ricardo , Bailón Raquel , Laguna Pablo
Published: September 2021

Image processing has played a relevant role in various industries, where the main challenge is to extract specific features from images. Specifically, texture characterizes the phenomenon of the occurrence of a pattern along the spatial distribution, taking into account the intensities of the pixels for which it has been applied in classification and segmentation tasks. Therefore, several feature extraction methods have been proposed in recent decades, but few of them rely on entropy, which is a measure of uncertainty. Moreover, entropy algorithms have been little explored in bidimensional data. Nevertheless, there is a growing interest in developing algorithms to solve current limits, since Shannon Entropy does not consider spatial information, and SampEn2D generates unreliable values in small sizes. We introduce a proposed algorithm, EspEn (Espinosa Entropy), to measure the irregularity present in two-dimensional data, where the calculation requires setting the parameters as follows: m (length of square window), r (tolerance threshold), and ρ (percentage of similarity). Three experiments were performed; the first two were on simulated images contaminated with different noise levels. The last experiment was with grayscale images from the Normalized Brodatz Texture database (NBT). First, we compared the performance of EspEn against the entropy of Shannon and SampEn2D. Second, we evaluated the dependence of EspEn on variations of the values of the parameters m, r, and ρ. Third, we evaluated the EspEn algorithm on NBT images. The results revealed that EspEn could discriminate images with different size and degrees of noise. Finally, EspEn provides an alternative algorithm to quantify the irregularity in 2D data; the recommended parameters for better performance are m = 3, r = 20, and ρ = 0.7.
Inference Using Simulated Neural Moments
Authors: Creel Michael
Published: September 2021

This paper studies method of simulated moments (MSM) estimators that are implemented using Bayesian methods, specifically Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC). Motivation and theory for the methods is provided by Chernozhukov and Hong (2003). The paper shows, experimentally, that confidence intervals using these methods may have coverage which is far from the nominal level, a result which has parallels in the literature that studies overidentified GMM estimators. A neural network may be used to reduce the dimension of an initial set of moments to the minimum number that maintains identification, as in Creel (2017). When MSM-MCMC estimation and inference is based on such moments, and using a continuously updating criteria function, confidence intervals have statistically correct coverage in all cases studied. The methods are illustrated by application to several test models, including a small DSGE model, and to a jump-diffusion model for returns of the S&P 500 index.
The Impact of Port Performance on Trade: The Case of Selected African States
Authors: Mlambo Courage
Published: September 2021

Maritime transport remains the main gateway to the global marketplace. Ocean ports are a central and necessary component in facilitating trade. Ports are essentially a channel of integration into the global economic system. Resourceful and well-connected container ports empowered by regular and consistent shipping services are key to reducing trade costs, including transport costs, connecting supply chains and supporting global trade. Consequently, port performance is an important factor that can influence countries’ trade competitiveness. However, for Africa, the ports are dilapidated, lack essential infrastructure, are congested and perform poorly. Africa’s shipping and ports do not always match global trends and standards. In light of this, this study seeks to assess Africa’s current port performance and test the relationship between Africa’s port performance and trade performance. Very few studies have attempted to investigate the impact of port performance on trade. Hence, it was worthwhile to study the impact of port performance on Africa’s trade. The study used panel data that covering the period 2005–2018. An ARDL panel technique was used for estimation purposes. Results showed that port performance positively affects trade. This study argues that African ports require expensive infrastructure to be able to compete successfully. Africa needs to pursue an intensive course of infrastructure development so as to maintain economic growth and improve port efficiency and trade competitiveness. At the moment, African ports are inefficient, and there is congestion partly because the ports cannot accommodate further expansion without serious investments.
Photovoltaic Energy Conversion Systems with Sliding Mode Control
Authors: Gursoy Mehmetcan , Zhuo Guangping , Lozowski Andy G. , Wang Xin
Published: September 2021

A new sliding-mode-control-based power conversion scheme is proposed for photovoltaic energy conversion systems. The perturbation and observation (P&O) maximum power-point tracking (MPPT) approach is adopted for optimizing the power generation capabilities from solar panels. Due to the inherent nonlinear dynamics of power converters, we need to adopt a nonlinear control approach to optimize the energy conversion efficiency and tolerate the fluctuations and changes of load and sunlight irradiance. In this manuscript, novel first-and higher-order sliding mode control approaches are proposed, aiming to provide a systematic approach for the robust and optimal control of solar energy conversion, which guarantees Lyapunov stability and consistent performance in the face of external perturbations and disturbances. Moreover, to eliminate the chattering phenomenon inherent in the first-order approach, super-twisting second-order sliding mode control is developed for the buck-boost converter. Furthermore, the output of DC–DC converter supplies a voltage-oriented-control (VOC)-based space-vector pulse-width-modulated inverter to generate three-phase AC power to the grid. To demonstrate the robustness and effectiveness of the proposed scheme, computer simulations and dSPACE hardware-in-the-loop platform have been carried on for examining the proposed sliding-mode-control-based solar energy conversion system.
Efficient and Stable Perovskite Large Area Cells by Low-Cost Fluorene-Xantene-Based Hole Transporting Layer
Authors: Vesce Luigi , Stefanelli Maurizio , Di Carlo Aldo
Published: September 2021

Among the new generation photovoltaics, perovskite solar cell (PSC) technology reached top efficiencies in a few years. Currently, the main objective to further develop PSCs is related to the fabrication of stable devices with cost-effective materials and reliable fabrication processes to achieve a possible industrialization pathway. In the n-i-p device configuration, the hole transporting material (HTM) used most is the highly doped organic spiro-fluorene-based material (Spiro-OMeTAD). In addition to the high cost related to its complex synthesis, this material has different issues such as poor photo, thermal and moisture stability. Here, we test on small and large area PSCs a commercially available HTM (X55, Dyenamo) with a new core made by low-cost fluorene–xantene units. The one-pot synthesis of this compound reduces 30 times its cost with respect to Spiro-OMeTAD. The optoelectronic performances and properties are characterized through JV measurement, IPCE (incident photon to current efficiency), steady-state photoluminescence and ISOS stability test. SEM (scanning electron microscope) images reveal a uniform and pinhole free coverage of the X55 HTM surface, which reduces the charge recombination losses and improves the device performance relative to Spiro-OMeTAD from 16% to 17%. The ISOS-D-1 stability test on large area cells without any encapsulation reports an efficiency drop of about 15% after 1000 h compared to 30% for the reference case.
Web-Based Simulation Environment for Vehicular Electrical Networks
Authors: Dominguez Xavier , Mantilla-Pérez Paola , Gimenez Nuria , El-Sayed Islam , Díaz Millán Manuel Alberto , Arboleya Pablo
Published: September 2021

For the validation of vehicular Electrical Distribution Systems (EDS), engineers are currently required to analyze disperse information regarding technical requirements, standards and datasheets. Moreover, an enormous effort takes place to elaborate testing plans that are representative for most EDS possible configurations. These experiments are followed by laborious data analysis. To diminish this workload and the need for physical resources, this work reports a simulation platform that centralizes the tasks for testing different EDS configurations and assists the early detection of inadequacies in the design process. A specific procedure is provided to develop a software tool intended for this aim. Moreover, the described functionalities are exemplified considering as a case study the main wire harness from a commercial vehicle. A web-based architecture has been employed in alignment with the ongoing software development revolution and thus provides flexibility for both, developers and users. Due to its scalability, the proposed software scheme can be extended to other web-based simulation applications. Furthermore, the automatic generation of electrical layouts for EDS is addressed to favor an intuitive understanding of the network. To favor human–information interaction, utilized visual analytics strategies are also discussed. Finally, full simulation workflows are exposed to provide further insights on the deployment of this type of computer platforms.
Design and Experiments of a Galloping-Based Wind Energy Harvester Using Quadruple Halbach Arrays
Authors: Le Hai Dang , Kwon Soon-Duck
Published: September 2021

This study aims to develop a device for harvesting electrical energy from low-speed natural wind. Four linear Halbach arrays are adopted to design a high-performance galloping harvester with the advantage of high durability and efficiency at low-frequency vibrations. The results of magnetic field analysis reveal that there are optimal sizes of the main and transit magnets of the Halbach arrays and coil to obtain the maximum magnetic flux density normal to the coil. The experimental and simulation results show that the electrical external load resistance significantly affects the vibration amplitude and the galloping onset velocity of the harvester. The results also reveal that the performance of the original design using the quadruple Halbach array was lower than that of the existing harvester because of the heavy magnet mass embedded in the tip prism. The modified design, reducing mass, improved the performance by four times compared to the original design.
A Geothermal Plant from a Time-Scale Perspective
Authors: Cobos Jacquelin , Knudby Christen , Søgaard Erik
Published: September 2021

In recent years, geothermal energy use from low-temperature sandstone reservoirs has sharply increased. Nonetheless, the injection of heat-depleted geothermal fluids has not been an easy task because of well/formation damage and operational/economic issues. Sønderborg geothermal plant is a case example of heat-mining from a low-temperature reservoir. It is in the northeast of Sønderborg towards Augustenborg Fjord. The present work takes into consideration the regional and local geology of the Sønderborg area, construction of the wells, field experience and water chemistry. The main issues of the geothermal plant appear to be related to the construction of the wells and reinjection of the heat-depleted brine. Our water chemistry analysis and PHREEQC simulations indicate that geothermal brine was saturated with respect to carbonate and barite minerals. The excess of Ca2+ and SO42− ions could have led to the formation and precipitation of carbonate and sulfate scales. Moreover, the increment of iron concentration over time could suggest the ingress of oxygen and pitting corrosion due to the presence of halide ions.
Experimental Investigation on Uniaxial Compression Mechanical Behavior and Damage Evolution of Pre-Damaged Granite after Cyclic Loading
Authors: Hu Jianhua , Zeng Pingping , Yang Dongjie , Wen Guanping , Xu Xiao , Ma Shaowei , Zhao Fengwen , Xiang Rui
Published: September 2021

Failure behavior of pillars in deep mines is affected by various cyclic loads that cause initial pre-damage. Pillars will be further damaged and developed in the long-term compressive stress until they are destroyed. To reveal the strength characteristics and crack damage fracture laws after rock pre-damage, uniaxial compression tests were carried out on granite specimens damaged by cyclic loading using the digital speckle correlation method. The experimental results indicate that the mechanical properties of pre-damaged specimens show large damage differences for different cycles. The damage variable of the pre-damaged specimens increases with the increase of cycle number and confining pressure. The damage of specimens is primarily due to the strength weakening effect caused by cycle numbers, and the confining pressure restriction effect is not obvious. The evolution laws of uniaxial compression damage propagation in the pre-damaged specimens show differences and obvious localization phenomenon. Pre-damaged specimens experienced three failure modes in the uniaxial compression test, namely tensile shear failure (Mode I), quasi-coplanar shear failure (Mode II), and stepped path failure (Mode III), and under different pre-damage stress environments with high confining pressures, the failure modes are dominated by Mode II and Mode III, respectively.
A Case Study of a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) as a Data Acquisition Tool for PV Energy Forecasting
Authors: Popławski Tomasz , Dudzik Sebastian , Szeląg Piotr , Baran Janusz
Published: September 2021

This article describes problems related to the operation of a virtual micro power plant at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering (FEE), Czestochowa University of Technology (CUT). In the era of dynamic development of renewable energy sources, it is necessary to create alternative electricity management systems for existing power systems, including power transmission and distribution systems. Virtual power plants (VPPs) are such an alternative. So far, there has been no unified standard for a VPP operation. The article presents components that make up the VPP at the FEE and describes their physical and logical structure. The presented solution is a combination of several units operating in the internal power grid of the FEE, i.e., wind turbines, energy storage (ES), photovoltaic panels (PV) and car charging stations. Their operation is coordinated by a common control system. One of the research goals described in the article is to optimize the operation of these components to minimize consumption of the electric energy from the external supply network. An analysis of data from the VPP management system was carried out to create mathematical models for prediction of the consumed power and the power produced by the PVs. These models allowed us to achieve the assumed objective. The article also presents the VPP data processing results in terms of detecting outliers and missing values. In addition to the issues discussed above, the authors also proposed to apply the Prophet model for short-term forecasting of the PV farm electricity production. It is a statistical model that has so far been used for social and business research. The authors implemented it effectively for technical analysis purposes. It was shown that the results of the PV energy production forecasting using the Prophet model are acceptable despite occurrences of missing data in the investigated time series.
The Impact of Fleet Size, Harvesting Site Reserve, and Timing of Machine Relocations on the Performance Indicators of Mechanized CTL Harvesting in Finland
Authors: Väätäinen Kari , Hyvönen Pekka , Kankaanhuhta Ville , Laitila Juha , Hirvelä Hannu
Published: September 2021

Upscaling an operation typically results in economies of scale, i.e., cost advantages in business, especially when the production unit’s utilization rate can be improved. According to economic studies of mechanized timber harvesting, large wood harvesting entrepreneurs tend to be more successful in business than small entrepreneurs. What are the factors that influence harvesting costs, and how great is their effect on costs? These questions were investigated in mechanized cut-to-length timber harvesting in Eastern Finland by varying (a) the size of the harvesting fleet, (b) the harvesting site reserve, and (c) the timing and duration of the working day of machine relocations, in the case of an entrepreneur using a discrete-event simulation method. Prior to the simulations, harvesting site data were generated from the National Forest Inventory data by the MELA software, and the spatial data analyses by ArcGIS. According to the results, largely because of the low utilization rate of the contractor’s own relocation truck, the harvesting cost of a 2-harvesting-unit (2 HU) scenario was 9% or 6% higher than 4 HU, and 13% or 8% higher than 8 HU, with or without a specifically employed driver of a relocation truck, respectively (the harvesting unit consists of a harvester and a forwarder). In the 4 and 8 HU scenarios, harvesting costs decreased on average by 1% (0.3–1.5), when doubling the size of the harvesting site reserve. With fleet sizes of 6 and 8 HU, good utilization of a relocation truck reduced relocation costs, whereas machine costs only increased a small amount because of a longer machine relocation waiting time than with smaller entrepreneurs. The study raised the importance of entrepreneur-specific planning of machine relocations in the cost-efficient timber harvesting in Finland.
Decision Support Tool for Tree Species Selection in Forest Regeneration Based on Harvester Data
Authors: Saksa Timo , Uusitalo Jori , Lindeman Harri , Häyrynen Esko , Kulju Sampo , Huuskonen Saija
Published: September 2021

Precision forestry—i.e., the division of a stand to smaller units and managing of the stand at a micro-stand level—provides new possibilities to increase forest growth, arrange forest stand structure and enhance forest health. In the regeneration phase by adjusting the tree species selection, soil preparation, intensity of regeneration measures (method, planting density, and material), and young stand management procedures according to precise information on soil properties (e.g., site fertility, wetness, and soil type) and microtopography will inevitably lead to an increase in growth of the whole stand. A new approach to utilizing harvester data to delineate micro-stands inside a large forest stand and to deciding the tree species to plant for each micro-stand was piloted in central Finland. The case stands were situated on Finsilva Oyj forest property. The calculation of the local growth (m3/ha/year) for each 16 × 16-m grid cell was based on the height of the dominant trees and the stand age of the previous tree generation. Tree heights and geoinformation were collected during cutting operation as the harvester data, and the dominant height was calculated as the mean of the three largest stems in each grid cell. The stand age was obtained from the forest management plan. The estimated local growth (average of nine neighboring grid cells) varied from 3 to 14 m3/ha/year in the case stands. When creating micro-stands, neighboring grid cells with approximately the same local growth were merged. The minimum size for an acceptable micro-stand was set to 0.23 ha. In this case study, tree species selection (Scots pine or Norway spruce) was based on the mean growth of each micro-stand. Different threshold values, varying from 6 to 8 m3/ha/year, were tested for tree species change, and they led to different solutions in the delineation of micro-stands. Further stand development was simulated with the Motti software and the net present values (NPVs (3%)) for the next rotation were estimated for different micro-stand solutions. The mixed Norway spruce–Scots pine stand structure never produced a clearly economically inferior solution compared to the single species stand, and in one case out of six, it provided a distinctly better solution in terms of NPV (3%) than the single species option did. Our case study showed that this kind of method could be used as a decision support tool at the regeneration phase.
Vitamin K in COVID-19—Potential Anti-COVID-19 Properties of Fermented Milk Fortified with Bee Honey as a Natural Source of Vitamin K and Probiotics
Authors: Ali Amira Mohammed , Kunugi Hiroshi , Abdelmageed Hend A. , Mandour Ahmed S. , Ahmed Mostafa Elsayed , Ahmad Saboor , Hendawy Amin Omar
Published: September 2021

Vitamin K deficiency is evident in severe and fatal COVID-19 patients. It is associated with the cytokine storm, thrombotic complications, multiple organ damage, and high mortality, suggesting a key role of vitamin K in the pathology of COVID-19. To support this view, we summarized findings reported from machine learning studies, molecular simulation, and human studies on the association between vitamin K and SARS-CoV-2. We also investigated the literature for the association between vitamin K antagonists (VKA) and the prognosis of COVID-19. In addition, we speculated that fermented milk fortified with bee honey as a natural source of vitamin K and probiotics may protect against COVID-19 and its severity. The results reported by several studies emphasize vitamin K deficiency in COVID-19 and related complications. However, the literature on the role of VKA and other oral anticoagulants in COVID-19 is controversial: some studies report reductions in (intensive care unit admission, mechanical ventilation, and mortality), others report no effect on mortality, while some studies report higher mortality among patients on chronic oral anticoagulants, including VKA. Supplementing fermented milk with honey increases milk peptides, bacterial vitamin K production, and compounds that act as potent antioxidants: phenols, sulforaphane, and metabolites of lactobacilli. Lactobacilli are probiotic bacteria that are suggested to interfere with various aspects of COVID-19 infection ranging from receptor binding to metabolic pathways involved in disease prognosis. Thus, fermented milk that contains natural honey may be a dietary manipulation capable of correcting nutritional and immune deficiencies that predispose to and aggravate COVID-19. Empirical studies are warranted to investigate the benefits of these compounds.
A Multi–Membrane System to Study the Effects of Physical and Metabolic Interactions in Microbial Co-Cultures and Consortia
Authors: Oosthuizen Jennifer R. , Naidoo-Blassoples Rene K. , Rossouw Debra , Pott Robert , Bauer Florian F.
Published: September 2021

Continuous cell-to-cell contact between different species is a general feature of all natural environments. However, almost all research is conducted on single-species cultures, reflecting a biotechnological bias and problems associated with the complexities of reproducibly growing and controlling multispecies systems. Consequently, biotic stress due to the presence of other species remains poorly understood. In this context, understanding the effects of physical contact between species when compared to metabolic contact alone is one of the first steps to unravelling the mechanisms that underpin microbial ecological interactions. The current technologies to study the effects of cell-to-cell contact present disadvantages, such as the inefficient or discontinuous exchange of metabolites when preventing contact between species. This paper presents and characterizes a novel bioreactor system that uses ceramic membranes to create a “multi-membrane” compartmentalized system whereby two or more species can be co-cultured without the mixing of the species, while ensuring the efficient sharing of all of the media components. The system operates continuously, thereby avoiding the discontinuities that characterize other systems, which either have to use hourly backwashes to clean their membranes, or have to change the direction of the flow between compartments. This study evaluates the movement of metabolites across the membrane in co-cultures of yeast, microalgae and bacterial species, and monitors the movement of the metabolites produced during co-culturing. These results show that the multi-membrane system proposed in this study represents an effective system for studying the effects of cell-to-cell contact in microbial consortia. The system can also be adapted for various biotechnological purposes, such as the production of metabolites when more than one species is required for such a process.
Optimization of Carotenoids Production from Camelina sativa Meal Hydrolysate by Rhodosporidium toruloides
Authors: Bertacchi Stefano , Cantù Chiara , Porro Danilo , Branduardi Paola
Published: September 2021

Several compounds on the market derive from petrochemical synthesis, and carotenoids are no exception. Nonetheless, since their applications in the food, feed and cosmetic sectors, and because of sustainability issues, carotenoids of natural origin are desirable. Carotenoids can be extracted from several plants but also from carotenogenic microorganisms, among which are yeasts. Nonetheless, to meet sustainability criteria, the substrate used for yeast cultivation has to be formulated from residual biomasses. For these reasons, we deploy the yeast, Rhodosporidium toruloides, to obtain carotenoids from Camelina sativa meal, an underrated lignocellulosic biomass. Its enzymatic hydrolysis ensures the release of the sugars, as well as of the other nutrients necessary to sustain the process. We therefore separately optimized enzymatic and biomass loadings, and calculated the yields and productivities of the obtained carotenoids. The best conditions (9% w/v biomass, 0.56% w/wbiomass enzymes) were tested in different settings, in which the fermentation was performed separately or simultaneously with hydrolysis, resulting in a similar production of carotenoids. In order to collect quantitative data under controlled chemo-physical parameters, the process was implemented in stirred-tank bioreactors, obtaining 3.6 ± 0.69 mg/L of carotenoids; despite the volumetric and geometric change, the outcomes were consistent with results from the fermentation of shake flasks. Therefore, these data pave the way to evaluate a potential future industrialization of this bioprocess, considering the opportunity to optimize the use of different amounts of biomass and enzyme loading, as well as the robustness of the process in the bioreactor.
Phylogeographic Structure of Freshwater Tor sp. in River Basins of Sabah, Malaysia
Authors: Biun Helena , Sade Ahemad , Robert Rolando , Rodrigues Kenneth Francis
Published: September 2021

We characterized the genetic diversity, phylogeography, and demography of Tor sp. (Cyprinidae) from Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, by examining nucleotide variation in the D-loop region of the mtDNA. Sequence analysis of 18 populations (N = 173) yielded 35 unique mtDNA haplotypes with mean haplotype and nucleotide diversity of 0.833 and 0.023, respectively. Phylogenetic reconstructions using Bayesian, neighbor-joining, and maximum parsimony methods, as well as haplotype network, revealed four well-defined clades, namely, the eastern, central, northwestern, and southwestern clades, which corresponded to evolutionarily significant units (ESUs). These ESUs were estimated to have become separated since the late Miocene to Pliocene era (between 5 and 1 million years ago), with the central highlands of Sabah Crocker Trusmadi Range (CTR) constituting the main barrier to genetic exchange between clades. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) and pairwise genetic differentiation showed significant population structuring (Φct = 0.575–1.000, p < 0.05). We further identified eight major groups of river systems harboring reproductively isolated Tor subpopulations. Neutrality statistics and Bayesian skyline plots (BSP) suggested constant population size over time for most Tor populations. Tor sp. in Sabah is comprised of four ESUs (eastern, central, northwestern, and southwestern ESUs), and that each ESU can be compartmentalized into 1–4 MUs. Due to isolation by distance, the highest number of MU occurs in the low-elevation drainages of Eastern Sabah, which is the largest in terms of land area. The evidence provided by this study supports the hypothesis that the four ESU represent genetically distinct subpopulations of Tor and highlight the urgent need for the in situ conservation of these subpopulations.
The Use of Organic Acids (Lactic and Acetic) as a Microbial Decontaminant during the Slaughter of Meat Animal Species: A Review
Authors: Nkosi Davies Veli , Bekker Johan Leon , Hoffman Louwrens Christian
Published: September 2021

Wild ungulate species provide a much-needed protein source to many communities in developed and developing countries. Frequently, these game meat animals are slaughtered, and the meat is unknowingly contaminated by microorganisms and released to the unsuspecting public. This review investigates the global usage of organic acids (lactic and acetic acids) as microbial decontamination strategies during slaughter. The results show that there is a more open-minded approach to adopting possible decontamination plans as a tool to improve meat safety during slaughter. Developed countries continue to adopt these strategies, while developing countries are lagging behind. While decontamination of carcasses can lead to a reduction of microbial load on these carcasses, this strategy must not be seen as a replacement of hygiene management during the animals’ slaughter.
Targeted Phenolic Characterization and Antioxidant Bioactivity of Extracts from Edible Acheta domesticus
Authors: Nino Maria Catalina , Reddivari Lavanya , Ferruzzi Mario G. , Liceaga Andrea M.
Published: September 2021

With entomophagy gaining popularity in the Western hemisphere as a solution for future food insecurity, research on alternative protein sources, such as edible insects, has become relevant. Most of the research performed on insects has been on their nutritional qualities; however, little is known regarding bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols, that, if present in the insect, could provide additional benefits when the insect is consumed. In this study, methanolic extracts of Acheta domesticus from two farms and their corresponding feeds were obtained using a microwave-assisted extraction. Targeted phenolic characterization was accomplished through LC-MS/MS leading to the identification of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, and syringic acid as major phenolic compounds in both A. domesticus extracts. Furthermore, the in vitro antioxidant activity was evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical cation (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radical assays demonstrating the superior quenching activity of the A. domesticus extracts compared to the feeds. The discovery of phenolic compounds in A. domesticus implies the ability of this insect species to sequester and absorb dietary phenolics leading to possible added health benefits when consumed.
Crash Patterns in the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Tale of Four Florida Counties
Authors: Koloushani Mohammadreza , Ghorbanzadeh Mahyar , Ozguven Eren Erman , Ulak Mehmet Baran
Published: September 2021

This study investigates the impacts of the noticeable change in mobility during the COVID-19 pandemic with analyzing its impact on the spatiotemporal patterns of crashes in four demographically different counties in Florida. We employed three methods: (1) a Geographic Information System (GIS)-based method to visualize the spatial differences in crash density patterns, (2) a non-parametric method (Kruskal–Wallis) to examine whether the changes in crash densities are statistically significant, and (3) a negative binomial regression-based approach to identify the significant socio-demographic and transportation-related factors contributing to crash count decrease during COVID-19. Results confirm significant differences in crash densities during the pandemic. This may be due to maintaining social distancing protocols and curfew imposement in all four counties regardless of their sociodemographic dissimilarities. Negative binomial regression results reveal that the presence of youth populations in Leon County are highly correlated with the crash count decrease during COVID-19. Moreover, less crash count decrease in Hillsborough County U.S. Census blocks, mostly populated by the elderly, indicate that this certain age group maintained their mobility patterns, even during the pandemic. Findings have the potential to provide critical insights in dealing with safety concerns of the above-mentioned shifts in mobility patterns for demographically different areas.
Injectable and In Situ Gelling Dextran Derivatives Containing Hydrolyzable Groups for the Delivery of Large Molecules
Authors: Di Muzio Laura , Paolicelli Patrizia , Brandelli Chiara , Cesa Stefania , Trilli Jordan , Petralito Stefania , Casadei Maria Antonietta
Published: September 2021

Recently, we reported the synthesis and characterization of a new dextran derivative obtained by grafting polyethylene glycol methacrylate to a polysaccharide backbone through a carbonate bond. This moiety was introduced because it allows for the fabrication, through a photo-induced crosslinking reaction, of biodegradable hydrogels particularly suitable for the release of high molecular weight molecules. Here, we investigate the influence of the oxyethylene chain length and the molecular weight of the starting dextran on the main properties of the polymeric solutions as well as those of the corresponding hydrogels. All synthesized polymeric derivatives were characterized by FTIR, NMR, and rheological analyses. The photo-crosslinking reaction of the polymers allowed us to obtain biodegradable networks tested for their mechanical properties, swelling, and degradation behavior. The results showed that both the oxyethylene chain length as well as the molecular weight of the starting dextran influenced swelling and degradation of the hydrogel network. As a consequence, the different behaviors in terms of swelling and degradability were able to affect the release of a large model molecule over time, making these matrices suitable candidates for the delivery of high molecular weight drug substances.
Application of “Magnetic Anchors” to Align Collagen Fibres for Axonal Guidance
Authors: Sirkkunan Devindraan S/O , Muhamad Farina , Pingguan-Murphy Belinda
Published: September 2021

The use of neural scaffolds with a highly defined microarchitecture, fabricated with standard techniques such as electrospinning and microfluidic spinning, requires surgery for their application to the site of injury. To circumvent the risk associated with aciurgy, new strategies for treatment are sought. This has led to an increase in the quantity of research into injectable hydrogels in recent years. However, little research has been conducted into controlling the building blocks within these injectable hydrogels to produce similar scaffolds with a highly defined microarchitecture. “Magnetic particle string” and biomimetic amphiphile self-assembly are some of the methods currently available to achieve this purpose. Here, we developed a “magnetic anchor” method to improve the orientation of collagen fibres within injectable 3D scaffolds. This procedure uses GMNP (gold magnetic nanoparticle) “anchors” capped with CMPs (collagen mimetic peptides) that “chain” them to collagen fibres. Through the application of a magnetic field during the gelling process, these collagen fibres are aligned accordingly. It was shown in this study that the application of CMP functionalised GMNPs in a magnetic field significantly improves the alignment of the collagen fibres, which, in turn, improves the orientation of PC12 neurites. The growth of these neurite extensions, which were shown to be significantly longer, was also improved. The PC12 cells grown in collagen scaffolds fabricated using the “magnetic anchor” method shows comparable cellular viability to that of the untreated collagen scaffolds. This capability of remote control of the alignment of fibres within injectable collagen scaffolds opens up new strategic avenues in the research for treating debilitating neural tissue pathologies.
Silver: Forging almost Gold Standard Datasets
Authors: Maleki Farhad , Ovens Katie , McQuillan Ian , Kusalik Anthony J.
Published: September 2021

Gene set analysis has been widely used to gain insight from high-throughput expression studies. Although various tools and methods have been developed for gene set analysis, there is no consensus among researchers regarding best practice(s). Most often, evaluation studies have reported contradictory recommendations of which methods are superior. Therefore, an unbiased quantitative framework for evaluations of gene set analysis methods will be valuable. Such a framework requires gene expression datasets where enrichment status of gene sets is known a priori. In the absence of such gold standard datasets, artificial datasets are commonly used for evaluations of gene set analysis methods; however, they often rely on oversimplifying assumptions that make them biased in favor of or against a given method. In this paper, we propose a quantitative framework for evaluation of gene set analysis methods by synthesizing expression datasets using real data, without relying on oversimplifying or unrealistic assumptions, while preserving complex gene–gene correlations and retaining the distribution of expression values. The utility of the quantitative approach is shown by evaluating ten widely used gene set analysis methods. An implementation of the proposed method is publicly available. We suggest using Silver to evaluate existing and new gene set analysis methods. Evaluation using Silver provides a better understanding of current methods and can aid in the development of gene set analysis methods to achieve higher specificity without sacrificing sensitivity.
Genomic Consideration in Chemotherapy-Induced Ovarian Damage and Fertility Preservation
Authors: Kim Seongmin , Lee Sanghoon , Park Hyun-Tae , Song Jae-Yun , Kim Tak
Published: September 2021

Chemotherapy-induced ovarian damage and fertility preservation in young patients with cancer are emerging disciplines. The mechanism of treatment-related gonadal damage provides important information for targeting prevention methods. The genomic aspects of ovarian damage after chemotherapy are not fully understood. Several studies have demonstrated that gene alterations related to follicular apoptosis or accelerated follicle activation are related to ovarian insufficiency and susceptibility to ovarian damage following chemotherapy. This may accelerate follicular apoptosis and follicle reservoir utilization and damage the ovarian stroma via multiple molecular reactions after chemotherapy. This review highlights the importance of genomic considerations in chemotherapy-induced ovarian damage and multidisciplinary oncofertility strategies for providing high-quality care to young female cancer patients.
Integrative Map of HIF1A Regulatory Elements and Variations
Authors: Kunej Tanja
Published: September 2021

Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) family of transcription factors (HIF1A, EPAS1, and HIF3A) are regulators of the cellular response to hypoxia. They have been shown to be involved in development of various diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and erythrocytosis. A complete map of connections between HIF family of genes with various omics types has not yet been developed. The main aim of the present analysis was to construct the integrative map of genomic elements associated with HIF1A gene and prioritize potentially deleterious variants. Various genomic databases and bioinformatics tools were used, including Ensembl, MirTarBase, STRING, Cytoscape, MethPrimer, CADD, SIFT, and UALCAN. Integrative HIF1A gene map was visualized and includes transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulators, downstream targets, and genetic variants. One CpG island overlaps transcription start site of the HIF1A gene. Out of over 450 missense variants, four have predicted deleterious effect on protein function by at least five bioinformatics tools. Currently there are 85 miRNAs reported to target HIF1A. HIF1A downstream targets include protein-coding genes, long noncoding RNAs, and microRNAs (hypoxamiRs). The study presents the first integration of heterogeneous molecular interactions associated with HIF1A gene enabling a holistic view of the gene and lays the groundwork for supplementing the data in the future.