bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing of Gut Microbiota in Chickens Infected with Different Virulent Newcastle Disease Virus Strains
Authors: Tong Lina , Wang Wen , Ren Shanhui , Wang Jianling , Wang Jie , Qu Yang , Addoma Adam Fathalrhman Eisa , Li Zengkui , Gao Xiaolong
Published: September 2022

Newcastle disease virus (NDV) which is pathogenic to chickens is characterized by dyspnea, diarrhea, nervous disorder and hemorrhages. However, the influence of different virulent NDV strain infection on the host gut microbiota composition is still poorly understood. In this study, twenty 21-day-old specific pathogen free (SFP) chickens were inoculated with either the velogenic Herts33 NDV strain, lentogenic La Sota NDV strain or sterile phosphate buffer solution (PBS). Subsequently, the fecal samples of each group were collected for 16S rRNA sequencing. The results showed that the gut microbiota were mainly dominated by Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria in both healthy and NDV infected chickens. NDV infection altered the structure and composition of gut microbiota. As compared to the PBS group, phylum Firmicutes were remarkably reduced, whereas Proteobacteria was significantly increased in the velogenic NDV infected group; the gut community structure had no significant differences between the lentogenic NDV infected group and the PBS group at phylum level. At genus level, Escherichia-Shigella was significantly increased in both the velogenic and lentogenic NDV infected groups, but the lactobacillus was only remarkably decreased in the velogenic NDV infected group. Collectively, different virulent strain NDV infection resulted in a different alteration of the gut microbiota in chickens, including a loss of probiotic bacteria and an expansion of some pathogenic bacteria. These results indicated that NDV strains with different virulence have different impacts on chicken gut microbiota and may provide new insights into the intestinal pathogenesis of NDV.
Effects of Dietary Essential Oils Supplementation on Egg Quality, Biochemical Parameters, and Gut Microbiota of Late-Laying Hens
Authors: Xiao Gengsheng , Zheng Liwei , Yan Xia , Gong Li , Yang Yang , Qi Qien , Zhang Xiangbin , Zhang Huihua
Published: September 2022

The objective of this study was to explore the effects of adding essential oils (EO) to diets on egg quality, biochemical parameters and intestinal flora of late laying hens. The number of 252 Dawu Golden Phoenix laying hens (55 weeks old) were randomly sorted into two groups: the control group (CG) fed a basal diet and the EO group fed a basal diet with 300 mg/kg of essential oils. The average egg weight, feed-to-egg ratio, and egg production rate were determined every week. The trial started at week 55 and lasted for 8 weeks. During the experiment’s last week, 36 eggs out of each group were chosen at random to test. In our study, dietary supplementation with EO considerably decreased the egg breaking rate (p = 0.01) and increased the shell-breaking strength (p = 0.04). The treatment group’s alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels were considerably lower than those of the control group (p = 0.03). The EO group had substantially higher total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) (p = 0.04 and p =0.03, respectively). However, there were no differences in alpha diversity indicators between the two groups. It is worth noting that Firmicutes were increased considerably (p < 0.05), while Spirochaetota and Proteobacteria were significantly reduced in the EO group. At genus levels, the EO supplementation increased the relative abundance of Intestinimonas (p < 0.05) and Megamonas (p < 0.01). In conclusion, a dietary supplementation of 300 mg/kg EO can improve the production performance of laying hens and the egg quality. It can also regulate the abundance of cecal flora and serum biochemical indicators.
2′-Hydroxyflavanone: A Bioactive Compound That Protects against Cancers
Authors: Cherian Jeenu , Sehgal Amit , Singh Sandeep K. , Vamanu Emanuel , Singh Mahendra P.
Published: September 2022

Cancer is defined as a multifactorial disease because it exhibits the continuous proliferation of malignant cells. It is one of the principal causes of death worldwide, with breast cancer occurrence being the highest among women and lung cancer being the highest among men. Hydroxyflavanones come under the category of flavonones and are further classified as 2′-hydroxyflavanone, 4′-hydroxyflavanone, 6-hydroxyflavanone, 7-hydroxyflavanone, etc. Flavonoids constitute approximately 60% of the total dietary polyphenols. Dietary components such as vegetables, fruits, cereals, soybeans, and tea are the chief sources of flavonoids, while citrus fruits contain a high amount of hydroxyflavanones. 2′-Hydroxyflavanone is known to have anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic, and anticancer activities. Hence, it is being investigated as a treatment for various diseases, especially cancer. 2′-Hydroxyflavanone can act as a chemotherapeutic agent in cancer. It restricts the signal transducer and activator of the transcription 3 pathway (STAT3) in some forms of cancer.
The Application of Fault-Tolerant Partition Resolvability in Cycle-Related Graphs
Authors: Azhar Kamran , Zafar Sohail , Kashif Agha , Aljaedi Amer , Albalawi Umar
Published: September 2022

The concept of metric-related parameters permeates all of graph theory and plays an important role in diverse networks, such as social networks, computer networks, biological networks and neural networks. The graph parameters include an incredible tool for analyzing the abstract structures of networks. An important metric-related parameter is the partition dimension of a graph holding auspicious applications in telecommunication, robot navigation and geographical routing protocols. A fault-tolerant resolving partition is a preference for the concept of a partition dimension. A system is fault-tolerant if failure of any single unit in the originally used chain is replaced by another chain of units not containing the faulty unit. Due to the optimal fault tolerance, cycle-related graphs have applications in network analysis, periodic scheduling and surface reconstruction. In this paper, it is shown that the partition dimension (PD) and fault-tolerant partition dimension (FTPD) of cycle-related graphs, including kayak paddle and flower graphs, are constant and free from the order of these graphs. More explicitly, the FTPD of kayak paddle and flower graphs is four, whereas the PD of flower graphs is three. Finally, an application of these parameters in a scenario of installing water reservoirs in a locality has also been furnished in order to verify our findings.
The Effect of Bark Stripping by Deer (Cervus elaphus L.) on Biometric Parameters of the Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.)
Authors: Sporek Monika , Sporek Kazimierz , Ziembik Zbigniew , Stebila Ján , Kučerka Martin , Lee Seng Hua
Published: September 2022

Bark stripping by red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) is one of the most acute instances of damage wrought by these animals in a forest. Because of its location, bark stripping causes damage to the thickest and most valuable part of the tree trunk, which lowers the quality of the wood due to technical flaws. The research was conducted in 25 sampling sites of pine stands aged 35 years in a mixed, fresh forest habitat in south-western Poland. The study was aimed at assessing the influence of bark damage by deer on biometric parameters of pine stands (Pinus sylvestris L.). The assessment involved the diameter at breast height, height, basal area and volume of the tree stands. The results revealed a strong deer-specific pressure on the analysed pine stands. The share of bark stripped trees ranged from 65% to 96%. The number of bark damage instances (NBDI) on a given tree was found to significantly affect its diameter at breast height. The strip-damaged trees had breast height diameters lower by 23% on average, and their mean height was lower by 8.7% as compared with the trees without damage. The mean reduction in basal area increments (G1.3) of the trees was identified at 39%. In a similar way to the diameter at breast height and the basal area, the losses in tree stand volume growth caused by deer stripping were significant and oscillated at 41%.
Programmable Deterministic Zero-Copy DMA Mechanism for FPGA Accelerator
Authors: Wang Jichang , Lv Gaofeng , Liu Zhongpei , Yang Xiangrui
Published: September 2022

With the expansion of network scales, the B/S architecture of monolithic applications is gradually being replaced by microservices. The unbundling of services has led to exponential growth in the size of APIs. When handling massive microservice requests, the commercial NIC shows limitations in three aspects: deterministic, programmability, and data copy. To ensure that each microservice node handles requests efficiently, flexibly, and precisely, this paper proposes a programmable deterministic multi-queue FPGA Accelerator. The Accelerator relies on the instantiated 1000 queues and the queue management unit to extend the rule-based RSS algorithm for the serverless-friendly programmability of packet distribution. A PTP hardware clock is added to collaborate with the queue management unit to control the deterministic delivery. To improve the sending and receiving efficiency of network node data, a driver adapted to the FPGA accelerator is designed to realize zero-copy. Experiments conducted on a 100 Gbps FPGA show that the Accelerator can support the multi-queue transmission with various packet sizes, define the forwarding behavior, and almost approach the line rate on an 8-core FPGA device. In addition, it can forward packets with low latency close to that of the current state-of-the-art ovs-DPDK. This Accelerator overcomes, to some extent, the limitations of commercial NICs when oriented to microservice architectures.
RT Engine: An Efficient Hardware Architecture for Ray Tracing
Authors: Yan Run , Huang Libo , Guo Hui , Lü Yashuai , Yang Ling , Xiao Nong , Wang Yongwen , Shen Li , Lan Mengqiao
Published: September 2022

The reality of the ray tracing technology that leads to its rendering effect is becoming increasingly apparent in computer vision and industrial applications. However, designing efficient ray tracing hardware is challenging due to memory access issues, divergent branches, and daunting computation intensity. This article presents a novel architecture, a RT engine (Ray Tracing engine), that accelerates ray tracing. First, we set up multiple stacks to store information for each ray so that the RT engine can process many rays parallel in the system. The information in these stacks can effectively improve the performance of the system. Second, we choose the three-phase break method during the triangle intersection test, which can make the loop break earlier. Third, the reciprocal unit adopts the approximation method, which combines Parabolic Synthesis and Second-Degree interpolation. Combined with these strategies, we implement our system at RTL level with agile chip development. Simulation and experimental results show that our architecture achieves a performance per area which is 2.4 × greater than the best reported results for ray tracing on dedicated hardware.
Evaluation and Construction of Regional Ecological Network Based on Multi-Objective Optimization: A Perspective of Mountains–Rivers–Forests–Farmlands–Lakes–Grasslands Life Community Concept in China
Authors: Xiao Huabin , Guo Yanxin , Wang Yue , Xu Yutong , Liu Daliang
Published: September 2022

Landscape degradation and habitat fragmentation are some of the most urgent environmental problems associated with human development and regional integrated planning. Regional ecological network planning involves connecting high-quality habitats and reducing the negative impact of landscape fragmentation on the remaining natural patches through structural and functional connectivity. The concept of “mountains–rivers–forests–farmlands–lakes–grasslands life community”, as a system concept to solve the whole problem of regional ecological network in China, associates all natural ecological factors and ecological relations through a systematic pattern, emphasizing the systematicness and integrality of ecological environment protection. This study, based on the progress of the study of “mountains–rivers–forests–farmlands–lakes–grasslands life community” and ecological network, clarifies the intrinsic connection and systemic relationship between humans and natural resources, and it clarifies the importance of multi-objective ecological network construction for the integrated development of resources in the whole region. Taking the Taishan area as the study subject, the ecological network construction approach of “risk assessment–source identification–corridor extraction–node selection” was constructed from three objectives—ecological systemic structure, ecological process integrity and ecological service efficiency—based on morphological spatial pattern analysis, minimum cumulative resistance model, gravity model and other modeling methods. The findings of this study can provide the evidence and clarification for the construction of a regional ecological network in China.
Dry Printing of Ag–Ni Conductive Particles Using Toner-Type Printed Electronics
Authors: Sawamura Fumiya , Ngu Chen Yi , Hanazaki Raiki , Kozuki Kaito , Kado Sayaka , Sakai Masatoshi , Kudo Kazuhiro
Published: September 2022

Printed electronics are a set of additive manufacturing methods for creating future flexible electronics on thin polymeric sheets. We proposed the toner-type, dry, page-printing of Ag–Ni composite conductive particles on flexible plastic sheets without pre-treatment. No chemical solvents are necessary to compose the inks of the electronic materials used for the toner-type printing, and no chemical treatment is required for the plastic film substrate surface. In addition, multilayer printing is simple when using toner printing because previously printed materials do not need to be resolved; furthermore, composing the thick films of the electronic materials is relatively simple. In this study, we fabricated an Ag–Ni composite toner to improve the fluidity of the toner particles compared to bare Ag particles. We successfully printed IC peripheral circuits at a resolution of 0.20 mm and demonstrated that the actual electrical circuit pattern can be formed using our method.
The Psychological Disturbance Associated with Tooth Loss Questionnaire Revisited: Validation on a National Greek Sample
Authors: Artopoulou Ioli-Ioanna , Pachiou Aspasia , Zachari Eleftheria , Niarchou Thalassia , Athanasiades Christina , Anastassiadou Vassiliki
Published: September 2022

Background. Edentulism is considered a chronic disability since tooth loss, and the required prosthodontic rehabilitation with removable prostheses might irreversibly affect function and aesthetics and significantly impact patients’ psychological well-being and social interactions. The present study aimed to translate, validate, and adapt in the native population the recently developed nine-item self-reporting psychological disturbance associated with tooth loss questionnaire (PDATL). The well-established Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) questionnaire was also employed to identify potential emotional states of depression, anxiety, and stress caused by tooth loss and denture-wearing. Methods. For the present analysis, nationwide baseline data from two samples were used. The participants were using clinically acceptable complete or partial dentures for at least 1-year and were interviewed from May 2021 to October 2021. The dentures were fabricated in two different Dental School settings, the National Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH). Data from both clinical studies were analyzed similarly, in a parallel fashion, to enhance the generalizability of the results. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient measured internal consistency reliability, whereas Principal Component analysis using a Varimax with Kaiser Normalization rotation was subsequently performed to test the questionnaire’s internal structure regarding its pattern and structure matrix. All analyses were performed at α = 0.05 level of significance with statistical software (SPSS Statistics for Windows, v20.0; SPSS Inc. (Chicago, IL, USA)). Results. In both data sets, all items except for “discomfort/pain” and “difficult to relax” contributed significantly to the scale structure. The two items that presented weaker contributions indicated that they were redundant. DASS-21 statements revealed no severe negative emotional symptoms in both data settings. However, tooth loss was acknowledged by the participants as a critical factor of distress in their life. Conclusion. The PDATL questionnaire has several advantages since it allows for summary score calculation, and due to its shortened content, it can be easily distributed during a telephone interview. This is important in older tooth loss sufferers where digital technology has an additional advantage as it allows for remote denture fabrication through digital workflow.
A Distributed Bi-Behaviors Crow Search Algorithm for Dynamic Multi-Objective Optimization and Many-Objective Optimization Problems
Authors: Aboud Ahlem , Rokbani Nizar , Neji Bilel , Al Barakeh Zaher Al , Mirjalili Seyedali , Alimi Adel M.
Published: September 2022

Dynamic Multi-Objective Optimization Problems (DMOPs) and Many-Objective Optimization Problems (MaOPs) are two classes of the optimization field that have potential applications in engineering. Modified Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithms hybrid approaches seem to be suitable to effectively deal with such problems. However, the standard Crow Search Algorithm has not been considered for either DMOPs or MaOPs to date. This paper proposes a Distributed Bi-behaviors Crow Search Algorithm (DB-CSA) with two different mechanisms, one corresponding to the search behavior and another to the exploitative behavior with a dynamic switch mechanism. The bi-behaviors CSA chasing profile is defined based on a large Gaussian-like Beta-1 function, which ensures diversity enhancement, while the narrow Gaussian Beta-2 function is used to improve the solution tuning and convergence behavior. Two variants of the proposed DB-CSA approach are developed: the first variant is used to solve a set of MaOPs with 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10,15 objectives, and the second aims to solve several types of DMOPs with different time-varying Pareto optimal sets and a Pareto optimal front. The second variant of DB-CSA algorithm (DB-CSA-II) is proposed to solve DMOPs, including a dynamic optimization process to effectively detect and react to the dynamic change. The Inverted General Distance, the Mean Inverted General Distance and the Hypervolume Difference are the main measurement metrics used to compare the DB-CSA approach to the state-of-the-art MOEAs. The Taguchi method has been used to manage the meta-parameters of the DB-CSA algorithm. All quantitative results are analyzed using the non-parametric Wilcoxon signed rank test with 0.05 significance level, which validated the efficiency of the proposed method for solving 44 test beds (21 DMOPs and 23 MaOPS).
Mechanistic Exploration of Visible Light-Activated Carbon/TiO2 Hybrid Dots Damaging Bacterial Cells
Authors: Adcock Audrey F. , Liang Weixiong , Okonjo Peter A. , Dong Xiuli , Sheriff Kirkland , Wang Ping , Ferguson Isaiah S. , Hwu Shiou-Jyh , Sun Ya-Ping , Yang Liju
Published: September 2022

The carbon/TiO2 hybrid dots (C/TiO2-Dots) are structurally TiO2 nanoparticles (in the order of 25 nm in diameter from commercially available colloidal TiO2 samples) surface-attached by nanoscale carbon domains with organic moieties, thus equivalent to hybrids of individual TiO2 nanoparticles each decorated with many carbon dots. These hybrid dots with exposure to visible light exhibit potent antibacterial properties, similar to those found in neat carbon dots with the same light activation. The results from the use of established scavengers for reactive oxygen species (ROS) to “quench” the antibacterial activities, an indication for shared mechanistic origins, are also similar. The findings in experiments on probing biological consequences of the antibacterial action suggest that the visible light-activated C/TiO2-Dots cause significant damage to the bacterial cell membrane, resulting in higher permeability, with the associated oxidative stress leading to lipid peroxidation, inhibiting bacterial growth. The induced bacterial cell damage could be observed more directly in the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging. Opportunities for the further development of the hybrid dots platform for a variety of antibacterial applications are discussed.
Design of Adaptive-RST Controller for Nonlinear Magnetic Levitation System Using Multiple Zone-Model Approach in Real-Time Experimentation
Authors: Ismail Laith S. , Lupu Ciprian , Alshareefi Hamid
Published: September 2022

A system with multiple controllers and a multiple-model architecture is one of the most effective solutions for the real-time control of nonlinear systems. The employment of these structures necessitates the resolution of certain difficulties, such as selecting the optimal algorithm or switching control algorithms. Based on the concepts of auto-transfer, the paper provides a way for switching the numerous controller structures’ algorithms. This paper presents a real-time dynamic model and platform of a magnetic levitation system (Maglev). The method’s applicability was demonstrated by utilizing a real-time architecture with an RST controller mechanism and real. In conclusion, the software was implemented and demonstrated by using the LabVIEW platform in real-time, and the results reveal that this solution can stabilize the ball’s location and has strong disturbance rejection because of the multi-zone effect.
Effects of Effective Precipitation and Accumulated Temperature on the Terrestrial EVI (Enhanced Vegetation Index) in the Yellow River Basin, China
Authors: Wang Huiliang , He Linpo , Yin Jun , Yu Zhilei , Liu Simin , Yan Denghua
Published: September 2022

To identify the vegetation dynamics and relationship with the hydrothermal conditions in the Yellow River basin (YRB), the spatial–temporal variations of EVI, effective precipitation (Epr), accumulated temperature (At), and their relationships were obtained based on the MODIS EVI data and meteorological data from the YRB during 2001–2020. The results indicate that EVI trends increased during 2001 to 2020, especially in the farmland, forestland, and grassland ecosystems. Epr and At have also increased over the last 20 years. Epr mostly increased faster in the grassland, and water bodies and wetland ecosystems. At mostly increased faster in the water bodies and wetland, desert, and forest ecosystems. Affected by Epr and At, the correlation between the EVI and hydrothermal conditions varied under different hydrothermal conditions. Compared to the At, the Epr was the restrictive factor for the EVI variations in the terrestrial ecosystem in the YRB. In addition, the dynamical thresholds of the EVI, Epr, and At were confirmed. This study can improve the understanding of vegetation variations and their response to regional climate change, which is critical for ecological conservation and the high-quality development of the YRB.
Temporal Variability of Temperature, Precipitation and Drought Indices in Hyper-Arid Region of Northwest China for the Past 60 Years
Authors: He Jing , Li Boshan , Yu Yang , Sun Lingxiao , Zhang Haiyan , Malik Ireneusz , Wistuba Malgorzata , Yu Ruide
Published: September 2022

The temporal variability and abrupt change analysis of temperature and precipitation in Turpan was investigated and examined based on a monthly data set of temperature, precipitation and drought indices (1960–2019) from three meteorological stations over the study area. The Yamamoto method, Mann–Kendall test, Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), Standardized Precipitation Evaporation Index (SPEI), and Reconnaissance Drought Index (RDI) were applied to reveal temperature, precipitation and drought indices trends in their annual volumes. The conclusions were as follows: (1) in the past 60 years, the annual average temperature in the Turpan region has increased at a rate of 0.33 °C·(10a)−1. Whereas the temperature has accelerated since the 1980s, the annual average minimum temperature has increased more than the annual average maximum temperature, and the temperature difference between winter and summer has increased since the 1990s. (2) The inter-annual, inter-decadal and normal value changes in precipitation in the Turpan region and its three meteorological stations indicated a decreasing trend during 1960–2019. Though the normal value of summer and autumn precipitation decreased and increased as a whole, the normal values of spring, summer, winter and annual precipitation in the Turpan region displayed downward trends. (3) Abrupt changes in temperature were observed in the mid-1990s, and abrupt changes in precipitation were not obvious. (4) The SPI and RDI responded quickly to precipitation and temperature, and the overall characteristics of dry and wet trend changes were consistent. When the SPEI considered the combined effect of temperature and precipitation, the SPI and SPEI are better correlated, and the SPI and RDI are better correlated than the SPEI and RDI. On the whole, the occurrence of drought has obvious regional and seasonal characteristics. These conclusions not only provide scientific data for sustainable development in Turpan but also offer scientific information to further understand the trends and periodicity of climate change and drought conditions in hyper-arid regions around the world.
15N Natural Abundance Characteristics of Ammonia Volatilization from Soils Applied by Different Types of Fertilizer
Authors: Peng Lingyun , Tao Limin , Ma Shutan , Wang Xi , Wang Ruhai , Tu Yonghui , Wang Liangjie , Ti Chaopu , Yan Xiaoyuan
Published: September 2022

Ammonia (NH3) volatilized from cropland significantly impacts the ecological environment and human health. The identification and quantification of atmospheric sources of NH3 from cropland are therefore important for NH3 emission reduction and air pollution control. Choosing appropriate nitrogen (N) fertilizer types is one of the key ways to reduce NH3 emissions from agricultural systems due to different N fertilizers with different emission factors. The natural abundance isotope of N (δ15N) values can well identify the source of NH3 volatilization, although there is rare research on δ15N-NH3 values volatilized when applying different types of N fertilizers. Here, we conducted an incubation experiment to study the characteristics of δ15N-NH3 values during the whole volatilization process after different N fertilizers were applied to the soil. The results show that the cumulative NH3 volatilization from urea (U), urease inhibitor fertilizer (UI), compound fertilizer (CF) and ammonium nitrate phosphate fertilizer (AP) treatment was 5.25 ± 0.00, 3.11 ± 0.00, 3.22 ± 0.19 and 1.38 ± 0.12 kg N ha−1 at the end of the 15-day incubation period, respectively. The average δ15N value of NH3 volatilized from the U, UI, CF and AP treatments was −36.02 ± 4.95, −29.08 ± 9.70, −35.18 ± 4.98 and −29.42 ± 4.33‰, respectively. Generally, the δ15N-NH3 values ranged from −41.33 to −6.30‰ during the NH3 volatilization process. The δ15N-NH3 value was lower in the U treatment than in the UI and AP treatments (p < 0.05), which suggests that N forms and the slow-release additions of different fertilizers, such as NO3−-N and urease inhibitors, can delay or slow down NH3 volatilization, resulting in relative isotopic enrichment. Therefore, the basic properties of different N fertilizers, the changes in soil NH4+-N and cumulative NH3 during the volatilization process significantly impacted the δ15N-NH3 values.
Social Acceptability in Context: Stereotypical Perception of Shape, Body Location, and Usage of Wearable Devices
Authors: Sehrt Jessica , Braams Bent , Henze Niels , Schwind Valentin
Published: September 2022

Assessing social acceptability is vital when designing body-worn mobile devices. Previous research found evidence that using stereotyping content model (SCM) mobile devices can systematically predict ratings of the warmth and competence of their wearers. However, it is currently unknown if other contextual dimensions of mobile device usage can also systematically affect those ratings. In two studies, we investigate if and how shape and body location of a body-worn mobile device as well as the activity in which the device is being used can systematically influence stereotypical ratings. Our results suggest that this is evident in some but not all cases. We conclude that people further differentiate between the placement of the device, particularly devices in the user’s hand, and during an activity in which the device can contextually be misused. This indicates that users further differentiate the context and that more contexual information is helpful while operationalizing the SCM as a measure for social acceptability.
A Sensitive Immunodetection Assay Using Antibodies Specific to Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B Produced by Baculovirus Expression
Authors: Jang Ju-Hong , Kim Sungsik , Kim Seul-Gi , Lee Jaemin , Lee Dong-Gwang , Jang Jieun , Jeong Young-Su , Song Dong-Hyun , Min Jeong-Ki , Park Jong-Gil , Lee Moo-Seung , Han Baek-Soo , Son Jee-Soo , Lee Jangwook , Lee Nam-Kyung
Published: September 2022

Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) is a potent bacterial toxin that causes inflammatory stimulation and toxic shock, thus it is necessary to detect SEB in food and environmental samples. Here, we developed a sensitive immunodetection system using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Our study is the first to employ a baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS) to produce recombinant wild-type SEB. BEVS facilitated high-quantity and pure SEB production from suspension-cultured insect cells, and the SEB produced was characterized by mass spectrometry analysis. The SEB was stable at 4 °C for at least 2 years, maintaining its purity, and was further utilized for mouse immunization to generate mAbs. An optimal pair of mAbs non-competitive to SEB was selected for sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-based immunodetection. The limit of detection of the immunodetection method was 0.38 ng/mL. Moreover, it displayed higher sensitivity in detecting SEB than commercially available immunodetection kits and retained detectability in various matrices and S. aureus culture supernatants. Thus, the results indicate that BEVS is useful for producing pure recombinant SEB with its natural immunogenic property in high yield, and that the developed immunodetection assay is reliable and sensitive for routine identification of SEB in various samples, including foods.
A Meta-Analysis of fMRI Studies of Youth Cannabis Use: Alterations in Executive Control, Social Cognition/Emotion Processing, and Reward Processing in Cannabis Using Youth
Authors: Hammond Christopher , Allick Aliyah , Park Grace , Rizwan Bushra , Kim Kwon , Lebo Rachael , Nanavati Julie , Parvaz Muhammad , Ivanov Iliyan
Published: September 2022

Background: Adolescent cannabis use (CU) is associated with adverse health outcomes and may be increasing in response to changing cannabis laws. Recent imaging studies have identified differences in brain activity between adult CU and controls that are more prominent in early onset users. Whether these differences are present in adolescent CU and relate to age/developmental stage, sex, or cannabis exposure is unknown. Methods: A systematic review and subsequent effect-size seed-based d mapping (SDM) meta-analysis were conducted to examine differences in blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) response during fMRI studies between CU and non-using typically developing (TD) youth. Supplemental analyses investigated differences in BOLD signal in CU and TD youth as a function of sex, psychiatric comorbidity, and the dose and severity of cannabis exposure. Results: From 1371 citations, 45 fMRI studies were identified for inclusion in the SDM meta-analysis. These studies compared BOLD response contrasts in 1216 CU and 1486 non-using TD participants. In primary meta-analyses stratified by cognitive paradigms, CU (compared to TD) youth showed greater activation in the rostral medial prefrontal cortex (rmPFC) and decreased activation in the dorsal mPFC (dmPFC) and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) during executive control and social cognition/emotion processing, respectively. In meta-regression analyses and subgroup meta-analyses, sex, cannabis use disorder (CUD) severity, and psychiatric comorbidity were correlated with brain activation differences between CU and TD youth in mPFC and insular cortical regions. Activation differences in the caudate, thalamus, insula, dmPFC/dACC, and precentral and postcentral gyri varied as a function of the length of abstinence. Conclusions: Using an SDM meta-analytic approach, this report identified differences in neuronal response between CU and TD youth during executive control, emotion processing, and reward processing in cortical and subcortical brain regions that varied as a function of sex, CUD severity, psychiatric comorbidity, and length of abstinence. Whether aberrant brain function in CU youth is attributable to common predispositional factors, cannabis-induced neuroadaptive changes, or both warrants further investigation.
Empirical Support for the Involvement Load Hypothesis (ILH): A Systematic Review
Authors: Liu Sylvia , Reynolds Barry Lee
Published: September 2022

The Involvement Load Hypothesis (ILH) has become a widely used framework for predicting second language (L2) vocabulary learning from task completion. The purpose of this systematic review was to analyze the predictive ability of the ILH in the acquisition of aspects of knowing a word, its application in different target populations, the effective vocabulary learning task types designed based on the ILH, and the occurrence rate of the ILH components in vocabulary learning tasks. We searched IEEE, ERIC, WOS, Scopus, and ProQuest databases for empirical studies published between 2001 and 2021, using a vocabulary-focused keyword string combined with an ILH-focused keyword string. A total of 78 studies were selected using a set of inclusion and exclusion criteria. The content analysis of these studies showed that researchers have used the ILH to investigate the acquisition of six aspects of knowing a word. Four types of tasks (i.e., fill-in-the-blanks, reading, composition writing, and meaning-inferring) provided more positive evidence for the validation of the ILH. The search component was least present in the vocabulary learning tasks. Researchers have supported the use of the ILH to predict the vocabulary learning potential of tasks completed mainly by adult learners. This systematic review provides direction for future reviews and empirical studies in L2 vocabulary teaching and learning framed by the ILH.
Perception of Cognitive Functions and Academic Performance in Chilean Public Schools
Authors: Valdebenito-Villalobos Jacqueline , Parra-Rizo María Antonia , Chávez-Castillo Yasna , Díaz-Vargas Caterin , Sanzana Vallejos Gloria , Gutiérrez Echavarría Aurora , Tapia Figueroa Andrea , Godoy Montecinos Xeny , Zapata-Lamana Rafael , Cigarroa Igor
Published: September 2022

Understanding the perception that students have about their own cognitive processes is a key aspect that allows for a deeper assimilation of the different factors that affect school performance. However, there is limited evidence explaining the link between students’ perception of their own cognitive functions and their academic performance. The objective of this study was to analyze the association between perception of cognitive functions, such as memory, processing speed, attention, execution of complex tasks and nervousness, and academic performance in Chilean schoolchildren from the province of Biobio. A cross-sectional analytic design was conducted. The sample consisted of 590 elementary school students (12 ± 1.3 years old; 48.3% female) from Chilean public schools. The academic performance was measured by means of the accumulated final grades in the language, mathematics, physical education and health subjects, and the grade point average (GPA) of each student. Moreover, a survey to measure the cognitive functions of the participants was applied. The results show that 20.3% of the students perceived themselves as very nervous and 16.8% felt distracted. Differences in marks were observed in all the measured subjects, as well as in GPAs, depending on the perception of cognitive functions. Thus, the students with low to moderate perceptions of their cognitive functions received lower marks than those who reported a high perception. These results were consistent after a multivariate analysis adjusted for a socio-educational variables model. In conclusion, one in five public school students in the Biobío Region of Chile expressed a low perception of their cognitive functions, which is consistent with their weaker school performance. Therefore, it is believed that integrating curricular activity and cognitive work could potentially boost the perception of said functions, and thus reduce the risk of poor academic performance.
Dynamics and Driving Mechanism of Real Estate in China’s Small Cities: A Case Study of Gansu Province
Authors: Chen Hua , Zhao Sidong , Zhang Ping , Zhou Yong , Li Kerun
Published: September 2022

(1) Background: China is beginning to see increasingly complex real estate development dynamics as urbanization, industrialization and globalization advance. As a key driver of economic and social development in China’s cities, real estate has created prosperity while facing the risk of capitalization and a “hard landing”, making it increasingly difficult to bring it under control. (2) Methods: a new approach that integrates “evolution dynamics–driving mechanism–policy design” is constructed based on the Boston Consulting Group matrix, exploratory spatial data analysis, GIS and Geodetector, and this paper empirically studies the dynamics and driving mechanism of real estate development based on the case study of small county-level cities in Gansu, China. (3) Results: Firstly, real estate development in Gansu is characterized by significant spatial differentiation, heterogeneity and autocorrelation, and its distribution pattern comes into being from unsynchronized macroeconomic, population, social, industrial, institutional and policy development interweaved with the real estate control. Secondly, the real estate is diversified in spatiotemporal evolution models, and the cold and hot cities of different models are in quite different geographical patterns with high spatial agglomeration. Thirdly, there are many driving factors affecting the distribution patterns in real estate. These factors are in complex relationships and they are classified into three categories of “Scale–Contribution–Comprehensive”-oriented driving factor and three sub-categories of “Key–Important–Auxiliary” factors. Fourthly, the factors show large differences in the interaction effects, with the real estate industry scale influencing factors being dominated by bifactor enhancement and the economic contribution influencing factors being dominated by non-linear enhancement. Notably, factors such as permanent resident population, urbanization and government revenue have a strong direct influence on the industry scale and economic contribution of real estate, and factors such as expenditure, output value of industry, urbanization rate and number of secondary schools all have a strong interactive influence. (4) Conclusions: The cities are divided into four policy areas of comprehensive development, contribution improvement, scale growth and free decision. Furthermore, differentiated and adaptive measures are proposed for each zoning, which significantly improves the accuracy and synergy of urban real estate management.
Development and Pilot Evaluation of an Online Retrofit Decision-Making Tool for Homeowners
Authors: Seddiki Mohammed , Bennadji Amar , Alabid Jamal , Gray David , Deveci Gokay
Published: September 2022

Many retrofit projects went wrong in the UK principally because of the application of inappropriate retrofit solutions, which resulted in damp issues, with some leaving houses in worse conditions than pre-retrofit. Various online tools were developed to inform homeowners about the benefits of retrofitting. Prior to this study, little was known about users’ evaluation of these tools and the effects of calculator use. Furthermore, no retrofit tool aims to raise the awareness of homeowners about moisture risks in a retrofit project. The originality of this study is to develop and evaluate an online moisture-safe retrofit decision-making tool for homeowners. The adopted methodology consisted of two phases. Phase one aimed to develop the tool. In phase two, semi-structured interviews were conducted to evaluate the tool. The results indicate that the tool has been well received by homeowners. The tool significantly increased participants’ awareness of moisture risks related to a retrofit project. Most participants considered the tool an eye-opener, while few of them found it scary. However, the tool did not result in an increased willingness to invest in energy efficiency measures. The discouragement was related to high investment costs and long payback periods of some retrofit measures. Based on our findings, we formulate a set of design recommendations to improve the proposed tool and help retrofit calculators, in general, overcome challenges.
Building Cooling Requirements under Climate Change Scenarios: Impact, Mitigation Strategies, and Future Directions
Authors: Khourchid Ammar M. , Ajjur Salah Basem , Al-Ghamdi Sami G.
Published: September 2022

Climate change affects building cooling demand; however, little has been done to explore this effect and show its variability in different climatic zones. This review organizes and summarizes studies which have simulated the impact of climate change on building cooling requirements, and critically analyzes the effectiveness of the mitigation strategies proposed by these studies to alleviate this impact. The review methodology selected studies that reported cooling demand and discussed mitigation strategies in future climates. The studies were then grouped based on their climate zone and impact period. Analysis showed that climate change will increase building cooling demand in all climatic zones, with the greatest increase occurring in temperate and cold climatic zones. By the middle of the 21st century (2040–2080), the average increase in building cooling demand is expected to reach 33%, 89%, 288% and 376%, in tropical, arid, cold, and temperate climates, respectively. These numbers are expected to increase during the end of the 21st century (2080–2100) to 55%, 302%, 734%, and 1020%, for tropical, arid, cold, and temperate climates, respectively. Some mitigation strategies (e.g., thermal insulation, solar shading) showed a potential to reduce the increase in building cooling demand; however, the reduction varied depending on the strategy and climatic zone. Further research is required to determine if existing cooling systems can handle the future increase in cooling requirements.
Assessment of Earth Retaining Performance for Long-Short Piles Composite Structures from Field Experiments and Numerical Analysis
Authors: Zhu Huailong , Zhu Bitang , Xu Changjie , Liu Wei , Guo Dongdong
Published: September 2022

Retaining pile structure is commonly utilized in excavation maintenance design. In recent years, the long-short combined retaining piles have received more and more attention. According to the actual deep excavation engineering, the working mechanism of the long-short, long-double-short, and long-triple-short combined retaining piles was tested in the field. Based on the field test parameters, the finite element model of the test area was established and the simulation results were verified, and the effects of short pile length and pile spacing on bending moment, horizontal displacement of piles, surface settlement, and excavation bottom heave were further investigated. The results show that the bending moment of the long pile is larger than the short pile. The bending moment of the long pile and short pile increases gradually with the increase in the number of short piles. When the combination changes from combination 1 to 3, the peak moment of the long pile and short pile increases by 15.8% and 15.2%, respectively. The maximum displacement is near the pile top, combination 3 has the largest horizontal displacement, and the peak displacement of the long pile and the short pile is 17.21 mm and 17.87 mm, respectively, but almost no effect exists on the horizontal displacement below the excavation bottom. In addition, reducing short pile length and increasing pile spacing will increase bending moment and horizontal displacement of the long and short piles to a certain extent, and this phenomenon is mainly concentrated above the excavation bottom, the influence of short pile length and pile spacing on surface settlement and excavation bottom heave can be ignored.
Monitoring of the Technical Condition and Optimisation of the Functioning of Small Hydraulic Structures in Poland: The Case Study of the Oświecim Weir
Authors: Nowak Bogumił , Ptak Mariusz , Sojka Mariusz
Published: September 2022

Successively conducted monitoring and inspections allow for the detection of emerging issues and their elimination. The objective of this study is the analysis of the administrative procedures related to the monitoring of the technical condition of small hydraulic structures in Poland. The case study of the Oświecim Weir on the Prosna River presents the parameters subject to assessment and further activities aimed at the elimination of the detected defects. The obtained results showed damage to its concrete structures, including cracks and cavities. The undertaken activities related to the complete remodelling of the Oświecim Weir and the incurred costs generally result from the environmental conditions (water flows in the Prosna River), directly causing the necessity for the stabilisation of water conditions in the area. In the context of the observed climatic changes, the problem is faced by more and more regions around the globe. The proper technical condition of hydraulic structures, resulting from diligent monitoring, provides the basis for the mitigation of this unfavourable situation.
Effect of Different Zeolite Supports on the Catalytic Behavior of Platinum Nanoparticles in Cyclohexene Hydrogenation Reaction
Authors: Hamdy Mohamed S. , Alqahtani Fatimah A. , Shkir Mohd , Fawy Khaled F. , Benaissa Mhamed , Hamida Mohamed Bechir Ben , Elboughdiri Noureddine
Published: September 2022

In this study, 1 wt% platinum (Pt) nanoparticles were incorporated into five types of zeolites (HY, Beta, mordenite, ZSM-5, and ferrierite) with an impregnation technique. The synthesis strategy included the use of water as a solvent for the applied Pt source. Moreover, the incorporation process was performed at ambient conditions followed by calcination at 450 °C. The five prepared materials were characterized by different physical and chemical characterization techniques and the obtained results confirmed the formation of Pt nanoparticles with an average size of 5–10 nm. The catalytic performance of the prepared materials was evaluated in the hydrogenation of cyclohexene under a solvent-free system at room temperature. Pt nanoparticles supported on ZSM-5 zeolite exhibited the best catalytic performance. Moreover, the optimization of operational conditions such as temperature, pressure, and catalyst amount was investigated and the obtained results showed the possibility to convert 100% of cyclohexene within 35 min over Pt-ZSM-5. Finally, the reusability of the Pt-ZSM-5 catalyst was investigated in four consecutive runs without treatment and the obtained results showed a negligible activity loss.