bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Microbiome of Saliva and Plaque in Children According to Age and Dental Caries Experience
Authors: Lee Eungyung , Park Suhyun , Um Sunwoo , Kim Seunghoon , Lee Jaewoong , Jang Jinho , Jeong Hyoung-oh , Shin Jonghyun , Kang Jihoon , Lee Semin , Jeong Taesung
Published: July 2021

Dental caries are one of the chronic diseases caused by organic acids made from oral microbes. However, there was a lack of knowledge about the oral microbiome of Korean children. The aim of this study was to analyze the metagenome data of the oral microbiome obtained from Korean children and to discover bacteria highly related to dental caries with machine learning models. Saliva and plaque samples from 120 Korean children aged below 12 years were collected. Bacterial composition was identified using Illumina HiSeq sequencing based on the V3–V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene. Ten major genera accounted for approximately 70% of the samples on average, including Streptococcus, Neisseria, Corynebacterium, and Fusobacterium. Differential abundant analyses revealed that Scardovia wiggsiae and Leptotrichia wadei were enriched in the caries samples, while Neisseria oralis was abundant in the non-caries samples of children aged below 6 years. The caries and non-caries samples of children aged 6–12 years were enriched in Streptococcus mutans and Corynebacterium durum, respectively. The machine learning models based on these differentially enriched taxa showed accuracies of up to 83%. These results confirmed significant alterations in the oral microbiome according to dental caries and age, and these differences can be used as diagnostic biomarkers.
Analysis of Saliva Lipids in Breast and Prostate Cancer by IR Spectroscopy
Authors: Bel’skaya Lyudmila V. , Sarf Elena A. , Kosenok Victor K.
Published: July 2021

We have developed a method for studying the lipid profile of saliva, combining preliminary extraction and IR spectroscopic detection. The case–control study involved patients with a histologically verified diagnosis of breast and prostate cancer and healthy volunteers. The comparison group included patients with non-malignant pathologies of the breast (fibroadenomas) and prostate gland (prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia). Saliva was used as a material for biochemical studies. It has been shown that the lipid profile of saliva depends on gender, and for males it also depends on the age group. In cancer pathologies, the lipid profile changes significantly and also depends on gender and age characteristics. The ratio of 1458/1396 cm−1 for both breast and prostate cancer has a potential diagnostic value. In both cases, this ratio decreases compared to healthy controls. For prostate cancer, the ratio of 2923/2957 cm−1 is also potentially informative, which grows against the background of prostate pathologies. It is noted that, in all cases, changes in the proposed ratios are more pronounced in the early stages of diseases, which increases the relevance of their study in biomedical applications.
Ocular Surface Pathology in Patients Suffering from Mercury Intoxication
Authors: Cañadas Pilar , Lantigua Yrbani , Enríquez-de-Salamanca Amalia , Fernandez Itziar , Pastor-Idoate Salvador , Sobas Eva M. , Dueñas-Laita Antonio , Pérez-Castrillón José Luis , Pastor Jimeno Jose C. , Calonge Margarita
Published: July 2021

Purpose: To report the ocular surface pathology of patients suffering from acute/subacute mercury vapor intoxication. Design: Cross-sectional study. Participants: Male workers intoxicated with inorganic mercury referred for ophthalmic involvement and healthy control subjects. Methods: The following tests were performed: dry eye (DE)-related symptoms indicated by the ocular surface disease (OSDI) index questionnaire; tear osmolarity; analysis of 23 tear cytokine concentrations and principal component and hierarchical agglomerative cluster analyses; tear break-up time (T-BUT); corneal fluorescein and conjunctival lissamine green staining; tear production by Schirmer and tear lysozyme tests; mechanical and thermal corneal sensitivity (non-contact esthesiometry); and corneal nerve analysis and dendritic cell density by in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM). Results: Twenty-two out of 29 evaluated patients entered the study. Most had DE-related symptoms (OSDI values > 12), that were severe in 63.6% of them. Tear osmolarity was elevated (>308 mOsms/L) in 83.4% of patients (mean 336.23 (28.71) mOsm/L). Corneal and conjunctival staining were unremarkable. T-BUT was low (<7 s) in 22.7% of patients. Schirmer test and tear lysozyme concentration were low in 13.6% and 27.3% of cases, respectively. Corneal esthesiometry showed patient mechanical (mean 147.81 (53.36) mL/min) and thermal thresholds to heat (+2.35 (+1.10) °C) and cold (−2.57 (−1.24) °C) to be significantly higher than controls. Corneal IVCM revealed lower values for nerve density (6.4 (2.94) n/mm2), nerve branching density (2 (2.50) n/mm2), and dendritic cell density (9.1 (8.84) n/mm2) in patients. Tear levels of IL-12p70, IL-6, RANTES, and VEGF were increased, whereas EGF and IP-10/CXCL10 were decreased compared to controls. Based on cytokine levels, two clusters of patients were identified. Compared to Cluster 1, Cluster 2 patients had significantly increased tear levels of 18 cytokines, decreased tear lysozyme, lower nerve branching density, fewer dendritic cells, and higher urine mercury levels. Conclusions: Patients suffering from systemic mercury intoxication showed symptoms and signs of ocular surface pathology, mainly by targeting the trigeminal nerve, as shown by alterations in corneal sensitivity and sub-basal nerve morphology.
Application of Structural Entropy and Spatial Filling Factor in Colonoscopy Image Classification
Authors: Sziová Brigita , Nagy Szilvia , Fazekas Zoltán
Published: July 2021

For finding colorectal polyps the standard method relies on the techniques and devices of colonoscopy and the medical expertise of the gastroenterologist. In case of images acquired through colonoscopes the automatic segmentation of the polyps from their environment (i.e., from the bowel wall) is an essential task within computer aided diagnosis system development. As the number of the publicly available polyp images in various databases is still rather limited, it is important to develop metaheuristic methods, such as fuzzy inference methods, along with the deep learning algorithms to improve and validate detection and classification techniques. In the present manuscript firstly a fuzzy rule set is generated and validated. The former process is based on a statistical approach and makes use of histograms of the antecedents. Secondly, a method for selecting relevant antecedent variables is presented. The selection is based on the comparision of the histograms computed from the measured values for the training set. Then the inclusion of the Rényi-entropy-based structural entropy and the spatial filling factor into the set of input variables is proposed and assessed. The beneficial effect of including the mentioned structural entropy of the entropies from the hue and saturation (H and S) colour channels resulted in 65% true positive and 60% true negative rate of the classification for an advantageously selected set of antecedents when working with HSV images.
Universal Framework for Quantum Error-Correcting Codes
Authors: Li Zhuo , Xing Lijuan
Published: July 2021

We present a universal framework for quantum error-correcting codes, i.e., a framework that applies to the most general quantum error-correcting codes. This framework is based on the group algebra, an algebraic notation associated with nice error bases of quantum systems. The nicest thing about this framework is that we can characterize the properties of quantum codes by the properties of the group algebra. We show how it characterizes the properties of quantum codes as well as generates some new results about quantum codes.
Leaf Traits of Trees in Tropical Dry Evergreen Forests of Peninsular India
Authors: Udayakumar Muthulingam , Sekar Thangavel
Published: July 2021

A plant functional trait study was conducted to know the existing relationship between important leaf traits namely, specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), and leaf life span (LL) in tropical dry evergreen forest (TDEFs) of Peninsular India. Widely accepted methodologies were employed to record functional traits. The relationships between SLA and LDMC, LDMC and LL, and SLA and LL were measured. Pearson’s coefficient of correlation showed a significant negative relationship between SLA and LDMC, and SLA and LL, whereas a significant positive relationship was prevailed between LDMC and LL. The mean trait values (SLA, LDMC, and LL) of evergreens varied significantly from deciduous species. SLA had a closer relationship with LDMC than LL. Similarly, LL had a closer relationship with SLA than LDMC. Species with evergreen leaf habits dominated forest sites under study. Evergreen species dominate the study area with a high evergreen-deciduous ratio of 5.34:1. The S strategy score of trees indicated a relatively higher biomass allocation to persistent tissues. TDEFs occur in low elevation, semiarid environment, but with the combination of oligotrophic habitat, high temperature and longer dry season these forests were flourishing as a unique evergreen ecosystem in the drier environment. The relationships found between leaf traits were in concurrence with earlier findings. Trees of TDEFs survive on the poor-nutrient habitat with a low SLA, high LDMC, and LL. This study adds baseline data on key leaf traits to plant functional trait database of India.
Progress Report in Neuroscience and Education: Experiment of Four Neuropedagogical Methods
Authors: Elouafi Leila , Lotfi Said , Talbi Mohammed
Published: July 2021

We endeavor through this work to demonstrate the effects of the introduction of neuroeducation data in schools and their application, via an experiment of neuropedagogical methods, to respond to the hypothesis that the contribution of neuroeducation may be beneficial for learning. During this study we designed four neuropedagogical methods and to measure their effect on the learning of students in the classroom we used an evaluation grid comprising six psychopedagogical parameters. The results show that no statistically significant variation of these psychoeducational parameters is observed between sexes. However, a variation is recorded for the four neuropedagogical methods between the groups in pre-test and post at the levels of the mean scores ranging from 5.15% to 440%.
A Bibliometric Review of Research on International Students’ Mental Health: Science Mapping of the Literature from 1957 to 2020
Authors: Cao Quoc-Thai , Vuong Quan-Hoang , Pham Hiep-Hung , Luong Dinh-Hai , Ho Manh-Toan , Hoang Anh-Duc , Do Minh-Trang
Published: July 2021

The mental health of university students is not only a predominant topic for psychology and education researchers but also a source of interest for policymakers and various stakeholders. Although there has been a lot of research on higher education students’ mental health, we have little understanding on the mental health of international students (MHIS). Despite their distinctive characteristics compared to native students, the mental health issues of international students only started receiving attention very recently. So far, the literature on this topic lacks a comprehensive overview of its sub-topic and trending issues. By using bibliometric analysis, this research aims to fulfil this gap and provide a review of the extant literature about MHIS. Specifically, this study aims to (i) draw the growth trajectory and geographic distribution of the literature on MHIS; (ii) identify the documents and authors that have the greatest impact, generally and locally, within the major topic clusters of the literature on MHIS; and (iii) identify the most researched keywords in the literature on MHIS over time. The results have shown that academic documents about international students’ mental health are increasing in number and becoming more extensive content-wise. The research’s findings provide implications for stakeholders and identifies some prominent research avenues for the future.
FDR2-BD: A Fast Data Reduction Recommendation Tool for Tabular Big Data Classification Problems
Authors: Basgall María José , Naiouf Marcelo , Fernández Alberto
Published: July 2021

In this paper, a methodological data condensation approach for reducing tabular big datasets in classification problems is presented, named FDR2-BD. The key of our proposal is to analyze data in a dual way (vertical and horizontal), so as to provide a smart combination between feature selection to generate dense clusters of data and uniform sampling reduction to keep only a few representative samples from each problem area. Its main advantage is allowing the model’s predictive quality to be kept in a range determined by a user’s threshold. Its robustness is built on a hyper-parametrization process, in which all data are taken into consideration by following a k-fold procedure. Another significant capability is being fast and scalable by using fully optimized parallel operations provided by Apache Spark. An extensive experimental study is performed over 25 big datasets with different characteristics. In most cases, the obtained reduction percentages are above 95%, thus outperforming state-of-the-art solutions such as FCNN_MR that barely reach 70%. The most promising outcome is maintaining the representativeness of the original data information, with quality prediction values around 1% of the baseline.
Fast, Robust, and Low-Cost Microwave Imaging of Multiple Non-Metallic Pipes
Authors: Gao Yuki , Ravan Maryam , K. Amineh Reza
Published: July 2021

The use of non-metallic pipes and composite components that are low-cost, durable, light-weight, and resilient to corrosion is growing rapidly in various industrial sectors such as oil and gas industries in the form of non-metallic composite pipes. While these components are still prone to damages, traditional non-destructive testing (NDT) techniques such as eddy current technique and magnetic flux leakage technique cannot be utilized for inspection of these components. Microwave imaging can fill this gap as a favorable technique to perform inspection of non-metallic pipes. Holographic microwave imaging techniques are fast and robust and have been successfully employed in applications such as airport security screening and underground imaging. Here, we extend the use of holographic microwave imaging to inspection of multiple concentric pipes. To increase the speed of data acquisition, we utilize antenna arrays along the azimuthal direction in a cylindrical setup. A parametric study and demonstration of the performance of the proposed imaging system will be provided.
Cybersecurity in Automotive: An Intrusion Detection System in Connected Vehicles
Authors: Pascale Francesco , Adinolfi Ennio Andrea , Coppola Simone , Santonicola Emanuele
Published: July 2021

Today’s modern vehicles are connected to a network and are considered smart objects of IoT, thanks to the capability to send and receive data from the network. One of the greatest challenges in the automotive sector is to make the vehicle secure and reliable. In fact, there are more connected instruments on a vehicle, such as the infotainment system and/or data interchange systems. Indeed, with the advent of new paradigms, such as Smart City and Smart Road, the vision of Internet of Things has evolved substantially. Today, we talk about the V2X systems in which the vehicle is strongly connected with the rest of the world. In this scenario, the main aim of all connected vehicles vendors is to provide a secure system to guarantee the safety of the drive and persons against a possible cyber-attack. So, in this paper, an embedded Intrusion Detection System (IDS) for the automotive sector is introduced. It works by adopting a two-step algorithm that provides detection of a possible cyber-attack. In the first step, the methodology provides a filter of all the messages on the Controller Area Network (CAN-Bus) thanks to the use of a spatial and temporal analysis; if a set of messages are possibly malicious, these are analyzed by a Bayesian network, which gives the probability that a given event can be classified as an attack. To evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of our method, an experimental campaign was conducted to evaluate them, according to the classic evaluation parameters for a test’s accuracy. These results were compared with a common data set on cyber-attacks present in the literature. The first experimental results, obtained in a test scenario, seem to be interesting. The results show that our method has good correspondence in the presence of the most common cyber-attacks (DDoS, Fuzzy, Impersonating), obtaining a good score relative to the classic evaluation parameters for a test’s accuracy. These results have decreased performance when we test the system on a Free State Attack.
Open Data and Models for Energy and Environment
Authors: Nastasi Benedetto , Manfren Massimiliano , Noussan Michel
Published: July 2021

An increasing number of data sources and models to handle them call for transparency and openness in assessing their goodness and practical use for people [...]
Unsteady Coupled Moisture and Heat Energy Transport through an Exterior Wall Covered with Vegetation
Authors: Škerget Leopold , Tadeu António , Almeida João
Published: July 2021

A mathematical model that governs unsteady coupled moisture and heat energy transport through an exterior wall covered with vegetation is described. The unknown temperature and moisture content of the plants and canopy air are represented by a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations (ODEs). The transport of moisture and heat through the support structure, which includes insulation and soil layers, is defined in a series of nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs). After setting out the model, this article presents and discusses a set of numerical applications. First, a simplified system consisting of a brick wall covered with climbing vegetation is used to study the role of individual variables (e.g., wind speed, minimum stomatal internal leaf resistance, leaf area index, and short-wave extinction coefficient) on the hygrothermal behaviour of the green wall. Thereafter, more complex green wall systems comprising a bare concrete wall, mortar, cork-based insulation (ICB), soil and vegetation are used to evaluate the influence of the thermal insulation and substrate layers on the heat flux distribution over time at the interior surface of the wall, and on the evolution of the relative humidity, water content, and temperature throughout the cross section of the green wall. The numerical experiments proved that vegetation can effectively reduce exterior facade surface temperatures, heat flux through the building envelope and daily temperature fluctuations.
The Estimation Life Cycle of Lithium-Ion Battery Based on Deep Learning Network and Genetic Algorithm
Authors: Tan Shih-Wei , Huang Sheng-Wei , Hsieh Yi-Zeng , Lin Shih-Syun
Published: July 2021

This study uses deep learning to model the discharge characteristic curve of the lithium-ion battery. The battery measurement instrument was used to charge and discharge the battery to establish the discharge characteristic curve. The parameter method tries to find the discharge characteristic curve and was improved by MLP (multilayer perceptron), RNN (recurrent neural network), LSTM (long short-term memory), and GRU (gated recurrent unit). The results obtained by these methods were graphs. We used genetic algorithm (GA) to obtain the parameters of the discharge characteristic curve equation.
An Ecosystem View of Peer-to-Peer Electricity Trading: Scenario Building by Business Model Matrix to Identify New Roles
Authors: Montakhabi Mehdi , Zobiri Fairouz , van der Graaf Shenja , Deconinck Geert , Orlando Domenico , Ballon Pieter , Mustafa Mustafa A.
Published: July 2021

This article introduces new roles in future peer-to-peer electricity trading markets. Following a qualitative approach, firstly, the value network of the current electricity market is presented. To do so, service streams, critical roles, activities, and their setting in the electricity market are identified. Secondly, in order to identify the main sources of uncertainty, the business model matrix framework is utilized to analyze peer-to-peer electricity trading. Thirdly, four future scenarios are built based on user involvement and customer ownership. The outcome of the scenario building is the emergence of new roles, brokers, and representatives in the future peer-to-peer electricity markets. Fourth, based on the four future scenarios, changes in the value network, new roles, and emerging/evolving activities are identified. Finally, the two new roles are discussed from grid structure, security and privacy, legal, and data protection perspectives. The data is gathered by conducting semi-structured interviews with stakeholders in the current electricity market as well as potential disruptors. This article elaborates on the configuration of the value network in the electricity market and highlights the changes that peer-to-peer trading imposes to the status quo. Through the outcomes of the value network analysis, it assists policy makers to consider the requirements and current market players to reconsider their business models.
Renewable Energy Technologies for Energy Efficient Buildings: The Case of Kuwait
Authors: Alshuraiaan Bader
Published: July 2021

The purpose of this study is to identify the most relevant renewable energy technologies for buildings and to assess the effectiveness of their implementation in the long term for Kuwait. Methods of analogies and comparisons were used to determine the features of energy efficiency based on the technologies under study. The study proposes the methodological approach to assessing the effectiveness of the introduction of renewable energy technologies, determining the direction of increasing the energy efficiency of buildings and the investment efficiency of introducing these technologies. Renewable energy efficiency analysis for buildings in Kuwait confirms that solar energy systems have been the most widely available for widespread use of solar energy over the past three years. An increasing level of energy efficiency with a decrease in the notional cost of increasing energy savings is characteristic of solar collectors with booster reflectors. The proposed model for assessing the level of energy saving provides an opportunity for economic justification of introducing renewable energy technology in buildings.
Designing an Energy-Resilient Neighbourhood Using an Urban Building Energy Model
Authors: Buckley Niall , Mills Gerald , Letellier-Duchesne Samuel , Benis Khadija
Published: July 2021

A climate resilient city, perforce, has an efficient and robust energy infrastructure that can harvest local energy resources and match energy sources and sinks that vary over space and time. This paper explores the use of an urban building energy model (UBEM) to examine the potential for creating a near-zero carbon neighbourhood in Dublin (Ireland) that is characterised by diverse land-uses and old and new building stock. UBEMs are a relatively new tool that allows the simulation of building energy demand across an urbanised landscape and can account for building layout, including the effects of overshadowing and the potential for facade retrofits and energy generation. In this research, a novel geographic database of buildings is created using archetypes, and the associated information on dimensions, fabric and energy systems is integrated into the Urban Modelling Interface (UMI). The model is used to simulate current and future energy demand based on climate change projections and to test scenarios that apply retrofits to the existing stock and that link proximate land-uses and land-covers. The latter allows a significant decoupling of the neighbourhood from an offsite electricity generation station with a high carbon output. The findings of this paper demonstrate that treating neighbourhoods as single energy entities rather than collections of individual sectors allows the development of bespoke carbon reducing scenarios that are geographically situated. The work shows the value of a neighbourhood-based approach to energy management using UBEMs.
Examining the Role of Disruptive Innovation in Renewable Energy Businesses from a Cross National Perspective
Authors: Min Hokey , Haile Yohannes
Published: July 2021

With a growing demand for safe, clean, and affordable energy, countries across the world are now seeking to create and rapidly develop renewable energy (RE) businesses. The success of these businesses often hinges on their ability to translate RE into sustainable value for energy consumers and the multiple stakeholders in the energy industry. Such value includes low production costs due to an abundance of natural resources (e.g., wind, water, sunlight), and public health benefits from reduced environmental pollution. Despite the potential for value creation, many RE businesses have struggled to create affordable energy as abundant as that which is produced by traditional fossil fuels. The rationale being that traditional RE sources emanating from natural resources tend to rely on unpredictable weather conditions. Therefore, to help RE businesses deliver sustainable value, we should leverage disruptive innovation that is less dependent on natural resources. This paper is one of the first attempts to assess the impact of disruptive innovation on RE business performances based on the survey data obtained from multiple countries representing both emerging and developed economies.
Robust Multi-Layer Energy Management and Control Methodologies for Reefer Container Park in Port Terminal
Authors: Pei Rui , Xie Jihua , Zhang Hanlin , Sun Kaiyu , Wu Zhi , Zhou Suyang
Published: July 2021

The full electrification of ports is a promising prospect for saving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The control scheme of the reefer container is particularly important for the energy management of the port, as the operation of the reefer container is one of the main energy consumers of ports. This paper proposes a reefer container hierarchical control scheme that contains a day-ahead module and intra-day module which is used to generate a rough scheduling strategy based on forecast data and fine-tuning the strategy, respectively. The final strategy should realize the economical operation while ensuring that each reefer container does not exceed the temperature limit during operation. Numerical analysis on the reefer container park with 200 and 850 containers using the Time of Use (TOU) tariff and super-peak tariff is fully analyzed. In the case of 200 containers, the proposed method helps reduce operating costs by about 14.7%, and 18% in the scenario of 850 containers. The proposed method can effectively save container operating costs and ensure that the internal temperature of the container does not exceed the limit while changing the distribution of energy which could help alleviate the peak load problem of the port electric system.
Analysis of Electric Power Generation Growth in Pakistan: Falling into the Vicious Cycle of Coal
Authors: Durrani Ali Ahmed , Khan Irfan Ahmed , Ahmad Muhammad Imran
Published: July 2021

This paper aims to analyze national policies of Pakistan taking into account the complexity of electric power generation, growth, and complying with multilateral agreements. Systems thinking has been applied to understand the complexity of energy scenario of Pakistan by representing it with a causal loop diagram (CLD) which displays the interconnectedness and feedbacks of the system. Analysis is based on systems archetypes to diagnose the system behavior, i.e., falling into the vicious cycle of coal. A stock-and-flow model was employed to capture dynamics of energy generation quantitatively, indicating that a 5% GDP growth rate could be sustained based on current planning to increase electric power generation in Pakistan. Thus, in order to achieve a 7% GDP growth rate, as targeted in Vision 2025 of Pakistan, energy generation targets would need to be revised in the view of the sensitivity of increase in energy demand associated with GDP growth rate, while ensuring compliance with multilateral agreements.
The Role of Mobility and Sanitary Measures on the Delay of Community Transmission of COVID-19 in Costa Rica
Authors: Barboza Luis A. , Vásquez Paola , Mery Gustavo , Sanchez Fabio , García Yury E. , Calvo Juan G. , Rivas Tania , Pérez María Dolores , Salas Daniel
Published: July 2021

The aim of this paper is to infer the effects that change on human mobility had on the transmission dynamics during the first four months of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Costa Rica, which could have played a role in delaying community transmission in the country. First, by using parametric and non-parametric change-point detection techniques, we were able to identify two different periods when the trend of daily new cases significantly changed. Second, we explored the association of these changes with data on population mobility. This also allowed us to estimate the lag between changes in human mobility and rates of daily new cases. The information was then used to establish an association between changes in population mobility and the sanitary measures adopted during the study period. Results showed that during the initial two months of the pandemic in Costa Rica, the implementation of sanitary measures and their impact on reducing human mobility translated to a mean reduction of 54% in the number of daily cases from the projected number, delaying community transmission.
Temperature-Dependent Creep Behavior and Quasi-Static Mechanical Properties of Heat-Treated Wood
Authors: Xing Dong , Wang Xinzhou , Wang Siqun
Published: July 2021

In this paper, Berkovich depth-sensing indentation has been used to study the effects of the temperature-dependent quasi-static mechanical properties and creep deformation of heat-treated wood at temperatures from 20 °C to 180 °C. The characteristics of the load–depth curve, creep strain rate, creep compliance, and creep stress exponent of heat-treated wood are evaluated. The results showed that high temperature heat treatment improved the hardness of wood cell walls and reduced the creep rate of wood cell walls. This is mainly due to the improvement of the crystallinity of the cellulose, and the recondensation and crosslinking reaction of the lignocellulose structure. The Burgers model is well fitted to study the creep behavior of heat-treated wood cell walls under different temperatures.
Effects of Throughfall Exclusion on Photosynthetic Traits in Mature Japanese Cedar (Cryptomeria japonica (L. f.) D. Don.)
Authors: Kenzo Tanaka , Inoue Yuta , Araki Masatake G. , Kawasaki Tatsuro , Kitaoka Satoshi , Tsurita Tatsuya , Sakata Tadashi , Saito Satoshi
Published: July 2021

As climate change progresses, it is becoming more crucial to understand how timber species respond to increased drought frequency and severity. Photosynthetic traits in a 40-year-old clonal Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) plantation were assessed under artificial drought stress using a roof to exclude rainfall and a control with no exclusion. C. japonica is a commercial tree that is native to Japan and has high growth on mesic sites. The maximum carboxylation rate (Vcmax), maximum electron transfer rate (Jmax), and dark respiration rate (Rd) in current-year shoots in the upper canopy were determined from spring to autumn over two growing seasons. In addition, the photosynthetic rate at light saturation (Pmax), stomatal conductance (gs), and intrinsic water use efficiency (WUEi) were measured in the morning and afternoon during the same period. Leaf mass per unit area (LMA) and nitrogen concentration (N) were also measured. The values of Vcmax, Jmax, Rd, N, and LMA did not differ between the two plots. By contrast, significantly lower Pmax and gs and higher WUEi were found in the drought plot, and the reduction in Pmax was accompanied by low gs values. Midday depressions in Pmax and gs were more pronounced in the drought plot relative to the control and were related to higher WUEi. Under drought conditions, mature Japanese cedar experienced little change in photosynthetic capacity, foliar N, or LMA, but they did tend to close the stomata to regulate transpiration, thus avoiding drought-induced damage to the photosynthetic machinery and improving WUEi.
Analyses of Microstructure and Dynamic Deposition of Cell Wall Components in Xylem Provide Insights into Differences between Two Black Poplar Cultivars
Authors: Sun Na , Bu Yufen , Pan Chen , Wu Xinyuan , Cao Yuan , Jing Yanping
Published: July 2021

The chemical composition of the cell wall varies between species and even within the same species, and impacts the properties of the cell wall. In this study, the dynamic chemical compositions of the xylem cell walls of two black poplar cultivars, Populus × euramericana ‘Zhonglin46’ and Populus × euramericana ‘Neva,’ were investigated in situ using stimulated Raman scattering microscopy (SRS). Meanwhile, the pectin structural features were examined using immunofluorescence methods. The results showed that Neva displayed faster thickening of the fiber cell walls than Zhonglin46 did, and it had a greater cell wall thickness in mature xylem. A faster deposition speed of lignin and cellulose during xylem maturation was revealed in Neva. Significantly higher lignin contents were found in the mature xylem of Neva compared with those of Zhonglin46, while no obvious differences in cellulose deposition in mature xylem were observed between the two cultivars. The patterns of pectin deposition during xylem maturation were similar in the two cultivars, but more pectin was found in the mature xylem of Neva than in that of Zhonglin46. The chemical deposition patterns account for the anatomical feature differences between the cultivars. These results provide valuable insights into the chemical deposition and anatomical differences between cultivars, and they might be helpful in understanding the wood growth processes and facilitating the utilization of different poplar cultivars.
An Analysis of Atlantic White Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides (L.) B.S.P.) Tree Rings as Indicators of Ghost Forest Development in a Globally Threatened Ecosystem
Authors: Doyle James M. , Earley Kendal E. , Atkinson Robert B.
Published: July 2021

Atlantic White Cedar (AWC) swamps are a globally threatened type of wetland ecosystem and are a new form of ghost forest in the mid-Atlantic region of the US. Hydrogeomorphic regimes foster peat formation, resulting in unique biodiversity and carbon sequestration services. Our sites include regimes that are exposed to sea-level rise and storm-driven seawater intrusion, yet other sites are protected by higher elevations. In this study, we evaluated climatic variables to discern differences in tree ring formation as an indicator of growth among nine stands including micro-tidal, oligohaline sites as well as other protected areas which served as a control. Standard dendrochronological techniques were used, and series were divided into two sub-chronologies, 1895 to 1971 (early) and 1972 to 2018 (recent). AWC growth in response to precipitation parameters, e.g., Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI), were largely non-significant but were somewhat reversed among sub-chronologies. Early correlations were primarily negatively correlated with PDSI, while recent correlations were mostly positive, which suggests that even though inundation may reduce photosynthate availability for growth, precipitation has begun to increase growth by alleviating osmotic and toxic stresses associated with seawater. Analysis of climatic variables and tree growth at the reference site found that other anthropogenic stressors associated with ditching exert a greater influence. Hurricane impacts on tree growth exhibited no lasting negative effects; however, an AWC ghost forest report from New Jersey connected mortality to a hurricane. Hydrogeomorphic regimes may delay rather than eliminate risks associated with sea-level rise and storm-driven seawater.
Evaluation and Characterization of Timber Residues of Pinus spp. as an Energy Resource for the Production of Solid Biofuels in an Indigenous Community in Mexico
Authors: Morales-Máximo Mario , García Carlos A. , Pintor-Ibarra Luis Fernando , Alvarado-Flores José Juan , Velázquez-Martí Borja , Rutiaga-Quiñones José Guadalupe
Published: July 2021

This study shows the energy potential of pine wood waste for the production of solid biofuels, and was carried out in an indigenous community in the state of Michoacán. One of the main economic activities of this community is the production of handcrafted furniture, which generates a large amount of wood waste. The most relevant results obtained in this research show that the community generates approximately 2268 kg of sawdust and 5418 kg of shavings per week, and the estimated energy potential per year for both sawdust is 1.94 PJ and for shaving is 4.65 PJ. Based on the particle size observed, the wood residue can be used to generate pellets or briquettes. Other average results in sawdust and (shavings) are the following: initial moisture content 15.3% (16.8%), apparent density 169.23 kg/m3 (49.25 kg/m3), ash 0.43% (0.42%), volatile material 84.9% (83.60%), fixed carbon 14.65% (15.96%), hemicelluloses 12.89% (10.68%), cellulose 52.68% (52.82%), lignin 26.73% (25.98%), extractives 7.69% (10.51%), calorific value 17.6 MJ/kg (17.9 MJ/kg). The major chemical elements in the ash were Al, K. Fe, Ca, P, Na, and Mg. Finally, the results obtained indicate that this biomass can be used to generate pellets or briquettes in this indigenous community.
Physiological and Transcriptome Responses to Elevated CO2 Concentration in Populus
Authors: Kim Tae-Lim , Chung Hoyong , Veerappan Karpagam , Lee Wi Young , Park Danbe , Lim Hyemin
Published: July 2021

Global climate change is heavily affected by an increase in CO2. As one of several efforts to cope with this, research on poplar, a representative, fast growing, and model organism in plants, is actively underway. The effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 on the metabolism, growth, and transcriptome of poplar were investigated to predict productivity in an environment where CO2 concentrations are increasing. Poplar trees were grown at ambient (400 ppm) or elevated CO2 concentrations (1.4× ambient, 560 ppm, and 1.8× ambient, 720 ppm) for 16 weeks in open-top chambers (OTCs). We analyzed the differences in the transcriptomes of Populusalba × Populus glandulosa clone “Clivus” and Populus euramericana clone “I-476” using high-throughput sequencing techniques and elucidated the functions of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) using various functional annotation methods. About 272,355 contigs and 207,063 unigenes were obtained from transcriptome assembly with the Trinity assembly package. Common DEGs were identified which were consistently regulated in both the elevated CO2 concentrations. In Clivus 29, common DEGs were found, and most of these correspond to cell wall proteins, especially hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins (HRGP), or related to fatty acid metabolism. Concomitantly, in I-476, 25 were identified, and they were related to heat shock protein (HSP) chaperone family, photosynthesis, nitrogen metabolism, and carbon metabolism. In addition, carbohydrate contents, including starch and total soluble sugar, were significantly increased in response to elevated CO2. These data should be useful for future gene discovery, molecular studies, and tree improvement strategies for the upcoming increased-CO2 environments.
Optimization of Microbial Hydrolysis Parameters of Poultry By-Products Using Probiotic Microorganisms to Obtain Protein Hydrolysates
Authors: Zinina Oksana , Merenkova Svetlana , Galimov Damir
Published: July 2021

In connection with the active growth of poultry processing, the issue of rational use of poultry by-products is urgent. The paper proposes hydrolysis of the gizzards of broiler chickens and hens of the parent stock with bifidobacteria liquid concentrate (BLC) and Propionix liquid concentrated starter culture (Propionix LCSC). The effect of enzymatic treatment on changes in the structural components of the gizzards was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and determination of the dispersed composition. As a result of the research, the multiple regression equations and the response surfaces were obtained, which describe the optimal parameters of the gizzard´s hydrolysis process. The temperature and the time of hydrolysis are factors that have a significant effect on the degree of hydrolysis. The results of the structural and microscopic analysis confirm the high hydrolysability of the by-products by changing its structure and increasing the number of smaller protein particles. It was found experimentally that the gizzards of hens are more susceptible to the action of probiotic microorganisms’ enzymes compared to the gizzards of broiler chickens.
The Antioxidant, Anti-Diabetic, and Anti-Adipogenesis Potential and Probiotic Properties of Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Human and Fermented Foods
Authors: Jeong Yulah , Kim Hyemin , Lee Ji Yeon , Won GaYeong , Choi Soo-Im , Kim Gun-Hee , Kang Chang-Ho
Published: July 2021

In this study, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains derived from human and fermented food sources were examined to identify their properties related to obesity, as well as establish their safety and stability as probiotics. LAB (Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus MG4502, Lactobacillus gasseri MG4524, Limosilactobacillus reuteri MG5149, and Weissella cibaria MG5285) exhibited antioxidant activity through DPPH (>26.1%) and ABTS (>40.1%) radical scavenging assays and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities (>60.3%), respectively. The LAB strains promoted anti-adipogenesis by reducing lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 cells by Oil Red O staining (>70.3%). In addition, we found that these LAB strains were resistant to simulated gastric and intestinal fluids (pH 3, 4, 7, and 8) and showed potential for health promotion, based on hemolysis, cell adhesion, antibiotic susceptibility, and enzyme production. Thus, LAB may be used as probiotic ingredients with beneficial effects.
Vision System Experimentation in Furniture Industrial Environment
Authors: Bhullar Gurbaksh , Osborne Simon , Núñez Ariño María José , Del Agua Navarro Juan , Gigante Valencia Fernando
Published: July 2021

The integration of devices that support manufacturing activities and the interaction of workers with these devices in production plants, leads to potential benefits in the industrial environment. Problems, bottlenecks and improvement opportunities throughout production times need to be detected, analyzed and prioritized in order to select the most suitable solutions and address them properly. The integration of particular devices supports the manufacturing process and prevents the need for contingency planning; it also increases the quality of the produced goods, which leads to higher customer confidence and satisfaction. The scope of this article focuses on the development and experimentation of a vision system for the recognition of product components in order to support the classification of such items by the users working in a particular area of the production line. Even if the proposed solution presents a low level of human interaction and innovation, the objective of this paper is to demonstrate how the proposed classification system brings valuable benefits to the overall manufacturing process in a traditional furniture environment, with the inherent advantage that workers can perform this task in a more guided and riskless manner. The Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) approach was adopted to measure the benefits of the solution, which are described in article.
Hotspot Analysis of Structure Fires in Urban Agglomeration: A Case of Nagpur City, India
Authors: Singh Priya P. , Sabnani Chandra S. , Kapse Vijay S.
Published: July 2021

Fire Service is the fundamental civic service to protect citizens from irrecoverable, heavy losses of lives and property. Hotspot analysis of structure fires is essential to estimate people and property at risk. Hotspot analysis for the peak period of last decade, using a GIS-based spatial analyst and statistical techniques through the Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) and Getis-Ord Gi* with Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) interpolation is performed, revealing fire risk zones at the city ward micro level. Using remote sensing, outputs of hotspot analysis are integrated with the built environment of Land Use Land Cover (LULC) to quantify the accurate built-up areas and population density of identified fire risk zones. KDE delineates 34 wards as hotspots, while Getis-Ord Gi* delineates 17 wards within the KDE hotspot, the central core areas having the highest built-up and population density. A temporal analysis reveals the maximum fires on Thursday during the hot afternoon hours from 12 noon to 5 p.m. The study outputs help decision makers for effective fire prevention and protection by deploying immediate resource allocations and proactive planning reassuring sustainable urban development. Furthermore, updating the requirement of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to build urban resilient infrastructure in accord with the Smart City Mission.
Consumption Threshold at Which Virtue Products Become Vice Products: The Case of Beer
Authors: Ruiz-Conde Enar , Mas-Ruiz Francisco , Parreño-Selva Josefa
Published: July 2021

Relative vices and virtues have traditionally been defined according to time-inconsistent preferences. Vice products exchange small immediate rewards (e.g., pleasure) for larger delayed costs (e.g., health), while virtue products exchange small immediate costs for larger delayed rewards. This definition can be criticized because there is evidence that small amounts of beer (or chocolate) convey a long-term health benefit, whereas large quantities impose a delayed cost. Thus, we assume that virtue products can become vice products when consumption is above a certain threshold. Survey data identifies alcoholic beer as a product that gives immediate rewards and does not impose a delayed cost. Our analysis reveals a consumption threshold that supports our assumptions.