bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hawthorn Drying: An Exploration of Ultrasound Treatment and Microwave–Hot Air Drying
Authors: Kaveh Mohammad , Nowacka Małgorzata , Khalife Esmail , Imanian Kamal , Abbaspour-Gilandeh Yousef , Sabouri Maryam , Zadhossein Safoura
Published: March 2023

Drying is one of the methods used for preserving fruits and vegetables. However, due to the lengthy process and elevated temperature of convective drying, other pretreatment and drying methods are studied to shorten the drying time and obtain high-quality products. This study aimed to examine the effect of ultrasonic (US) pretreatment and microwave–hot air drying (MW–HA) on the drying time, specific energy (SEC), qualitative properties (e.g., color, shrinkage, and rehydration ratio), and bioactive compound properties (e.g., antioxidant activity, phenolic, and flavonoid contents) of hawthorn fruit. Experiments were performed using ultrasound pretreatment and a microwave dryer (microwave power: 180, 360, and 540 W) at air temperatures of 40, 55, and 70 °C. Drying of hawthorn lasts from 35 min for the ultrasound-treated sample (dried at 540 W and 70 °C) to 180 min (dried at 180 W and 40 °C without US treatment). The lowest amount of SEC (24.11 MJ/kg) was obtained using the US–MW–HA air drying method (dried at 540 W and 70 °C). The lowest values in total color change (13.37) and shrinkage (22.47%) were recorded for the sample dried with a MW power of 360 W and air temperature at 55 °C with US pretreatment prior to drying. Generally, the use of US and MW–HA air drying reduces the antioxidant activity (AC), total phenolic content (TPC), and total flavonoid content (TFC) during processing compared to fresh samples. The highest values for AA (28.01%), TPC (69.44 mg GAE/g d.m.), and TFC (64.38 mg QE/g) obtained at 360 W and 55 °C with US pretreatment for hawthorn fruit dried.
Cp2TiCl/H2O as a Sustainable System for the Reduction of Organic Functional Groups: Potential Application of Cp2TiCl/D2O to the Analysis of Bioactive Phenols in Olive Oil
Authors: Rosales Martínez Antonio , García-Martín Juan , Rodríguez-García Ignacio
Published: March 2023

Significant efforts have been made toward developing sustainable reduction reactions of organic and bioorganic compounds. In these studies, the selection of reagents and solvents has played a very important role in the development of environment-friendly methodologies. In this context, the reducing agent Cp2TiCl/H2O has been introduced as a safe, efficient, selective, and low-cost reagent, and thus as a sustainable alternative for the reduction of organic compounds. To facilitate understanding of the reductions mediated by this system, in this study we focus on describing the intermediates, mechanisms, and representative examples. Finally, a reflection is made on the future perspectives of this reducing agent, including its analog Cp2TiCl/D2O as a powerful tool for the preparation of deuterated phenols, which can be successfully used as an internal standard for analyzing bioactive phenols in olive oil.
Risk Assessment of Immersed Tube Tunnel Construction
Authors: Dong Sihui , Li Shiqun , Yu Fei , Wang Kang
Published: March 2023

Due to the complexity of risk factors in constructing immersed tube tunnels, it is impossible to accurately identify risks. To solve this problem, and the uncertainty and fuzziness of risk factors, a risk assessment method for immersed tube tunnel construction was proposed based on WBS-RBS (Work Breakdown Structure-Risk Breakdown Structure), improved AHP (analytic hierarchy process), and cloud model theory. WBS-RBS was used to analyze the risk factors of immersed tube tunnel construction from the aspects of the construction process and 4M1E, and built a more comprehensive and accurate construction risk index system. The weight of each index was calculated by the improved AHP of a genetic algorithm. The cloud model theory was used to build the cloud map of risk assessment for immersed tunnel construction and evaluate construction risk. Taking the Dalian Bay subsea tunnel project as an example, the risk assessment method of immersed tunnel construction was verified. The results showed that this method not only solved the problem of failing the consistency check in the higher-order judgment matrix but also improved the consistency pass rate by 33.3% and accurately reflected the risk assessment results. The assessment results show that the construction risk level of the Dalian Bay submarine-immersed tunnel is medium. The risk level of indicators “slope instability” and “water-stop damage” are high risk, while “pipe section cracking”, “low underwater alignment accuracy”, “uneven crimping of a water-stop”, and “uneven substrate treatment” are medium risk. This provides a reference for the risk assessment study of immersed tunnel construction.
A Multi-Level Systems Biology Analysis of Aldrin’s Metabolic Effects on Prostate Cancer Cells
Authors: Bedia Carmen , Dalmau Nuria , Nielsen Lars K. , Tauler Romà , Marín de Mas Igor
Published: March 2023

Although numerous studies support a dose–effect relationship between Endocrine disruptors (EDs) and the progression and malignancy of tumors, the impact of a chronic exposure to non-lethal concentrations of EDs in cancer remains unknown. More specifically, a number of studies have reported the impact of Aldrin on a variety of cancer types, including prostate cancer. In previous studies, we demonstrated the induction of the malignant phenotype in DU145 prostate cancer (PCa) cells after a chronic exposure to Aldrin (an ED). Proteins are pivotal in the regulation and control of a variety of cellular processes. However, the mechanisms responsible for the impact of ED on PCa and the role of proteins in this process are not yet well understood. Here, two complementary computational approaches have been employed to investigate the molecular processes underlying the acquisition of malignancy in prostate cancer. First, the metabolic reprogramming associated with the chronic exposure to Aldrin in DU145 cells was studied by integrating transcriptomics and metabolomics via constraint-based metabolic modeling. Second, gene set enrichment analysis was applied to determine (i) altered regulatory pathways and (ii) the correlation between changes in the transcriptomic profile of Aldrin-exposed cells and tumor progression in various types of cancer. Experimental validation confirmed predictions revealing a disruption in metabolic and regulatory pathways. This alteration results in the modification of protein levels crucial in regulating triacylglyceride/cholesterol, linked to the malignant phenotype observed in Aldrin-exposed cells.
Breach Progression Observation in Rockfill Dam Models Using Photogrammetry
Authors: Kiplesund Geir Helge , Sigtryggsdottir Fjola Gudrun , Lia Leif
Published: March 2023

Dam failures are examples of man-made disasters that have stimulated investigation into the processes related to the failure of different dam types. Embankment dam breaching during an overtopping event is one of the major modes of failure for this dam type, comprising both earthfill and rockfill dams. This paper presents the results of a series of laboratory tests on breach initiation and progression in rockfill dams. Especially eight breaching tests of 1 m-high 1:10 scale embankment dams constructed of scaled well-graded rockfill were conducted. Tests were performed with and without an impervious core and under different inflow discharges. Controlling instrumentation includes up to nine video cameras used for image analysis and photogrammetry. A previously little-used technique of dynamic 3D photogrammetry has been applied to prepare 3D models every 5 s throughout the breaching process, allowing us to track in detail breach development. These dynamic 3D models along with pressure sensor data, flow data, and side-view video are used to provide data on erosion rates throughout the breaching process. One important purpose of this research is to test methods of observing a rapidly changing morphology such as an embankment dam breach that can easily be scaled up to large-scale and prototype-scale tests. The resulting data sets are further intended for the verification of existing empirical and numerical models for slope stability and breach development as well as the development of new models.
Surface and Interior Dynamics of Arctic Seas Using Surface Quasi-Geostrophic Approach
Authors: Umbert Marta , De-Andrés Eva , Gonçalves-Araujo Rafael , Gutiérrez Marina , Raj Roshin , Bertino Laurent , Gabarró Carolina , Isern-Fontanet Jordi
Published: March 2023

This study assesses the capability of Surface Quasi-Geostrophy (SQG) to reconstruct the three-dimensional (3D) dynamics in four critical areas of the Arctic Ocean: the Nordic, Barents, East Siberian, and Beaufort Seas. We first reconstruct the upper ocean dynamics from TOPAZ4 reanalysis of sea surface height (SSH), surface buoyancy (SSB), and surface velocities (SSV) and validate the results with the geostrophic and total TOPAZ4 velocities. The reconstruction of upper ocean dynamics using SSH fields is in high agreement with the geostrophic velocities, with correlation coefficients greater than 0.8 for the upper 400 m. SSH reconstructions outperform surface buoyancy reconstructions, even in places near freshwater inputs from river discharges, melting sea ice, and glaciers. Surface buoyancy fails due to the uncorrelation of SSB and subsurface potential vorticity (PV). Reconstruction from surface currents correlates to the total TOPAZ4 velocities with correlation coefficients greater than 0.6 up to 200 m. In the second part, we apply the SQG approach validated with the reanalysis outputs to satellite-derived sea level anomalies and validate the results against in-situ measurements. Due to lower water column stratification, the SQG approach’s performance is better in fall and winter than in spring and summer. Our results demonstrate that using surface information from SSH or surface velocities, combined with information on the stratification of the water column, it is possible to effectively reconstruct the upper ocean dynamics in the Arctic and Subarctic Seas up to 400 m. Future remote sensing missions in the Arctic Ocean, such as SWOT, Seastar, WaCM, CIMR, and CRISTAL, will produce enhanced SSH and surface velocity observations, allowing SQG schemes to characterize upper ocean 3D mesoscale dynamics up to 400 m with higher resolutions and lower uncertainties.
Fabrication of Ultra-Sharp Tips by Dynamic Chemical Etching Process for Scanning Near-Field Microwave Microscopy
Authors: Joseph C. H. , Capoccia Giovanni , Lucibello Andrea , Proietti Emanuela , Sardi Giovanni Maria , Bartolucci Giancarlo , Marcelli Romolo
Published: March 2023

This work details an effective dynamic chemical etching technique to fabricate ultra-sharp tips for Scanning Near-Field Microwave Microscopy (SNMM). The protruded cylindrical part of the inner conductor in a commercial SMA (Sub Miniature A) coaxial connector is tapered by a dynamic chemical etching process using ferric chloride. The technique is optimized to fabricate ultra-sharp probe tips with controllable shapes and tapered down to have a radius of tip apex around ∼1 μm. The detailed optimization facilitated the fabrication of reproducible high-quality probes suitable for non-contact SNMM operation. A simple analytical model is also presented to better describe the dynamics of the tip formation. The near-field characteristics of the tips are evaluated by finite element method (FEM) based electromagnetic simulations and the performance of the probes has been validated experimentally by means of imaging a metal-dielectric sample using the in-house scanning near-field microwave microscopy system.
Timepix3: Compensation of Thermal Distortion of Energy Measurement
Authors: Urban Martin , Nentvich Ondrej , Marek Lukas , Hladik David , Hudec Rene , Sieger Ladislav
Published: March 2023

The Timepix3 is a hybrid pixellated radiation detector consisting of a 256 px × 256 px radiation-sensitive matrix. Research has shown that it is susceptible to energy spectrum distortion due to temperature variations. This can lead to a relative measurement error of up to 35% in the tested temperature range of 10 °C to 70 °C. To overcome this issue, this study proposes a complex compensation method to reduce the error to less than 1%. The compensation method was tested with different radiation sources, focusing on energy peaks up to 100 keV. The results of the study showed that a general model for temperature distortion compensation could be established, where the error in the X-ray fluorescence spectrum of Lead (74.97 keV) was reduced from 22% to less than 2% for 60 °C after the correction was applied. The validity of the model was also verified at temperatures below 0 °C, where the relative measurement error for the Tin peak (25.27 keV) was reduced from 11.4% to 2.1% at −40 °C. The results of this study demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed compensation method and models in significantly improving the accuracy of energy measurements. This has implications for various fields of research and industry that require accurate radiation energy measurements and cannot afford to use power for cooling or temperature stabilisation of the detector.
Enhancing Microservices Security with Token-Based Access Control Method
Authors: Venčkauskas Algimantas , Kukta Donatas , Grigaliūnas Šarūnas , Brūzgienė Rasa
Published: March 2023

Microservices are compact, independent services that work together with other microservices to support a single application function. Organizations may quickly deliver high-quality applications using the effective design pattern of the application function. Microservices allow for the alteration of one service in an application without affecting the other services. Containers and serverless functions, two cloud-native technologies, are frequently used to create microservices applications. A distributed, multi-component program has a number of advantages, but it also introduces new security risks that are not present in more conventional monolithic applications. The objective is to propose a method for access control that ensures the enhanced security of microservices. The proposed method was experimentally tested and validated in comparison to the centralized and decentralized architectures of the microservices. The obtained results showed that the proposed method enhanced the security of decentralized microservices by distributing the access control responsibility across multiple microservices within the external authentication and internal authorization processes. This allows for easy management of permissions between microservices and can help prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data and resources, as well as reduce the risk of attacks on microservices.
Wire Rope Defect Recognition Method Based on MFL Signal Analysis and 1D-CNNs
Authors: Liu Shiwei , Chen Muchao
Published: March 2023

The quantitative defect detection of wire rope is crucial to guarantee safety in various application scenes, and sophisticated inspection conditions usually lead to the accurate testing of difficulties and challenges. Thus, a magnetic flux leakage (MFL) signal analysis and convolutional neural networks (CNNs)-based wire rope defect recognition method was proposed to solve this challenge. Typical wire rope defect inspection data obtained from one-dimensional (1D) MFL testing were first analyzed both in time and frequency domains. After the signal denoising through a new combination of Haar wavelet transform and differentiated operation and signal preprocessing by normalization, ten main features were used in the datasets, and then the principles of the proposed MFL and 1D-CNNs-based wire rope defect classifications were presented. Finally, the performance of the novel method was evaluated and compared with six machine learning methods and related algorithms, which demonstrated that the proposed method featured the highest testing accuracy (>98%) and was valid and feasible for the quantitative and accurate detection of broken wire defects. Additionally, the considerable application potential as well as the limitations of the proposed methods, and future work, were discussed.
An Innovative Fiber-Optic Hydrophone for Seismology: Testing Detection Capacity for Very Low-Energy Earthquakes
Authors: Guardato Sergio , Riccio Rosario , Janneh Mohammed , Bruno Francesco Antonio , Pisco Marco , Cusano Andrea , Iannaccone Giovanni
Published: March 2023

An innovative fiber-optic hydrophone (FOH) was developed and investigated via an experiment at sea; it is capable of operating at a very low frequency of the seismic spectrum and detecting small magnitude earthquakes. The FOH exploits an optical fiber coil wrapped around a sensitive mandrel in a Michelson interferometric configuration. The FOH operated for about seven days at a water depth of 40 m, in the Campi Flegrei volcanic area (Southern Italy), and a few meters from a well-calibrated PZT hydrophone used as a reference. Thirty-three local earthquakes occurred during the simultaneous operation of the two hydrophones, allowing a straightforward comparison of the recordings. The local earthquakes occurred at an epicentral distance less than 2.5 km from the site of recording, and were estimated to be in the range of magnitude from −0.8 to 2.7. The analysis of the recorded earthquake waveforms in the frequency and time domains allowed retrieving the response function of the FOH in the frequency range from 5 to 70 Hz. The FOH responsivity in terms of acoustic pressure reached about 230 nm/Pa and was flat in the studied frequency range. Due to the high quality of the FOH recordings, this equipment is suitable for applications addressing submarine volcanic activity and the background seismicity of active faults in the ocean.
Exploring the Use of Geographic Information Systems to Identify Spatial Patterns of Remote UAS Pilots and Possible National Airspace Risk
Authors: Lercel Damon J. , Hupy Joseph P.
Published: March 2023

The proliferation of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in the United States National Airspace System (NAS) has resulted in an increasing number of close encounters between manned aircraft and UAS, which correlates with the increasing number of remote pilots in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airmen database. This research explores spatial patterns of registered airmen using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analyses that provide notable spatial distribution patterns of pilots and how they relate to UAS sightings and airspace categories. The application of GIS to these aviation data may assist safety practitioners with identifying geographic patterns, areas of higher risk, and ultimately improve safety management. The authors analyzed publicly available airmen data to examine spatial distribution patterns, data correlations, and inferences. Airmen addresses were first geocoded into ArcPro 10.4 GIS software as a vector data layer containing attribute values of the database. The spatial analysis tool set was then utilized to establish clustering, density patterns, and spatial relationships between various categories of registered airmen. These density analyses revealed implicitly that commercial registered pilots tend to have the highest clustering near major commercial use controlled airspace, yet registered remote (UAS) pilots are also clustered in these and other densely populated areas. UAS sighting data were also geocoded using zip code values of the reported city to potentially correlate UAS sighting with registered remote pilots, yet the lack of spatial precision in the database made establishing any type of spatial relationship ineffective. The implicit spatial relationships between commercial and remote registered pilots revealed further research is needed to integrate UAS safely and effectively into the national airspace. The poor quality of UAS sighting data also demonstrates the need to better utilize GIS to monitor and track UAS flights within the context of an Unmanned Traffic Management System.
Attentional Neurodiversity in Physical Education Lessons: A Sustainable and Inclusive Challenge for Teachers
Authors: Villa-de Gregorio Miguel , Palomo-Nieto Miriam , Gómez-Ruano Miguel Ángel , Ruiz-Pérez Luis Miguel
Published: March 2023

Attentional neurodiversity is evidenced in the majority of current schools. The role that physical education plays for the inclusion of students with attentional problems in the school is quite relevant. This essay aims to show the effectiveness of sports and physical exercise on the core symptoms of schoolchildren and adolescents with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). What is more, this proposal sheds light the key differences between clinical conditions of physical exercise and/or sport interventions and the ecological conditions of physical education lessons where the students with attentional problems should be included. Finally, this essay puts forward the real need for bridging the gap between physical education and science by changing the curriculum based programs, re-designing the teachers’ training programs, and acquiring the scientific recommendations in order to ensure the inclusion of all students according to Agenda 2030.
Prediction of Potential Distribution Area of Two Parapatric Species in Triosteum under Climate Change
Authors: Li Xumin , Yao Zhiwen , Yuan Qing , Xing Rui , Guo Yuqin , Zhang Dejun , Ahmad Israr , Liu Wenhui , Liu Hairui
Published: March 2023

Climate change has a profound impact on global biodiversity and species geographical distribution, especially in alpine regions. The prediction of species’ habitat could help the understanding of species’ responses to potential climate threats. Triosteum L. (1753) is a typical mountain plant with medicinal and ecological value. There are three species of this genus in East Asia. Triosteum Pinnatifidum Maxim. 1888 and Triosteum himalayanum Wall. 1829 are mainly distributed in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau and its surroundings, and they are sensitive to climate changes. In this study, a MaxEnt model was used to predict the potential distribution of T. Pinnatifidum and T. himalayanum in the present time and at four different time periods in the future under two different Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs). Topographic factors were taken into account in the prediction. In the present study, the accuracy of the model’s prediction was verified (the AUC values are 0.975 and 0.974), and the results indicate that temperature is the key factor that affects the distribution of these two species. Compared with current distribution, the potential suitable area of T. Pinnatifidum will increase in the future under two types of SSPs (an average increase is 31%), but the potential suitable area of T. himalayanum will decrease significantly (the average area is 93% of what it was before). In addition, the overlap of potential suitable areas of these two species will also expand, potentially affecting their hybridization and interspecific competition. The centroids of T. Pinnatifidum will migrate to the east, but the trajectory of centroids of T. himalayanum is complex. This study could provide basic data for the resource utilization and biogeography research of Triosteum. It will also be helpful for conservation and sustainable use of mountain herbaceous plants under climate change.
Sustainable Development Optimization of a Plant Factory for Reducing Tip Burn Disease
Authors: Haibo Yu , Lei Zhang , Haiye Yu , Yucheng Liu , Chunhui Liu , Yuanyuan Sui
Published: March 2023

It is generally believed that stable airflow can effectively reduce tip burn, a common lettuce plant disease in closed plant factories that severely restricts the sustainable development of these factories. This study aims to achieve stable airflow in the cultivator by zoning the seedling and growth stage crops and installing differential fans, while ensuring comprehensive quality. In this study, a three-dimensional simulation plant factory model was created to simulate the airflow inside the cultivator, taking crop shading and heat dissipation from LED light sources into account. Experiments on photosynthetic physiology and airflow were used to determine environmental thresholds for crop growth, which were then used as CFD boundary conditions. After adopting the optimized cultivation model, the comprehensive quality of lettuce increased by 22.28% during the seedling stage, and the tip burn rate decreased to 26.9%; during the growth stage, the comprehensive quality increased by 25.72%, and the tip burn rate decreased to 23.2%. The zoning optimization cultivation method and differential fan arrangement used in this study to improve the airflow field of plant factories provide new ideas and reliable theoretical support for plant factories to combat lettuce tip burn disease.
Adoption of Renewable Energy Technology on Farms for Sustainable and Efficient Production: Exploring the Role of Entrepreneurial Orientation, Farmer Perception and Government Policies
Authors: Wang Jinxing , Li Wanming , Haq Shamsheer ul , Shahbaz Pomi
Published: March 2023

Traditional energy consumption raises greenhouse gas emissions, which is a major concern in China. Agricultural energy consumption accounts for one third of China’s greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, current patterns of energy consumption on farms are both unsustainable and inadequate since rural communities in emerging nations have limited access to energy sources. This study explores the factors affecting the adoption of renewable energy on farms and examines the effect of such adoption on technical efficiency. The data were collected from 801 farmers selected through a multistage random and purposive sampling method in a face-to-face survey in China. Logistic regression, data envelopment analysis and propensity score matching were used to analyze the data. The descriptive statistics depicted that renewable energy technology was adopted by more than 25% of the total farmers. The logistic regression results depicted that education, farm size, government financial support, perceptions of renewable energy (usefulness, cost effectiveness, environmental friendliness and information availability) and farmer entrepreneurial orientation dimensions (risk-taking, innovativeness and pro-activeness) all significantly affected the adoption of renewable energy technology on farms. Farmers who perceived renewable energy as more useful and cost-effective than conventional energy technology were 1.89 and 2.13 times more likely to adopt it on their farms, respectively. Farmers who perceived renewable energy as more environmentally friendly than traditional energy technology were 1.54 times more likely to use it on their farms. The findings also showed that innovative farmers were 2.24 times more likely to adopt renewable energy technology on their farms. The propensity score matching results showed that the technical efficiency of adopters of renewable energy was 10% higher than that of nonadopters. The study suggests that agriculture must be transformed to fulfill the existing and forthcoming demand for food and energy in an impartial and ecologically sustainable manner.
Green Supply Chain Management in Hotel Industry: A Systematic Review
Authors: Alreahi Mahmoud , Bujdosó Zoltán , Dávid Lóránt Dénes , Gyenge Balázs
Published: March 2023

Green supply chain management (GSCM) has proven itself to be pivotal, including in the hospitality and hotel industries. Additionally, organizations cannot become eco-friendly without applying GSCM. Applying GSCM is very complicated due to the complex nature of the management relations with stakeholders involved and needs appropriate support and collaboration from all related parties in order to accomplish the wanted management results. This paper aimed to analyze and study the complicated roles and relations of GSCM and the hotel industry, identifying the main barriers that might be faced in its application and trying to present the full picture in a simple and comprehensive way in order to provide decision-makers with a wider vision. This can then be used to take the best actions. The analysis technique this study adopted to use to analyze the related scientific production was a systematic review technique. After the screening and cleaning processes, a total of 57 GSCM articles remained from the articles, which were extracted from scientific databases (WoS and Scopus) and analyzed using the three main levels of analysis groups. This study revealed that: (i) GSCM interferences and relations can be summarized into six main categories (external stakeholders, internal stakeholders, related management, the 4Rs, innovation and technology, and performance); (ii) the importance of GSCM goes beyond environmental objectives; and (iii) before applying GSCM practices, there are a number of primary barriers that should be considered regarding the hotel industry.
Behavior as t → ∞ of Solutions of a Mixed Problem for a Hyperbolic Equation with Periodic Coefficients on the Semi-Axis
Authors: Matevossian Hovik , Smirnov Vladimir
Published: March 2023

In this paper, we consider the asymptotic behavior (as t→∞) of solutions as an initial boundary value problem for a second-order hyperbolic equation with periodic coefficients on the semi-axis (x>0). The main approach to studying the problem under consideration is based on the spectral theory of differential operators, as well as on the properties of the spectrum (σ(H0)) of the one-dimensional Schrödinger operator H0 with periodic coefficients p(x) and q(x).
Influence of Parametric Symmetry on the Dynamics of 3D Sinusoidal Discrete Systems
Authors: Rajagopal Karthikeyan , Kanagaraj Sathiyadevi , Volos Christos , Karthikeyan Anitha
Published: March 2023

The discrete system serves an important role in mimicking collective dynamics found in continuous dynamical systems, which are relevant to many realistic natural and artificial systems. To investigate the dynamical transition of a discrete system, we employ three-dimensional sinusoidal discrete maps with an additional self feedback factor. Specifically, we focus on dynamical transitions with respect to the bifurcation parameter, sine function amplitude, and intensity of self feedback factors. We demonstrate the presence of symmetry in relation to parametric variation using two parameter diagrams. The study is then expanded to the network of sine maps in the presence of self-feedback factor. We discover that negative feedback exhibits the transition from cluster state to synchronization while raising the coupling strength for small-world network interactions. Furthermore, increasing feedback from negative to positive causes the transition from synchronization to desynchronization via chimera state for various complex network connectivities.
Mobilenetv2_CA Lightweight Object Detection Network in Autonomous Driving
Authors: Shi Peicheng , Li Long , Qi Heng , Yang Aixi
Published: March 2023

A lightweight network target detection algorithm was proposed, based on MobileNetv2_CA, focusing on the problem of high complexity, a large number of parameters, and the missed detection of small targets in the target detection network based on candidate regions and regression methods in autonomous driving scenarios. First, Mosaic image enhancement technology is used in the data pre-processing stage to enhance the feature extraction of small target scenes and complex scenes; second, the Coordinate Attention (CA) mechanism is embedded into the Mobilenetv2 backbone feature extraction network, combined with the PANet and Yolo detection heads for multi-scale feature fusion; finally, a Lightweight Object Detection Network is built. The experimental test results show that the designed network obtained the highest average detection accuracy of 81.43% on the Voc2007 + 2012 dataset, and obtained the highest average detection accuracy of 85.07% and a detection speed of 31.84 FPS on the KITTI dataset. The total amount of network parameters is only 39.5 M. This is beneficial to the engineering application of MobileNetv2 network in automatic driving.
Structural Characterization of Toxicologically Relevant Cd2+-L-Cysteine Complexes
Authors: Gautam Astha , Gomez Amanda , Mendoza Rengifo Emérita , George Graham N. , Pickering Ingrid J. , Gailer Jürgen
Published: March 2023

The exposure of humans to Cd exerts adverse human health effects at low chronic exposure doses, but the underlying biomolecular mechanisms are incompletely understood. To gain insight into the toxicologically relevant chemistry of Cd2+ in the bloodstream, we employed an anion-exchange HPLC coupled to a flame atomic absorption spectrometer (FAAS) using a mobile phase of 100 mM NaCl with 5 mM Tris-buffer (pH 7.4) to resemble protein-free blood plasma. The injection of Cd2+ onto this HPLC-FAAS system was associated with the elution of a Cd peak that corresponded to [CdCl3]−/[CdCl4]2− complexes. The addition of 0.1–10 mM L-cysteine (Cys) to the mobile phase significantly affected the retention behavior of Cd2+, which was rationalized by the on-column formation of mixed CdCysxCly complexes. From a toxicological point of view, the results obtained with 0.1 and 0.2 mM Cys were the most relevant because they resembled plasma concentrations. The corresponding Cd-containing (~30 μM) fractions were analyzed by X-ray absorption spectroscopy and revealed an increased sulfur coordination to Cd2+ when the Cys concentration was increased from 0.1 to 0.2 mM. The putative formation of these toxicologically relevant Cd species in blood plasma was implicated in the Cd uptake into target organs and underscores the notion that a better understanding of the metabolism of Cd in the bloodstream is critical to causally link human exposure with organ-based toxicological effects.
Drug Resistance Molecular Markers of Plasmodium falciparum and Severity of Malaria in Febrile Children in the Sentinel Site for Malaria Surveillance of Melen in Gabon: Additional Data from the Plasmodium Diversity Network African Network
Authors: Ndong Ngomo Jacques Mari , Mawili-Mboumba Denise Patricia , M’Bondoukwé Noé Patrick , Ditombi Bridy Moutombi , Koumba Lengongo Jeanne Vanessa , Batchy Ognagosso Fanny Bertrande , Bouyou-Akotet Marielle Karine
Published: March 2023

The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between the frequency of artemisinin-based combination (ACT) drug resistance molecular markers and clinical forms of P. falciparum malaria and parasitemia. A cross-sectional study was carried out between January and April 2014 at the Operational Clinical Research Unit of Melen in febrile children aged 12 to 240 months with a Plasmodium sp. infection. A total of 3 mL of peripheral blood collected from an EDTA tube was used for leukocyte depletion. DNA mutation detection was performed by next generation sequencing (NGS). A total of 1075 patients were screened for malaria. Among them, 384 had a Plasmodium infection. P. falciparum mono-infection was found in 98.9% of the patients. Pfcrt-326T mutation was found in all isolates, while 37.9% had Pfmdr2-484I mutant allele. The highest median parasite densities were found in patients infected by parasites carrying the CVIET haplotype of the Pfcrt gene. The different genetic profiles found here, and their variations according to clinical and biological signs of severe malaria, are additional arguments for the surveillance of P. falciparum strains.
Phases of Rotating Black Objects in d = 5 Einstein–Gauss–Bonnet Theory
Authors: Kleihaus Burkhard , Kunz Jutta , Radu Eugen
Published: March 2023

We considered several different classes of asymptotically flat, rotating black objects in d=5 Einstein–Gauss–Bonnet (EGB) theory. These are black holes with two equal-magnitude angular momenta, in which case extremal configurations are studied as well. Numerical evidence is also given for the existence of EGB generalizations of the Myers–Perry black holes with a single plane of rotation and of the Emparan–Reall balanced black rings. All solutions approach asymptotically the Minkowski background and present no singularities outside or on the horizon. The numerical results suggest that, for any mass of the solutions and any topology of the horizon, the rotating configurations exist up to a maximal value of the GB coupling constant, while the solutions with a spherical horizon topology still satisfy the Einstein gravity bound on angular momentum.
A Bibliometric and Content Analysis of Sustainability and Smart Tourism
Authors: Madeira Clara , Rodrigues Paula , Gomez-Suarez Monica
Published: March 2023

Sustainability and smart tourism are current hot topics in academic research. While these two concepts are complementary, their relationship has not been clearly outlined in the scientific literature. This bibliometric analysis aims to address this gap by examining the literature on sustainability and smart tourism. Specifically, this review has five objectives: (i) to document the size and growth of the literature on this topic, (ii) to identify the key authors, journals, and documents, (iii) to categorize the countries with the highest productivity rates, (iv) to highlight emerging topics and their relationship to the conceptual structure of each domain, and (v) to analyse the methodology approach. A total of 104 scientific documents were searched and analysed from the Web of Science Core Collection for the period 1900–2022 using R-Program and VOSviewer. The results indicate that there is an emerging knowledge base with main clusters identified in smart tourism, sustainable tourism, innovation, and smart cities. China, Spain, the Republic of Korea, Italy, Iran, and Portugal have demonstrated the highest rate of scientific production. This review provides valuable insights for both academics and practitioners seeking to expand their knowledge of sustainability and smart tourism research. It also offers new perspectives on the future development of these areas within the social sciences’ academic literature.
Transient Blockade of Type I Interferon Signalling Promotes Replication of Dengue Virus Strain D2Y98P in Adult Wild-Type Mice
Authors: Wilken Lucas , Stelz Sonja , Prajeeth Chittappen Kandiyil , Rimmelzwaan Guus F.
Published: March 2023

Dengue virus serotypes 1 to 4 (DENV1–4) place nearly half the global population at risk of infection and the licenced tetravalent dengue vaccine fails to protect individuals who have not previously been exposed to DENV. The development of intervention strategies had long been hampered by the lack of a suitable small animal model. DENV does not replicate in wild-type mice due to its inability to antagonise the mouse type I interferon (IFN) response. Mice deficient in type I IFN signalling (Ifnar1−/− mice) are highly susceptible to DENV infection, but their immunocompromised status makes it difficult to interpret immune responses elicited by experimental vaccines. To develop an alternative mouse model for vaccine testing, we treated adult wild-type mice with MAR1-5A3—an IFNAR1-blocking, non-cell-depleting antibody—prior to infection with the DENV2 strain D2Y98P. This approach would allow for vaccination of immunocompetent mice and subsequent inhibition of type I IFN signalling prior to challenge infection. While Ifnar1−/− mice quickly succumbed to infection, MAR1-5A3-treated mice did not show any signs of illness but eventually seroconverted. Infectious virus was recovered from the sera and visceral organs of Ifnar1−/− mice, but not from those of mice treated with MAR1-5A3. However, high levels of viral RNA were detected in the samples of MAR1-5A3-treated mice, indicating productive viral replication and dissemination. This transiently immunocompromised mouse model of DENV2 infection will aid the pre-clinical assessment of next-generation vaccines as well as novel antiviral treatments.
Molecular Interaction of Nonsense-Mediated mRNA Decay with Viruses
Authors: Ahmed Md Robel , Du Zhiyou
Published: March 2023

The virus–host interaction is dynamic and evolutionary. Viruses have to fight with hosts to establish successful infection. Eukaryotic hosts are equipped with multiple defenses against incoming viruses. One of the host antiviral defenses is the nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD), an evolutionarily conserved mechanism for RNA quality control in eukaryotic cells. NMD ensures the accuracy of mRNA translation by removing the abnormal mRNAs harboring pre-matured stop codons. Many RNA viruses have a genome that contains internal stop codon(s) (iTC). Akin to the premature termination codon in aberrant RNA transcripts, the presence of iTC would activate NMD to degrade iTC-containing viral genomes. A couple of viruses have been reported to be sensitive to the NMD-mediated antiviral defense, while some viruses have evolved with specific cis-acting RNA features or trans-acting viral proteins to overcome or escape from NMD. Recently, increasing light has been shed on the NMD–virus interaction. This review summarizes the current scenario of NMD-mediated viral RNA degradation and classifies various molecular means by which viruses compromise the NMD-mediated antiviral defense for better infection in their hosts.
Immunogenicity and Safety of Homologous and Heterologous Prime-Boost of CoronaVac® and ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 among Hemodialysis Patients: An Observational Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Narongkiatikhun Phoom , Noppakun Kajohnsak , Chaiwarith Romanee , Winichakoon Poramed , Vongsanim Surachet , Suteeka Yuttitham , Pongsuwan Karn , Kusirisin Prit , Wongsarikan Nuttanun , Fanhchaksai Kanda , Khamwan Chantana , Dankai Dararat , Ophascharoensuk Vuddhidej
Published: March 2023

Background: Vaccines that prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection are considered the most promising approach to modulating the pandemic. There is scarce evidence on the efficacy and safety of different vaccine prime-boost combinations in MHD patients since most clinical trials have used homologous mRNA vaccine regimens. Methods: This prospective observational study assessed the immunogenicity and safety of homologous CoronaVac® (SV-SV), ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) (AZ-AZ), and the heterologous prime-boost of SV-AZ, among MHD patients. Results: A total of 130 MHD participants were recruited. On day 28, after the second dose, seroconversion results of the surrogate virus neutralization test were not different between vaccine regimens. The magnitude of the receptor-binding domain-specific IgG was highest among the SV-AZ. Different vaccine regimens had a distinct impact on seroconversion, for which the heterologous vaccine regimen demonstrated a higher probability of seroconversion (OR 10.12; p = 0.020, and OR 1.81; p = 0.437 for SV-AZ vs. SV-SV, and SV-AZ vs. AZ-AZ, respectively). There were no serious adverse events reported in any of the vaccine groups. Conclusions: Immunization with SV-SV, AZ-AZ, and SV-AZ could generate humoral immunity without any serious adverse events among MHD patients. Using the heterologous vaccine prime-boost seemed to be more efficacious in terms of inducing immunogenicity.
Host PTX3 Protein and Bacterial Capsule Coordinately Regulate the Inflammatory Response during Streptococcus suis Infection
Authors: Bai Qiankun , Fan Ruhui , Zhong Ningyuan , Liu Jianan , Pan Xinming , Yao Huochun , Ma Jiale
Published: March 2023

Streptococcus suis serotype 2 (SS2) is a noteworthy zoonotic pathogen that has been responsible for large economic losses in pig production and a great threat to human health. Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is an essential regulator of the innate immune response to bacterial pathogens; however, its role during SS2 infection is not fully understood. In this study, we found that the SS2 strain HA9801 induced a significant inflammatory response in the mouse air pouch model; this response was amplified by the treatment of exogenous PTX3 simultaneously in terms of the results of inflammatory cell recruitment and proinflammatory cytokine IL-6 production. In addition, PTX3 facilitated the phagocytosis of macrophage Ana-1 against SS2 strain HA9801. The supplementation of exogenous PTX3 significantly reduced the bacterial loads in a dose-dependent manner in lungs, livers and bloods of SS2-infected mice compared to the samples with HA9801 infection alone; this finding indicated that PTX3 may facilitate the bacterial clearance through enhancing the host inflammatory response during SS2 infection. Both PTX3 and SS2 capsular polysaccharide (CPS2) were required for the robust inflammatory response, implying that the host PTX3 protein and SS2 surface CPS2 modulate the host innate immune response in concert. All of these results suggested that PTX3 is a potential novel biological agent for the SS2 infection; however, the recommended dose of PTX3 must be evaluated strictly to avoid inducing an excessive inflammatory response that can cause serious tissue injury and animal death.
Special Issue—Resistant Staphylococci in Animals
Authors: Markey Bryan K. , Leonard Finola C.
Published: March 2023

Staphylococci figure prominently among those bacteria demonstrating antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and are thus responsible for significant problems concerning the treatment of the animals and humans that they infect [...]
Real-Time Repositioning of Floating Wind Turbines Using Model Predictive Control for Position and Power Regulation
Authors: Jard Timothé , Snaiki Reda
Published: March 2023

As offshore wind capacity could grow substantially in the coming years, floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) are particularly expected to make a significant contribution to the anticipated global installed capacity. However, FOWTs are prone to several issues due partly to environmental perturbations and their system configuration which affect their performances and jeopardize their structural integrity. Therefore, advanced control mechanisms are required to ensure good performance and operation of FOWTs. In this study, a model predictive control (MPC) is proposed to regulate FOWTs’ power, reposition their platforms to reach predefined target positions and ensure their structural stability. An efficient nonlinear state space model is used as the internal MPC predictive model. The control strategy is based on the direct manipulation of the thrust force using three control inputs, namely the yaw angle, the collective blade pitch angle, and the generator torque without the necessity of additional actuators. The proposed controller accounts for the environmental perturbations and satisfies the system constraints to ensure good performance and operation of the FOWTs. A realistic scenario for a 5-MW reference wind turbine, modeled using OpenFAST and Simulink, has been provided to demonstrate the robustness of the proposed MPC controller. Furthermore, the comparison of the MPC model and a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) model to satisfy the three predefined objectives indicates the superior performances of the MPC controller.
The attitude of parents of children with hearing impairment toward the prevention of major dental diseases
Authors: Ulitovskiy S. B. , Sheveleva N. Yu. , Guliyeva A. Yu.
Published: March 2023

Relevance. The significant increase in the number of children with hearing impairment worldwide and the peculiarity of their dental status demonstrates a need for a specialized approach during preventive care. However, the choice of preventive measures has to consider both the parental perception of the process and its effectiveness.

Aim. The study aimed to assess the level of parental knowledge of primary schoolchildren with hearing impairment associated with neurological pathology on the oral hygiene of children and their readiness for dental preventive care measures to improve their child’s dental status.

Materials and methods. The study involved the parents of 94 primary schoolchildren aged 6-8 y.o. with hearing impairment associated with neurological pathology. The survey received information on different attitudes to preventive measures to improve children’s dental health.

Results. The results demonstrated poor oral hygiene knowledge among parents of primary schoolchildren with hearing impairment associated with neurological pathology and unreadiness for full-scale cooperation with dentists.

Conclusion. The obtained data indicate the need for more comprehensive and thoughtful patient education among parents of primary schoolchildren with hearing impairment associated with neurological pathology to create prerequisites for improving the children’s dental status.