bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characterization of the Complete Chloroplast Genome of the Dragonhead Herb, Dracocephalumheterophyllum (Lamiaceae), and Comparative Analyses with Related Species
Authors: Fu Gui , Liu Yuping , Caraballo-Ortiz Marcos A. , Zheng Changyuan , Liu Tao , Xu Yujie , Su Xu
Published: February 2022

Dracocephalum heterophyllum (Lamiaceae: tribe Mentheae) is an annual aromatic herb native to East Asia with a long record of human uses, including medicinal, alimentary, and ornamental values. However, no information is available about its molecular biology, and no genomic study has been performed on D. heterophyllum. Here, we report the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of D. heterophyllum and a series of comparative genomic analyses between this and closely related species of Lamiaceae. Results indicated that the cp genome has a typical circular structure of 150,869 bp in length, consisting of a long single-copy (LSC) region with 82,410 bp, a short single-copy (SSC) region with 17,098 bp, and two inverted repeat (IR) regions of 51,350 bp. A total of 133 genes were identified, including 37 tRNA genes, 8 rRNA genes and 88 protein-coding genes, with a GC content of 37.8%. The gene content, organization, and GC values observed here were similar to those of other Dracocephalum species. We detected 99 different simple sequence repeat loci, and the codon usage analysis revealed a preferential use of the Leu codon with an A/U ending. Comparative analysis of cp genome sequences revealed five highly variable regions with remarkably higher Pi values (>0.03). The mean Ka/Ks between D. heterophyllum and three other Dracocephalum species ranged from 0.01079 (psbB) to 1.0497 (ycf2). Two cp genes, ycf2 and rps11, were proven to have high ratios of Ka/Ks, implying that cp genes may had undergone positive selection in the evolutionary history. We performed multiple sequence alignments using the cp genome of 22 species and constructed maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian trees, and found that D. heterophyllum were more closely related to D. moldavica and D. palmatum. In addition, the phylogenetic relationships between Dracocephalum and other members of Lamiaceae were consistent with previous results. These results are valuable for further formulating effective strategies of conservation and management for species in Dracocephalum, as well as providing a foundation for future research on the genetic resources of Dracocephalum.
Fast and Accurate Surrogate Virus Neutralization Test Based on Antibody-Mediated Blocking of the Interaction of ACE2 and SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein RBD
Authors: Kolesov Denis E. , Sinegubova Maria V. , Dayanova Lutsia K. , Dolzhikova Inna V. , Vorobiev Ivan I. , Orlova Nadezhda A.
Published: February 2022

The humoral response to the SARS-CoV-2 S protein determines the development of protective immunity against this infection. The standard neutralizing antibodies detection method is a live virus neutralization test. It can be replaced with an ELISA-based surrogate virus neutralization test (sVNT), measuring the ability of serum antibodies to inhibit complex formation between the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the S protein and the cellular ACE2 receptor. There are conflicting research data on the sVNT methodology and the reliability of its results. We show that the performance of sVNT dramatically improves when the intact RBD from the Wuhan-Hu-1 virus variant is used as the plate coating reagent, and the HRP-conjugated soluble ACE2 is used as the detection reagent. This design omits the pre-incubation step in separate tubes or separate microplate and allows the simple quantification of the results using the linear regression, utilizing only 3–4 test sample dilutions. When this sVNT was performed for 73 convalescent plasma samples, its results showed a very strong correlation with VNT (Spearman’s Rho 0.83). For the RBD, bearing three amino acid substitutions and corresponding to the SARS-CoV-2 beta variant, the inhibitory strength was diminished for 18 out of 20 randomly chosen serum samples, and the magnitude of this decrease was not similar to the change in overall anti-RBD IgG level. The sVNT assay design with the ACE2-HRP is preferable over the assay with the RBD-HRP reagent and is suitable for mass screening of neutralizing antibodies titers.
Metabolic Biomarkers in B-Cell Lymphomas for Early Diagnosis and Prediction, as Well as Their Influence on Prognosis and Treatment
Authors: Alfaifi Abdullah , Bahashwan Salem , Alsaadi Mohammed , Malhan Hafiz , Aqeel Aqeel , Al-Kahiry Waiel , Almehdar Hussein , Qadri Ishtiaq
Published: February 2022

B-cell lymphomas exhibit a vast variety of clinical and histological characteristics that might complicate the diagnosis. Timely diagnosis is crucial, as treatments for aggressive subtypes are considered successful and frequently curative, whereas indolent B-cell lymphomas are incurable and often need several therapies. The purpose of this review is to explore the current advancements achieved in B-cell lymphomas metabolism and how these indicators help to early detect metabolic changes in B-cell lymphomas and the use of predictive biological markers in refractory or relapsed disease. Since the year 1920, the Warburg effect has been known as an integral part of metabolic reprogramming. Compared to normal cells, cancerous cells require more glucose. These cancer cells undergo aerobic glycolysis instead of oxidative phosphorylation to metabolize glucose and form lactate as an end product. With the help of these metabolic alterations, a novel biomass is generated by the formation of various precursors. An aggressive metabolic phenotype is an aerobic glycolysis that has the advantage of producing high-rate ATP and preparing the biomass for the amino acid, as well as fatty acid, synthesis needed for a rapid proliferation of cells, while aerobic glycolysis is commonly thought to be the dominant metabolism in cancer cells. Later on, many metabolic biomarkers, such as increased levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), plasma lactate, and deficiency of thiamine in B-cell lymphoma patients, were discovered. Various kinds of molecules can be used as biomarkers, such as genes, proteins, or hormones, because they all refer to body health. Here, we focus only on significant metabolic biomarkers in B-cell lymphomas. In conclusion, many metabolic biomarkers have been shown to have clinical validity, but many others have not been subjected to extensive testing to demonstrate their clinical usefulness in B-cell lymphoma. Furthermore, they play an essential role in the discovery of new therapeutic targets.
Histological Features of Celiac-Disease-like Conditions Related to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Therapy: A Signal to Keep in Mind for Pathologists
Authors: Del Sordo Rachele , Volta Umberto , Lougaris Vassilios , Parente Paola , Sidoni Angelo , Facchetti Mattia , Bassotti Gabrio , Carosi Illuminato , Clemente Celeste , Villanacci Vincenzo
Published: February 2022

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) targeting cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4), programmed cell death protein (PD-1), and its ligand PDL-1, are finding increasing application in the treatment of malignant neoplasms. The widespread clinical use of these drugs, however, resulted in the discovery of side effects. The occurrence of celiac disease (CD) after ICIs therapy has been reported in the literature, but its incidence remains unknown and the role of ICIs in its onset is not yet clear. In this review, we examine the published data on this topic in order to better understand and define this entity from a histological point of view. We performed an electronic literature search to identify original reports in which CD or pathological CD-like conditions were documented histologically in patients treated with ICIs. We identified ten papers. A total of twenty-five patients were included in these publications, eleven of them receiving a serologic and histological diagnosis of CD, and four a histological diagnosis of CD-like conditions, in which pathogenesis appears to be multifactorial. ICIs can cause a CD-like enteropathy and biopsies with clinical integration are crucial to diagnose this condition. CD rarely has been observed during treatment with ICIs and its morphological aspects are similar to ICIs-CD enteropathy. Moreover, the onset of ICIs-CD may have a distinct immune mechanism compared to classical CD. Thus, the pathologists must make a histological diagnosis of CD with caution and only in adequate clinical and serological context.
A New Preoperative Scoring System for Predicting Aggressiveness of Non-Functioning Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Neoplasms
Authors: Takikawa Tetsuya , Kikuta Kazuhiro , Hamada Shin , Kume Kiyoshi , Miura Shin , Yoshida Naoki , Tanaka Yu , Matsumoto Ryotaro , Ikeda Mio , Kataoka Fumiya , Sasaki Akira , Hayashi Hidehiro , Hatta Waku , Ogata Yohei , Nakagawa Kei , Unno Michiaki , Masamune Atsushi
Published: February 2022

The management of non-functioning pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (NF-PanNENs) is still controversial. This study aimed to develop a new scoring system for treatment decisions at initial diagnosis based on the identification of the predictive factors for aggressive NF-PanNENs. Seventy-seven patients who had been pathologically diagnosed with NF-PanNENs were enrolled. We retrospectively reviewed 13 variables that could be assessed preoperatively. Univariate and multivariate stepwise logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors for the aggressiveness of NF-PanNENs, and a scoring system was developed by assigning weighted points proportional to their β regression coefficient. Tumor size > 20 mm on contrast-enhanced computed tomography, tumor non-vascularity, and Ki-67 labeling index ≥5% on endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration specimens were identified as independent factors for predicting the aggressiveness of NF-PanNENs. The new scoring system, developed using the identified factors, had an excellent discrimination ability, with area under the curve of 0.92 (95% CI, 0.85–0.99), and good calibration (p = 0.72, Hosmer-Lemeshow test). Ten-year overall survival rates in low-risk (0 point), intermediate-risk (1 to 2 points), and high-risk (3 to 4 points) groups were 100%, 90.9%, and 24.3%, respectively. This new scoring system would be useful for treatment decisions and prognostic prediction at initial diagnosis.
Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance in Myocarditis
Authors: Polte Christian L. , Bobbio Emanuele , Bollano Entela , Bergh Niklas , Polte Christina , Himmelman Jakob , Lagerstrand Kerstin M. , Gao Sinsia A.
Published: February 2022

Myocarditis is an inflammatory disease of the myocardium, and its diagnosis remains challenging owing to a varying clinical presentation and broad spectrum of underlying aetiologies. In clinical practice, cardiovascular magnetic resonance has become an invaluable non-invasive imaging tool in the evaluation of patients with clinically suspected myocarditis, mainly thanks to its unique multiparametric tissue characterization ability. Although considered as useful, the method also has its limitations. This review aims to provide an up-to-date overview of the strengths and weaknesses of cardiovascular magnetic resonance in the diagnostic work-up of patients with clinically suspected myocarditis in a broad clinical context.
The Use of Ceus Software with No Contrast Media Administration in the Diagnosis of Pneumoperitoneum
Authors: Altiero Michele , Orabona Giuseppina Dell’Aversano , Laccetti Ettore , Rengo Alessandro , Danzi Roberta , Romano Federica , Di Serafino Marco , Iacobellis Francesca , Francica Giampiero , Scaglione Mariano , Romano Luigia
Published: February 2022

Background: Pneumoperitoneum is defined by the presence of free air in the abdominal cavity; gastrointestinal perforation is an important cause of this pathological condition. In emergency situations, radiology is considered vital in the early detection and identification of the site and cause of the perforation, which is critical for proper surgical planning. Aim: The aim of our study was to evaluate a new diagnostic US tool, based on the US contrast-specific software generally used during contrast-enhanced US examination (CEUS), without the administration of sonographic contrast media, and to describe the specific imaging features in the detection of free intra-peritoneal air. Subjects and Methods: One hundred and fifty-seven consecutive and hemodynamically stable patients, who arrived in our E.D. with an acute abdomen between April 2018 and October 2019, underwent US and CT examination, performed by three radiologists (with 5, 5, and 25 years of experience). The US was performed first and divided into two steps, using B-mode US and both B-mode and contrast-specific software US, with no contrast media administration. All the patients underwent CT examination. Results: In 32 out of 157 patients, the surgery confirmed GI perforation. CT correctly detected 31 out of 32 patients; the contrast-specific software US identified 30 perforated patients. CT reached a sensitivity value of 97% and specificity value of 100%; contrast-specific software US demonstrated higher values than B-mode US in sensitivity (93% vs. 70%, respectively) and specificity (98% vs. 88%, respectively). Conclusion: the use of contrast-specific software in emergencies improves image quality, and reaches higher levels of sensitivity and specificity with no time delay compared to standard US examination, helping radiologists expedite diagnoses.
Monitored Implementation of COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Screening at Taxi Ranks in Johannesburg, South Africa
Authors: Majam Mohammed , Msolomba Vanessa , Venter François , Scott Lesley Erica , Kahamba Trish , Stevens Wendy Susan , Rademeyer Michael , van Tonder Tanya , Karim Sanjida , Kadam Rigveda , Akugizibwe Paula
Published: February 2022

Digital tools can support community-based decentralized testing initiatives to broaden access to COVID-19 diagnosis, especially in high-transmission settings. This operational study investigated the use of antigen-detecting rapid diagnostic tests (Ag-RDTs) for COVID-19 combined with an end-to-end digital health solution, in three taxi ranks in Johannesburg, South Africa. Members of the public were eligible if they were aged ≥18 years, could read, and had a cellphone. Over 15,000 participants, enrolled between June and September 2021, were screened for COVID-19 risk factors. A digital risk questionnaire identified 2061 (13%) participants as moderate risk and 2987 (19%) as high risk, based on symptoms and/or recent exposure to a known case. Of this group referred for testing, 3997 (79%) received Ag-RDTs, with positivity rates of 5.1% in the “high-risk” group and 0.8% in the “moderate-risk” group. A subset of 569 randomly selected participants received additional PCR testing. Sensitivity of the Ag-RDT in this setting was 40% (95% CI: 30.3%, 50.3%); most false negatives had high cycle threshold values (>25), hence low viral loads. Over 80% of participants who tested positive completed a 2-week phone-based follow-up questionnaire. Overall, the digital tool combined with Ag-RDTs enhanced community-based decentralized COVID-19 testing service delivery, reporting and follow-up.
Impact of Maximum Tongue Pressure in Patients with Jaw Deformities Who Underwent Orthognathic Surgery
Authors: Koizumi Koichi , Shintani Tomoaki , Yoshimi Yuki , Higaki Mirai , Kunimatsu Ryo , Yoshioka Yukio , Tsuga Kazuhiro , Tanimoto Kotaro , Shiba Hideki , Toratani Shigeaki
Published: February 2022

Malocclusion and morphological abnormalities of the jawbone often affect the stomatognathic function and long-term postoperative stability in patients with jaw deformities. There are few reports on the effect of maximum tongue pressure (MTP) in these patients. We investigated the relationship between the MTP and jawbone morphology and the effect of the MTP on surgery in 42 patients with jaw deformity who underwent surgical orthodontic treatment at Hiroshima University Hospital. The MTP was measured using a tongue pressure measurement device; the average value was considered as the MTP. Based on the MTP measured before surgery, patients were classified into the high- or the low-MTP group. The clinical findings and results of the cephalometric analysis were compared. Posterior movement of the mandible in the high-MTP group was significantly lower than that in the low-MTP group. The ANB angle, overjet, and overbite in the high-MTP group were significantly smaller than those in the low-MTP group. On the other hand, there was no difference between the two groups in the measured values, indicating a labial inclination of the anterior teeth (U1 to SN, U1 to FH, IMPA, and FMIA). MTP has been suggested to affect mandibular prognathism in patients with jaw deformities.
Recurrence-Based Synchronization Analysis of Weakly Coupled Bursting Neurons under External ELF Fields
Authors: Nkomidio Aissatou , Ngamga Eulalie , Nbendjo Blaise , Kurths Jürgen , Marwan Norbert
Published: February 2022

We investigate the response characteristics of a two-dimensional neuron model exposed to an externally applied extremely low frequency (ELF) sinusoidal electric field and the synchronization of neurons weakly coupled with gap junction. We find, by numerical simulations, that neurons can exhibit different spiking patterns, which are well observed in the structure of the recurrence plot (RP). We further study the synchronization between weakly coupled neurons in chaotic regimes under the influence of a weak ELF electric field. In general, detecting the phases of chaotic spiky signals is not easy by using standard methods. Recurrence analysis provides a reliable tool for defining phases even for noncoherent regimes or spiky signals. Recurrence-based synchronization analysis reveals that, even in the range of weak coupling, phase synchronization of the coupled neurons occurs and, by adding an ELF electric field, this synchronization increases depending on the amplitude of the externally applied ELF electric field. We further suggest a novel measure for RP-based phase synchronization analysis, which better takes into account the probabilities of recurrences.
COVID-19 Restrictions and Its Influence on Students’ Mathematics Achievement in Spain
Authors: Moliner Lidon , Alegre Francisco
Published: February 2022

COVID-19 restrictions in schools worldwide constitute an important limitation for peer support among students. The masks, the distance between tables or the established sitting order are new challenges that both students and teachers must face in Spain. The conventional strategies that took place among students prior to the COVID-19 pandemic have been altered. In this study, the mathematics achievement of high-school students prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and during the COVID-19 pandemic is examined. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used. A total of 368 students from 9th grade (ages 14 to 15) participated in this research. Statistically significant differences were reported when comparing the mathematics achievement of pre-COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 students (t = 22.21, p < 0.01). An overall negative effect size of −2.32 was reported for those students with COVID-19 restrictions. Mathematics achievement scores were 9.90% lower for the group with restrictions. No statistically significant differences were reported when analyzing results by gender or repeating condition. The qualitative information supported the quantitative findings. Alterations in peer support was identified as one of the main factors that could explain this decrease. The main conclusion of this study is that current restrictions due to COVID-19 could be producing an important decrease in students’ mathematics achievements.
Investigating Student Engagement and Making Science Real during a Pandemic: Bioskills at Home, a Case Study
Authors: Rayment Sarah , Garrie Karin , Kaur Ishwinder , McVicker Gareth , Storey Emma , Winter Jody , De Girolamo Luigi A. , Rimmer Callum , Negus David , Nelson Carl , Thomas Jonathan , Loughlin Michael , Dale Jess
Published: February 2022

Development of key practical skills is fundamental to bioscience courses in higher education. With limitations on access to laboratory time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a “Bioskills at home” kit was developed to create opportunities for first year undergraduate students to develop these skills using online support resources to guide their activities and build communities of learning. Equipment and activities in this kit enabled students to practice key skills such as pipetting, data handling, experimental design and microscopy, as well as build an online peer learning community through the use of discussion boards and microscopy competitions that encouraged students to explore their local environment. Students who engaged with these activities reported increased confidence in key practical skills. Practical assessment of skills showed that that there was no reduction in the proportion of students who succeeded in achieving the pipetting learning objective compared to previous years, despite a significantly reduced on-campus provision. Although the celebration event to choose the microscopy competition winners was well attended, there was limited use of the discussion boards by students to build a community of learning during the term. Refinement of this initiative will focus on providing greater scaffolding to encourage greater engagement with activities and enhance community building.
Visible-Infrared Person Re-Identification: A Comprehensive Survey and a New Setting
Authors: Zheng Huantao , Zhong Xian , Huang Wenxin , Jiang Kui , Liu Wenxuan , Wang Zheng
Published: February 2022

Person re-identification (ReID) plays a crucial role in video surveillance with the aim to search a specific person across disjoint cameras, and it has progressed notably in recent years. However, visible cameras may not be able to record enough information about the pedestrian’s appearance under the condition of low illumination. On the contrary, thermal infrared images can significantly mitigate this issue. To this end, combining visible images with infrared images is a natural trend, and are considerably heterogeneous modalities. Some attempts have recently been contributed to visible-infrared person re-identification (VI-ReID). This paper provides a complete overview of current VI-ReID approaches that employ deep learning algorithms. To align with the practical application scenarios, we first propose a new testing setting and systematically evaluate state-of-the-art methods based on our new setting. Then, we compare ReID with VI-ReID in three aspects, including data composition, challenges, and performance. According to the summary of previous work, we classify the existing methods into two categories. Additionally, we elaborate on frequently used datasets and metrics for performance evaluation. We give insights on the historical development and conclude the limitations of off-the-shelf methods. We finally discuss the future directions of VI-ReID that the community should further address.
DepTSol: An Improved Deep-Learning- and Time-of-Flight-Based Real-Time Social Distance Monitoring Approach under Various Low-Light Conditions
Authors: Rahim Adina , Maqbool Ayesha , Mirza Alina , Afzal Farkhanda , Asghar Ikram
Published: February 2022

Social distancing is an utmost reliable practice to minimise the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). As the new variant of COVID-19 is emerging, healthcare organisations are concerned with controlling the death and infection rates. Different COVID-19 vaccines have been developed and administered worldwide. However, presently developed vaccine quantity is not sufficient to fulfil the needs of the world’s population. The precautionary measures still rely on personal preventive strategies. The sharp rise in infections has forced governments to reimpose restrictions. Governments are forcing people to maintain at least 6 feet (ft) of safe physical distance to stay safe. With summers, low-light conditions can become challenging. Especially in the cities of underdeveloped countries, where poor ventilated and congested homes cause people to gather in open spaces such as parks, streets, and markets. Besides this, in summer, large friends and family gatherings mostly take place at night. It is necessary to take precautionary measures to avoid more drastic results in such situations. To support the law and order bodies in maintaining social distancing using Social Internet of Things (SIoT), the world is considering automated systems. To address the identification of violations of a social distancing Standard Operating procedure (SOP) in low-light environments via smart, automated cyber-physical solutions, we propose an effective social distance monitoring approach named DepTSol. We propose a low-cost and easy-to-maintain motionless monocular time-of-flight (ToF) camera and deep-learning-based object detection algorithms for real-time social distance monitoring. The proposed approach detects people in low-light environments and calculates their distance in terms of pixels. We convert the predicted pixel distance into real-world units and compare it with the specified safety threshold value. The system highlights people violating the safe distance. The proposed technique is evaluated by COCO evaluation metrics and has achieved a good speed–accuracy trade-off with 51.2 frames per second (fps) and a 99.7% mean average precision (mAP) score. Besides the provision of an effective social distance monitoring approach, we perform a comparative analysis between one-stage object detectors and evaluate their performance in low-light environments. This evaluation will pave the way for researchers to study the field further and will enlighten the efficiency of deep-learning algorithms in timely responsive real-world applications.
CCoW: Optimizing Copy-on-Write Considering the Spatial Locality in Workloads
Authors: Ha Minjong , Kim Sang-Hoon
Published: February 2022

Copy-on-Write (CoW) is one of the most essential memory management techniques enabling efficient page sharing between processes. Specifically, combined CoW with the fork system call, applications, even with a huge memory footprint, can take a snapshot of the current in-memory data at low overhead. However, since the CoW takes place per page in the page fault handler, each time the page fault occurs, the operating system should get involved. This leads to significant performance degradation for write-intensive workloads. This paper proposes coverage-based copy-on-write (CCoW), an optimized CoW scheme considering the locality in memory accesses to mitigate the problem of CoW. CCoW measures the spatial locality in process address spaces with the concept of coverage. While processing CoW, CCoW copies multiple pages in advance for high-locality memory regions, thereby minimizing the involvement of OS for write-intensive workloads. We explain the challenges for measuring the locality and provide the optimization to implement the concept. Evaluation with a prototype demonstrates that this approach can improve the overall performance of applications by up to 10% with a small amount of memory overhead.
Mathematical Modelling of Transient Processes in a Three Phase Electric Power System for a Single Phase Short-Circuit
Authors: Chaban Andriy , Lis Marek , Szafraniec Andrzej , Levoniuk Vitaliy
Published: February 2022

Field approaches are employed to develop a mathematical model of a power network section. The facility consists of two electric power subsystems described with ordinary differential equations and presented as concentrated parameter systems connected with a three-phase power supply line, presented as a distributed parameter system. The model of the electric power line is described with partial differential equations. Mathematically, the supply line model is described utilizing a mixed problem with explicitly indefinite boundary conditions. All electromagnetic state equations of the integrated system are introduced in their matrix-vector forms. The equation of the three-phase long supply line is expressed untraditionally as a system of two first-order differential equations as a function of long line voltage. Since the power supply line is part of the integrated system that includes two subsystems, the boundary conditions at the line’s start and end are implicitly defined, avoiding the traditional application of the Dirichlet first-type boundary condition. An expanded system of ordinary differential equations that describe physical processes in both the supply and loading subsystems is used to calculate the boundary conditions. To this end, third-type boundary conditions, or Poincaré’s conditions, serve to describe the wave equation of the electric power line. Such an integrated model of an electric power system helps analyse transient processes across the supply line when the electric power system is switched on and is single-phase short-circuited at the final point of the electric power line. A comparison of computer simulation results with well-known software packages shows a convergence of approx. 96%.
Modeling the Effect of Compressive Stress on Hysteresis Loop of Grain-Oriented Electrical Steel
Authors: de Souza Dias Mateus Botani , Landgraf Fernando José Gomes , Chwastek Krzysztof
Published: February 2022

Modeling of hysteresis loops may be useful for the designers of magnetic circuits in electric machines. The present paper focuses on the possibility to apply the Harrison model to describe hysteresis loops of grain-oriented electrical steel subject to compressive stress. The model extension is achieved by introduction of an additional term into the equation that describes irreversible magnetization process. The extension term does not include a product of stress and magnetization, as could be anticipated from Sablik’s theory, applicable, e.g., to the Jiles–Atherton model. The present contribution points out the fundamental differences between the two aforementioned modeling approaches, which are based on different philosophies despite some apparent similarities. The modeling results are in a qualitative agreement with the experimental results obtained from a single sheet tester for a representative commercially available grain-oriented electrical steel grade 0.27 mm thick.
Investigating the Impact of Plumbing Configuration on Energy Savings for Falling-Film Drain Water Heat Recovery Systems
Authors: Manouchehri Ramin , Collins Michael R.
Published: February 2022

Falling-film drain water heat recovery (DWHR) systems are heat exchangers utilized in residential buildings for recovering energy from greywater. A recent publication by the authors contained a validated model that can be used to predict the performance of DWHR heat exchangers under variable flowrates and temperatures, and this work shows the implementation of the model into Transient System Simulation Tool (TRNSYS) software to perform energy simulations. This work aims to show the different plumbing configurations in which DWHR heat exchangers could be installed, and to simulate their performance under various conditions. The results show that plumbing configuration has a significant impact on energy savings expected from DWHR heat exchangers, and maximum savings are achieved in equal-flow configuration. However, other plumbing configurations provide significant savings, and the mains temperature could dictate which configuration provides higher energy savings.
Integral Methodology for the Multiphysics Design of an Automotive Eddy Current Damper
Authors: Jamolov Umid , Maizza Giovanni
Published: February 2022

The present work reports an integrated (experimental and numerical) methodology that combines the development of a finite element multiphysics model with an experimental strategy to optimally design an eddy current damper for automotive suspensions. The multiphysics model couples the whole set of time-dependent electromagnetic, thermal, mechanical, and fluid–wall interaction (CFD) partial differential equations. The developed FE model was validated against both literature model predictions and in-house experimental data. The electromagnetic model takes into account the magnetic material characteristics of the ferromagnetic material and iron poles. Loss separation and the Jiles–Atherton hysteresis models were invoked to determine the heat generated in the soft iron parts. The computation of the fluid–wall interaction phenomena in the air gap allowed for the prediction of the temperature field across the solid materials, including the magnets. The design of the EC damper addresses the effects of the geometries of the stator and rotor, as they are the most critical geometries for maximizing the functions of an eddy current damper. The magneto-thermal simulations suggested that the heating of the permanent magnets remains within a safe region over the investigated operational frequency range of the eddy current damper.
Modeling of the Wind Potential in the Open Sea and Its Application to the Calculation of Energy
Authors: Bahamonde García Manuel I. , Macías Macías José , Rodríguez González César , Litrán Salvador Pérez , Sánchez Herrera María R.
Published: February 2022

A reliable estimate of the wind potential in the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) is of great importance to justify the energetic viability of new offshore wind farms. The purpose of the study is to provide an additional tool for the prediction of the energy that a wind turbine would produces in the open sea from the usual way of measurements at sea, that is, when they are carried out with measuring masts, where the meteorological data are obtained at levels much lower than those of a wind turbine hub. For this, the variation in the wind speed with the height in the MABL is determined, based on the Monin–Obukhov similarity theory, according to the boundary conditions of the air–sea interface, where the input data for the Validation of the results are extracted from the German FINO 3 research platform during the years 2016, 2017, and 2018. It is applied to the production of electrical energy from a 6.0 MW commercial wind turbine, with the hub at 100 m above the sea surface. As a more prominent result, the deviations from the proposed method do not exceed 2.5% in the energy calculation.
Laboratory Testing of Small Scale Solar Facade Module with Phase Change Material and Adjustable Insulation Layer
Authors: Vanaga Ruta , Narbuts Jānis , Freimanis Ritvars , Blumberga Andra
Published: February 2022

Active building envelopes that act as energy converters—gathering on-site available renewable energy and converting it to thermal energy or electricity—is a promising technological design niche to reduce energy consumption in the building sector, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and thus tackle climate change challenges. This research adds scientific knowledge in the field of composite building envelope structures containing phase-change materials for thermal energy storage. In this study, the focus lies on the cooling phase of the diurnal gain and release of solar energy. The experimental setup imitates day and night environment. Six alterations of small-scale solar facade modules are tested in two different configurations—with and without the adjustable insulation layer on their outer surface during the discharging phase. Modules explore combinations of aerogel, air gap, and Fresnel lenses for solar energy concentration. The results allow us to compare the impact of the application of an additional insulation layer at “night” for different designs of solar facade modules. The results show that modules with an air gap provide higher heat gains but do not take full advantage of the latent heat capacity of phase-change materials.
Opportunities for Early Cancer Detection: The Rise of ctDNA Methylation-Based Pan-Cancer Screening Technologies
Authors: Constantin Nicolas , Sina Abu Ali Ibn , Korbie Darren , Trau Matt
Published: February 2022

The efficiency of conventional screening programs to identify early-stage malignancies can be limited by the low number of cancers recommended for screening as well as the high cumulative false-positive rate, and associated iatrogenic burden, resulting from repeated multimodal testing. The opportunity to use minimally invasive liquid biopsy testing to screen asymptomatic individuals at-risk for multiple cancers simultaneously could benefit from the aggregated diseases prevalence and a fixed specificity. Increasing both latter parameters is paramount to mediate high positive predictive value—a useful metric to evaluate a screening test accuracy and its potential harm-benefit. Thus, the use of a single test for multi-cancer early detection (stMCED) has emerged as an appealing strategy for increasing early cancer detection rate efficiency and benefit population health. A recent flurry of these stMCED technologies have been reported for clinical potential; however, their development is facing unique challenges to effectively improve clinical cost–benefit. One promising avenue is the analysis of circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) for detecting DNA methylation biomarker fingerprints of malignancies—a hallmark of disease aetiology and progression holding the potential to be tissue- and cancer-type specific. Utilizing panels of epigenetic biomarkers could potentially help to detect earlier stages of malignancies as well as identify a tumour of origin from blood testing, useful information for follow-up clinical decision making and subsequent patient care improvement. Overall, this review collates the latest and most promising stMCED methodologies, summarizes their clinical performances, and discusses the specific requirements multi-cancer tests should meet to be successfully implemented into screening guidelines.
Deforestation as a Systemic Risk: The Case of Brazilian Bovine Leather
Authors: Mammadova Aynur , Behagel Jelle , Masiero Mauro , Pettenella Davide
Published: February 2022

Tropical deforestation and forest degradation driven by agricultural commodity production remains one of the important sustainability challenges of our times. The responses to tropical deforestation so far have not managed to reverse global trends of forest loss, reigniting the discussion about more robust and systemic measures. The concept of deforestation risk is highly relevant for current debates about policy and trade, and likely to increase in importance in the context of the proposed EU Regulation on Deforestation-free Products and EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement. We argue that deforestation is a systemic risk that permeates through different economic sectors, including production, manufacturing, service and control sectors. International trade, investment and economic policies thus act as a systemic trap that cause the production sector to continue with nature’s destruction. This article seeks to more clearly define deforestation risk and uses the case of bovine leather from Brazil to illustrate how pressures for deforestation accumulate across economic sectors towards production, while deforestation risk is dispersed in an opposite trajectory. The article draws on multiple datasets and an extensive literature review. Included are quantitative data sources on annual slaughter, bovine hide/leather registry and annual deforestation, slaughterhouse and tannery locations. We argue that the EU banning unsustainable products from entry and putting incentives for more sustainable agricultural production in the tropics addresses deforestation risks that are currently visible and relatively easy to identify. These response mechanisms are conditioned upon traceability of deforestation risk across supply chains, which is prone to falsifications, leakage and laundry. Although proven to be essential, the proposed EU responses still miss out deeper leverage points to address the systemic drivers of deforestation coming from the manufacturing, service and control sectors that make production through deforestation profitable in the first place.
Effects of Mixture Mode on the Canopy Bidirectional Reflectance of Coniferous–Broadleaved Mixed Plantations
Authors: He Zijing , Lin Simei , Wen Kunjian , Hao Wenqian , Chen Ling
Published: February 2022

One of the main initiatives for China to achieve the goal of being carbon neutral before 2060 is transforming monocultures into mixed plantations in subtropical China, because mixed forests possess a higher quality than monocultures in various ways. Very high spatial resolution (VHR) satellite imagery is very promising to precisely monitor the transformation process under the premise of clarifying the canopy reflectance anisotropy of mixed plantations. However, it is almost impossible to understand the canopy reflectance anisotropy of mixed plantations with real satellite data due to the extreme lack of multiangular VHR satellite images. In this study, the effects of the mixture mode on the canopy bidirectional reflectance factor (BRF) were comprehensively analyzed with simulated VHR images. The three-dimensional (3D) Discrete Anisotropic Radiative Transfer model (DART) was used to construct a pure coniferous scene, a pure broadleaved scene, and 27 coniferous–broadleaved mixed plantation scenes containing 3 mixture patterns (i.e., mixed by single trees, mixed by stripes, and mixed by patches) and 9 mixing proportions (i.e., from 10% to 90% with the interval of 10%), and to simulate red (R) and near-infrared (NIR) VHR images for these 3D scenes at both the solar principal plane (SPP) and perpendicular plane (PP) under different solar-viewing geometries. Negative correlations were generally found between the canopy BRF and the ratio of conifers in a mixed stand. The anisotropy of conifer dominated plantations is more prominent than broadleaf dominated plantations, especially for the single tree mixture. Although the level of anisotropy is much lower for PP than SPP, it should not be ignored, especially for the R band. Observations under large viewing zenith angles at PP are more preferred to study the effect of mixing proportions, followed by forward observations at SPP. The R band image has higher potential to distinguish mixture patterns for broadleaf-dominated situations, while the NIR band image has a higher potential for conifer-dominated situations. Furthermore, the canopy BRF generally increases with the solar zenith angle, and one meter can be considered as the optimal spatial resolution for the optical monitoring of the mixture mode. The findings of the current study add some valuable theoretical knowledge for the accurate monitoring of coniferous–broadleaved mixed plantations with VHR imagery.
Climate Change Impact on Peruvian Biomes
Authors: Zevallos Jose , Lavado-Casimiro Waldo
Published: February 2022

The biodiversity present in Peru will be affected by climatic and anthropogenic changes; therefore, understanding these changes will help generate biodiversity conservation policies. This study analyzes the potential distributions of biomes (B) in Peru under the effects of climate change. The evaluation was carried out using the random forest (RF) method, six bioclimatic variables, and digital topography for the classification of current B in Peru. Subsequently, the calibrated RF model was assimilated to three downscaled regional climate models to project future B distributions for the 2035–2065 horizon. We evaluated possible changes in extension and elevation as well as most susceptible B. Our projections show that future scenarios agreed that 82% of current B coverage will remain stable. Approximately 6% of the study area will change its current conditions to conditions of higher humidity; 4.5% will maintain a stable physiognomy, but with an increase in humidity; and finally, 6% will experience a decrease in humidity but maintain its appearance. Additionally, glaciers and swamps are indicated as the most vulnerable B, with probable losses greater than 50% of their current area. These results demonstrate the need to generate public policies for the adaptation and mitigation of climate effects on B at a national scale.
Dietary Effects of Carotenoid on Growth Performance and Pigmentation in Bighead Catfish (Clarias macrocephalus Günther, 1864)
Authors: Hien Tran Thi Thanh , Loc Trinh Van , Tu Tran Le Cam , Phu Tran Minh , Duc Pham Minh , Nhan Hua Thai , Liem Pham Thanh
Published: February 2022

This study investigates the effects of supplemental carotenoid pigments on growth and color performance in bighead catfish (Clarias macrocephalus). Two experiments were undertaken to determine the appropriate types, feed duration, and dose of astaxanthin (As), canthaxanthin (Ca), and xanthophyll (Xa) pigments individually and in combination. In the first experiment, fish were fed with one control diet (basic diet), six experimental diets comprised of three diets of As, Ca, and Xa at a 100 mg/kg rate of supplementation, respectively, and three diets combinations of As + Ca, As + Xa, and Ca + Xa at a supplement rate of 50 mg + 50 mg/kg. The results showed no significant difference in weight gain (WG), specific growth rate (SGR), survival rate (SR), and feed conversion ratio of fish among treatments (p > 0.05) after 6 weeks. The L* (Lightness) and a* (redness) values in the Xa diet were significantly lower than other treatments, while b* (yellowness) was significantly higher than in the control and others treatments (p < 0.05). These values peaked after 4 weeks and remained stable until the end of the experiment. Consistently, the highest muscle carotenoid content (16.89 ± 0.60 mg/100 g) was found in the fish fed with the Xa diet. The Xa diet was selected for the second experiment. This experiment consisted of four Xa supplemented diets at rates of 25, 50, 75, and 100 mg/kg and a basal diet without any Xa supplementation. The results showed that there was no difference in the SGR or SR of fish fed various Xa levels (p > 0.05). Fish fed the Xa diet of 75 mg/kg were the most preferred by consumers for the natural “yellowness” of muscle. Thus, the results suggested that additional carotenoid pigments did not affect the growth performance of fish. Farmers and feed producers could utilize Xa at an optimal dose of 75 mg/kg to enhance color performance in the market size of bighead catfish for at least 4 weeks prior to harvest.
Millennials’ Consumption of and Attitudes toward Meat and Plant-Based Meat Alternatives by Consumer Segment in Finland
Authors: Knaapila Antti , Michel Fabienne , Jouppila Kirsi , Sontag-Strohm Tuula , Piironen Vieno
Published: February 2022

Millennials are considered the key generation with regard to the consumption of plant-based meat alternatives via flexitarianism. This study sought to characterize millennials’ consumer segments based on their consumption of and attitudes toward meat and meat alternatives. We conducted an online survey on the hedonic tones of the associations evoked by meat and meat alternatives, consumption of such foods, and diet-related attitudes among a representative sample of Finnish millennials (N = 546, 59% women, age 20–39 years). Some 41% of respondents regularly ate plant-based meat alternatives, while 43% had tried such foods. We divided the respondents into six segments based on the hedonic tones of their meat vs. meat alternatives associations. The segments differed in terms of their consumption of meat alternatives and the underlying reasons why, importance of meat in meals, and Meat Commitment Scale scores. The segment that reported much more positive associations with meat than meat alternatives (~14% of the respondents) may prove resistant to interventions intended to reduce meat intake, whereas the segment that displayed the most positive attitudes toward meat alternatives (~18%) did not eat much meat. Thus, the four middle segments (totaling ~68%), whose associations’ hedonic tones were close to each other, may be the best targets for future interventions designed to reduce meat consumption through the use of meat alternatives. To conclude, introducing a simple segmentation allowed us to identify consumer segments with large potential to reduce meat consumption.