bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Using Pedigree and Genomic Data toward Better Management of Inbreeding in Italian Dairy Sheep and Goat Breeds
Authors: Cortellari Matteo , Negro Alessio , Bionda Arianna , Grande Silverio , Cesarani Alberto , Carta Antonello , Macciotta Nicola , Biffani Stefano , Crepaldi Paola
Published: October 2022

The inbreeding coefficient is an important parameter for livestock management. Small ruminant breeders and associations mainly rely on pedigree information, but genomic tools are gaining relevance, overcoming possible pedigree inconsistencies. This study investigates the relationship between pedigree-based and genomic inbreeding in two goat and four sheep dairy breeds. Pedigree and genomic data (medium-density SNPchip) were obtained for 3107 goats and 2511 sheep. We estimated pedigree depth (number of fully traced generations, FullGen) and inbreeding (FPED), as well as two genomic inbreeding indexes, using runs of the homozygosity (FROH) and genomic relationship matrix (FGRM). The correlation between the inbreeding coefficients was assessed. A linear regression model (LRM) was fitted for estimating FPED from FROH. After quality control on genomic data, we retained 5085 animals. Mean inbreeding values were low, with higher FROH than FPED and FGRM. Breed differences can partially depend on different managements. The correlation between FPED and FROH was the highest and directly related to pedigree depth. The best LRM was chosen for FullGen ≥4 and ≥6 for goats and sheep, respectively; after excluding animals with extreme residuals, a new refined regression equation was calculated. Since massive genotyping is not affordable to small ruminant breeders, it is important to understand the distinction and relationship between differently calculated inbreeding coefficients, also in view of the introduction of genomic enhanced breeding values. Our study highlights the importance of accurate pedigree information and, especially if not obtainable, of calculating genomic-based inbreeding coefficients. A better estimation of animals’ relatedness contributes to improve animal breeding and conservation.
Occurrence of Borrelia sp. among Wild Living Invasive and Native Mesocarnivores in Poland
Authors: Hildebrand Joanna , Jurczyk Kacper , Popiołek Marcin , Buńkowska-Gawlik Katarzyna , Perec-Matysiak Agnieszka
Published: October 2022

Wild living mesocarnivores, both introduced and native species, are able to adapt well to peri-urban environments, facilitating cross-species pathogen transmission with domestic animals, and potentially humans. Individual tissue samples derived from 284 specimens of six carnivore species, i.e., raccoon, raccoon dog, red fox, European badger, pine marten and stone marten, were used for molecular investigations with the nested PCR method. The animals were sampled in the Ruszów Forest District (Poland). We aimed to examine the relative importance of the studied mesocarnivores as hosts of Borrelia spp. and investigated their role in this spirochaete’s transmission cycle. We also aimed to trace the reservoir competence of these invasive and native predators and borreliosis eco-epidemiology in the context of a dilution effect. The overall prevalence of Borrelia spp. in the tested carnivores was 8.8%. Almost all of the consensus sequences of the partial flaB gene shared identity with a sequence of specific Borrelia species, i.e., B. afzelii, B. garinii and B. burgdorferi. Our results suggest that raccoons may play a role as reservoir hosts for these spirochaetal bacteria. The role of invasive species seems to be worthy of further analysis with reference to the circulation of vector-borne pathogens as well as in the context of the “dilution effect” hypothesis.
IMGT® Nomenclature of Engineered IGHG Variants Involved in Antibody Effector Properties and Formats
Authors: Lefranc Marie-Paule , Lefranc Gérard
Published: October 2022

The constant region of the immunoglobulin (IG) or antibody heavy gamma chain is frequently engineered to modify the effector properties of the therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. These variants are classified in regards to their effects on effector functions, antibody-dependent cytotoxicity (ADCC), antibody-dependent phagocytosis (ADCP), complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) enhancement or reduction, B cell inhibition by the coengagement of antigen and FcγR on the same cell, on half-life increase, and/or on structure such as prevention of IgG4 half-IG exchange, hexamerisation, knobs-into-holes and the heteropairing H-H of bispecific antibodies, absence of disulfide bridge inter H-L, absence of glycosylation site, and site-specific drug attachment engineered cysteine. The IMGT engineered variant identifier is comprised of the species and gene name (and eventually allele), the letter ‘v’ followed by a number (assigned chronologically), and for each concerned domain (e.g, CH1, h, CH2 and CH3), the novel AA (single letter abbreviation) and IMGT position according to the IMGT unique numbering for the C-domain and between parentheses, the Eu numbering. IMGT engineered variants are described with detailed amino acid changes, visualized in motifs based on the IMGT numbering bridging genes, sequences, and structures for higher order description.
Physicochemical Profile, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of Honeys Produced in Minas Gerais (Brazil)
Authors: Royo Vanessa de A. , Oliveira Dario A. de , Veloso Pedro Henrique F. , Sacramento Verônica de M. , Olimpio Ellen L. A. , Souza Luciano F. de , Pires Nathália da C. , Martins Carlos Henrique G. , Santiago Mariana B. , Alves Tânia Maria de A. , Acácio Thaís M. , Junior Afrânio F. de Melo , Brandão Murilo M. , Menezes Elytania V.
Published: October 2022

Honeys can be classified as polyfloral or monofloral and have been extensively studied due to an increased interest in their consumption. There is concern with the correct identification of their flowering, the use of analyses that guarantee their physicochemical quality and the quantification of some compounds such as phenolics, to determine their antioxidant and antimicrobial action. This study aims at botanical identification, physicochemical analyses, and the determination of total polyphenols, chromatographic profile and antiradical and antimicrobial activity of honey from different regions of Minas Gerais. Seven different samples were analyzed for the presence of pollen, and color determination. The physicochemical analyses performed were total acidity, moisture, HMF, reducing sugar, and apparent sucrose. The compound profile was determined by UHPLC/MS, the determination of total phenolics and antiradical activity (DPPH method) were performed by spectrophotometry, and minimum inhibitory and bacterial concentrations were determined for cariogenic bacteria. All honey samples met the quality standards required by international legislation, twenty compounds were detected as the main ones, the polyfloral honey was the only honey that inhibited all of the bacteria tested. Sample M6 (Coffee) was the one with the highest amount of total polyphenols, while the lowest was M4 (Cipó-uva). Regarding the antioxidant activity, M5 (Velame) had the best result and M4 (Cipó-uva) was the one that least inhibited oxidation. Of the polyfloral honeys, there was not as high a concentration of phenolic compounds as in the others. Coffee, Aroeira, Velame and Polyfloral have the best anti-radical actions. Betônica, Aroeira, Cipó-uva and Pequi inhibited only some bacteria. The best bacterial inhibition results are from Polyfloral.
Antibiotic Resistance to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Potential Use of Natural and Biological Products as Alternative Anti-Mycobacterial Agents
Authors: Arrigoni Roberto , Ballini Andrea , Topi Skender , Bottalico Lucrezia , Jirillo Emilio , Santacroce Luigi
Published: October 2022

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). TB treatment is based on the administration of three major antibiotics: isoniazid, rifampicin, and pyrazinamide. However, multi-drug resistant (MDR) Mtb strains are increasing around the world, thus, allowing TB to spread around the world. The stringent response is demonstrated by Mtb strains in order to survive under hostile circumstances, even including exposure to antibiotics. The stringent response is mediated by alarmones, which regulate bacterial replication, transcription and translation. Moreover, the Mtb cell wall contributes to the mechanism of antibiotic resistance along with efflux pump activation and biofilm formation. Immunity over the course of TB is managed by M1-macrophages and M2-macrophages, which regulate the immune response against Mtb infection, with the former exerting inflammatory reactions and the latter promoting an anti-inflammatory profile. T helper 1 cells via secretion of interferon (IFN)-gamma, play a protective role in the course of TB, while T regulatory cells secreting interleukin 10, are anti-inflammatory. Alternative therapeutic options against TB require further discussion. In view of the increasing number of MDR Mtb strains, attempts to replace antibiotics with natural and biological products have been object of intensive investigation. Therefore, in this review the anti-Mtb effects exerted by probiotics, polyphenols, antimicrobial peptides and IFN-gamma will be discussed. All the above cited compounds are endowed either with direct antibacterial activity or with anti-inflammatory and immunomodulating characteristics.
Transcriptome and Metabolome Analyses Reveal Complex Molecular Mechanisms Involved in the Salt Tolerance of Rice Induced by Exogenous Allantoin
Authors: Wang Juan , Li Yingbo , Wang Yinxiao , Du Fengping , Zhang Yue , Yin Ming , Zhao Xiuqin , Xu Jianlong , Yang Yongqing , Wang Wensheng , Fu Binying
Published: October 2022

Allantoin is crucial for plant growth and development as well as adaptations to abiotic stresses, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we comprehensively analyzed the physiological indices, transcriptomes, and metabolomes of rice seedlings following salt, allantoin, and salt + allantoin treatments. The results revealed that exogenous allantoin positively affects the salt tolerance by increasing the contents of endogenous allantoin with antioxidant activities, increasing the reactive oxygen species (ROS)–scavenging capacity, and maintaining sodium and potassium homeostasis. The transcriptome analysis detected the upregulated expression genes involved in ion transport and redox regulation as well as the downregulated expression of many salt-induced genes related to transcription and post-transcriptional regulation, carbohydrate metabolism, chromosome remodeling, and cell wall organization after the exogenous allantoin treatment of salt-stressed rice seedlings. Thus, allantoin may mitigate the adverse effects of salt stress on plant growth and development. Furthermore, a global metabolite analysis detected the accumulation of metabolites with antioxidant activities and intermediate products of the allantoin biosynthetic pathway in response to exogenous allantoin, implying allantoin enhances rice salt tolerance by inducing ROS scavenging cascades. These results have clarified the transcript-level and metabolic processes underlying the allantoin-mediated salt tolerance of rice.
Thiamine Supplementation Alleviates Lipopolysaccharide-Triggered Adaptive Inflammatory Response and Modulates Energy State via Suppression of NFκB/p38 MAPK/AMPK Signaling in Rumen Epithelial Cells of Goats
Authors: Ma Yi , Elmhadi Mawda , Wang Chao , Li Zelin , Zhang Hao , He Banglin , Zhao Xiujuan , Zhang Zhenbin , Wang Hongrong
Published: October 2022

Studies have shown that exogenous thiamine (THI) supplementation can alleviate inflammation and promote rumen epithelial development in goats and cows. This research aimed to evaluate the effect of THI supplementation on LPS-induced inflammation and energy metabolic dysregulation in RECs of goats. Cells were stimulated with either 5 μg/mL THI for 18 h (THI group) or with 5 μg/mL LPS for 6 h (LPS group). The CON group was stimulated with DMEM/F-12 medium without THI for 18 h. The LPTH group was pretreated with THI for 18 h, followed by LPS stimulation for 6 h. THI supplementation decreased the ROS content (p < 0.05), as well as the ratios of phosphorylated (p)-p65 to p65 (p < 0.05) and p-AMPKα to AMPKα (p < 0.05). Interestingly, when the p38 gene was overexpressed in the LPTH group, the ratio of p-p65 to p65 and p-AMPKα to AMPKα proteins significantly increased, and ATP content decreased (p < 0.05). Our results suggest that THI possesses anti-inflammatory and metabolic-modulatory effects in RECs. The mechanism is largely related to the suppression of the NF-κB/p38 MAPK/AMPK signaling pathway. Additionally, we also revealed that THI supplementation can inhibit LPS-induced oxidative damage and apoptosis to protect mitochondrial function in RECs.
Pharmacological Inhibition of Class III Alcohol Dehydrogenase 5: Turning Remote Ischemic Conditioning Effective in a Diabetic Stroke Model
Authors: Zaidi Syed Kashif , Hoda Md Nasrul , Tabrez Shams , Khan Mohammad Imran
Published: October 2022

The restoration of cerebral blood flow (CBF) to achieve brain tissue oxygenation (PbtO2) is the primary treatment for ischemic stroke, a significant cause of adult mortality and disability worldwide. Nitric oxide (NO) and its bioactive s-nitrosylated (SNO) reservoirs, such as s-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO), induce hypoxic vasodilation to enhance CBF during ischemia. The endogenous pool of SNOs/GSNO is enhanced via the activation of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS/NOS3) and by the suppression of class III alcohol dehydrogenase 5 (ADH5), also known as GSNO reductase (GSNOR). Remote ischemic conditioning (RIC), which augments NOS3 activity and SNO, is an emerging therapy in acute stroke. However, RIC has so far shown neutral effects in stroke clinical trials. As the majority of stroke patients are presented with endothelial dysfunctions and comorbidities, we tested the hypothesis that NOS3 dysfunction and diabetes will abolish the protective effects of RIC therapy in stroke, and the prior inhibition of GSNOR will turn RIC protective. Our data demonstrate that RIC during thrombotic stroke failed to enhance the CBF and the benefits of thrombolysis in NOS3 mutant (NOS3+/−) mice, a genetic model of NOS3 dysfunction. Interestingly, thrombotic stroke in diabetic mice enhanced the activity of GSNOR as early as 3 h post-stroke without decreasing the plasma nitrite (NO2−). In thrombotic stroke, neither a pharmacological inhibitor of GSNOR (GRI) nor RIC therapy alone was protective in diabetic mice. However, prior treatment with GRI followed by RIC enhanced the CBF and improved recovery. In a reperfused stroke model, the GRI–RIC combination therapy in diabetic mice augmented PbtO2, a translatory signature of successful microvascular reflow. In addition, RIC therapy unexpectedly increased the inflammatory markers at 6 h post-stroke in diabetic stroke that were downregulated in combination with GRI while improving the outcomes. Thus, we conclude that preexisting NOS3 dysfunctions due to comorbidities may neutralize the benefits of RIC in stroke, which can be turned protective in combination with GRI. Our findings may support the future clinical trial of RIC in comorbid stroke. Further studies are warranted to test and develop SNO reservoirs as the blood-associated biomarker to monitor the response and efficacy of RIC therapy in stroke.
Transposon-Directed Insertion-Site Sequencing Reveals Glycolysis Gene gpmA as Part of the H2O2 Defense Mechanisms in Escherichia coli
Authors: Roth Myriam , Goodall Emily C. A. , Pullela Karthik , Jaquet Vincent , François Patrice , Henderson Ian R. , Krause Karl-Heinz
Published: October 2022

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a common effector of defense mechanisms against pathogenic infections. However, bacterial factors involved in H2O2 tolerance remain unclear. Here we used transposon-directed insertion-site sequencing (TraDIS), a technique allowing the screening of the whole genome, to identify genes implicated in H2O2 tolerance in Escherichia coli. Our TraDIS analysis identified 10 mutants with fitness defect upon H2O2 exposure, among which previously H2O2-associated genes (oxyR, dps, dksA, rpoS, hfq and polA) and other genes with no known association with H2O2 tolerance in E. coli (corA, rbsR, nhaA and gpmA). This is the first description of the impact of gpmA, a gene involved in glycolysis, on the susceptibility of E. coli to H2O2. Indeed, confirmatory experiments showed that the deletion of gpmA led to a specific hypersensitivity to H2O2 comparable to the deletion of the major H2O2 scavenger gene katG. This hypersensitivity was not due to an alteration of catalase function and was independent of the carbon source or the presence of oxygen. Transcription of gpmA was upregulated under H2O2 exposure, highlighting its role under oxidative stress. In summary, our TraDIS approach identified gpmA as a member of the oxidative stress defense mechanism in E. coli.
Regulation of Retroviral and SARS-CoV-2 Protease Dimerization and Activity through Reversible Oxidation
Authors: Davis David A. , Bulut Haydar , Shrestha Prabha , Mitsuya Hiroaki , Yarchoan Robert
Published: October 2022

Most viruses encode their own proteases to carry out viral maturation and these often require dimerization for activity. Studies on human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), type 2 (HIV-2) and human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV-1) proteases have shown that the activity of these proteases can be reversibly regulated by cysteine (Cys) glutathionylation and/or methionine oxidation (for HIV-2). These modifications lead to inhibition of protease dimerization and therefore loss of activity. These changes are reversible with the cellular enzymes, glutaredoxin or methionine sulfoxide reductase. Perhaps more importantly, as a result, the maturation of retroviral particles can also be regulated through reversible oxidation and this has been demonstrated for HIV-1, HIV-2, Mason-Pfizer monkey virus (M-PMV) and murine leukemia virus (MLV). More recently, our group has learned that SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) dimerization and activity can also be regulated through reversible glutathionylation of Cys300. Overall, these studies reveal a conserved way for viruses to regulate viral polyprotein processing particularly during oxidative stress and reveal novel targets for the development of inhibitors of dimerization and activity of these important viral enzyme targets.
Parametric Analysis of Cylinder Drying Process in Association with Various Materials
Authors: Tran Ngoctan , Sengupta Akash , Liaw Jane-Sunn , Wang Chi-Chuan
Published: October 2022

In this study, the heat and mass transfers in the fabric drying process of a single-cylinder dryer are numerically examined in detail by using MATLAB codes and illustrating 3D velocity and temperature profiles obtained by a CFD-ACE+ software package. Seven different drying materials including Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Polyethylene, Polypropylene, Cotton, Wool, Rayon, and Nylon are employed as drying materials. Influences of the drying-material thickness, contacting percentage, cylinder temperature, feeding velocity, and cylinder diameter are examined in detail. For all cases in this study, it is found that the maximum temperature of the drying material in the drying process is strongly dependent on the thermal diffusivity of the drying material. The higher the thermal diffusivity of the drying material, the greater the peak temperature achieved. The peak temperature of the drying material increases with the increase in the contacting percentage. The higher feeding velocity leads to a faster increase in the temperature of the drying material; however, the peak temperature of the slower feeding velocity is higher than that of the faster one. The heat transfer between the central layer of the drying material and to ambient environment is limited by the thermal diffusivity of the drying material.
The Role of Fungi in Biodeterioration of Cultural Heritage: New Insights for Their Control
Authors: De Leo Filomena , Isola Daniela
Published: October 2022

Fungi are nature’s major decomposers, and they play an essential role in biogeochemical cycles [...]
Using Live Spam Beater (LiSB) Framework for Spam Filtering during SMTP Transactions
Authors: Gómez-Meire Silvana , Márquez César Gabriel , Aray-Cappello Eliana Patricia , Méndez José R.
Published: October 2022

This study introduces the Live Spam Beater (LiSB) framework for the execution of email filtering techniques during SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) transactions. It aims to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of existing proactive filtering mechanisms, mainly based on simple blacklists. Since it implements some proactive filtering schemes (during SMTP transaction), when an email message is classified as spam, the sender can be notified by an SMTP response code as a result of the transaction itself. The presented framework is written in Python programming language, works as an MTA (Mail Transfer Agent) server that implements an SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) reverse proxy and allows the use of plugins to easily incorporate new filtering techniques designed to operate proactively. We also include a plugin to perform proactive content-based filtering through the analysis of words included in the body of the email message. Finally, we measured the performance of the plugin and the framework (time required for operation and accuracy) obtaining values suitable for their use during SMTP transactions.
Effect of CaS Nanostructures in the Proliferation of Human Breast Cancer and Benign Cells In Vitro
Authors: Rivera Vazquez Daniel , Munoz Forti Kevin , Figueroa Rosado Maria M. , Gutierrez Mirabal Pura I. , Suarez-Martinez Edu , Castro-Rosario Miguel E.
Published: October 2022

We report on the effect of naked CaS nanostructures on the proliferation of carcinoma cancer cells and normal fibroblasts in vitro. The CaS nanostructures were prepared via the microwave-mediated decomposition of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in the presence of calcium acetate Ca(CH3CO2)2. Light scattering measurements revealed that dispersions contain CaS nanostructures in the size range of a few Å to about 1 nanometer, and are formed when DMSO is decomposed in the presence of Ca(CH3CO2)2. Theoretical calculations at the DFT/B3LYP/DGDZVP level of theory on (CaS)n clusters (n = 1, 2, 3, and 4) are consistent with clusters in this size range. The absorption spectra of the CaS nanostructures are dominated by strong bands in the UV, as well as weaker absorption bands in the visible. We found that a single dose of CaS nanoclusters smaller than 0.8 nm in diameter does not affect the survival and growth rate of normal fibroblasts and inhibits the proliferation rate of carcinoma cells in vitro. Larger CaS nanostructures, approximately (1.1 ± 0.2) nm in diameter, have a similar effect on carcinoma cell proliferation and survival rate. The CaS nanoclusters have little effect on the normal fibroblast cell cycle. Human carcinoma cells treated with CaS nanocluster dispersion exhibited a decreased ability to properly enter the cell cycle, marked by a decrease in cell concentration in the G0/G1 phase in the first 24 h and an increase in cells held in the SubG1 and G0/G1 phases up to 72 h post-treatment. Apoptosis and necrotic channels were found to play significant roles in the death of human carcinoma exposed to the CaS nanoclusters. In contrast, any effect on normal fibroblasts appeared to be short-lived and non-detrimental. The interaction of CaS with several functional groups was further investigated using theoretical calculations. CaS is predicted to interact with thiol (R-SH), hydroxide (R-OH), amino (R-NH2), carboxylic acid (R-COOH), ammonium (R-NH3+), and carboxylate (R-COO−) functional groups. None of these interactions are predicted to result in the dissociation of CaS. Thermodynamic considerations, on the other hand, are consistent with the dissociation of CaS into Ca2+ ions and H2S in acidic media, both of which are known to cause apoptosis or cell death. Passive uptake and extracellular pH values of carcinoma cells are proposed to result in the observed selectivity of CaS to inhibit cancer cell proliferation with no significant effect on normal fibroblast cells. The results encourage further research with other cell lines in vitro as well as in vivo to translate this nanotechnology into clinical use.
Prediction of Vibration-Mode-Induced Noise of Structure–Acoustic Coupled Systems
Authors: Kim Suhong , Hwang Jaeseung , Ryu Jongkwan , Song Minjeong
Published: October 2022

The exposure of a structure to an acoustic domain induces a sound field owing to the interaction of the air-fluid and structure at the acoustic–structure boundaries. It is difficult to predict sound pressure level through vibration mode, due to the acoustic mode of the coupling effect between vibration and sound in addition to the acoustic mode induced by vibration mode generated by external force. In this study, the acoustic mode induced by structural vibration modes were predicted through a numerical analysis. A finite element model of a reverberation chamber with a shell at one side was constructed, and modal parameters of the vibration and acoustic modes were evaluated through an eigenvalue analysis. In addition, the sound pressure generated by impact loading of the shell were predicted by vibration mode through a time-domain structure–acoustic coupling analysis. The vibration and acoustic modal responses were identified from the measured responses, and the acoustic mode associated with a specific vibration mode was examined. The results showed that the acoustic mode from the coupling effect was verified, and sound pressure prediction from vibration mode was possible if considered as the coupling effect. The proposed approach can be applied to predict the heavy-weight floor impact sound from the vibration of slabs in apartments.
Semantic Lidar-Inertial SLAM for Dynamic Scenes
Authors: Bu Zean , Sun Changku , Wang Peng
Published: October 2022

Over the past few years, many impressive lidar-inertial SLAM systems have been developed and perform well under static scenes. However, most tasks are under dynamic environments in real life, and the determination of a method to improve accuracy and robustness poses a challenge. In this paper, we propose a semantic lidar-inertial SLAM approach with the combination of a point cloud semantic segmentation network and lidar-inertial SLAM LIO mapping for dynamic scenes. We import an attention mechanism to the PointConv network to build an attention weight function to improve the capacity to predict details. The semantic segmentation results of the point clouds from lidar enable us to obtain point-wise labels for each lidar frame. After filtering the dynamic objects, the refined global map of the lidar-inertial SLAM sytem is clearer, and the estimated trajectory can achieve a higher precision. We conduct experiments on an UrbanNav dataset, whose challenging highway sequences have a large number of moving cars and pedestrians. The results demonstrate that, compared with other SLAM systems, the accuracy of trajectory can be improved to different degrees.
Comparison of Integrated Rescue System Software Tools Used to Support the Implementation and Creation of Exercises
Authors: Dzermansky Martin , Ficek Martin , Snopek Lukas
Published: October 2022

To successfully deal with emergent events or crises, it is necessary to have a fully planned integrated rescue system (IRS). The stages of the IRS are tested by exercises that aim to model rescue and clean-up operations as closely as possible. This article compares different software tools to support the creation and implementation of exercises of different stages of the IRS. The article aims to compare suitable software tools and evaluate their application in the individual phases of creating tactical exercises in the IRS and application to the implementation and evaluation phase. Methods of explanation, comparison, and modeling are used to achieve the goals. It was found that the investigated software programmes are all suitable for use in the organization of exercises. The results are shown in a comparison table and examples of individual model situations. The article presents possible implementation scenarios of software tools for creating and organizing exercises of stages of the IRS, which can make the preparation of both tactical and screening exercises more efficient.
Recent Advances in the Development and Application of Green Extraction Techniques
Authors: Švarc-Gajić Jaroslava , Morais Simone
Published: October 2022

Increased awareness towards environmental protection due to the recognized long-term effects of global industrialization and other anthropogenic actions, as well as imperatives posed to many industries to orient them towards sustainability and circular economy models, has imposed new trends and strategies in most technologies [...]
Long-Term Prediction of Crack Growth Using Deep Recurrent Neural Networks and Nonlinear Regression: A Comparison Study
Authors: Iqbal Salahuddin Muhammad , Park Jun-Ryeol , Jung Kyu-Il , Lee Jun-Seoung , Kang Dae-Ki
Published: October 2022

Cracks in a building can potentially result in financial and life losses. Thus, it is essential to predict when the crack growth is reaching a certain threshold, to prevent possible disaster. However, long-term prediction of the crack growth in newly built facilities or existing facilities with recently installed sensors is challenging because only the short-term crack sensor data are usually available in the aforementioned facilities. In contrast, we need to obtain equivalently long or longer crack sensor data to make an accurate long-term prediction. Against this background, this research aims to make a reasonable long-term estimation of crack growth within facilities that have crack sensor data with limited length. We show that deep recurrent neural networks such as LSTM suffer when the prediction’s interval is longer than the observed data points. We also observe a limitation of simple linear regression if there are abrupt changes in a dataset. We conclude that segmented nonlinear regression is suitable for this problem because of its advantage in splitting the data series into multiple segments, with the premise that there are sudden transitions in data.
The Influence of Raw Materials on the Stability of Grisaille Paint Layers
Authors: Machado Carla , Vilarigues Márcia , Pinto Joana Vaz , Palomar Teresa
Published: October 2022

Grisaille is a glass-based paint made by mixing metal oxides (iron or copper) with ground lead-silica glass. The different materials used in the grisailles production (coloring agents, base glasses, or vehicles) can significantly impact their long-term stability along with the firing conditions. The main objective of this study was to achieve a better understanding of how raw materials influence the production and stability of these paints. To achieve this goal, 27 grisailles were produced, changing the raw materials, proportions, and firing conditions. The produced grisailles were characterized by X-ray fluorescence and diffraction, colorimetry, roughness measurement, and contact angle analysis. Adhesion and cleaning tests were also made. The use of different coloring agents has a significant impact on the final appearance and on the chemical and mechanical stability of the grisailles, but the latest is more affected by both firing temperature and the proportion between pigments and base glasses.
Multi-Input Attention Network for Dehazing of Remote Sensing Images
Authors: He Zhijie , Gong Cailan , Hu Yong , Zheng Fuqiang , Li Lan
Published: October 2022

The non-uniform haze distribution in remote sensing images, together with the complexity of the ground information, brings many difficulties to the dehazing of remote sensing images. In this paper, we propose a multi-input convolutional neural network based on an encoder–decoder structure to effectively restore remote sensing hazy images. The proposed network can directly learn the mapping between hazy images and the corresponding haze-free images. It also effectively utilizes the strong haze penetration characteristic of the Infrared band. Our proposed network also includes the attention module and the global skip connection structure, which enables the network to effectively learn the haze-relevant features and better preserve the ground information. We build a dataset for training and testing our proposed method. The dataset consists of remote sensing images with two different resolutions and nine bands, which are captured by Sentinel-2. The experimental results demonstrate that our method outperforms traditional dehazing methods and other deep learning methods in terms of the final dehazing effect, peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), structural similarity (SSIM) and feature similarity (FSIM).
Microwave SINIS Detectors
Authors: Tarasov Mikhail , Gunbina Aleksandra , Chekushkin Artem , Yusupov Renat , Edelman Valerian , Koshelets Valery
Published: October 2022

This review presents the main characteristics and mechanisms of operation of superconductor–insulator–normal metal–insulator–superconductor (SINIS) microwave detectors. An analysis of the detectors’ performance against a quantum detector and a photon counter is given. Methods for cooling a superconductor using normal metal traps and the role of electron cooling in optimizing the current response to terahertz radiation are discussed. Fabrication methods using shadow evaporation as well as magnetron sputtering are described.
FastDARTSDet: Fast Differentiable Architecture Joint Search on Backbone and FPN for Object Detection
Authors: Wang Chunxian , Wang Xiaoxing , Wang Yiwen , Hu Shengchao , Chen Hongyang , Gu Xuehai , Yan Junchi , He Tao
Published: October 2022

Neural architecture search (NAS) is a popular branch of automatic machine learning (AutoML), which aims to search for efficient network structures. Many prior works have explored a wide range of search algorithms for classification tasks, and have achieved better performance than manually designed network architectures. However, few works have explored NAS for object detection tasks due to the difficulty to train convolution neural networks from scratch. In this paper, we propose a framework, named as FastDARTSDet, to directly search on a larger-scale object detection dataset (MS-COCO). Specifically, we propose to apply differentiable architecture search method (DARTS) to jointly search backbone and feature pyramid network (FPN) architectures for object detection task. Extensive experimental results on MS-COCO show the efficient and efficacy of our method. Specifically, our method achieves 40.0% mean average precision (mAP) on the test set, outperforming many recent NAS methods.
Toxic Elements in Sediment and Water of the Crocodile River (West) System, South Africa, Following Acid Mine Drainage
Authors: Windisch Jakob , Gradwohl Andreas , Gilbert Beric Michael , Dos Santos Quinton Marco , Wallner Gabriele , Avenant-Oldewage Annemarie , Jirsa Franz
Published: October 2022

The upper reaches of the Crocodile River (West) system are located in the western basin of the Witwatersrand mountain chain, an area heavily influenced by gold mining. After the spill of highly acidic and contaminated mining-influenced water into the river system in 2002, chemical water treatment was implemented to compensate for the consequences of acid mine drainage. Some studies thereafter have shown metal concentrations of concern in the system, but never considered longer periods of time. For this study, we investigated water and sediments over a period of 13 months from 7 sampling sites in the system. In addition to physico-chemical parameters such as temperature, pH, and electrical conductivity, a multi-element analysis was conducted. We used various versions of atomic-absorption-spectroscopy, total reflection x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in filtered and acidified water samples as well as sediment leachates. Concentrations of Ni, Zn, As, Pb, and U in the sediment were clearly elevated at the site closest to the mine as well as further downstream, some of them far exceeding quality guidelines. Moreover, dissolved Mn, Fe, Ni, Zn and U occurred irregularly in concentrations of concern at the site of mining-influenced water inflow. Our findings clearly indicate a risk of further and chronic mobilization of toxic elements from this site and a possible threat to the connected river system.
Weighted Integral Inequalities for Harmonic Convex Functions in Connection with Fejér’s Result
Authors: Latif Muhammad Amer
Published: October 2022

In this study, on the subject of harmonic convex functions, we introduce some new functionals linked with weighted integral inequalities for harmonic convex functions. In addition, certain new inequalities of the Fejér type are discovered.
IS-DT: A New Feature Selection Method for Determining the Important Features in Programmatic Buying
Authors: Huynh-Cam Thao-Trang , Nalluri Venkateswarlu , Chen Long-Sheng , Yang Yi-Yi
Published: October 2022

Traditional data-driven feature selection techniques for extracting important attributes are often based on the assumption of maximizing the overall classification accuracy. However, the selected attributes are not always meaningful for practical problems. So, we need additional confirmation from the experts in the domain knowledge to determine whether these extracted features are meaningful knowledge. Moreover, due to advances in mobile devices and wireless environments, programmatic buying (PB) has become one of the critical consumer behaviors in e-commerce. However, it is extremely difficult for PB service providers to build customers’ loyalty, since PB customers require a high level of service quality and can quickly shift the purchases from one website to another. Previous studies developed various dimensions/models to measure the service quality of PB; nevertheless, they did not identify the key factors for increasing customers’ loyalty and satisfaction. Consequently, this study used an importance–satisfaction (IS) model as domain knowledge and proposed a new IS-DT feature selection method. This new IS-DT method combined the IS model and the decision tree (DT) algorithm to extract useful service quality factors for enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty in PB. An actual case was also provided to illustrate the effectiveness of our proposed method. The results showed that for increasing customer satisfaction, the highest impact factors included “problem solving”, “punctuality”, “valence”, and “ease of use”; for building customer loyalty, the most important factors were “expertise”, “problem solving”, “information”, “single column”, “voice guidance”, “QR code”, “situation”, “tangibles”, “assurance”, “entertainment”, and “safety”. Our IS-DT method can effectively determine important service quality factors in programmatic buying.
Improvement of a Mathematical Model to Predict CO2 Removal in Hollow Fiber Membrane Oxygenators
Authors: Omecinski Katelin S. , Federspiel William J.
Published: October 2022

The use of extracorporeal oxygenation and CO2 removal has gained clinical validity and popularity in recent years. These systems are composed of a pump to drive blood flow through the circuit and a hollow fiber membrane bundle through which gas exchange is achieved. Mathematical modeling of device design is utilized by researchers to improve device hemocompatibility and efficiency. A previously published mathematical model to predict CO2 removal in hollow fiber membrane bundles was modified to include an empirical representation of the Haldane effect. The predictive capabilities of both models were compared to experimental data gathered from a fiber bundle of 7.9 cm in length and 4.4 cm in diameter. The CO2 removal rate predictions of the model including the Haldane effect reduced the percent error between experimental data and mathematical predictions by up to 16%. Improving the predictive capabilities of computational fluid dynamics for the design of hollow fiber membrane bundles reduces the monetary and manpower expenses involved in designing and testing such devices.
Evaluating the Haemodynamic Performance of Endografts for Complex Aortic Arch Repair
Authors: Sengupta Sampad , Zhu Yu , Hamady Mohamad , Xu Xiao Yun
Published: October 2022

Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) of aortic aneurysms and dissections involving the arch has evolved over the last two decades. Compared to conventional surgical methods, endovascular repair offers a less invasive treatment option with lower risk and faster recovery. Endografts used in TEVAR vary in design depending on the procedure and application. Novel endografts (e.g., branched stent-graft) were developed to ensure perfusion of blood to the supra-aortic vessels, but their haemodynamic performance and long-term durability have not been adequately studied. This review focuses on the use of computational modelling to study haemodynamics in commercially available endografts designed for complex aortic arch repair. First, we summarise the currently adopted workflow for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling, including geometry reconstruction, boundary conditions, flow models, and haemodynamic metrics of interest. This is followed by a review of recently (2010-present) published CFD studies on complex aortic arch repair, using both idealized and patient-specific models. Finally, we introduce some of the promising techniques that can be potentially applied to predict post-operative outcomes.
Comparison of Lower Extremity Joint Moment and Power Estimated by Markerless and Marker-Based Systems during Treadmill Running
Authors: Tang Hui , Pan Jiahao , Munkasy Barry , Duffy Kim , Li Li
Published: October 2022

Background: Markerless (ML) motion capture systems have recently become available for biomechanics applications. Evidence has indicated the potential feasibility of using an ML system to analyze lower extremity kinematics. However, no research has examined ML systems’ estimation of the lower extremity joint moments and powers. This study aimed to compare lower extremity joint moments and powers estimated by marker-based (MB) and ML motion capture systems. Methods: Sixteen volunteers ran on a treadmill for 120 s at 3.58 m/s. The kinematic data were simultaneously recorded by 8 infrared cameras and 8 high-resolution video cameras. The force data were recorded via an instrumented treadmill. Results: Greater peak magnitudes for hip extension and flexion moments, knee flexion moment, and ankle plantarflexion moment, along with their joint powers, were observed in the ML system compared to an MB system (p < 0.0001). For example, greater hip extension (MB: 1.42 ± 0.29 vs. ML: 2.27 ± 0.45) and knee flexion (MB: −0.74 vs. ML: −1.17 nm/kg) moments were observed in the late swing phase. Additionally, the ML system’s estimations resulted in significantly smaller peak magnitudes for knee extension moment, along with the knee production power (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: These observations indicate that inconsistent estimates of joint center position and segment center of mass between the two systems may cause differences in the lower extremity joint moments and powers. However, with the progression of pose estimation in the markerless system, future applications can be promising.
Quantifications of Mandibular Trabecular Bone Microstructure Using Cone Beam Computed Tomography for Age Estimation: A Preliminary Study
Authors: Tabassum Arshiya , Chainchel Singh Mansharan Kaur , Ibrahim Norliza , Ramanarayanan Subramaniam , Mohd Yusof Mohd Yusmiaidil Putera
Published: October 2022

The aim of this study is two-fold: first, to correlate the values for each of the trabecular bone microstructure (TBM) parameters to the individual’s chronological age and sex, thereby facilitating the assessment of potential age and sex-related changes in trabecular bone microstructure parameters in the mandible; and second, to quantify the trabecular microstructural parameters in relation to chronological age. Twenty cone-beam computed tomographic (CBCT) scans were retrieved retrospectively from a database of adult patients with ages ranging in age from 22 to 43 years. In the mandible, the volume of interest included the inter-dental space between the second mandibular premolar and the first mandibular molar, as well as the trabecular space beneath and between the apices. Using the AnalyzeDirect 14.0 software, the DICOM images of CBCT scans were pre-processed, transformed, segmented using a novel semi-automatic threshold-guided method, and quantified. In addition, TBM parameters were derived, and statistical analysis was conducted using a Pearson correlation test with two tails. All parameters exhibited no statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) between chronological age and sex. Statistically significant negative correlations were found between Tb. N (r = −0.489), BS/TV (r = −0.527), and chronological age (p = 0.029 and p = 0.017, respectively). Only Tb. N and BS/TV exhibited an inverse relationship with chronological age. Numerous studies have quantified the trabecular architecture of the jaw bones, but none have found a correlation between the quantified trabecular parameters and chronological age. The digital imprints produced by radiographic imaging can serve as biological profiles for data collection.
Quantifying Catch Rates, Shark Abundance and Depredation Rate at a Spearfishing Competition on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Authors: Smith Adam , Songcuan Al , Mitchell Jonathan , Haste Max , Schmidt Zachary , Sands Glenn , Lincoln Smith Marcus
Published: October 2022

We developed and applied a method to quantify spearfisher effort and catch, shark interactions and shark depredation in a boat-based recreational spearfishing competition in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in Queensland. Survey questions were designed to collect targeted quantitative data whilst minimising the survey burden of spearfishers. We provide the first known scientific study of shark depredation during a recreational spearfishing competition and the first scientific study of shark depredation in the Great Barrier Reef region. During the two-day spearfishing competition, nine vessels with a total of 33 spearfishers reported a catch of 144 fish for 115 h of effort (1.25 fish per hour). A subset of the catch comprised nine eligible species under competition rules, of which 47 pelagic fish were weighed. The largest fish captured was a 34.4 kg Sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus). The most common species captured and weighed was Spanish Mackerel (Scomberomorus commerson). The total weight of eligible fish was 332 kg and the average weight of each fish was 7.1 kg. During the two-day event, spearfishers functioned as citizen scientists and counted 358 sharks (115 h effort), averaging 3.11 sharks per hour. Grey Reef Sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) comprised 64% of sightings. Nine speared fish were fully depredated by sharks as spearfishers attempted to retrieve their catch, which equates to a depredation rate of 5.9%. The depredated fish included four pelagic fish and five reef fish. The shark species responsible were Grey Reef Shark (C. amblyrhynchos) (66%), Bull Shark (Carcharhinus leucas) (11%), Whitetip Reef Shark (Triaenodon obesus) (11%) and Great Hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran) (11%). There were spatial differences in fish catch, shark sightings and rates of depredation. We developed a report card that compared average catch of fish, sightings of sharks per hour and depredation rate by survey area, which assists recreational fishers and marine park managers to assess spatio-temporal changes. The participating spearfishers can be regarded as experienced (average 18 days a year for average 13.4 years). Sixty percent of interviewees perceived that shark numbers have increased in the past 10 years, 33% indicated no change and 7% indicated shark numbers had decreased. Total fuel use of all vessels was 2819 L and was equivalent to 6.48 tons of greenhouse gas emissions for the competition.