bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Peripapillary Oxygenation and Retinal Vascular Responsiveness to Flicker Light in Primary Open Angle Glaucoma
Authors: Türksever Cengiz , Todorova Margarita G.
Published: June 2022

The aim of our study was to evaluate peripapillary oxygenation and its relationship to retinal vascular responsiveness to flicker light in patients with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG). Retinal vessel oxygen saturation was measured in 46 eyes of 34 Caucasian patients with POAG and in 21 eyes of 17 age-matched controls using the oximetry tool of Retinal Vessel Analyser (RVA: IMEDOS Systems UG, Jena, Germany). The mean oxygen saturation of the major arterioles (A-SO2; %) and venules (V-SO2; %), as well as the corresponding arterio–venular difference (A-V SO2; %), were calculated. We also measured retinal vascular responsiveness (RVR) to flicker light by means of RVA. Glaucoma patients were divided in two subgroups according to their median arteriolar and venular vascular responsiveness to flicker light (AFR and VFR). Glaucomatous damage was assessed by optical coherence tomography (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, CA, USA) and static automated perimetry (Octopus, program G2/standard strategy: Haag-Streit International, Köniz, Switzerland). In addition, we calculated the mean peripapillary oxygen exposure [ppO2E; %/µm] by dividing the mean A-V SO2 with the mean retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness. In glaucoma patients, A-SO2 and V-SO2 values were significantly increased, and their difference decreased when compared to controls (p < 0.017; linear mixed-effects model). Grouped with respect to retinal vascular responsiveness to flicker light, subjects with reduced VFR (≤2.9%) had significantly higher ppO2E (0.49 ± 0.08%/µm, respectively, 0.43 ± 0.06%/µm; p = 0.027). Additionally, higher ppO2E in glaucoma patients correlated negatively with the neuroretinal rim area (p < 0.001) and the RNFL thickness (p = 0.017), and positively with the mean defect of the visual field (p = 0.012). Reduced venular vascular responsiveness in our glaucoma patients was associated with increased peripapillary oxygenation exposure. Thus, ganglion cells and their axons in glaucomatous eyes with reduced retinal vascular responsiveness are prone to be more exposed to higher oxidative stress, probably contributing to the further progression of glaucomatous damage.
Support Vector Machine–Based Model for 2.5–5.2 GHz CMOS Power Amplifier
Authors: Zhou Shaohua , Yang Cheng , Wang Jian
Published: June 2022

A power amplifier (PA) is the core module of the wireless communication system. The change of its specification directly affects the system’s performance and may even lead to system failure. Furthermore, change in the PA specification is closely related to changes in temperature. To study the influence of PA specification change on the system, we used a support vector machine (SVM) to model the temperature characteristics of PA. For SVM modeling, the question of how much experimental data should be used for modeling to meet the requirements is a constant problem. To address this issue, we investigate the effect of different amounts of training data on the modeling of SVM models. The results show that only 75% of the experimental data needs to be used in the modeling process to satisfy the modeling requirements of the SVM model. The number of measurement points required in the PA specification degradation experiment can be reduced by 25%. The results of this paper serve as a guide for planning the number of experimental measurement points and reducing the measurement cost and measurement time.
Revisiting Glauconite Geochronology: Lessons Learned from In Situ Radiometric Dating of a Glauconite-Rich Cretaceous Shelfal Sequence
Authors: Scheiblhofer Esther , Moser Ulrike , Lӧhr Stefan , Wilmsen Markus , Farkaš Juraj , Gallhofer Daniela , Bäckström Alice Matsdotter , Zack Thomas , Baldermann Andre
Published: June 2022

The scarcity of well-preserved and directly dateable sedimentary sequences is a major impediment to inferring the Earth’s paleo-environmental evolution. The authigenic mineral glauconite can potentially provide absolute stratigraphic ages for sedimentary sequences and constraints on paleo-depositional conditions. This requires improved approaches for measuring and interpreting glauconite formation ages. Here, glauconite from a Cretaceous shelfal sequence (Langenstein, northern Germany) was characterized using petrographical, geochemical (EMP), andmineralogical (XRD) screening methods before in situ Rb-Sr dating via LA-ICP-MS/MS. The obtained glauconite ages (~101 to 97 Ma) partly overlap with the depositional age of the Langenstein sequence (±3 Ma), but without the expected stratigraphic age progression, which we attribute to detrital and diagenetic illitic phase impurities inside the glauconites. Using a novel age deconvolution approach, which combines the new Rb-Sr dataset with published K-Ar ages, we recalculate the glauconite bulk ages to obtain stratigraphically significant ‘pure’ glauconite ages (~100 to 96 Ma). Thus, our results show that pristine ages can be preserved in mineralogically complex glauconite grains even under burial diagenetic conditions (T < 65 °C; <1500 m depth), confirming that glauconite could be a suitable archive for paleo-environmental reconstructions and direct sediment dating.
Novel Galactopyranoside Esters: Synthesis, Mechanism, In Vitro Antimicrobial Evaluation and Molecular Docking Studies
Authors: Matin Priyanka , Hanee Umme , Alam Muhammad Shaiful , Jeong Jae Eon , Matin Mohammed Mahbubul , Rahman Md. Rezaur , Mahmud Shafi , Alshahrani Mohammed Merae , Kim Bonglee
Published: June 2022

One-step direct unimolar valeroylation of methyl α-D-galactopyranoside (MDG) mainly furnished the corresponding 6-O-valeroate. However, DMAP catalyzed a similar reaction that produced 2,6-di-O-valeroate and 6-O-valeroate, with the reactivity sequence as 6-OH > 2-OH > 3-OH,4-OH. To obtain novel antimicrobial agents, 6-O- and 2,6-di-O-valeroate were converted into several 2,3,4-tri-O- and 3,4-di-O-acyl esters, respectively, with other acylating agents in good yields. The PASS activity spectra along with in vitro antimicrobial evaluation clearly indicated that these MDG esters had better antifungal activities than antibacterial agents. To rationalize higher antifungal potentiality, molecular docking was conducted with sterol 14α-demethylase (PDB ID: 4UYL, Aspergillus fumigatus), which clearly supported the in vitro antifungal results. In particular, MDG ester 7–12 showed higher binding energy than the antifungal drug, fluconazole. Additionally, these compounds were found to have more promising binding energy with the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (6LU7) than tetracycline, fluconazole, and native inhibitor N3. Detailed investigation of Ki values, absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET), and the drug-likeness profile indicated that most of these compounds satisfy the drug-likeness evaluation, bioavailability, and safety tests, and hence, these synthetic novel MDG esters could be new antifungal and antiviral drugs.
Capillary Electrophoresis Mass Spectrometry: Developments and Applications for Enantioselective Analysis from 2011–2020
Authors: Shamsi Shahab A. , Akter Ferdoushi
Published: June 2022

It is now more than 25 years since the first report of enantioselective analysis by capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (CE-MS) appeared. This article reviews the power of chiral CE-MS in resolving issues on the use of chiral selector incompatibility with MS and poor detectability encountered for chiral compounds by UV detection. The review begins with the general principles, requirements, and critical aspects of chiral CE-MS instrumentation. Next, the review provides a survey of MS-compatible chiral selectors (CSs) reported during the past decade, and the key achievements encountered in the time period using these CSs. Within the context of the strategies used to combine CE and MS, special attention is paid to the approaches that feature partial filling technique, counter-migration techniques, and direct use of CS, such as molecular micelles. In particular, the development and application of moving and fixed CS for EKC-MS, MEKC-MS, and CEC-MS demonstrate how various chiral compounds analyses were solved in a simple and elegant way during the 2010–2020 review period. The most noteworthy applications in the determination of chiral compounds are critically examined. The operating analytical conditions are detailed in the Tables, and the authors provide commentary on future trends of chiral separations by CE-MS.
Glycol-Chitosan-Based Technetium-99m-Loaded Multifunctional Nanomicelles: Synthesis, Evaluation, and In Vivo Biodistribution
Authors: Zia Nashmia , Iqbal Zafar , Raza Abida , Zia Aadarash , Shafique Rabia , Andleeb Saiqa , Walker Gilbert C.
Published: June 2022

We hereby propose the use of stable, biocompatible, and uniformly sized polymeric micelles as high-radiotracer-payload carriers at region-of-interest with negligible background activity due to no or low offsite radiolysis. We modified glycol chitosan (GC) polymer with varying levels of palmitoylation (P) and quaternization (Q). Quaternary ammonium palmitoyl glycol chitosan (GCPQ) with a Q:P ratio of 9:35 (Q9P35GC) offers >99% biocompatibility at 10 mg mL−1. Q9P35GC micelles exhibit >99% 99mTechnetium (99mTc) radiolabeling via the stannous chloride reduction method without heat. The 99mTc-Q9P35GC micelles (65 ± 3 nm) exhibit >98% 6 h serum stability at 37 °C and 7 day of radiochemical stability at 25 °C. HepG2 cells show a higher uptake of FITC-Q9P35GC than Q13P15GC and Q20P15GC. The in vivo 24 h organ cumulated activity (MBq h) order follows: liver (234.4) > kidneys (60.95) > GIT (0.73) > spleen (88.84). The liver to organ ratio remains higher than 2.4, rendering a better contrast in the liver. The radiotracer uptake decreases significantly in fibrotic vs. normal liver, whereas a blocking study with excess Q9P35GC significantly decreases the radiotracer uptake in a healthy vs. fibrotic liver. FITC-Q9P35GC shows in vivo hepato-specific uptake. Radiotracer liver uptake profile follows reversible binding kinetics with data fitting to two-tissue compartmental (2T), and graphical Ichise multilinear analysis (MA2) with lower AIC and higher R2 values, respectively. The study concludes that 99mTc-Q9P35GC can be a robust radiotracer for noninvasive hepatocyte function assessment and diagnosis of liver fibrosis. Furthermore, its multifunctional properties enable it to be a promising platform for nanotheranostic applications.
Dietary Therapy in Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)—Tradition or Modernity? A Review of the Latest Approaches to Nutrition in CVD
Authors: Szczepańska Elżbieta , Białek-Dratwa Agnieszka , Janota Barbara , Kowalski Oskar
Published: June 2022

The development of cardiovascular diseases is undoubtedly influenced by improper dietary behavior. The most common mistakes include irregularity of meal consumption, high dietary atherogenicity: snacking on sweets between meals, low supply of dietary fiber, unsaturated fatty acids, legume seeds, and high supply of meat and meat products. Among many food components, some are characterized by a specific cardioprotective effect, which means that their supply of food may prevent the occurrence of cardiovascular disease or improve the health of the sick. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is one of the ingredients showing cardioprotective effects on the heart and blood vessels. Antioxidant and lipid profile-enhancing effects are also attributed to sitosterol which is one of the plant-derived sterols. A very important argument indicating the necessity of a varied diet rich in a variety of plant products is the beneficial effect of polyphenols, which are most abundant in multicolored vegetables and fruits. Numerous studies show their effectiveness in lowering blood pressure, improving lipid profile, and regeneration of vascular endothelium. The collected publications from the field of lifestyle medicine can be a source of knowledge for dieticians, physicians, and people associated with physical culture and human mental health to prevent the development of cardiovascular diseases and reduce the risk of death from this cause.
Associations between Consumption of Dietary Fibers and the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension, Obesity, Cardiovascular Diseases, and Mortality in Chinese Adults: Longitudinal Analyses from the China Health and Nutrition Survey
Authors: Zhang Zhaoxia , Chen Bo , Zeng Jingjing , Fan Menglin , Xu Wenlei , Li Xiaying , Xing Ying , Xu Shaoyong
Published: June 2022

Although many studies have explored the relationship between total dietary fiber intake and the risk of chronic non-communicable diseases, the results are mixed. There is also a lack of research on the association between dietary fiber intake from different food sources and disease. Using data from the China Nutrition and Health Database from 2004 to 2015, Cox proportional risk models were used to explore the associations between total dietary fiber and fiber intake from different food sources and the occurrence of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality. After multi-factorial adjustment, the hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) of total dietary fiber intake (quartile 4 vs. quartile 1) in type 2 diabetes, hypertension, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality cohorts were 1.20 (0.93, 1.55), 0.91 (0.75, 1.12), 0.93 (0.64, 1.35), 1.13 (0.60, 2.12), 1.13 (0.60, 2.12), and 1.13 (0.84, 1.52). Whole-grain fiber intake was positively associated with hypertension but not with the occurrence of other diseases. No association was observed between legume fibers, fruit fibers, and vegetable fibers in the cohorts of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, obesity, cardiovascular diseases and all-cause mortality. Our study did not find any association between total dietary fiber and dietary fiber intake from different food sources and type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality in the Chinese population. The role of dietary fiber in the Chinese population may be overestimated. More extraordinary efforts are needed to further confirm the association between dietary fiber and these diseases in the Chinese population.
Reply to Manzar, S. Comment on “Brinkis et al. Nutrient Intake with Early Progressive Enteral Feeding and Growth of Very Low-Birth-Weight Newborns. Nutrients 2022, 14, 1181”
Authors: Brinkis Rasa , Albertsson-Wikland Kerstin , Tamelienė Rasa , Vinskaitė Asta , Šmigelskas Kastytis , Verkauskienė Rasa
Published: June 2022

We appreciate Dr. Shabih Manzar’s interest [...]
Ameliorating Effect of Crassocephalum rabens (Asteraceae) Extract on Skin Aging: A Randomized, Parallel, Double-Blind, and Placebo-Controlled Study
Authors: Kuan Chen-Meng , Liang Chia-Hua , Chuang Wei-Hsiu , Lin Ting-Yu , Hsu Pang-Kuei
Published: June 2022

Crassocephalum rabens (Asteraceae) is a common herb used in Taiwanese folk medicine to treat inflammation-related syndromes. Pharmacological studies have revealed that galactolipids exhibit anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-hyaluronidase activities and improve skin wrinkles, moisture, and elasticity in healthy subjects. However, the anti-aging effects of C. rabens and its primary active compound, 1,2-di-O-linolenoyl-3-O-β-galactopyranosyl-sn-glycerol (dLGG), remain elusive. Here, we investigated whether C. rabens can improve skin conditions in healthy individuals using a double-blind approach. Forty enrolled volunteers were randomly and equally assigned to the control or treatment group and were required to take either a placebo or a C. rabens extract capsule daily for one month. Skin parameters were measured before and after the study. The results showed significant differences in skin elasticity, wrinkles, collagen content, brightness, and hydration between the baseline and week 4 in the treatment group. Particularly, compared with those in the placebo group, skin wrinkles (p < 0.05), brightness (p < 0.001), collagen content (p < 0.01), and UV spots (p < 0.05) were notably improved after treatment with the C. rabens extract. Our study successfully demonstrated the application of C. rabens in preventing skin aging. Further investigations will be conducted to study the underlying anti-aging mechanism of dLGG.
Inhibition of NLRP3 by Fermented Quercetin Decreases Resistin-Induced Chemoresistance to 5-Fluorouracil in Human Colorectal Cancer Cells
Authors: Lee Ko-Chao , Wu Kuen-Lin , Yen Chia-Kung , Chang Shun-Fu , Chen Cheng-Nan , Lu Ying-Chen
Published: June 2022

The drug resistance of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells against 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) therapy is a major challenge to successful cancer treatment. While previous studies have proposed several 5-FU resistance mechanisms, the effects of the adipokines on cancer cells remain unclear. Thus, this study investigated the effect of resistin on 5-FU-treated CRC cell lines. The upregulation of NLRP3 can regulate the inflammatory responses in cancer cells and then enhance cancer progression. This study investigated the expression level and the function of NLRP3 on 5-FU-induced cytotoxicity in CRC cells and found that resistin-induced ERK activation and increased NLRP3 expression in CRC HCT-116 and DLD-1 cells were mediated by Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). The inhibition of TLR4 and ERK by pharmacological inhibitors attenuated the resistin-induced NLRP3 mRNA and protein levels. In contrast, the knockdown of NLRP3 enhanced the cytotoxic effects of 5-FU. Furthermore, quercetin is an effective chemopreventive compound. This study showed that quercetin fermented by Lactobacillus could exhibit low cytotoxicity on normal mucosa cells and improve the function of inhibiting CRC cells. The treatment of CRC cells with fermented quercetin increased the cytotoxicity and enhanced cell death in the presence of resistin. In this study, fermented quercetin induced the cytotoxicity and cell death of 5-FU in resistin-treated CRC cells, which is associated with the downregulation of NLRP3 expression and ERK phosphorylation. These results indicate the role of NLRP3 in the development of drug resistance to 5-FU in CRC cells. Elucidating the mechanism regarding the cytotoxicity effect of quercetin may provide another vision for the development of a chemotherapy strategy for CRC in the future.
Impact of PCSK9 Inhibition on Proinflammatory Cytokines and Matrix Metalloproteinases Release in Patients with Mixed Hyperlipidemia and Vulnerable Atherosclerotic Plaque
Authors: Basiak Marcin , Kosowski Michal , Hachula Marcin , Okopien Boguslaw
Published: June 2022

Atherosclerosis is a disorder in which, in addition to high cholesterol levels, several plasma factors play a significant role in its development. Among these cytokines and molecules are interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 18 (IL-18), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2), and metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9), all of which may contribute to the stabilization of atherosclerotic plaque. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of advanced lipid-lowering therapy on the levels of these determinants by utilizing proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK-9) inhibitors in patients with verified high-risk atherosclerotic plaque. Methods: The study involved patients with dyslipidemia who had the presence of unstable atherosclerotic plaque verified by ultrasonography and who were eligible to begin alirocumab treatment. The levels of IL-6, IL, 18, TNF-α, and MMPs were determined in this group before and after three months of therapy. After treatment, a statistically significant decrease in concentrations of Il-18, Il-6, TNF-α (p < 0.001) and MMP-2 (p < 0.05) was observed. Additionally, we observed that the concentrations of these markers were significantly higher in the group of patients prior to initiating therapy than in the control group. Our study’s results suggest that PCSK-9 inhibitor therapy significantly reduces the concentration of factors influencing the stability of atherosclerotic plaque, which may explain their essential importance in reducing cardiovascular risk in patients receiving this treatment.
Common Structural Pattern for Flecainide Binding in Atrial-Selective Kv1.5 and Nav1.5 Channels: A Computational Approach
Authors: Mazola Yuliet , Márquez Montesinos José C. E. , Ramírez David , Zúñiga Leandro , Decher Niels , Ravens Ursula , Yarov-Yarovoy Vladimir , González Wendy
Published: June 2022

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia. Its treatment includes antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs) to modulate the function of cardiac ion channels. However, AADs have been limited by proarrhythmic effects, non-cardiovascular toxicities as well as often modest antiarrhythmic efficacy. Theoretical models showed that a combined blockade of Nav1.5 (and its current, INa) and Kv1.5 (and its current, IKur) ion channels yield a synergistic anti-arrhythmic effect without alterations in ventricles. We focused on Kv1.5 and Nav1.5 to search for structural similarities in their binding site (BS) for flecainide (a common blocker and widely prescribed AAD) as a first step for prospective rational multi-target directed ligand (MTDL) design strategies. We present a computational workflow for a flecainide BS comparison in a flecainide-Kv1.5 docking model and a solved structure of the flecainide-Nav1.5 complex. The workflow includes docking, molecular dynamics, BS characterization and pattern matching. We identified a common structural pattern in flecainide BS for these channels. The latter belongs to the central cavity and consists of a hydrophobic patch and a polar region, involving residues from the S6 helix and P-loop. Since the rational MTDL design for AF is still incipient, our findings could advance multi-target atrial-selective strategies for AF treatment.
Ciprofloxacin-Loaded Titanium Nanotubes Coated with Chitosan: A Promising Formulation with Sustained Release and Enhanced Antibacterial Properties
Authors: Asadi Soada , Mortezagholi Bardia , Hadizadeh Alireza , Borisov Vitaliy , Ansari Mohammad Javed , Shaker Majdi Hasan , Nishonova Azizakhon , Adelnia Hossein , Farasati Far Bahareh , Chaiyasut Chaiyavat
Published: June 2022

Due to their high entrapment efficiency, anodized titanium nanotubes (TiO2-NTs) are considered effective reservoirs for loading/releasing strong antibiotics whose systemic administration is associated with diverse and severe side-effects. In this study, TiO2-NTs were synthesized by anodic oxidation of titanium foils, and the effects of electrolyte percentage and viscosity on their dimensions were evaluated. It was found that as the water content increased from 15 to 30%, the wall thickness, length, and inner diameter of the NTs increase from 5.9 to 15.8 nm, 1.56 to 3.21 µm, and 59 to 84 nm, respectively. Ciprofloxacin, a highly potent antibiotic, was loaded into TiO2-NTs with a high encapsulation efficiency of 93%, followed by coating with different chitosan layers to achieve a sustained release profile. The prepared formulations were characterized by various techniques, such as scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and contact measurement. In vitro release studies showed that the higher the chitosan layer count, the more sustained the release. Evaluation of antimicrobial activity of the formulation against two endodontic species from Peptostreptococcus and Fusobacterium revealed minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 1 µg/mL for the former and the latter. To summarize, this study demonstrated that TiO2-NTs are promising reservoirs for drug loading, and that the chitosan coating provides not only a sustained release profile, but also a synergistic antibacterial effect.
Advanced Research on Polymer Floating Carrier Application in Activated Sludge Reactors
Authors: Makisha Nikolay
Published: June 2022

This research estimates the efficiency of domestic wastewater treatment in the removal of organic pollutants and nitrogen compounds with a two-stage treatment sequence (an activated sludge reactor in the first stage, and a trickling filter in the second stage), and with the application of floating carriers in the activated sludge reactor. The materials “Polyvom”, “Polystyrene” and “Bioballs” were adopted as floating carriers with previously determined filling ratios in the reactor volume of 10%, 20% and 20%, respectively. After the first stage of the study, it was found that the most effective treatment was achieved using the “Polyvom” material. Therefore, only this floating carrier was considered in the second and third stages of the study. Within the stages of the research, lab-scale benches operated under different operation modes of the treatment sequence. At the end of the study, it was possible to achieve the following levels of purification: BOD5 (2.1 mg/L), NH4 (0.4 mg/L), NO2 (1.0 mg/L), and NO3 (25 mg/L). The mean values of the concentrations of BOD, NH4, and NO3 met the requirements, but the concentration of NO2 exceeded the requirements (1.0 mg/L vs. 0.08 mg/L). These results were achieved under a hydraulic retention time in the activated sludge reactor of 8 h, and the MLSS for the free-floating and immobilized activated sludge was 0.2 and 0.9 g/L, respectively.
Preparation and Application of a Novel Slow-Releasing with Core-Shell Deicer in Asphalt Mixtures
Authors: Feng Yunxia , Luo Yuhong , Gao Junfeng , Guo Peng , Jiang Yuntao , Liu Fumao
Published: June 2022

The massive application of chloride salts has a direct effect on the corrosion of structures and vehicles and decreases durability as well as road pavement damage. A novel slow-release deicer with a core-shell structure was prepared to reduce the salts’ impacts, subsequently characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TG). The conductivity evaluation, moisture absorption, and the snow or ice melting performance of the deicer were also tested. The core-shell deicer with different replacement rates was used to prepare the deicing asphalt mixture based on the equivalent volume replacement method. In this study, the high- and low-temperature performance, moisture damage resistance, and snow or ice melting capacity of mixtures were evaluated in the laboratory. The results show that the low-temperature and moisture stability performances decreased, and high-temperature performance improved, as the content of the core-shell deicer was increased. It is confirmed that the replacement rate of the deicer filler should be lower than 75% to meet the specification requirements. The prepared deicing asphalt mixture has good snow and ice melting performance and can reduce the bonding strength between ice and pavement surface. Durability and cost–benefit analysis are expected in further investigations.
Latent Low-Rank Projection Learning with Graph Regularization for Feature Extraction of Hyperspectral Images
Authors: Pan Lei , Li Hengchao , Dai Xiang , Cui Ying , Huang Xifeng , Dai Lican
Published: June 2022

Due to the great benefit of rich spectral information, hyperspectral images (HSIs) have been successfully applied in many fields. However, some problems of concern also limit their further applications, such as high dimension and expensive labeling. To address these issues, an unsupervised latent low-rank projection learning with graph regularization (LatLRPL) method is presented for feature extraction and classification of HSIs in this paper, in which discriminative features can be extracted from the view of latent space by decomposing the latent low-rank matrix into two different matrices, also benefiting from the preservation of intrinsic subspace structures by the graph regularization. Different from the graph embedding-based methods that need two phases to obtain the low-dimensional projections, one step is enough for LatLRPL by constructing the integrated projection learning model, reducing the complexity and simultaneously improving the robustness. To improve the performance, a simple but effective strategy is exploited by conducting the local weighted average on the pixels in a sliding window for HSIs. Experiments on the Indian Pines and Pavia University datasets demonstrate the superiority of the proposed LatLRPL method.
The Assessment of More Suitable Image Spatial Resolutions for Offshore Aquaculture Areas Automatic Monitoring Based on Coupled NDWI and Mask R-CNN
Authors: Wang Yonggui , Zhang Yaxin , Chen Yan , Wang Junjie , Bai Hui , Wu Bo , Li Wei , Li Shouwei , Zheng Tianyu
Published: June 2022

Wide-scale automatic monitoring based on the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) and Mask Region-based Convolutional Neural Network (Mask R-CNN) with remote sensing images is of great significance for the management of aquaculture areas. However, different spatial resolutions brought different cost and model performance. To find more suitable image spatial resolutions for automatic monitoring offshore aquaculture areas, seven different resolution remote sensing images in the Sandu’ao area of China, from 2 m, 4 m, to 50 m, were compared. Results showed that the remote sensing images with a resolution of 15 m and above can achieve the corresponding recognition effect when no financial issues were considered, with the F1 score of over 0.75. By establishing a cost-effectiveness evaluation formula that comprehensively considers image price and recognition effect, the best image resolution in different scenes can be found, thus providing the most appropriate data scheme for the automatic monitoring of offshore aquaculture areas.
Self-Supervised Denoising for Real Satellite Hyperspectral Imagery
Authors: Qin Jinchun , Zhao Hongrui , Liu Bing
Published: June 2022

Satellite hyperspectral remote sensing has gradually become an important means of Earth observation, but the existence of various types of noise seriously limits the application value of satellite hyperspectral images. With the continuous development of deep learning technology, breakthroughs have been made in improving hyperspectral image denoising algorithms based on supervised learning; however, these methods usually require a large number of clean/noisy training pairs, a target that is difficult to meet for real satellite hyperspectral imagery. In this paper, we propose a self-supervised learning-based algorithm, 3S-HSID, for denoising real satellite hyperspectral images without requiring external data support. The 3S-HSID framework can perform robust denoising of a single satellite hyperspectral image in all bands simultaneously. It first conducts a Bernoulli sampling of the input data, then uses the Bernoulli sampling results to construct the training pairs. Furthermore, the global spectral consistency and minimum local variance are used in the loss function to train the network. We use the training model to predict different Bernoulli sampling results, and the average of multiple predicted values is used as the denoising result. To prevent overfitting, we adopt a dropout strategy during training and testing. The results of denoising experiments on the simulated hyperspectral data show that the denoising performance of 3S-HSID is better than most state-of-the-art algorithms, especially in terms of maintaining the spectral characteristics of hyperspectral images. The denoising results for different types of real satellite hyperspectral data also demonstrate the reliability of the proposed method. The 3S-HSID framework provides a new technical means for real satellite hyperspectral image preprocessing.
A Spherical “Earth–Ionosphere” Model for Deep Resource Exploration Using Artificial ELF-EM Field
Authors: Zheng Fanghua , Di Qingyun , Fu Changmin
Published: June 2022

Fully coupled lithosphere, atmosphere, and ionosphere theory has demonstrated that extremely low-frequency electromagnetic (ELF-EM) fields present a broad application prospect in deep resource exploration, but previous studies have ignored the contribution of the Earth’s curvature. This study extends the theory of ELF-EM over a stratified Earth to the case where the Earth’s curvature must be taken into account, and presents an analytical solution of the ELF-EM field excited by a grounded horizontal antenna in a spherical Earth–ionosphere model, whose theoretical approach and solution method are notably different from the flat Earth–ionosphere model. Additionally, the Earth is treated as a concentric-layered sphere rather than an ideal homogeneous sphere. We aim to investigate the effects of the Earth’s curvature on the surface field, so as to broaden the coverage of the ELF wave in resource exploration. The solution is mathematically accurate and physically reasonable, since it reflects the sphericity and radially stratified structure of the Earth. We first verify the correctness and reliability of the proposed method by comparing the results with FDTD in a full-space spherical model. Additionally, we then compared the spherical results with the conventional controlled-source electromagnetic method and flat Earth–ionosphere results. The results show that when the distance between the transmitter and the receiver is comparable to the Earth radius, the spherical model better reflects the resonance of the wave in the cavity, suggesting that the effect of the Earth’s curvature is not negligible. Then, the numerical simulations conducted to investigate the properties of the EM fields and their sensitivities to the conductivity at depth in the Earth are discussed. Finally, the EM responses of some simple electrical conductivity structures models are modeled to illustrate their prospects in future resource exploration.
Evaluating the Accuracy and Spatial Agreement of Five Global Land Cover Datasets in the Ecologically Vulnerable South China Karst
Authors: Liu Pengyu , Pei Jie , Guo Han , Tian Haifeng , Fang Huajun , Wang Li
Published: June 2022

Accurate and reliable land cover information is vital for ecosystem management and regional sustainable development, especially for ecologically vulnerable areas. The South China Karst, one of the largest and most concentrated karst distribution areas globally, has been undergoing large-scale afforestation projects to combat accelerating land degradation since the turn of the new millennium. Here, we assess five recent and widely used global land cover datasets (i.e., CCI-LC, MCD12Q1, GlobeLand30, GlobCover, and CGLS-LC) for their comparative performances in land dynamics monitoring in the South China Karst during 2000–2020 based on the reference China Land Use/Cover Database. The assessment proceeded from three aspects: areal comparison, spatial agreement, and accuracy metrics. Moreover, divergent responses of overall accuracy with regard to varying terrain and geomorphic conditions have also been quantified. The results reveal that obvious discrepancies exist amongst land cover maps in both area and spatial patterns. The spatial agreement remains low in the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau and heterogeneous mountainous karst areas. Furthermore, the overall accuracy of the five datasets ranges from 40.3% to 52.0%. The CGLS-LC dataset, with the highest accuracy, is the most accurate dataset for mountainous southern China, followed by GlobeLand30 (51.4%), CCI-LC (50.0%), MCD12Q1 (41.4%), and GlobCover (40.3%). Despite the low overall accuracy, MCD12Q1 has the best accuracy in areas with an elevation above 1200 m or a slope greater than 25°. With regard to geomorphic types, accuracy in non-karst areas is evidently higher than in karst areas. Additionally, dataset accuracy declines significantly (p < 0.05) with an increase in landscape heterogeneity in the region. These findings provide useful guidelines for future land cover mapping and dataset fusion.
Spatial Models and Neural Network for Identifying Sustainable Transportation Projects with Study Case in Querétaro, an Intermediate Mexican City
Authors: Barreda-Luna Antonio A. , Rodríguez-Reséndiz Juvenal , Rodríguez-Abreo Omar , Álvarez-Alvarado José Manuel
Published: June 2022

The construction of urban and transport indicators aims for a better diagnosis that enables technical and precise decision-making for the public administration or private investment. Therefore, it is common to make comparisons and observe which has better diagnosis results in a diversity of indexes and models. The present study made a comparative analysis of spatial models using artificial intelligence to estimate transport demand. To achieve this goal, the audit field was recollected in specific urban corridors to measure the indicators. A study case in Querétaro, an emergent city in the Mexican region known as El Bajío, is conducted. Two similar urban avenues in width and length and close to each other were selected to apply a group of spatial models, evaluating the avenues by segments and predicting the public transport demand. The resulting database was analyzed using Artificial Neural Networks. It displays specific indicators that have around 80% of correlations. The results facilitate the localization of the avenue segments with the most volume of activity, supporting interventions in urban renewal and sustainable transportation projects.
Relationship between Environmental Pollution, Environmental Regulation and Resident Health in the Urban Agglomeration in the Middle Reaches of Yangtze River, China: Spatial Effect and Regulating Effect
Authors: Deng Qizhong , Qin Yansi , Ahmad Najid
Published: June 2022

The Healthy China 2030 Initiative is closely related to the coordinated development between national health, economy, and society. This major move demonstrates China’s active engagement in global health governance and in the fulfillment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs). Based on Grossman’s health production function, this paper introduces key factors such as environmental pollution and environmental regulation to empirically investigate the regulating effect of environmental regulation, as well as the spatial spillover of environmental pollution and environmental regulation acting on resident health. We examine these effects by using the panel data of 28 cities of the urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River (UAMYRY) between 2009 and 2019. The results show that: (1) Environmental pollution brings a loss to resident health. Among the urban agglomerations, the circum-Changsha–Zhuzhou–Xiangtan urban agglomeration (CCZXUA) and the Poyang Lake urban agglomeration (PLUA) have a much lower health effect of environmental pollution than the Wuhan urban agglomeration (WUA). (2) With the growing intensity of environmental regulation, the negative effect of environmental pollution on resident health will gradually decrease. Regionally, the environmental regulation in the CCZXUA has the best effect on residents’ health, followed by the WUA and the PLUA, which have the worst. (3) As a whole, the spatial spillover of environmental regulation and pollution has a significant impact on residents’ health, and the spatial spillover effect between urban agglomerations is stronger than that between cities in each urban agglomeration. The conclusions remain robust with various tests such as replacing control variables, introducing lagged explanatory variables, and considering endogeneity. Based on robust empirical evidence, several specific region policy suggestions, including rolling out proper environmental regulation policies, and establishing a linking mechanism of environmental management, were put forward to improve the environmental pollution state and resident health level of the UAMYRY.
An Evaluation of the PV Integrated Dynamic Overhangs Based on Parametric Performance Design Method: A Case Study of a Student Apartment in China
Authors: Long Weifan , Chen Xiaofei , Ma Qingsong , Wei Xindong , Xi Qiao
Published: June 2022

A photovoltaic shading device (PVSD) is a promising technology that can both generate electricity and provide shading to reduce indoor energy consumption. This paper aims to evaluate the performance of three PVSD design strategies in five Chinese cities by using a proposed all-in-one simulation program, according to the parametric performance design method. The program can be used to predict the energy consumption, power generation, and economic feasibility of different PVSD strategies. It was, firstly, calibrated through an actual experiment which was carried out in Qingdao and, secondly, used to simulate the energy consumption and generation of the three PVSD strategies in relation to the optimal angles and heights. Finally, the program was used to calculate the energy efficiency and economic feasibility of the three strategies. The findings indicated that the move-shade strategy of PVSD can provide the best energy-saving performance, followed by rotate-shade and fixed-shade strategies. Compared to the no-shade strategy, the reduction of the net energy use intensity by using the move-shade strategy was 31.80% in Shenzhen, 107.36% in Kunming, 48.37% in Wuhan, 61.79% in Qingdao, and 43.83% in Changchun. The payback periods of the three strategies ranged from 5 to 16 years when using the PVSD in China.
Does Sustainable Development Goals Disclosure Affect Corporate Financial Performance?
Authors: Al Lawati Hidaya , Hussainey Khaled
Published: June 2022

This study provides empirical examination of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) reporting in Oman. It also examines the impact of SDGs reporting on corporate financial performance. The study adopts content analysis of the narrative sections of the annual reports to measure levels of SDGs reporting. The study examines all financial companies listed on the Muscat Stock Exchange over the period of 2016–2020. Regression models are used to examine the impact of SDGs on corporate financial performance. Our analysis adds to the literature in two crucial respects. First, we provide evidence that financial institutions in Oman have performed poorly in SDGs reporting. Second, we provide evidence that SDGs reporting positively affects corporate financial performance. Our findings offer solid practical implications to regulators, different stakeholders, policymakers, board members, and managers. The study makes an important and novel contribution to corporate disclosure literature. So far as we know, it is the only paper to examine levels of SDGs reporting in financial institutions in a developing country. Moreover, to the best of our knowledge, it is the first paper to show that SDGs reporting is positively associated with corporate financial performance.
Outdoor Terraces in Barcelona and Milan: Configuration of New Spaces for Social Interaction
Authors: O’Connell Emma Maev , Gomez-Escoda Eulàlia , Clua Uceda Álvaro
Published: June 2022

This work approaches the phenomenon of the outdoor terraces of bars and restaurants, analysing the role of these privately owned collective elements whose layout has shaped the urban landscape at the pavement level for more than a century, and whose presence has become essential in the streets of many cities after a pandemic. The research highlights the interest of terraces as dynamic elements of urbanity: private domains in the public space where people eat collectively; they are apparently simple units that synthesise complex conflicts between individual behaviours and property boundary conditions. The investigation shows the increasing expansion that outdoor terraces have experienced since 2020, using the cities of Barcelona and Milan as case studies. A series of GIS maps show the image of both cities before and after the pandemic, allowing us to evaluate the amount of public space allocated to terraces, measure their increase in number and surface, establish the proportions of occupation of the street and find the patterns of concentration in the public space. Finally, the article offers some policy and planning recommendations based on the research findings.
Clarifying the Concept of Corporate Sustainability and Providing Convergence for Its Definition
Authors: Pazienza Mariapia , de Jong Martin , Schoenmaker Dirk
Published: June 2022

Organizations are under mounting pressure to adapt to and to adopt corporate sustainability (CS) practices. Notwithstanding the increasing research attention given to the subject and the meaningful theoretical contributions, it is claimed that a definition, and a commonly accepted understanding of the concept of corporate sustainability, is still missing. Alignment on the meaning of CS is of critical importance for enabling coherent and effective practices. The lack of a sound theoretical foundation and of conceptual clarity of corporate sustainability has been identified as an important cause of unsatisfactory and fruitless actions by organizations. To address the questions “What is Corporate Sustainability?” and “Is it true there is a lack of convergence and clarity of the concept?”, we perform an ontological analysis of the different and interrelated concepts, and a necessary condition analysis on the key constitutive features of corporate sustainability within the academic literature. We demonstrate that the concept of corporate sustainability is clearer than most authors claim and can be well defined around its environmental, social and economic constitutive pillars with the purpose to provide equal opportunities to future generations.
Is Sport Coaching a Social Sustainable Profession for Women? Analysing the Experiences of Women Coaches in Spain
Authors: Solanas Judith , Hinojosa-Alcalde Ingrid , Vilanova Anna , Soler Susanna
Published: June 2022

While there are several studies showing the importance of social sustainability in different settings (e.g., Democracy and Governance: the Role of Sport Governing Bodies, urban planning, architecture) there is a lack of studies investigating social sustainability in the sports coaching profession, and even less research has specifically addressed women coaches. Using Barron and Gauntlett’s model of social sustainability (2002), the purpose of this study was to analyze the women coaches’ experiences of their profession and the extent to which it is a sustainable livelihood for women coaches. Semi-structured interviews with 20 women coaches were conducted from a variety of sports and performance levels. From a social sustainability perspective, the women coaches’ experiences were analyzed using Barron and Gauntlett’s principles of equity, diversity, interconnectedness, and democracy and governance to ascertain their quality of life. Our findings reveal that women coaches face multiple barriers and difficult working conditions in their profession, yet they continue to be committed to coaching largely because of the strong positive interpersonal relationships and social interactions they have with their sporting community. This study shines a light on the extent to which coaching is a livable and sustainable profession for women coaches today and highlights the importance of considering social sustainability principles to improve the experiences of women in the sports coaching profession.
Analysis of the Fractional-Order Local Poisson Equation in Fractal Porous Media
Authors: Alqhtani Manal , Saad Khaled M. , Shah Rasool , Weera Wajaree , Hamanah Waleed M.
Published: June 2022

This paper investigates the fractional local Poisson equation using the homotopy perturbation transformation method. The Poisson equation discusses the potential area due to a provided charge with the possibility of area identified, and one can then determine the electrostatic or gravitational area in the fractal domain. Elliptic partial differential equations are frequently used in the modeling of electromagnetic mechanisms. The Poisson equation is investigated in this work in the context of a fractional local derivative. To deal with the fractional local Poisson equation, some illustrative problems are discussed. The solution shows the well-organized and straightforward nature of the homotopy perturbation transformation method to handle partial differential equations having fractional derivatives in the presence of a fractional local derivative. The solutions obtained by the defined methods reveal that the proposed system is simple to apply, and the computational cost is very reliable. The result of the fractional local Poisson equation yields attractive outcomes, and the Poisson equation with a fractional local derivative yields improved physical consequences.