bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Understanding Public Support for European Protected Areas: A Review of the Literature and Proposing a New Approach for Policy Makers
Authors: Jones Nikoleta , McGinlay James , Kontoleon Andreas , Maguire-Rajpaul Victoria A. , Dimitrakopoulos Panayiotis G. , Gkoumas Vassilis , Riseth Jan Åge , Sepp Kalev , Vanclay Frank
Published: May 2022

Protected Areas are the most widely applied policy tool for biodiversity conservation. In Europe, protected areas are expected to significantly increase as the new EU Biodiversity strategy sets an ambitious target of 30% of land and 30% of water to be protected by 2030. Despite the popularity of this environmental policy, understanding variations in the level of public support for protected areas remains underexplored. This is an important area of research, considering that, in order for protected areas to be effective, they need to be supported by most users, including local communities and visitors. In this paper, we reviewed theoretical and empirical evidence explaining the level of support for protected areas and proposed a new approach when designing and designating protected areas in Europe. This approach models the process of the introduction of a new protected area as a policy intervention within a socio-ecological system. Specifically, it models how protected area social outcomes or impacts are conditioned and contextualised by numerous intervening factors relating to the social context and governance and management system to influence local actors’ attitude and active support for the protected area. This new approach aims to assist policy makers, conservation practitioners and scientists to plan actions that assist in increasing the level of public support for protected areas in the context of the post 2020 Biodiversity Strategy of the European Union.
Soybean Production and Spatial Agglomeration in China from 1949 to 2019
Authors: Chen Wenguang , Zhang Bangbang , Kong Xiangbin , Wen Liangyou , Liao Yubo , Kong Lingxin
Published: May 2022

By mastering the spatial-temporal evolution of patterns of soybean production, a reference for optimizing a soybean production layout could be provided, ensuring food security. The variation coefficient method, and the comparative advantage and spatial autocorrelation models were used to analyze the spatial divergence regularities of soybean production, sown area and yield, spatial-temporal changes in the comparative advantages of soybean planting efficiency and soybean planting scale, and the spatial agglomeration characteristics in China from 1949 to 2019. The results indicate that (1) from 1949 to 2019, soybean production and yield changes in China remained constant with a fluctuating upwards trend, and soybean sown areas hardly changed, yet experienced a sharp fluctuation. (2) The Northeast China Plain (NECP) was the main soybean-producing area, and its main position was strengthened. In contrast, the main soybean production position of the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain (HHHP) has declined. The Northern arid and semiarid region (NASR), the Sichuan Basin and surrounding areas (SBSR), the Middle-Lower Yangtze Plain (MLYP), and the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau (YGP) became new soybean production growth poles. (3) The spatial distribution of soybean planting efficiency-related comparative advantages in China extended from northern China to the whole country, and the soybean planting scale-related comparative advantages proceeded through three stages: steady expansion, relative stability, contraction, and stabilization. (4) The spatial agglomeration of soybean planting efficiency-related comparative advantages has weakened, and the spatial agglomeration of the soybean planting scale-related comparative advantages exhibited a strengthening-weakening-strengthening-weakening process. Through our research analysis, we propose a policy resource to fully utilize the soybean planting efficiency-related comparative advantages in southern China (SC), promote grain-soybean rotation patterns in the HHHP and NECP, improve the soybean cultivation subsidy system, and build a soybean industry chain in the NECP.
An Analysis Method of Quantitative Coupling Rationality between Urban–Rural Construction Land and Population: A Case Study of Henan Province in China
Authors: Li Jiwei , Ye Qingqing , Chen Weiqiang , Kong Xuesong , Bi Qingsheng , Lu Jie , Cai Enxiang , Wei Hejie , Feng Xinwei , Guo Yulong
Published: May 2022

Scientifically measuring the quantitative coupling relationship between urban–rural construction land (URCL) and population and formulating URCL utilization countermeasures are needed for protecting cultivated land resources, intensive utilization of land resources, and sustainable socioeconomic development. This study proposed an improved transition process theory of URCL and population and a coupling model of polar coordinates. Then, the coupling model was applied to Henan Province in China to analyze the coupling relationship between URCL and population, showing that the coupling relationship between URCL and urban–rural population (URP) in the province was unreasonable. However, the coupling rationality between rural construction land (RCL) and rural population (RP) had a significant improvement tendency. Furthermore, the coupling relationship between URCL and the population of prefecture-level cities in Henan province was analyzed, and the coupling model of polar coordinates proposed in this study achieved satisfactory results. Thus, compared with the commonly used Tapio’s decoupling model of elasticity, the coupling model further extends the concept of coupling analysis to the coupling type, coupling strength, and coupling rationality. The extension makes the measurement of the quantitative coupling relationship between URCL and population more scientific, comprehensive, and accurate.
Data Mining Identifies CCN2 and THBS1 as Biomarker Candidates for Cardiac Hypertrophy
Authors: Johansson Markus , Tangruksa Benyapa , Heydarkhan-Hagvall Sepideh , Jeppsson Anders , Sartipy Peter , Synnergren Jane
Published: May 2022

Cardiac hypertrophy is a condition that may contribute to the development of heart failure. In this study, we compare the gene-expression patterns of our in vitro stem-cell-based cardiac hypertrophy model with the gene expression of biopsies collected from hypertrophic human hearts. Twenty-five differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from both groups were identified and the expression of selected corresponding secreted proteins were validated using ELISA and Western blot. Several biomarkers, including CCN2, THBS1, NPPA, and NPPB, were identified, which showed significant overexpressions in the hypertrophic samples in both the cardiac biopsies and in the endothelin-1-treated cells, both at gene and protein levels. The protein-interaction network analysis revealed CCN2 as a central node among the 25 overlapping DEGs, suggesting that this gene might play an important role in the development of cardiac hypertrophy. GO-enrichment analysis of the 25 DEGs revealed many biological processes associated with cardiac function and the development of cardiac hypertrophy. In conclusion, we identified important similarities between ET-1-stimulated human-stem-cell-derived cardiomyocytes and human hypertrophic cardiac tissue. Novel putative cardiac hypertrophy biomarkers were identified and validated on the protein level, lending support for further investigations to assess their potential for future clinical applications.
Mass and Energy Balance of a Three-Body Tribosystem
Authors: Delbé Karl
Published: May 2022

In the context of sustainable development and under the impulse of continuous technological progress, tribology contributes to the improvement of the life span of parts in dynamic contact and to the efficiency of mechanical systems. However, even if successes are obtained in lubrication, the tribology community struggles to build generalised laws of friction and wear in the case of dry friction. Based on the thermodynamics of open systems, we suggest an adaptation of the conservation of mass and energy equations to the tribosystem. The latter is modelled using the concepts of tribological triplet, tribological circuit and accommodation mechanisms. The tribosystem is described with four control volumes: two of them represent the first two bodies in dynamic contact; a third one is the tribofilm produced by the debris emission from the first bodies; a fourth control volume is used as an interface between the third body and the external environment. A mass balance is applied to these four control volumes by considering their interactions. An energy balance is then derived by applying the first principle of thermodynamics. Two systems of interdependent equations that describe the circulation of matter and energy flows in the tribosystem are outlined. These equations can be considered as a basis for future experimental developments that would aim at simultaneously characterising the different modes of energy dissipation in dynamic contact, qualitatively and especially quantitatively.
Stress Characteristics Analysis of Vertical Bi-Directional Flow Channel Axial Pump Blades Based on Fluid–Structure Coupling
Authors: Liu Xinyi , Xu Fengyang , Cheng Li , Pan Weifeng , Jiao Weixuan
Published: May 2022

The RANS equation and the RNG k-ε turbulence model were used in the three-dimensional non-constant numerical simulations of the full flow path of a vertical axial-flow pump which was carried out by applying CFX software. The velocity characteristics of the flow field and the pressure distribution of the impeller under different operating conditions were analyzed and verified by external characteristic tests. The fluid–structure interaction research was conducted for the stress distribution and deformation features of different surfaces of the blade under different working conditions. The result shows that where stress is most concentrated is at the point of the root of the blade near the hub. The low-pressure zone on the suction surface is mainly distributed near the rim, and the low-pressure area on the pressure side is mainly distributed near the hub.
The Case of Aspect in Sentiment Analysis: Seeking Attention or Co-Dependency?
Authors: Žunić Anastazia , Corcoran Padraig , Spasić Irena
Published: May 2022

(1) Background: Aspect-based sentiment analysis (SA) is a natural language processing task, the aim of which is to classify the sentiment associated with a specific aspect of a written text. The performance of SA methods applied to texts related to health and well-being lags behind that of other domains. (2) Methods: In this study, we present an approach to aspect-based SA of drug reviews. Specifically, we analysed signs and symptoms, which were extracted automatically using the Unified Medical Language System. This information was then passed onto the BERT language model, which was extended by two layers to fine-tune the model for aspect-based SA. The interpretability of the model was analysed using an axiomatic attribution method. We performed a correlation analysis between the attribution scores and syntactic dependencies. (3) Results: Our fine-tuned model achieved accuracy of approximately 95% on a well-balanced test set. It outperformed our previous approach, which used syntactic information to guide the operation of a neural network and achieved an accuracy of approximately 82%. (4) Conclusions: We demonstrated that a BERT-based model of SA overcomes the negative bias associated with health-related aspects and closes the performance gap against the state-of-the-art in other domains.
Multimode Representation of the Magnetic Field for the Analysis of the Nonlinear Behavior of Solar Activity as a Driver of Space Weather
Authors: Popova Elena , Popov Anatoli I. , Sagdeev Roald
Published: May 2022

Estimating and predicting space weather is important to the space industry and space missions. The driver of space weather, especially near the Earth, is solar activity, the study of which is an important task. In particular, there is a direction of problems based on models of solar magnetic field generation that require research. In our work, we build a nonlinear dynamic system of equations that describes the behavior of the solar magnetic field harmonics based on the alpha-omega dynamo model. We found that, at the beginning of the magnetic field generation process, when the dynamo number significantly exceeds the threshold, the most rapidly growing waves are in the lead. Then, over time, these waves stop growing quite quickly. In this case, the initially slowly increasing harmonics of the magnetic field become the leaders, which then make the main contribution to the process of magnetic field generation.
Computationally Effective Modeling of Self-Demagnetization and Magnetic Field for Bodies of Arbitrary Shape Using Polyhedron Discretization
Authors: Byzov Denis , Martyshko Petr , Chernoskutov Alexander
Published: May 2022

A performance-effective numerical method for magnetic field calculations is proposed. The method can accept either regular or irregular polyhedron discretization that enables us to construct magnetic object models of an arbitrary shape. A concise, closed-form expression for the magnetic field of a polyhedron is presented, which allows for the high accuracy of the method. As a case study, models of a solid sphere, an ellipsoid, a cuboid, and a well are considered. The models are approximated with a dense irregular grid, elements of which are polyhedrons. The approximation leads to the system of linear algebraic equations that we solve with a gradient method, which allows for finding the self-demagnetization of the body and then calculating the total magnetic field. For the presented example of a well in the medium of relatively strong magnetic susceptibility (0.2), the contribution of the self-demagnetization to the secondary magnetic field reaches an RMS of 24%.
Unsteady Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) Flow of Hybrid Ferrofluid Due to a Rotating Disk
Authors: Waini Iskandar , Khashi’ie Najiyah Safwa , Kasim Abdul Rahman Mohd , Zainal Nurul Amira , Hamzah Khairum Bin , Md Arifin Norihan , Pop Ioan
Published: May 2022

The flow of fluids over the boundaries of a rotating disc has many practical uses, including boundary-layer control and separation. Therefore, the aim of this study is to discuss the impact of unsteady magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) hybrid ferrofluid flow over a stretching/shrinking rotating disk. The time-dependent mathematical model is transformed into a set of ordinary differential equations (ODE’s) by using similarity variables. The bvp4c method in the MATLAB platform is utilised in order to solve the present model. Since the occurrence of more than one solution is presentable, an analysis of solution stabilities is conducted. Both solutions were surprisingly found to be stable. Meanwhile, the skin friction coefficient, heat transfer rate—in cooperation with velocity—and temperature profile distributions are examined for the progressing parameters. The findings reveal that the unsteadiness parameter causes the boundary layer thickness of the velocity and temperature distribution profile to decrease. A higher value of magnetic and mass flux parameter lowers the skin friction coefficient. In contrast, the addition of the unsteadiness parameter yields a supportive effect on the heat transfer rate. An increment of the magnetic parameter up to 30% reduces the skin friction coefficient by 15.98% and enhances the heat transfer rate approximately up to 1.88%, significantly. In contrast, the heat transfer is rapidly enhanced by improving the mass flux parameter by almost 20%.
An Attention-Preserving Network-Based Method for Assisted Segmentation of Osteosarcoma MRI Images
Authors: Liu Feng , Gou Fangfang , Wu Jia
Published: May 2022

Osteosarcoma is a malignant bone tumor that is extremely dangerous to human health. Not only does it require a large amount of work, it is also a complicated task to outline the lesion area in an image manually, using traditional methods. With the development of computer-aided diagnostic techniques, more and more researchers are focusing on automatic segmentation techniques for osteosarcoma analysis. However, existing methods ignore the size of osteosarcomas, making it difficult to identify and segment smaller tumors. This is very detrimental to the early diagnosis of osteosarcoma. Therefore, this paper proposes a Contextual Axial-Preserving Attention Network (CaPaN)-based MRI image-assisted segmentation method for osteosarcoma detection. Based on the use of Res2Net, a parallel decoder is added to aggregate high-level features which effectively combines the local and global features of osteosarcoma. In addition, channel feature pyramid (CFP) and axial attention (A-RA) mechanisms are used. A lightweight CFP can extract feature mapping and contextual information of different sizes. A-RA uses axial attention to distinguish tumor tissues by mining, which reduces computational costs and thus improves the generalization performance of the model. We conducted experiments using a real dataset provided by the Second Xiangya Affiliated Hospital and the results showed that our proposed method achieves better segmentation results than alternative models. In particular, our method shows significant advantages with respect to small target segmentation. Its precision is about 2% higher than the average values of other models. For the segmentation of small objects, the DSC value of CaPaN is 0.021 higher than that of the commonly used U-Net method.
Analytical Solution for Bichromatic Waves on Linearly Varying Currents
Authors: Lee Mu-Jung , Hsiao Shih-Chun
Published: May 2022

It is well-known that the bound long waves play an important role on beach morphology. The existence of the current will modify the intensity of the waves. To examine the more realistic problem where the current is non-uniform, a third-order analytical solution for bichromatic waves on currents with constant vorticity is derived using a perturbation method. Earlier derivations of theories for interactions between waves and currents have been limited to cases of bichromatic waves on depth-uniform currents and cases of monochromatic waves on linear shear currents. Unlike the derivations of monochromatic waves, the moving-frame method cannot be used in the case of bichromatic waves because there are multiple waves with different celerities, and the flow can in no way be treated as steady-state. Moreover, for shear currents where the flows are rotational, the velocity potential cannot be simply defined. For these reasons, it is difficult to carry out mathematical operations when the dynamic free surface boundary condition is applied. However, with the consideration of the wave part of the fluid motion remaining irrotational, some of the terms in the expanded boundary conditions can be ignored; thus, the derivations can be further processed. As a result, the third-order explicit expressions for the stream function, the velocity potential, and the surface elevation can be solved. The nonlinear dispersion relation is also derived to account for interacting wave components with different frequencies and amplitudes which can be used to solved for wavenumbers of both wave trains. The obtained solutions are verified by reducing to those of previous results for monochromatic waves and uniform currents. Furthermore, the influence of constant vorticity on the wave kinematics is illustrated. A comparison between following/opposing currents is also carried out. Finally, the effects of the shear current on the strength of the bound long waves are also illustrated.
The Inhibitors of CDK4/6 from a Library of Marine Compound Database: A Pharmacophore, ADMET, Molecular Docking and Molecular Dynamics Study
Authors: Luo Lianxiang , Wang Qu , Liao Yinglin
Published: May 2022

Background: CDK4/6 (Cyclin-dependent kinases 4/6) are the key promoters of cell cycle transition from G1 phase to S phase. Thus, selective inhibition of CDK4/6 is a promising cancer treatment. Methods: A total of 52,765 marine natural products were screened for CDK4/6. To screen out better natural compounds, pharmacophore models were first generated, then the absorption, distribution, metabolism, elimination, and toxicity (ADMET) were tested, followed by molecular docking. Finally, molecular dynamics simulation was carried out to verify the binding characteristics of the selected compounds. Results: Eighty-seven marine small molecules were screened based on the pharmacophore model. Then, compounds 41369 and 50843 were selected according to the ADMET and molecular docking score for further kinetic simulation evaluation. Finally, through molecular dynamics analysis, it was confirmed that compound 50843 maintained a stable conformation with the target protein, so it has the opportunity to become an inhibitor of CDK4/6. Conclusion: Through structure-based pharmacophore modeling, ADMET, the molecular docking method and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, marine natural compound 50843 was proposed as a promising marine inhibitor of CDK4/6.
Homo/Hetero-Dimers of Aromatic Bisabolane Sesquiterpenoids with Neuroprotective Activity from the Fungus Aspergillus versicolor A18 from South China Sea
Authors: Weng Han-Zhuang , Zhu Jun-Yu , Yuan Fang-Yu , Tang Zhuo-Ya , Tian Xiao-Qing , Chen Ye , Fan Cheng-Qi , Tang Gui-Hua , Yin Sheng
Published: May 2022

Chromatographic fractionation of the EtOH extracts of the marine-derived fungus Aspergillus versicolor A18 has led to the isolation of 11 homo/hetero-dimers of aromatic bisabolane sesquiterpenoids including eight diphenyl ether-coupled aromatic bisabolanes (1a/1b and 5–10) and three homodimers (2–4), together with their monomers including three aromatic bisabolanes (11–13) and two diphenyl ethers (14 and 15). Their structures and absolute configurations were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis including HRESIMS, 1D/2D NMR, calculated ECD, and the optical rotatory data. Among the four new compounds, (+/−)-asperbisabol A (1a/1b), asperbisabol B (2), and asperbisabol C (3), the enantiomers 1a and 1b represent an unprecedented skeleton of diphenyl ether-coupled aromatic bisabolane sesquiterpenoids with a spiroketal core moiety. The neuroprotective effects of selected compounds against sodium nitroprusside (SNP)-induced injury were evaluated in PC12 cells by the MTT assay. Five compounds (1a, 6, and 8–10) showed remarkable neuroprotective activities at 10 μM, being more active than the positive control edaravone.
Neurotrophic Keratitis Due to Congenital Corneal Anesthesia with Deafness, Hypotonia, Intellectual Disability, Face Abnormality and Metabolic Disorder: A New Syndrome?
Authors: Gelzinis Arvydas , Simonaviciute Dovile , Krucaite Agne , Buzzonetti Luca , Dollfus Hélène , Zemaitiene Reda
Published: May 2022

Neurotrophic keratitis is a rare degenerative disease of the cornea that can lead to corneal ulceration, scarring, and significant visual impairment. It most commonly occurs in adults and is rarely diagnosed in children. Congenital corneal anesthesia is an extremely rare condition that requires appropriate ophthalmologists’ attention in making diagnosis and treatment decisions. This condition usually presents in infancy or early childhood and is characterized by rare blinking rate, decreased tearing or a corneal ulcer that is unresponsive to treatment. In this case report, we describe a patient with multiple systemic and neurological disorders who presented to the ophthalmology department due to corneal erosion unresponsive to treatment. Brain magnetic resonance imaging confirmed bilateral trigeminal hypoplasia and the diagnosis of neurotrophic keratopathy due to bilateral congenital corneal anesthesia was made. The discrepancy between clinical signs and symptoms or treatment non-response in cases of corneal erosions should alert the ophthalmologists to suspect trigeminal dysfunction. MRI is the gold standard to confirm congenital corneal anesthesia and to differentiate from other possible neurotrophic keratitis causes.
An Improved Approach to Manufacture Carbon Nanotube Reinforced Magnesium AZ91 Composites with Increased Strength and Ductility
Authors: Nasiri Samaneh , Yang Guang , Spiecker Erdmann , Li Qianqian
Published: May 2022

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are decorated with Pt nanoparticles by a “layer-by-layer” approach using poly (sodium 4-styrene sulfonate) (PSS) and poly (diallyl dimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis of the samples confirm Pt deposition on surfaces of CNTs. Dispersibility and dispersion stability of MWCNTs in the solvents are enhanced when MWCNTs are coated with Pt nanoparticles. Mg AZ91 composites reinforced with MWCNTs are then produced by a melt stirring process. Compression tests of the composites show that adding 0.05% wt Pt-coated MWCNTs in AZ91 improves the composite’s mechanical properties compared to the pure AZ91 and pristine MWCNT/AZ91. Fracture surface analysis of the composite using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) shows individual pulled out MWCNTs in the case of the Pt-coated MWCNT/AZ91 composites. This finding can be attributed to the uniform dispersion of Pt-coated MWCNTs in Mg due to the improved wettability of Pt-coated MWCNTs in Mg melts. The study of the pull-out behaviour of pristine and Pt-coated CNTs from an Mg matrix using molecular dynamics simulation supports this interpretation.
New Technology and Experimental Research on Thick-Walled Tube Fatigue Impact Loading Precision Separation
Authors: Zhao Ren-Feng , Gao Wei-Cheng , Zhang Dong-Ya , Xiao Xu-Dong , Liu Yan-Wei , Pan Run-Ze
Published: May 2022

Traditional separation methods for thick-walled metal tubes include turning and sawing, which suffer from wasted raw material and low efficiency. In view of this, this paper proposes a new process of using impact load to promote crack generation and tube separation. Based on the principles of radial repeated impact load, stress concentration effect and fatigue fracture, the rapid initiation and stable expansion of tube fatigue crack are promoted. In addition, the crack initiation mechanism of the tube V-notch root cracks under radial repeated load when the tube is in a restrained state. For the experimental study of the GCr15 steel tube, a multistep decline frequency time tube separation control curve with an initial frequency from 4 Hz to 31 Hz and termination frequency from 1 Hz to 8.5 Hz was designed, and the precision tube separation device is loaded by pneumatic fatigue shock to achieve tube precision separation. In addition, a tube fracture quality evaluation method is proposed. According to the test results, the stress concentration effect of V-notch can significantly reduce the average stress in the process of tube fatigue separation and accelerate the generation of microcracks. Under the continuous action of repeated impact load, the loading method of multistep decline can effectively control the rapid crack initiation and stable expansion of the GCr15 tube V-notch root crack. Moreover, the tube final fracture region has relatively small defects, which can obtain good fracture quality.
Evaluation of Satellite-Derived Signatures for Three Verified Hailstorms in Central Argentina
Authors: Bernal Ayala Anthony C. , Rowe Angela K. , Arena Lucia E. , Desai Ankur R.
Published: May 2022

Córdoba Province in Argentina is a global hotspot for deep hail-producing storms. Previous studies of hail formation and detection largely relied on satellite snapshots or modeling studies, but lacked hail validation, relying instead on proxy metrics. To address this limitation, this study used hail collected in the mountainous Córdoba region in collaboration with the citizen science program “Cosecheros de Granizo 2018–2020” including from a record-breaking hail event and from the 2018–2019 RELAMPAGO field campaign. Three cases including a MCS and two supercells, which have verified hail in different environment locations relative to the Sierras de Córdoba, were analyzed for multi-spectral signatures in GOES-16 satellite data. Brightness temperatures decreased over time after convective initiation, reaching values cooler than the tropopause with variations around those values of different magnitudes. Overall, all cases exhibited a slight weakening of the updraft and strong presence of smaller ice crystal sizes just prior to the hail report, especially for the larger hailstones. The results demonstrate promise in using satellite proxies for hail detection in multiple environments for different storm modes. The long-term goal is to better understand hail-producing storms and unique challenges of forecasting hail in this region.
Phylogeographic Patterns of Haemoproteid Assemblages of Selected Avian Hosts: Ecological and Evolutionary Implications
Authors: Šujanová Alžbeta , Václav Radovan
Published: May 2022

Background: While the dynamics of disease emergence is driven by host–parasite interactions, the structure and dynamics of these interactions are still poorly understood. Here we study the phylogenetic and morphological clustering of haemosporidian parasite lineages in a local avian host community. Subsequently, we examine geographical patterns of parasite assemblages in selected avian hosts breeding in Europe. Methods: We conduct phylogenetic and haplotype network analyses of Haemoproteus (Parahaemoproteus) lineages based on a short and an extended cytochrome b barcode region. Ordination analyses are used to examine changes in parasite assemblages with respect to climate type and geography. Results: We reveal relatively low phylogenetic clustering of haemoproteid lineages in a local avian host community and identify a potentially new Haemoproteus morphospecies. Further, we find that climate is effectively capturing geographical changes in parasite assemblages in selected widespread avian hosts. Moreover, parasite assemblages are found to vary distinctly across the host’s breeding range, even within a single avian host. Conclusions: This study suggests that a few keystone hosts can be important for the local phylogenetic and morphological clustering of haemoproteid parasites. Host spatio-temporal dynamics, both for partially and long-distance migratory birds, appear to explain geographical variation in haemoproteid parasite assemblages. This study also gives support to the idea that climate variation in terms of rainfall seasonality can be linked to the propensity for host switching in haemosporidians.
Evaluation of the Kinetics of Antibody Response to COVID-19 Vaccine in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients: The Prospective Multicenter ORCHESTRA Cohort
Authors: Giannella Maddalena , Righi Elda , Pascale Renato , Rinaldi Matteo , Caroccia Natascia , Gamberini Chiara , Palacios-Baena Zaira R. , Caponcello Giulia , Morelli Maria Cristina , Tamè Mariarosa , Busutti Marco , Comai Giorgia , Potena Luciano , Salvaterra Elena , Feltrin Giuseppe , Cillo Umberto , Gerosa Gino , Cananzi Mara , Piano Salvatore , Benetti Elisa , Burra Patrizia , Loy Monica , Furian Lucrezia , Zaza Gianluigi , Onorati Francesco , Carraro Amedeo , Gastaldon Fiorella , Nordio Maurizio , Kumar-Singh Samir , Abedini Mahsa , Boffetta Paolo , Rodríguez-Baño Jesús , Lazzarotto Tiziana , Viale Pierluigi , Tacconelli Evelina ,   on behalf of The ORCHESTRA Study Group Workpackage
Published: May 2022

Previous studies assessing the antibody response (AbR) to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients are limited by short follow-up, hampering the analysis of AbR kinetics. We present the ORCHESTRA SOT recipients cohort assessed for AbR at first dose (t0), second dose (t1), and within 3 ± 1 month (t2) after the first dose. We analyzed 1062 SOT patients (kidney, 63.7%; liver, 17.4%; heart, 16.7%; and lung, 2.5%) and 5045 health care workers (HCWs). The AbR rates in the SOTs and HCWs were 52.3% and 99.4%. The antibody levels were significantly higher in the HCWs than in the SOTs (p < 0.001). The kinetics showed an increase (p < 0.001) in antibody levels up to 76 days and a non-significant decrease after 118 days in the SOT recipients versus a decrease up to 76 days (p = 0.02) and a less pronounced decrease between 76 and 118 days (p = 0.04) in the HCWs. Upon multivariable analysis, liver transplant, ≥3 years from SOT, mRNA-1273, azathioprine, and longer time from t0 were associated with a positive AbR at t2. Older age, other comorbidities, mycophenolate, steroids, and impaired graft function were associated with lower AbR probability. Our results may be useful to optimize strategies of immune monitoring after COVID-19 vaccination and indications regarding timing for booster dosages calibrated on SOT patients’ characteristics.
Lactiplantibacillus plantarum-Derived Biosurfactant Attenuates Quorum Sensing-Mediated Virulence and Biofilm Formation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Chromobacterium violaceum
Authors: Patel Mitesh , Siddiqui Arif Jamal , Ashraf Syed Amir , Surti Malvi , Awadelkareem Amir Mahgoub , Snoussi Mejdi , Hamadou Walid Sabri , Bardakci Fevzi , Jamal Arshad , Jahan Sadaf , Sachidanandan Manojkumar , Adnan Mohd
Published: May 2022

Quorum sensing (QS) controls the expression of diverse biological traits in bacteria, including virulence factors. Any natural bioactive compound that disables the QS system is being considered as a potential strategy to prevent bacterial infection. Various biological activities of biosurfactants have been observed, including anti-QS effects. In the present study, we investigated the effectiveness of a biosurfactant derived from Lactiplantibacillus plantarum on QS-regulated virulence factors and biofilm formation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Chromobacterium violaceum. The structural analogues of the crude biosurfactant were identified using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Moreover, the inhibitory prospects of identified structural analogues were assessed with QS-associated CviR, LasA, and LasI ligands via in silico molecular docking analysis. An L. plantarum-derived biosurfactant showed a promising dose-dependent interference with the production of both violacein and acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) in C. violaceum. In P. aeruginosa, at a sub-MIC concentration (2.5 mg/mL), QS inhibitory activity was also demonstrated by reduction in pyocyanin (66.63%), total protease (60.95%), LasA (56.62%), and LasB elastase (51.33%) activity. The swarming motility and exopolysaccharide production were also significantly reduced in both C. violaceum (61.13%) and P. aeruginosa (53.11%). When compared with control, biofilm formation was also considerably reduced in C. violaceum (68.12%) and P. aeruginosa (59.80%). A GC–MS analysis confirmed that the crude biosurfactant derived from L. plantarum was a glycolipid type. Among all, n-hexadecanoic acid, oleic acid, and 1H-indene,1-hexadecyl-2,3-dihydro had a high affinity for CviR, LasI, and LasA, respectively. Thus, our findings suggest that the crude biosurfactant of L. plantarum can be used as a new anti-QS/antibiofilm agent against biofilm-associated pathogenesis, which warrants further investigation to uncover its therapeutic efficacy.
Exploring Natural Product Activity and Species Source Candidates for Hunting ABCB1 Transporter Inhibitors: An In Silico Drug Discovery Study
Authors: Ibrahim Mahmoud A. A. , Abdeljawaad Khlood A. A. , Abdelrahman Alaa H. M. , Jaragh-Alhadad Laila A. , Oraby Hesham Farouk , Elkaeed Eslam B. , Mekhemer Gamal A. H. , Gabr Gamal A. , Shawky Ahmed M. , Sidhom Peter A. , Soliman Mahmoud E. S. , Moustafa Mahmoud F. , Paré Paul W. , Hegazy Mohamed-Elamir F.
Published: May 2022

The P-glycoprotein (P-gp/ABCB1) is responsible for a xenobiotic efflux pump that shackles intracellular drug accumulation. Additionally, it is included in the dud of considerable antiviral and anticancer chemotherapies because of the multidrug resistance (MDR) phenomenon. In the search for prospective anticancer drugs that inhibit the ABCB1 transporter, the Natural Product Activity and Species Source (NPASS) database, containing >35,000 molecules, was explored for identifying ABCB1 inhibitors. The performance of AutoDock4.2.6 software to anticipate ABCB1 docking score and pose was first assessed according to available experimental data. The docking scores of the NPASS molecules were predicted against the ABCB1 transporter. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were conducted for molecules with docking scores lower than taxol, a reference inhibitor, pursued by molecular mechanics-generalized Born surface area (MM-GBSA) binding energy estimations. On the basis of MM-GBSA calculations, five compounds revealed promising binding affinities as ABCB1 inhibitors with ΔGbinding < −105.0 kcal/mol. The binding affinity and stability of the identified inhibitors were compared to the chemotherapeutic agent. Structural and energetical analyses unveiled great steadiness of the investigated inhibitors within the ABCB1 active site throughout 100 ns MD simulations. Conclusively, these findings point out that NPC104372, NPC475164, NPC2313, NPC197736, and NPC477344 hold guarantees as potential ABCB1 drug candidates and warrant further in vitro/in vivo tests.
Triallyl Isocyanurate as an Efficient Electrolyte Additive for Layered Oxide Cathode Material-Based Lithium-Ion Batteries with Improved Stability under High-Voltage
Authors: Zhang Chang-Ming , Li Feng , Zhu Xue-Quan , Yu Jin-Gang
Published: May 2022

In this study, a new electrolyte additive 1,3,5-tri-2-propenyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-(1H, 3H, 5H)-trione (TAIC) for lithium-ion batteries is reported. The additive is introduced as a novel electrolyte additive to enhance electrochemical performances of layered lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide (NCM) and lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) cathodes, especially under a higher working voltage. Encouragingly, we found protective films would be formed on the cathode surface by the electrochemical oxidation, and the stability of the cathode material–electrolyte interface was greatly promoted. By adding 0.5 wt.% of TAIC into the electrolyte, the battery exhibited outstanding performances. The thickness swelling decreased to about 6% after storage at 85 °C for 24 h, while the capacity retention of cycle-life performances under high temperature of 45 °C after the 600th cycle increased 10% in comparison with the batteries without TAIC. Due to its specific function, the additive can be used in high energy density and high voltage lithium-ion battery systems.
Synthesis of Silica-Based Quaternized Adsorption Material and Study on Its Adsorption Behavior for Pu(IV)
Authors: Wang Zheng , Liu Meichen , Wang Ling , Chang Zhiyuan , Li Huibo
Published: May 2022

In this research, we explored the synthesis optimization of the silica-based quaternized adsorption material (SG-VTS-VPQ) and its adsorption behavior for Pu(IV). By optimizing the synthesis process, the grafting amount of 4-vinylpyridine reached 1.25 mmol·g−1. According to the analysis of NMR and XPS, the quaternization rate of pyridine groups reached 91.13%. In the adsorption experiments, the thermodynamic experiment results show that the adsorption of Pu(IV) by SG-VTS-VPQ is more in line with the Langmuir adsorption model and the adsorption type is a typical chemical adsorption; the kinetic results show that adsorption process is more in line with the pseudo first-order kinetic model, and the larger specific surface area of SG-VTS-VPQ plays an important role in the adsorption. The results of the adsorption mechanism show that the adsorption of Pu(IV) by SG-VTS-VPQ is mainly complex anion Pu(NO3)62− and Pu(NO3)5−. This research provides in-depth and detailed ideas for the surface modification and application of porous silica gel, and at the same time provides a new way to develop the direction of the analysis of pretreatment materials in the spent fuel reprocessing field.
Antimicrobial Activity of Green Silver Nanoparticles Synthesized by Different Extracts from the Leaves of Saudi Palm Tree (Phoenix Dactylifera L.)
Authors: Al Mutairi Jihan F. , Al-Otibi Fatimah , Alhajri Hassna M. , Alharbi Raedah I. , Alarifi Saud , Alterary Seham S.
Published: May 2022

The Arabian desert is rich in different species of medicinal plants, which approved variable antimicrobial activities. Phoenix dactylifera L. is one of the medical trees rich in phenolic acids and flavonoids. The current study aimed to assess the antibacterial and antifungal properties of the silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) green-synthesized by two preparations (ethanolic and water extracts) from palm leaves. The characteristics of the produced AgNPs were tested by UV-visible spectroscopy and Transmitted Electron Microscopy (TEM). The antifungal activity of Phoenix dactylifera L. was tested against different species of Candida. Moreover, its antibacterial activity was evaluated against two Gram-positive and two Gram-negative strains. The results showed that AgNPs had a spherical larger shape than the crude extracts. AgNPs, from both preparations, had significant antimicrobial effects. The water extract had slightly higher antimicrobial activity than the ethanolic extract, as it induced more inhibitory effects against all species. That suggests the possible use of palm leaf extracts against different pathogenic bacteria and fungi instead of chemical compounds, which had economic and health benefits.
What Is the Trait d’Union between Retroactivity and Molecular Communication Performance Limits?
Authors: Ratti Francesca , Magarini Maurizio , Del Vecchio Domitilla
Published: May 2022

Information exchange is a critical process in all communication systems, including biological ones. Retroactivity describes the load that downstream modules apply to their upstream systems in biological circuits. The motivation behind this work is that of integrating retroactivity, a concept proper of biochemical circuits, with the metrics defined in Information Theory and Digital Communications. This paper focuses on studying the impact of retroactivity on different biological signaling system models, which present analogies with well-known telecommunication systems. The mathematical analysis is performed both in the high and low molecular counts regime, by mean of the Chemical Master Equation and the Linear Noise Approximation, respectively. The main goal of this work is to provide analytical tools to maximize the reliable information exchange across different biomolecular circuit models. Results highlight how, in general, retroactivity harms communication performance. This negative effect can be mitigated by adding to the signaling circuit an independent upstream system that connects with the same pool of downstream circuits.
Facile Construction and Fabrication of a Superhydrophobic and Super Oleophilic Stainless Steel Mesh for Separation of Water and Oil
Authors: Sun Yinyu , Ke Zhongcheng , Shen Caiyun , Wei Qing , Sun Ruikang , Yang Wei , Yin Zihan
Published: May 2022

The fluoride-free fabrication of superhydrophobic materials for the separation of oil/water mixtures has received widespread attention because of frequent offshore oil exploration and chemical leakage. In recent years, oil/water separation materials, based on metal meshes, have drawn much attention, with significant advantages in terms of their high mechanical strength, easy availability, and long durability. However, it is still challenging to prepare superhydrophobic metal meshes with high-separation capacity, low costs, and high recyclability for dealing with oil–water separation. In this work, a superhydrophobic and super oleophilic stainless steel mesh (SSM) was successfully prepared by anchoring Fe2O3 nanoclusters (Fe2O3-NCs) on SSM via the in-situ flame synthesis method and followed by further modification with octadecyltrimethoxysilane (OTS). The as-prepared SSM with Fe2O3-NCs and OTS (OTS@Fe2O3-NCs@SSM) was confirmed by a field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS), and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The oil–water separation capacity of the sample was also measured. The results show that the interlaced and dense Fe2O3-NCs, composed of Fe2O3 nanoparticles, were uniformly coated on the surface of the SSM after the immerging-burning process. Additionally, a compact self-assembled OTS layer with low surface energy is coated on the surface of Fe2O3-NCs@SSM, leading to the formation of OTS@Fe2O3-NCs@SSM. The prepared OTS@Fe2O3-NCs@SSM shows excellent superhydrophobicity, with a water static contact angle of 151.3°. The separation efficiencies of OTS@Fe2O3-NCs@SSM for the mixtures of oil/water are all above 98.5%, except for corn oil/water (97.5%) because of its high viscosity. Moreover, the modified SSM exhibits excellent stability and recyclability. This work provides a facile approach for the preparation of superhydrophobic and super oleophilic metal meshes, which will lead to advancements in their large-scale applications on separating oil/water mixtures.
Size and Semiconducting Effects on the Piezoelectric Performances of ZnO Nanowires Grown onto Gravure-Printed Seed Layers on Flexible Substrates
Authors: Garcia Andrés Jenaro Lopez , Jalabert Thomas , Pusty Manojit , Defoor Viktor , Mescot Xavier , Montanino Maria , Sico Giuliano , Loffredo Fausta , Villani Fulvia , Nenna Giuseppe , Ardila Gustavo
Published: May 2022

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanogenerators have attracted increasing interest in the scientific community for use in energy harvesting and mechanical sensing applications. Understanding the interplay between piezoelectricity and semiconductor physics is fundamental to enhancing these devices’ performances, although direct characterization at the nanoscale is challenging. With this work, we present a new strategy to improve piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) measurements and analysis. This strategy was applied to study the piezoelectric performances of ZnO nanowires grown on seed layers deposited by gravure printing onto flexible substrates. We demonstrate the influence of nanowire diameter and atomic force microscope (AFM) tip position on the piezoresponse amplitude. We also explain our results with simulations showing the importance of considering semiconducting properties in the analysis.
Risk of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Adults with Resistant Hypertension
Authors: Desai Raj , Park Haesuk , Brown Joshua D. , Smith Steven M.
Published: May 2022

The risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in patients with resistant hypertension (RH) has not been well-quantified. We sought to evaluate the risk of OSA in patients with RH compared to those with treated but non-resistant hypertension (non-RH) using a time-dependent-exposure analysis. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with treated hypertension (hypertension diagnosis + ≥2 antihypertensive drug claims within 1 year) using the IBM MarketScan® commercial claims database from January 2008 to December 2019. We excluded patients without 12 months of continuous enrollment before the second antihypertensive fill date (index date of cohort entry) and those having the outcome (OSA) in the 12-month pre-index period. We employed Cox proportional hazard regression with OSA as the dependent variable, and time-dependent exposure (non-RH vs. RH) and baseline covariates as independent variables. Of the 1,375,055 patients with treated hypertension, 13,584 patients were categorized as exposed to RH. In the multivariable Cox proportional hazards model, exposure with RH was associated with a 60% increased risk of OSA (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR): 1.60; 95% CI, 1.52–1.68) compared to non-RH exposure. Findings of the study suggest that exposure with RH, compared to non-RH, is associated with a higher risk of incident OSA.