bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparison of 5 Versus 7-Day Ovsynch + Progesterone Releasing Intravaginal Device Protocols (PRID) and a Modified G7G with an Option of Heat Detection Protocol for 1st Service in Lactating Dairy Cows
Authors: Brozos Christos , Kiossis Evangelos , Hatzieffraimidis Savvas , Praxitelous Anastasia , Gouvias Ioannis , Kanoulas Vasileios , Tsousis Georgios
Published: October 2021

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of two timed-AI (TAI) protocols (Group G5D, GnRH and PRID -5d- PGF2a -1d- PGF2a -1d- GnRH, n = 105 and Group G7D, GnRH and PRID-7d- PGF2a -1d- PGF2a -1d- GnRH, n = 98) and a modified G7G protocol combining heat detection (HD) and AI or TAI if HD failed (Group HD, GnRH and PRID -7d- PGF2a -1d- PGF2a -5d- HD or 5d TAI if no HD, n = 92). Pregnancy per AI (P/AI) did not differ between G5D and G7D protocol (G5D: 33.8% vs. G7D: 35.2%, P = 0.85). Cows assigned to G5D and G7D group were pooled as TAI group (GTAI) and further compared to GHD. Within the GHD, more primiparous cows exhibited estrous signs compared to multiparous cows (70.4% vs. 46.2%, P = 0.03). Furthermore, 49 cows (53.3%) were served after HD, whereas 43 cows (46.7%) were served after TAI. There was no difference in P/AI between cows served after HD (51.6%) or after TAI (43.0%, P = 0.49). GHD showed higher P/AI at 1st service compared to GTAI (49.1% vs. 36.4%, P = 0.04), whilst, median days to pregnancy did not differ between the two groups. Overall, P/AI of primiparous cows tended to be better in comparison with multiparous cows (48.3% vs. 37.2%, P = 0.06). In conclusion, there was no significant difference regarding the efficacy of 5- and 7-day Ovsynch + PRID protocols. Moreover, a modified G7G protocol, with intermediate heat detection, resulted in overall better P/AI compared to TAI protocols and appears as a promising strategy to optimize estrus detection for 1st AI.
Effects of Using Corn Dried Distillers’ Grains with Solubles (cDDGS) as a Partial Replacement for Soybean Meal on the Outcomes of Pig Fattening, Pork Slaughter Value and Quality
Authors: Schwarz Tomasz , Przybyło Marcin , Zapletal Piotr , Turek Artur , Pabiańczyk Mariola , Bartlewski Pawel Mieczyslaw
Published: October 2021

The present study set out to determine the effects of incorporating cDDGS into starter, grower, and finisher diets (containing 5%, 10%, and 15% of cDDGS, respectively) on growth performance, carcass and meat quality, and cost effectiveness of pig fattening. Sixty-four pigs (mean body weight of 15.0 ± 2.1 kg) were divided into two groups (n = 32) and fed a control diet (cereal–soybean meal-based) or cDGGS-containing diets (with soybean meal partially replaced with cDDGS). Live weights of pigs as well as weight gains/daily weight gains across all fattening phases did not differ between the two groups of fattener pigs studied (p > 0.05). Addition of cDDGS decreased feed intake per pig during the grower (p < 0.05) and finisher (p < 0.01) phases, and, as a result, throughout the entire fattening period (254 vs. 245 kg for control and cDDGS groups, respectively; p < 0.01). The feed conversion ratio (FCR) for the entire fattening period was significantly less for cDDGS-fed fatteners (2.77) than for controls (2.91; p < 0.05). Carcass weights, fat thickness, and meatiness did not vary between the two groups of animals (p > 0.05). Loin depth was greater in the cDDGS group by ~5 mm (p < 0.05). Slaughter value was higher for the cDDGS group (76.1% vs. 77.0%, p < 0.05). The total cost of fattening and total cost of 1 kg of body weight decreased in cDDGS compared with the control subset of fatteners by ~7% and 8% during the grower and finisher phases, respectively (p < 0.01). The simplified direct surplus per pig was approximately 63% higher for the cDDGS group. Our results indicate that even moderate inclusion of cDDGS to concentrate mixtures (or a partial replacement of soybean meal with cDDGS) may improve FCR without any substantial changes in meat and back fat characteristics as well as significantly decrease the cost of feeding and increase the profitability of pig production.
Erratum: Ferosekhan et al. Influence of Genetic Selection for Growth and Broodstock Diet n-3 LC-PUFA Levels on Reproductive Performance of Gilthead Seabream, Sparus Aurata. Animals 2021, 11, 519
Authors: Ferosekhan Shajahan , Turkmen Serhat , Pérez-García Cathaysa , Xu Hanlin , Gómez Ana , Shamna Nazeemashahul , Afonso Juan Manuel , Rosenlund Grethe , Fontanillas Ramón , Gracia Anselmo , Izquierdo Marisol , Kaushik Sadasivam
Published: October 2021

The authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper [...]
Erratum: Dallago et al. Keeping Dairy Cows for Longer: A Critical Literature Review on Dairy Cow Longevity in High Milk-Producing Countries. Animals 2021, 11, 808
Authors: Dallago Gabriel M. , Wade Kevin M. , Cue Roger I. , McClure J T. , Lacroix René , Pellerin Doris , Vasseur Elsa
Published: October 2021

In the original article [...]
Parturition in Mammals: Animal Models, Pain and Distress
Authors: Martínez-Burnes Julio , Muns Ramon , Barrios-García Hugo , Villanueva-García Dina , Domínguez-Oliva Adriana , Mota-Rojas Daniel
Published: October 2021

Parturition is a complex physiological process and involves many hormonal, morphological, physiological, and behavioural changes. Labour is a crucial moment for numerous species and is usually the most painful experience in females. Contrary to the extensive research in humans, there are limited pain studies associated with the birth process in domestic animals. Nonetheless, awareness of parturition has increased among the public, owners, and the scientific community during recent years. Dystocia is a significant factor that increases the level of parturition pain. It is considered less common in polytocous species because newborns’ number and small size might lead to the belief that the parturition process is less painful than in monotocous animal species and humans. This review aims to provide elements of the current knowledge about human labour pain (monotocous species), the relevant contribution of the rat model to human labour pain, and the current clinical and experimental knowledge of parturition pain mechanisms in domestic animals that support the fact that domestic polytocous species also experience pain. Moreover, both for women and domestic animal species, parturition’s pain represents a potential welfare concern, and information on pain indicators and the appropriate analgesic therapy are discussed.
Canine and Feline Epididymal Semen—A Plentiful Source of Gametes
Authors: Ali Hassan Hiba , Domain Guillaume , Luvoni Gaia Cecilia , Chaaya Rana , Van Soom Ann , Wydooghe Eline
Published: October 2021

Canine and feline epididymal semen provide an additional source of gametes to preserve the genetics of valuable breeding dogs and tomcats, especially for those that fail to ejaculate, need castration as a therapy or die unexpectedly. Moreover, since it is quite common to perform castration of non-breeding dogs and cats, the development of a gene bank of epididymal semen collected after castration would greatly contribute to increase the genetic diversity in dogs and cats. Collection and cryopreservation of epididymal semen necessitates a full understanding of the function of the epididymis and of the characteristics of epididymal spermatozoa as opposed to ejaculated semen. During collection of epididymal semen, specific factors may have a negative effect on epididymal semen quality and freezability. Accordingly, the elimination of these triggers could enhance epididymal semen freezability and consequently positively influence post-thaw semen quality and outcome for different ARTs.
Engrafting Horse Immune Cells into Mouse Hosts for the Study of the Acute Equine Immune Responses
Authors: Leeth Caroline , Adkins Janie , Hay Alayna , Bogers Sophie , Potter Ashley , Witonsky Sharon , Zhu Jing
Published: October 2021

Immunological studies in the horse are frequently hampered by lack of environmental control, complicated study design, and ethical concerns when performing high risk studies. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the utility of a xenograft model for studying acute equine immune responses. Immunocompromised non obese diabetic (NOD). sudden combined immunodeficiency (scid).gamma-/- (NSG) mice were engrafted with either equine peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) or equine bone marrow to determine an optimal protocol for equine lymphocyte engraftment. We found that both PBL and bone marrow grafts populated the host mice successfully. Bone marrow transplants were technically more challenging and required further processing to retard graft versus host disease. Graft vs host disease was apparent at 28 days post-PBL transfer and 56 days post-bone marrow transfer. The results of these studies support the use of mouse hosts to study acute equine immune responses and that different engraftment techniques can be used depending on the experimental design.
Genetic Profile of Linezolid-Resistant M. tuberculosis Clinical Strains from Moscow
Authors: Ushtanit Anastasia , Mikhailova Yulia , Lyubimova Alexandra , Makarova Marina , Safonova Svetlana , Filippov Alexey , Borisov Sergey , Zimenkov Danila
Published: October 2021

Background: Linezolid, bedaquiline, and newer fluoroquinolones are currently placed as priority Group A drugs for the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis. The number of reported linezolid-resistant clinical strains is still low, and the correlation of molecular determinants with phenotype is not perfect. Methods: We determined the linezolid MICs for clinical isolates from the Moscow region and identified mutations in rplC and rrl genes. Results: All 16 linezolid-resistant isolates had previously reported mutations in the rplC or rrl loci, and 13 of them bore a RplC C154R substitution. Detection of this substitution in a heteroresistant state was not successful, probably, due to the more stable DNA secondary structure of the mutated fragment, which precludes its amplification in mixes with the wild-type DNA. Strains with an rplC mutation had higher linezolid MIC compared to isolates with rrl mutations. Conclusions: Linezolid resistance mostly emerged during treatment with the latest regimen. Three primary cases with linezolid resistance question the possible transmission of totally drug-resistant tuberculosis in the Moscow region, which demands further investigation.
Antioxidant Activity and Inhibitory Effect on Nitric Oxide Production of Hydroponic Ginseng Fermented with Lactococcus lactis KC24
Authors: Chung Yerim , Park Ji-Young , Lee Ji-Eun , Kim Kee-Tae , Paik Hyun-Dong
Published: October 2021

Panax ginseng Meyer is used as a medicinal plant. The aim of this study was to ferment hydroponic ginseng with Lactococcus lactis KC24 and confirm its antioxidant activity and inhibitory effect on nitric oxide (NO) production. Flavonoid and phenol contents in fermented ginseng extracts were measured. Antioxidant activity was measured by DPPH, ABTS, reducing power, FRAP and β-carotene assays. Additionally, inhibitory effects on NO production and toxicity of the fermented extract were determined using RAW 264.7 cells. Phenol and flavonoid contents increased as the fermentation time increased, and the contents were higher in hydroponic ginseng than in soil-cultivated ginseng. The DPPH assay revealed that the antioxidant activity of the 24 h fermented extract significantly increased from 32.57% to 41% (p < 0.05). The increase in antioxidant activity may be affected by an increase in phenol and flavonoid contents. At 1 mg/mL solid content, the 24 h fermented hydroponic ginseng extract inhibited NO production from 9.87 ± 0.06 μM to 1.62 ± 0.26 μM. In conclusion, the increase in antioxidant activity affects the inhibition of NO production, suggesting that fermented hydroponic ginseng may be used in the industries of functional food and pharmaceutical industry as a functional material with anti-inflammatory effects.
Reactive Oxygen Species in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia: Reducing Radicals to Refine Responses
Authors: Mannan Abdul , Germon Zacary P. , Chamberlain Janis , Sillar Jonathan R. , Nixon Brett , Dun Matthew D.
Published: October 2021

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is the most common cancer diagnosed in children and adolescents. Approximately 70% of patients survive >5-years following diagnosis, however, for those that fail upfront therapies, survival is poor. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are elevated in a range of cancers and are emerging as significant contributors to the leukaemogenesis of ALL. ROS modulate the function of signalling proteins through oxidation of cysteine residues, as well as promote genomic instability by damaging DNA, to promote chemotherapy resistance. Current therapeutic approaches exploit the pro-oxidant intracellular environment of malignant B and T lymphoblasts to cause irreversible DNA damage and cell death, however these strategies impact normal haematopoiesis and lead to long lasting side-effects. Therapies suppressing ROS production, especially those targeting ROS producing enzymes such as the NADPH oxidases (NOXs), are emerging alternatives to treat cancers and may be exploited to improve the ALL treatment. Here, we discuss the roles that ROS play in normal haematopoiesis and in ALL. We explore the molecular mechanisms underpinning overproduction of ROS in ALL, and their roles in disease progression and drug resistance. Finally, we examine strategies to target ROS production, with a specific focus on the NOX enzymes, to improve the treatment of ALL.
Preliminary Study of Recycled Aggregate Mortar for Electric Arc Furnace Dust Encapsulation
Authors: Ledesma Enrique F. , Lozano-Lunar Angélica , Ferreira Ruan L. S. , Fernández-Rodríguez José María , Jiménez José Ramón
Published: October 2021

This article shows the preliminary results of a study carried out to determine the technical feasibility of encapsulating a high percentage of EAFD in cement-based mortars manufactured with the fine fraction of recycled concrete aggregates (RCA). Two families of mortars, with natural aggregate as a reference and with RCA, were studied. An incorporation rate by weight of two parts mortar to one part EAFD was tested. The mechanical strengths (compressive strength and tensile strength) before and after immersion in water, the rate of delitescence and the leaching behavior were studied. Mortars made with RCA showed similar mechanical strengths to the reference mortars made with natural aggregates; however, the incorporation of EAFD decreased the mechanical strengths. Encapsulation considerably reduced the leaching of heavy metals, although the Pb concentration remained above the hazardous waste limit. With this preliminary study, two wastes are managed together, and the results have shown that the use of RCA instead of natural aggregate is a viable alternative since it does not significantly impair the mechanical or leaching properties of the cement-based matrices used to encapsulate EAFD.
A Computational Study on Magnetic Nanoparticles Hyperthermia of Ellipsoidal Tumors
Authors: Polychronopoulos Nickolas D. , Gkountas Apostolos A. , Sarris Ioannis E. , Spyrou Leonidas A.
Published: October 2021

The modelling of magnetic hyperthermia using nanoparticles of ellipsoid tumor shapes has not been studied adequately. To fill this gap, a computational study has been carried out to determine two key treatment parameters: the therapeutic temperature distribution and the extent of thermal damage. Prolate and oblate spheroidal tumors, of various aspect ratios, surrounded by a large healthy tissue region are assumed. Tissue temperatures are determined from the solution of Pennes’ bio-heat transfer equation. The mortality of the tissues is determined by the Arrhenius kinetic model. The computational model is successfully verified against a closed-form solution for a perfectly spherical tumor. The therapeutic temperature and the thermal damage in the tumor center decrease as the aspect ratio increases and it is insensitive to whether tumors of the same aspect ratio are oblate or prolate spheroids. The necrotic tumor area is affected by the tumor prolateness and oblateness. Good comparison is obtained of the present model with three sets of experimental measurements taken from the literature, for animal tumors exhibiting ellipsoid-like geometry. The computational model enables the determination of the therapeutic temperature and tissue thermal damage for magnetic hyperthermia of ellipsoidal tumors. It can be easily reproduced for various treatment scenarios and may be useful for an effective treatment planning of ellipsoidal tumor geometries.
Chemical Bond Formation between Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotubes and Metal Substrates at Low Temperatures
Authors: Nawarathne Chaminda P. , Hoque Abdul , Ruhunage Chethani K. , Rahm Connor E. , Alvarez Noe T.
Published: October 2021

The exceptional physical properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have the potential to transform materials science and various industrial applications. However, to exploit their unique properties in carbon-based electronics, CNTs regularly need to be chemically interfaced with metals. Although CNTs can be directly synthesized on metal substrates, this process typically requires temperatures above 350 °C, which is not compatible for many applications. Additionally, the CNTs employed here were highly densified, making them suitable as interconnecting materials for electronic applications. This paper reports a method for the chemical bonding of vertically aligned CNTs onto metal substrates that avoids the need for high temperatures and can be performed at temperatures as low as 80 °C. Open-ended CNTs were directly bonded onto Cu and Pt substrates that had been functionalized using diazonium radical reactive species, thus allowing bond formation with the open-ended CNTs. Careful control during grafting of the organic species onto the metal substrates resulted in functional group uniformity, as demonstrated by FT-IR analysis. Scanning electron microscopy images confirmed the formation of direct connections between the vertically aligned CNTs and the metal substrates. Furthermore, electrochemical characterization and application as a sensor revealed the nature of the bonding between the CNTs and the metal substrates.
fNIRS-QC: Crowd-Sourced Creation of a Dataset and Machine Learning Model for fNIRS Quality Control
Authors: Gabrieli Giulio , Bizzego Andrea , Neoh Michelle Jin Yee , Esposito Gianluca
Published: October 2021

Despite technological advancements in functional Near Infra-Red Spectroscopy (fNIRS) and a rise in the application of the fNIRS in neuroscience experimental designs, the processing of fNIRS data remains characterized by a high number of heterogeneous approaches, implicating the scientific reproducibility and interpretability of the results. For example, a manual inspection is still necessary to assess the quality and subsequent retention of collected fNIRS signals for analysis. Machine Learning (ML) approaches are well-positioned to provide a unique contribution to fNIRS data processing by automating and standardizing methodological approaches for quality control, where ML models can produce objective and reproducible results. However, any successful ML application is grounded in a high-quality dataset of labeled training data, and unfortunately, no such dataset is currently available for fNIRS signals. In this work, we introduce fNIRS-QC, a platform designed for the crowd-sourced creation of a quality control fNIRS dataset. In particular, we (a) composed a dataset of 4385 fNIRS signals; (b) created a web interface to allow multiple users to manually label the signal quality of 510 10 s fNIRS segments. Finally, (c) a subset of the labeled dataset is used to develop a proof-of-concept ML model to automatically assess the quality of fNIRS signals. The developed ML models can serve as a more objective and efficient quality control check that minimizes error from manual inspection and the need for expertise with signal quality control.
Risk Prediction for Winter Road Accidents on Expressways
Authors: Kim Daeseong , Jung Sangyun , Yoon Sanghoo
Published: October 2021

Road accidents caused by weather conditions in winter lead to higher mortality rates than in other seasons. The main causes of road accidents include human carelessness, vehicle defects, road conditions, and weather factors. If the risk of road accidents with changes in road weather conditions can be quantitatively evaluated, it will contribute to reducing the road accident fatalities. The road accident data used in this study were obtained for the period 2017 to 2019. Spatial interpolation estimated the weather information; geographic information system (GIS) and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data identified road geometry and accident area altitude; synthetic minority oversampling technique (SMOTE) addressed the data imbalance problem between road accidents due to weather conditions and from other causes, and finally, machine learning was performed on the data using various models such as random forest, XGBoost, neural network, and logistic regression. The training- to test data ratio was 7:3. Random forest model exhibited the best classification performance for road accident status according to weather risks. Thus, by applying weather data and road geometry to machine learning models, the risk of road accidents due to weather conditions in the winter season can be predicted and provided as a service.
Use of 2SFCA Method to Identify and Analyze Spatial Access Disparities to Healthcare in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Authors: Khashoggi Bandar Fuad , Murad Abdulkader
Published: October 2021

The issue of reducing spatial disparities in access to healthcare is one of the most important healthcare planning issues that policy makers and planners investigate and consider as a key focus until present time. A healthcare system that meets the requirements of availability and affordability will be useless if the spatial accessibility to healthcare is not provided to all equally. Therefore, this study aims to identify and analyze spatial disparities in access to healthcare centers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method was used to measure spatial accessibility of healthcare centers based on the travel time threshold (i.e., 30-min drive time in this study). The GIS technology was used to execute the 2SFCA method. A geodatabase, which includes the population districts, locations of healthcare centers, and road network, was created. Some procedures were performed within the road network database to set the travel time that is considered as an essential step to compute the origin–destination (OD) cost matrix. The OD matrix was later used as the source for calculating provider-to-population ratios and the spatial accessibility scores for population districts. The results of the study revealed spatial disparities in access to healthcare centers in Jeddah city. The majority of the Jeddah population (i.e., 97.51%) have accessibility to healthcare centers, but with disparate levels. The central districts have a higher access score compared to the rest of the city’s districts. Most districts that do not have accessibility to healthcare centers are concentrated in the southeast of the city. The results can help local health planners improve spatial equity in access to healthcare centers through giving the less-served districts a priority when allocating future healthcare centers in Jeddah city.
Hierarchical Visual Place Recognition Based on Semantic-Aggregation
Authors: Chen Baifan , Song Xiaoting , Shen Hongyu , Lu Tao
Published: October 2021

A major challenge in place recognition is to be robust against viewpoint changes and appearance changes caused by self and environmental variations. Humans achieve this by recognizing objects and their relationships in the scene under different conditions. Inspired by this, we propose a hierarchical visual place recognition pipeline based on semantic-aggregation and scene understanding for the images. The pipeline contains coarse matching and fine matching. Semantic-aggregation happens in residual aggregation of visual information and semantic information in coarse matching, and semantic association of semantic edges in fine matching. Through the above two processes, we realized a robust coarse-to-fine pipeline of visual place recognition across viewpoint and condition variations. Experimental results on the benchmark datasets show that our method performs better than several state-of-the-art methods, improving the robustness against severe viewpoint changes and appearance changes while maintaining good matching-time performance. Moreover, we prove that it is possible for a computer to realize place recognition based on scene understanding.
Stimuli-Responsive Polymeric Nanosystems for Controlled Drug Delivery
Authors: Xiang Zhichu , Liu Mouquan , Song Jun
Published: October 2021

Biocompatible nanosystems based on polymeric materials are promising drug delivery nanocarrier candidates for antitumor therapy. However, the efficacy is unsatisfying due to nonspecific accumulation and drug release of the nanoparticles in normal tissue. Recently, the nanosystems that can be triggered by tumor-specific stimuli have drawn great interest for drug delivery applications due to their controllable drug release properties. In this review, various polymers and external stimuli that can be employed to develop stimuli-responsive polymeric nanosystems are discussed, and finally, we delineate the challenges in designing this kind of Nanomedicine to improve the therapeutic efficacy.
Operator and Graph Theoretic Techniques for Distinguishing Quantum States via One-Way LOCC
Authors: Kribs David W. , Mintah Comfort , Nathanson Michael , Pereira Rajesh
Published: October 2021

We bring together in one place some of the main results and applications from our recent work on quantum information theory, in which we have brought techniques from operator theory, operator algebras, and graph theory for the first time to investigate the topic of distinguishability of sets of quantum states in quantum communication, with particular reference to the framework of one-way local quantum operations and classical communication (LOCC). We also derive a new graph-theoretic description of distinguishability in the case of a single-qubit sender.
Student eXperience: A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Matus Nicolás , Rusu Cristian , Cano Sandra
Published: October 2021

Students’ experiences have been covered by a large number of studies in different areas. Even so, the concept of student experience (SX) is diffuse, as it does not have a widely accepted meaning and is often shaped to the specific purposes of each study. Understanding this concept allows educational institutions to better address the needs of students. For this reason, we conducted a systematic literature review addressing the concept of SX in higher education, specifically aiming at undergraduate students. In this work, we approach the concept of SX from the perspective of customer experience (CX), based on the premise that students are users of higher education institutions’ products, systems and/or services. We reviewed articles published between 2011 and 2021, indexed in five databases (Scopus, Web of Sciences, ACM digital, IEEE Xplore and Science Direct), trying to address research questions concerning: (1) the SX definition; (2) dimensions, attributes and factors that influence SX; and (3) methods used to evaluate the SX. We selected 65 articles and analyzed various SX definitions, as well as scales and surveys to evaluate SX, mainly relating to satisfaction and quality in higher education. We propose a holistic definition of SX and recommend ways to achieve its better analysis.
Effects of Viscoelasticity on the Stress Evolution over the Lifetime of Filament-Wound Composite Flywheel Rotors for Energy Storage
Authors: Skinner Miles , Mertiny Pierre
Published: October 2021

High-velocity and long-lifetime operating conditions of modern high-speed energy storage flywheel rotors may create the necessary conditions for failure modes not included in current quasi-static failure analyses. In the present study, a computational algorithm based on an accepted analytical model was developed to investigate the viscoelastic behavior of carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite flywheel rotors with an aluminum hub assembled via a press-fit. The Tsai-Wu failure criterion was applied to assess failure. Two simulation cases were developed to explore the effects of viscoelasticity on composite flywheel rotors, i.e., a worst-case operating condition and a case akin to realistic flywheel operations. The simulations indicate that viscoelastic effects are likely to reduce peak stresses in the composite rim over time. However, viscoelasticity also affects stresses in the hub and the hub-rim interface in ways that may cause rotor failure. It was further found that charge-discharge cycles of the flywheel energy storage device may create significant fatigue loading conditions. It was therefore concluded that the design of composite flywheel rotors should include viscoelastic and fatigue analyses to ensure safe operation.
Sensory Profile of Greek Islands Thyme Honey
Authors: Rodríguez Inmaculada , Tananaki Chrysoula , Galán-Soldevilla Hortensia , Pérez-Cacho Pilar Ruiz , Serrano Salud
Published: October 2021

The sensory profiles of thyme honey from the Greek islands with different thymus pollen grain contents (A: >60%, B: 40–60%, and C: 18–40%) were studied. The results of the physico-chemical analyses fulfilled the criteria set by international quality standards and, specifically, Greek legislation (moisture content < 18%, hydroxymethylfurfural < 10 mg/kg, and diastase activity > 20 DN). The sensory results showed that there were significant differences between groups with different pollen grain contents (p < 0.01) for all attributes except for floral aroma, with the Group A samples being the lightest in color (4.9 ± 1.8) and having the highest floral odor intensity (5.0 ± 2.0) and salty taste (3.5 ± 1.1). Additionally, samples with the highest pollen grain content (i.e., Group A) had olfactory notes of wood/wax/resin and a chemical aroma.
Self-Start Multi-Wavelength Laser Source with Tunable Delay-Line Interferometer and Optical Fiber Reflector for Wireless Communication System
Authors: Dehnaw Amare-Mulatie , Shiu Run-Kai , Chen Ruei-Bin , Li Jyun-Wei , Manie Yibeltal-Chanie , Liang Hsing-Chih , Peng Peng-Chun
Published: October 2021

The radio-over-fiber (RoF) technique has gained a lot of interest recently, as the millimeter-wave signals can be generated and delivered in the optical domain with the advantages of low attenuation, high capacity, and being free from electromagnetic noise interference (EMI). In this paper, we propose and experimentally prove a self-start multi-wavelength laser source based on a distributed feedback laser diode (DFB-LD) for the RoF transport system. The self-start multi-wavelength laser source generates stable laser power with less than 0.18 dB power fluctuation and exhibits good stability. In order to estimate the transmission performance, data is externally modulated onto the multi-wavelength by a reflective semiconductor optical amplifier (RSOA) and transmitted through single-mode fiber (SMF). The experimental result proves that the proposed RoF transport system achieves error-free transmission and clear eye diagrams.
Development of a User-Centric Bridge Visual Defect Quality Control Assisted Mobile Application: A Case of Thailand’s Department of Highways
Authors: Kruachottikul Pravee , Cooharojananone Nagul , Phanomchoeng Gridsada , Kovitanggoon Kittikul
Published: October 2021

Digital innovations have changed the way many industries operate, but the construction industry has been slow to adopt these technologies. However, challenges such as low productivity, project overruns, labor shortages, and inefficient performance management have motivated Thailand’s Department of Highways to adopt digital innovations to build a competitive advantage. Because this industry requires a large work force, obstacles to collaboration can result in ineffective project management. We aimed to improve collaboration on bridge inspections that typically requires the involvement of many people, personal judgement, and extensive travel to survey bridges across the country. One major challenge is to standardize human judgement. To address these challenges, we developed a user-centric bridge visual defect quality control mobile application to improve collaboration and assist field technicians to conduct visual defect inspection. Our results can be used as a case study for other construction firms to embrace digital transformation technologies. This research also demonstrates the new-product development process using the new technology in known markets innovation development and technology acceptance model. We offer several recommendations for future research, including other infrastructure applications.
Simulation and Experimental Analysis of Pressure Pulsation Characteristics of Pump Source Fluid
Authors: Lin Junzhe , Wang Yuanyuan , Zhou Shenghao , Wu Wenjie , Ma Hui , Han Qingkai
Published: October 2021

The output flow pulsation characteristics of the hydraulic pump due to the structural characteristics may cause pump source fluid pressure pulsation and even cause the equipment to vibrate, which will affect the life and working reliability of the equipment. Scholars have done a lot of theoretical and simulation analysis on the characteristics of fluid flow and pressure pulsation caused by the specific structure and structure of the plunger pump, but there are few comparisons and analyses of the simplified model of the plunger pump and the pressure pulsation characteristics with experiments. In this paper, AMESim software is utilized to establish a simplified model of one seven-plunger hydraulic pump, and simulate and analyze the pump source fluid pressure pulsation characteristics of different system load pressures at a constant speed. An experimental platform for testing pump fluid pressure pulsation was designed and built, and the actual measurement and simulation results of pump fluid pressure pulsation were compared and analyzed. The results show that the system simulation data is in good agreement with the measured data, which verifies the correctness of the simplified model of the plunger pump. At the same time, it is found that the fluid pressure pulsation of the pump source exhibits broadband and multi-harmonic characteristics. At a constant speed, as the load pressure of the hydraulic system increases, the pump source fluid pressure pulsation amplitude increases, the pressure pulsation rate decreases, and the impact on the fundamental frequency amplitude is the most significant. The research results can provide a theoretical basis for suppressing the pressure pulsation of the pump source fluid and reducing the vibration response of a hydraulic pipeline under the action of the pulsating harmonic excitation.
Effects of Essential Oils and Selected Compounds from Lamiaceae Family as Adjutants on the Treatment of Subjects with Periodontitis and Cardiovascular Risk
Authors: Castellino Giuseppa , Mesa Francisco , Cappello Francesco , Benavides-Reyes Cristina , Malfa Giuseppe Antonio , Cabello Inmaculada , Magan-Fernandez Antonio
Published: October 2021

Essential oils from different plant species were found to contain different compounds exhibiting anti-inflammatory effects with the potential to be a valid alternative to conventional chemotherapy that is limited in long-term use due to its serious side effects. Generally, the first mechanism by which an organism counteracts injurious stimuli is inflammation, which is considered a part of the innate immune system. Periodontitis is an infectious and inflammatory disease caused by a dysbiosis in the subgingival microbiome that triggers an exacerbated immune response of the host. The immune–inflammatory component leads to the destruction of gingival and alveolar bone tissue. The main anti-inflammation strategies negatively modulate the inflammatory pathways and the involvement of inflammatory mediators by interfering with the gene’s expression or on the activity of some enzymes and so affecting the release of proinflammatory cytokines. These effects are a possible target from an effective and safe approach, suing plant-derived anti-inflammatory agents. The aim of the present review is to summarize the current evidence about the effects of essentials oils from derived from plants of the Lamiaceae family as complementary agents for the treatment of subjects with periodontitis and their possible effect on the cardiovascular risk of these patients.
Comparative Analysis of Different Spatial Interpolation Methods Applied to Monthly Rainfall as Support for Landscape Management
Authors: Caloiero Tommaso , Pellicone Gaetano , Modica Giuseppe , Guagliardi Ilaria
Published: October 2021

Landscape management requires spatially interpolated data, whose outcomes are strictly related to models and geostatistical parameters adopted. This paper aimed to implement and compare different spatial interpolation algorithms, both geostatistical and deterministic, of rainfall data in New Zealand. The spatial interpolation techniques used to produce finer-scale monthly rainfall maps were inverse distance weighting (IDW), ordinary kriging (OK), kriging with external drift (KED), and ordinary cokriging (COK). Their performance was assessed by the cross-validation and visual examination of the produced maps. The results of the cross-validation clearly evidenced the usefulness of kriging in the spatial interpolation of rainfall data, with geostatistical methods outperforming IDW. Results from the application of different algorithms provided some insights in terms of strengths and weaknesses and the applicability of the deterministic and geostatistical methods to monthly rainfall. Based on the RMSE values, the KED showed the highest values only in April, whereas COK was the most accurate interpolator for the other 11 months. By contrast, considering the MAE, the KED showed the highest values in April, May, June and July, while the highest values have been detected for the COK in the other months. According to these results, COK has been identified as the best method for interpolating rainfall distribution in New Zealand for almost all months. Moreover, the cross-validation highlights how the COK was the interpolator with the best least bias and scatter in the cross-validation test, with the smallest errors.
CRank: Reusable Word Importance Ranking for Text Adversarial Attack
Authors: Chen Xinyi , Liu Bo
Published: October 2021

Deep learning models have been widely used in natural language processing tasks, yet researchers have recently proposed several methods to fool the state-of-the-art neural network models. Among these methods, word importance ranking is an essential part that generates text adversarial examples, but suffers from low efficiency for practical attacks. To address this issue, we aim to improve the efficiency of word importance ranking, making steps towards realistic text adversarial attacks. In this paper, we propose CRank, a black box method utilized by our innovated masking and ranking strategy. CRank improves efficiency by 75% at the ’cost’ of only a 1% drop of the success rate when compared to the classic method. Moreover, we explore a new greedy search strategy and Unicode perturbation methods.
Polar Region Integrated Navigation Method Based on Covariance Transformation
Authors: Zhang Yongjian , Wang Lin , Wei Guo , Gao Chunfeng
Published: October 2021

Aircraft flying the trans-arctic routes usually apply inertial navigation mechanization in two different navigation frames, e.g., the local geographic frame and the grid frame. However, this change of navigation frame will cause filter overshoot and error discontinuity. To solve this problem, taking the inertial navigation system/global navigation satellite system (INS/GNSS) integrated navigation system as an example, an integrated navigation method based on covariance transformation is proposed. The relationship of the system error state between different navigation frames is deduced as a means to accurately convert the Kalman filter’s covariance matrix. The experiment and semi-physical simulation results show that the presented covariance transformation algorithm can effectively solve the filter overshoot and error discontinuity caused by the change of navigation frame. Compared with non-covariance transformation, the system state error is thereby reduced significantly.
Synergetic CT, XRF and Geoelectric Imaging for Non-Destructive Soil and Sediment Stratigraphic Study
Authors: Avramidis Pavlos , Emmanouilidis Alexandros , Paraskevopoulos Paraskevas , Roumelioti Zafeiria , Barouchas Pantelis
Published: October 2021

This paper presents the application of three non-destructive techniques in the study of an agricultural area on the west coast of Peloponnese, Greece. The applied methods include (a) electromagnetic geophysical research using a handheld EM profiler (EMP-400 GSSI), (b) computed tomography (CT) with coring data, and (c) X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) scanning. As electrical conductivity is mainly influenced by the bulk soil, including water content, clay content and mineralogy, organic matter, and bulk density, a comparison of the three applied techniques indicates the same soil stratification and same soil properties with depth. Moreover, the ground-truthing by the undisturbed soil and sediments core retrieved in the centre of the site as well as the laboratory analyses of soil and sediment properties confirm the reliability of the geophysical research and the revealed soil/sediment stratification.
Branding Baldung
Authors: Silver Larry
Published: October 2021

Hans Baldung (1484/85–1545) emerged as an artist under the shadow of Germany’s most famous contemporary artist, Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528), thus as a younger rival with considerable catching up to do. His time as a young artist with Dürer in Nuremberg (1503-ca. 1507) prompted Baldung to develop his own innovative imagery, even as it prepared him with the skills of later activity in drawings, woodcut prints, and, finally, paintings. Nuremberg also gave him his first contacts with prestigious patrons, local at first but also farther away, surely through Dürer’s well established network to nobility in Saxony. Afterward, once he was out on his own, Baldung quickly turned his acquired skills and recognizable style into his own definitive, deeply pessimistic imagery about human limitations and mortality, especially when measured against the awesome, holy magnitude of Christ and the saints.
Unorganized Machines to Estimate the Number of Hospital Admissions Due to Respiratory Diseases Caused by PM10 Concentration
Authors: Tadano Yara de Souza , Bacalhau Eduardo Tadeu , Casacio Luciana , Puchta Erickson , Pereira Thomas Siqueira , Antonini Alves Thiago , Ugaya Cássia Maria Lie , Siqueira Hugo Valadares
Published: October 2021

The particulate matter PM10 concentrations have been impacting hospital admissions due to respiratory diseases. The air pollution studies seek to understand how this pollutant affects the health system. Since prediction involves several variables, any disparity causes a disturbance in the overall system, increasing the difficulty of the models’ development. Due to the complex nonlinear behavior of the problem and their influencing factors, Artificial Neural Networks are attractive approaches for solving estimations problems. This paper explores two neural network architectures denoted unorganized machines: the echo state networks and the extreme learning machines. Beyond the standard forms, models variations are also proposed: the regularization parameter (RP) to increase the generalization capability, and the Volterra filter to explore nonlinear patterns of the hidden layers. To evaluate the proposed models’ performance for the hospital admissions estimation by respiratory diseases, three cities of São Paulo state, Brazil: Cubatão, Campinas and São Paulo, are investigated. Numerical results show the standard models’ superior performance for most scenarios. Nevertheless, considering divergent intensity in hospital admissions, the RP models present the best results in terms of data dispersion. Finally, an overall analysis highlights the models’ efficiency to assist the hospital admissions management during high air pollution episodes.
On Some Fractional Integral Inequalities Involving Caputo–Fabrizio Integral Operator
Authors: Chinchane Vaijanath L. , Nale Asha B. , Panchal Satish K. , Chesneau Christophe
Published: October 2021

In this paper, we deal with the Caputo–Fabrizio fractional integral operator with a nonsingular kernel and establish some new integral inequalities for the Chebyshev functional in the case of synchronous function by employing the fractional integral. Moreover, several fractional integral inequalities for extended Chebyshev functional by considering the Caputo–Fabrizio fractional integral operator are discussed. In addition, we obtain fractional integral inequalities for three positive functions involving the same operator.
Genetic, Environmental and Lifestyle Determinants of Accelerated Telomere Attrition as Contributors to Risk and Severity of Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Hecker Michael , Bühring Jan , Fitzner Brit , Rommer Paulus Stefan , Zettl Uwe Klaus
Published: October 2021

Telomeres are protective structures at the ends of linear chromosomes. Shortened telomere lengths (TL) are an indicator of premature biological aging and have been associated with a wide spectrum of disorders, including multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is a chronic inflammatory, demyelinating and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system. The exact cause of MS is still unclear. Here, we provide an overview of genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors that have been described to influence TL and to contribute to susceptibility to MS and possibly disease severity. We show that several early-life factors are linked to both reduced TL and higher risk of MS, e.g., adolescent obesity, lack of physical activity, smoking and vitamin D deficiency. This suggests that the mechanisms underlying the disease are connected to cellular aging and senescence promoted by increased inflammation and oxidative stress. Additional prospective research is needed to clearly define the extent to which lifestyle changes can slow down disease progression and prevent accelerated telomere loss in individual patients. It is also important to further elucidate the interactions between shared determinants of TL and MS. In future, cell type-specific studies and advanced TL measurement methods could help to better understand how telomeres may be causally involved in disease processes and to uncover novel opportunities for improved biomarkers and therapeutic interventions in MS.