bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Study of Orally Disintegrating Tablets Using Erythritol as an Excipient Produced by Moisture-Activated Dry Granulation (MADG)
Authors: Yamada Mizuki , Ishikawa Agata , Muramatsu Shun , Furuishi Takayuki , Onuki Yoshinori , Fukuzawa Kaori , Yonemochi Etsuo
Published: August 2022

Moisture-activated dry granulation (MADG) is an eco-friendly granulation method that uses a small amount of water and insoluble excipients to absorb moisture. MADG is expected to improve productivity and reduce costs. Erythritol, an excipient used for preparing orally disintegrating tablets (ODTs), has poor tabletability and is difficult to form into tablets by conventional methods, such as high-shear granulation (HSG) and direct compression. In this study, we optimized the manufacturing conditions for ODTs to improve the tabletability of erythritol using MADG. The disintegration time of tablets made using the MADG method was approximately one-tenth that of those made using the HSG method, and the hardness was approximately 1.4 times higher. Moreover, MADG could delay disintegration and improve tabletability. We further attempted to optimize the manufacturing conditions using MADG, particularly in terms of the amount of water used. The disintegration time increased as the amount of added water increased. Moreover, water absorption tests revealed that capillary wetting decreased as the amount of water added increased, but the initial wetting did not change. These results suggested that the disintegration time was prolonged because of the increase in granule density and decrease in capillary wetting with the increase in the amount of added water. The hardness of the tablets increased because of the easy deformation of the granules after the addition of up to 3% water; however, when more than 3% water was added, the hardness decreased because of the aggregation of the granules with the excess water. Finally, two-dimensional maps of the effect of the amount of added water and water activity indicated that tablets with a hardness of ≥80 N and a disintegration time of ≤15 s could be produced by adjusting the amount of added water to within the range of 2.2–3.3% and water activity to 0.3–0.53. These results indicate that MADG can improve the tabletability of erythritol and be used for the granulation of ODTs. Tablets with appropriate hardness and disintegration properties can be produced by adjusting the water content to approximately 2.7% and the water activity to approximately 0.4 when producing ODTs with MADG.
Modeling Blood–Brain Barrier Permeability to Solutes and Drugs In Vivo
Authors: Bickel Ulrich
Published: August 2022

Our understanding of the pharmacokinetic principles governing the uptake of endogenous substances, xenobiotics, and biologicals across the blood–brain barrier (BBB) has advanced significantly over the past few decades. There is now a spectrum of experimental techniques available in experimental animals and humans which, together with pharmacokinetic models of low to high complexity, can be applied to describe the transport processes at the BBB of low molecular weight agents and macromolecules. This review provides an overview of the models in current use, from initial rate uptake studies over compartmental models to physiologically based models and points out the advantages and shortcomings associated with the different methods. A comprehensive pharmacokinetic profile of a compound with respect to brain exposure requires the knowledge of BBB uptake clearance, intra-brain distribution, and extent of equilibration across the BBB. The application of proper pharmacokinetic analysis and suitable models is a requirement not only in the drug development process, but in all of the studies where the brain uptake of drugs or markers is used to make statements about the function or integrity of the BBB.
Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy and Model Membranes to Study Translocation Mechanisms of Membrane Active Peptides
Authors: Ciobanasu Corina
Published: August 2022

Membrane active peptides hold great potential for targeted drug delivery systems and understanding their mechanism of uptake is a key step in the development of peptide based therapeutics and clinical use. Giant unilamellar vesicles are cell-sized model membranes that can be individually observed under the microscope. The lipid composition of these membranes can be controlled, and interaction with peptides and changes induced by the peptides can be directly followed. Relevant information on the specific steps of peptides uptake can be obtained using membranes of different lipid composition. The present work provides a selection of dynamics and kinetics of peptides at interaction with model membranes of different lipid composition. The systematic peptide-membrane interaction was investigated by laser scanning confocal microscopy. The peptides used in this study neither internalized nor induced pore formation in neutral membranes composed of phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol. In membranes with anionic phosphatidylserine or cone-shaped phosphatidylethanolamine, all peptides internalized but only two of them were able to form pores, showing that the length of the peptide, the numbers of the arginine amino acid or the length of the α–helix are also relevant for the penetration efficiency of peptides.
Herb Polysaccharide-Based Drug Delivery System: Fabrication, Properties, and Applications for Immunotherapy
Authors: Cao Yubiao , Chen Zhuowen , Sun Liangliang , Lin Yameng , Yang Ye , Cui Xiuming , Wang Chengxiao
Published: August 2022

Herb polysaccharides (HPS) have been studied extensively for their healthcare applications. Though the toxicity was not fully clarified, HPS were widely accepted for their biodegradability and biocompatibility. In addition, as carbohydrate polymers with a unique chemical composition, molecular weight, and functional group profile, HPS can be conjugated, cross-linked, and functionally modified. Thus, they are great candidates for the fabrication of drug delivery systems (DDS). HPS-based DDS (HPS-DDS) can bypass phagocytosis by the reticuloendothelial system, prevent the degradation of biomolecules, and increase the bioavailability of small molecules, thus exerting therapeutic effects. In this review, we focus on the application of HPS as components of immunoregulatory DDS. We summarize the principles governing the fabrication of HPS-DDS, including nanoparticles, micelles, liposomes, microemulsions, hydrogels, and microneedles. In addition, we discuss the role of HPS in DDS for immunotherapy. This comprehensive review provides valuable insights that could guide the design of effective HPS-DDS.
Relationships within Mcneillia Indicate a Complex Evolutionary History and Reveal a New Species of Minuartiella (Caryophyllaceae, Alsinoideae)
Authors: De Luca Daniele , Del Guacchio Emanuele , Conti Fabio , Iamonico Duilio , Caputo Paolo
Published: August 2022

The genus Mcneillia has been recently segregated from Minuartia L. based on molecular results, also supported by morphology. However, to date, a comprehensive study on the phylogenetic relationships within this genus is lacking. In this paper, we provide a multigene phylogeny of all the species and subspecies of Mcneillia employing two nuclear and six chloroplast markers. We documented extensive gene flow between taxa, sometimes separated at specific rank. In addition, Mcneillia as currently circumscribed, is not monophyletic. In fact, Mcneillia graminifolia subsp. brachypetala, strictly endemic to Greece, truly belongs to Minuartiella, a genus otherwise limited to South-West Asia. Moreover, even after removal of this taxon, our results do not support the monophyly of the taxa included in M. graminifolia s.l., the most variable and widespread species of the genus. Further controversial subspecies of Mcneillia graminifolia, i.e., subsp. hungarica and subsp. rosanoi, are shown to deserve taxonomic recognition as separate species, whereas Mc. moraldoi is not distinct at specific rank. In addition, Mc. saxifraga subsp. tmolea is here regarded as a further distinct species. A consistent taxonomic treatment is therefore proposed with six new combinations and nomenclatural notes, providing the necessary typifications.
Consequences of Grazing Cessation for Soil Environment and Vegetation in a Subalpine Grassland Ecosystem
Authors: Gavrichkova Olga , Pretto Gaia , Brugnoli Enrico , Chiti Tommaso , Ivashchenko Kristina V. , Mattioni Michele , Moscatelli Maria Cristina , Scartazza Andrea , Calfapietra Carlo
Published: August 2022

Areas covered by seminatural grasslands have been in constant decline for decades in Europe. This trend is particularly strong for mountain territories, where such traditional agricultural practices as cattle grazing are no longer economically feasible. This study was conducted in the subalpine pasture of Cinte Tesino (TN, Italy), where local farmers have applied the following different management strategies: shorter and longer grazing durations during the season and a complete abandonment for the last 15 years. We aimed to study how these different management strategies impact the functioning and diversity of vegetation and the chemical and biological characteristics of the soil. Species richness was higher in plots subjected to longer grazing with a prevalence of D. caespitosa in terms of biomass share. A decline in species richness in abandoned plots was accompanied by an increase in the share of other graminoids in collected biomass. A concomitant increase in leaf N concentration and light availability in grazed plots resulted in higher photosynthetic efficiency in some species, as revealed by the δ13C of plant tissues. Soils under grazing were characterised by a higher concentration of total and extractable N, almost doubled microbial biomass C and increased extracellular enzymes activity, evidencing nutrient cycling mobilization. While the microbial pool was characterised by lower mineralization rates, C was lost from the soil with 15 years of abandonment. The longer grazing season demonstrated to be the most beneficial, promoting species richness, C accumulation and better soil microbial functioning. A change in soil pH from strongly acidic to moderately acidic with longer grazing is likely one of the important factors adding to the success in the functioning of primary producers and decomposers in this site.
Cytokinin Deficiency Alters Leaf Proteome and Metabolome during Effector-Triggered Immunity in Arabidopsis thaliana Plants
Authors: Pan Ling , Berka Miroslav , Černý Martin , Novák Jan , Luklová Markéta , Brzobohatý Břetislav , Saiz-Fernández Iñigo
Published: August 2022

The involvement of cytokinins (CK) in biotic stresses has been recognized, while knowledge regarding the effects of CK deficiency on plant response against pathogens is less abundant. Thus, the purpose of this study was to reveal the effects of CK deficiency on proteomics and metabolomic responses of flg22-triggered immunity. We conducted a series of histochemical assays to investigate the activity of the downstream pathways caused by flg22, such as accumulation of ROS, induction of defence genes, and callose deposition, that occurred in Arabidopsis thaliana transgenic lines overexpressing the Hordeum vulgare CKX2 gene (HvCKX2), which are therefore CK-deficient. We also used GC and LC-MS-based technology to quantify variations in stress hormone levels and metabolomic and proteomic responses in flg22-treated HvCKX2 and wild-type Arabidopsis plants. We found that CK deficiency alters the flg22-triggered plant defence response, especially through induction of callose deposition, upregulation of defence response-related proteins, increased amino acid biosynthesis, and regulation of plant photosynthesis. We also indicated that JA might be an important contributor to immune response in plants deficient in CKs. The present study offers new evidence on the fundamental role of endogenous CK in the response to pathogens, as well as the possibility of altering plant biotic tolerance by manipulating CK pools.
Ethnobotanical History: Duckweeds in Different Civilizations
Authors: Edelman Marvin , Appenroth Klaus-Juergen , Sree K. Sowjanya , Oyama Tokitaka
Published: August 2022

This presentation examines the history of duckweeds in Chinese, Christian, Greek, Hebrew, Hindu, Japanese, Maya, Muslim, and Roman cultures and details the usage of these diminutive freshwater plants from ancient times through the Middle Ages. We find that duckweeds were widely distributed geographically already in antiquity and were integrated in classical cultures in the Americas, Europe, the Near East, and the Far East 2000 years ago. In ancient medicinal sources, duckweeds are encountered in procedures, concoctions, and incantations involving the reduction of high fever. In this regard, we discuss a potential case of ethnobotanical convergence between the Chinese Han and Classical Maya cultures. Duckweeds played a part in several ancient rituals. In one, the unsuitability of its roots to serve as a wick for Sabbath oil lamps. In another reference to its early use as human food during penitence. In a third, a prominent ingredient in a medicinal incantation, and in a fourth, as a crucial element in ritual body purifications. Unexpectedly, it emerged that in several ancient cultures, the floating duckweed plant featured prominently in the vernacular and religious poetry of the day.
Simple Webserver-Facilitated Method to Design and Synthesize Artificial miRNA Gene and Its Application in Engineering Viral Resistance
Authors: Yasir Muhammad , Motawaa Mohamed , Wang Qingwei , Zhang Xi , Khalid Annum , Cai Xingkui , Li Feng
Published: August 2022

Plant viruses impose serious threats on crop production. Artificial miRNAs can mediate specific and effective gene silencing in plants and are widely used in plant gene function studies and to engineer plant viral resistance. To facilitate the design of artificial miRNA genes, we developed a webserver, AMIRdesigner, which can be used to design oligos for artificial miRNA synthesis using wild-type and permutated MIR171 and MIR164 backbones. The artificial miRNA genes designed by AMIRdesigner can be easily assembled into miRNA clusters for multiple target sites. To validate the server functionality, we designed four artificial miRNA genes targeting four conserved regions in the potato leafroll virus genome using AMIRdesigner. These genes were synthesized with the server-designed oligos and further assembled into a quadruple miRNA cluster, which was cloned into an overexpression vector and transformed into potato plants. Small RNA Northern blot and virus inoculation analyses showed that a high level of artificial miRNA expression and good viral resistance were achieved in some of the transgenic lines. These results demonstrate the utility of our webserver AMIRdesigner for engineering crop viral resistance.
Caucasian Dragonheads: Phenolic Compounds, Polysaccharides, and Bioactivity of Dracocephalum austriacum and Dracocephalum botryoides
Authors: Kashchenko Nina I. , Jafarova Gunay S. , Isaev Javanshir I. , Olennikov Daniil N. , Chirikova Nadezhda K.
Published: August 2022

Dracocephalum botryoides Steven and Dracocephalum austriacum L. are unexplored species of the Dracocephalum genus (Lamiaceae family) with a distribution in the Caucasus, where they are used in folk medicine and local cuisine. There are no data on the chemical composition of these Dracocephalum species. In this study, the application of a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry technique for the metabolite profiling of methanol extracts from herbs and roots of D. austriacum and D. botryoides resulted in the identification of 50 compounds, including benzoic acid derivatives, phenylpropanoids, flavonoids and lignans. Water-soluble polysaccharides of the herbs and roots of D. austriacum and D. botryoides were isolated and characterized as mostly pectins with additive arabinogalactan-protein complexes and starch-like compounds. The antioxidant potential of the studied extracts of Dracocephalum and selected phenolics and water-soluble polysaccharides were investigated via radical-scavenging and ferrous (II) ion chelating assays. This paper demonstrates that herbs and roots of D. austriacum and D. botryoides are rich sources of metabolites and could be valuable plants for new biologically active products. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of whole plant metabolites and their antioxidant activity in D. austriacum and D. botryoides.
Cannabis Seedlings Inherit Seed-Borne Bioactive and Anti-Fungal Endophytic Bacilli
Authors: Dumigan Christopher R. , Deyholos Michael K.
Published: August 2022

Throughout the hundreds of millions of years of co-evolution, plants and microorganisms have established intricate symbiotic and pathogenic relationships. Microbial communities associated with plants are in constant flux and can ultimately determine whether a plant will successfully reproduce or be destroyed by their environment. Inheritance of beneficial microorganisms is an adaptation plants can use to protect germinating seeds against biotic and abiotic stresses as seedlings develop. The interest in Cannabis as a modern crop requires research into effective biocontrol of common fungal pathogens, an area that has seen little research. This study examines the seed-borne endophytes present across 15 accessions of Cannabis grown to seed across Western Canada. Both hemp and marijuana seedlings inherited a closely related group of bioactive endophytic Bacilli. All Cannabis accessions possessed seed-inherited Paenibacillus mobilis with the capacity to solubilize mineral phosphate. Additionally, seeds were found to carry genera of fungal isolates known to be Cannabis pathogens and post-harvest molds: Alternaria, Penicillium, Cladosporium, Chaetomium, Aspergillus, Rhizopus, and Fusarium. Thirteen seed-borne endophytes showed antibiotic activity against Alternaria, Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Fusarium. This study suggests both fungal pathogens and bacterial endophytes that antagonize them are vectored across generations in Cannabis as they compete over this shared niche.
A Diluted Electrolyte for Long-Life Sulfurized Polyacrylonitrile-Based Anode-Free Li-S Batteries
Authors: Ma Ting , Ren Xiuyun , Hu Liang , Teng Wanming , Wang Xiaohu , Wu Guanglei , Liu Jun , Nan Ding , Li Baohua , Yu Xiaoliang
Published: August 2022

Lithium-metal batteries have attracted extensive research attention because of their high energy densities. Developing appropriate electrolytes compatible with lithium-metal anodes is of great significance to facilitate their practical application. Currently used electrolytes still face challenges of high production costs and unsatisfactory Coulombic efficiencies of lithium plating/stripping. In this research, we have developed a diluted electrolyte which is compatible with both lithium-metal anode and sulfurized polyacrylonitrile cathode. It presents a very high Li plating/stripping Coulombic efficiency of 99.3% over prolonged cycling, and the as-assembled anode-free Li-S battery maintains 71.5% of the initial specific capacity after 200 cycles at 0.1 A g−1. This work could shed light on designing a low-cost and high-performance liquid electrolyte for next-generation high-energy batteries.
Scalable Fabrication of Thermally Conductive Layered Nacre-like Self-Assembled 3D BN-Based PVA Aerogel Framework Nanocomposites
Authors: Owais Mohammad , Shiverskii Aleksei , Sulimov Artem , Ostrizhiniy Dmitriy , Popov Yuri , Mahato Biltu , Abaimov Sergey G.
Published: August 2022

In this study, three-dimensional (3D) polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/aligned boron nitride (BN) aerogel framework nanocomposites with high performance were fabricated by a facile strategy. The boron nitride powder was initially hydrolyzed and dispersed with a chemically crosslinked plasticizer, diethyl glycol (DEG), in the PVA polymer system. The boron nitride and DEG/PVA suspensions were then mixed well with different stoichiometric ratios to attain BN/PVA nanocomposites. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that BN platelets were well dispersed and successfully aligned/oriented in one direction in the PVA matrix by using a vacuum-assisted filtration technique. The formed BN/PVA aerogel cake composite showed excellent in-plane and out-of-plane thermal conductivities of 0.76 W/mK and 0.61 W/mK with a ratio of BN/PVA of (2:1) in comparison with 0.15 W/mK for the pure PVA matrix. These high thermal conductivities of BN aerogel could be attributed to the unidirectional orientation of boron nitride nanoplatelets with the post-two days vacuum drying of the specimens at elevated temperatures. This aerogel composite is unique of its kind and displayed such high thermal conductivity of the BN/PVA framework without impregnation by any external polymer. Moreover, the composites also presented good wettability results with water and displayed high electrical resistivity of ~1014 Ω cm. These nanocomposites thus, with such exceptional characteristics, have a wide range of potential uses in packaging and electronics for thermal management applications.
Pharmaceutical Coating and Its Different Approaches, a Review
Authors: Salawi Ahmad
Published: August 2022

Coating the solid dosage form, such as tablets, is considered common, but it is a critical process that provides different characteristics to tablets. It increases the value of solid dosage form, administered orally, and thus meets diverse clinical requirements. As tablet coating is a process driven by technology, it relies on advancements in coating techniques, equipment used for the coating process, evaluation of coated tablets, and coated material used. Although different techniques were employed for coating purposes, which may be based on the use of solvents or solvent-free, each of the methods used has its advantages and disadvantages, and the techniques need continued modification too. During the process of film coating, several inter-and intra-batch uniformity of coated material on the tablets is considered a critical point that ensures the worth of the final product, particularly for those drugs that contain an active medicament in the coating layer. Meanwhile, computational modeling and experimental evaluation were actively used to predict the impact of the operational parameters on the final product quality and optimize the variables in tablet coating. The efforts produced by computational modeling or experimental evaluation not only save cost in optimizing the coating process but also saves time. This review delivers a brief review on film coating in solid dosage form, which includes tablets, with a focus on the polymers and processes used in the coating. At the end, some pharmaceutical applications were also discussed.
The Dynamic Properties at Elevated Temperature of the Thermoplastic Polystyrene Matrix Modified with Nano-Alumina Powder and Thermoplastic Elastomer
Authors: Chen Chih-Ming , Chang Huey-Ling , Lee Chun-Ying
Published: August 2022

The performance improvement of advanced electronic packaging material is an important topic to meet the stringent demands of modern semiconductor devices. This paper studies the incorporation of nano-alumina powder and thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) into thermoplastic polystyrene matrix to tune the thermal and mechanical properties after injection molding process. In the sample preparation, acetone was employed as a solvent to avoid the powder escape into surrounding during the mechanical mixing in a twin-screw mixer. The pressure and shear force were able to mix the composite with good uniformity in compositions. The samples with different compositions were fabricated using injection molding. The measured results showed that adding 5 wt.% of TPE into the simple polystyrene was able to raise the melt flow index from 12.3 to 13.4 g/10 min while the thermal decomposition temperature remained nearly unchanged. Moreover, the addition of small amount of nano-alumina powder could quickly improve the mechanical property by raising its storage modulus. For example, the addition of 3 wt.% of nano-alumina powder had an increase of 7.3% in storage modulus. Over doping of nano-alumina powder in the composite, such as 10 wt.%, on the other hand, lowered the storage modulus from 2404 MPa to 2069 MPa. The experimental study demonstrated that the tuning in the polystyrene’s thermal and mechanical properties is feasible by composition modification with nano-alumina powder and TPE. The better concentration of the additives should be determined according to the specific applications.
Evaluating the Performance of 3D-Printed PLA Reinforced with Date Pit Particles for Its Suitability as an Acetabular Liner in Artificial Hip Joints
Authors: Fouly Ahmed , Alnaser Ibrahim , Assaifan Abdulaziz , Abdo Hany
Published: August 2022

Off-the-shelf hip joints are considered essential parts in rehabilitation medicine that can help the disabled. However, the failure of the materials used in such joints can cause individual discomfort. In support of the various motor conditions of the influenced individuals, the aim of the current research is to develop a new composite that can be used as an acetabular liner inside the hip joint. Polylactic acid (PLA) can provide the advantage of design flexibility owing to its well-known applicability as a 3D printed material. However, using PLA as an acetabular liner is subject to limitations concerning mechanical properties. We developed a complete production process of a natural filler, i.e., date pits. Then, the PLA and date pit particles were extruded for homogenous mixing, producing a composite filament that can be used in 3D printing. Date pit particles with loading fractions of 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 wt.% are dispersed in the PLA. The thermal, physical, and mechanical properties of the PLA–date pit composites were estimated experimentally. The incorporation of date pit particles into PLA enhanced the compressive strength and stiffness but resulted in a reduction in the elongation and toughness. A finite element model (FEM) for hip joints was constructed, and the contact stresses on the surface of the acetabular liner were evaluated. The FEM results showed an enhancement in the composite load carrying capacity, in agreement with the experimental results.
In Vivo Degradation Studies of PGA-PLA Block Copolymer and Their Histochemical Analysis for Spinal-Fixing Application
Authors: Yoon Seung-Kyun , Chung Dong-June
Published: August 2022

Polylactic acid (PLA) and polyglycolic acid (PGA) are well-known medical-implant materials. Under the consideration of the limitations of degradable polymeric materials, such as weak mechanical strength and by-product release through the biodegradation process under in vivo environments, PLA–PGA block copolymer is one of the effective alternative implant materials in the clinical field. In our previous study, two types of extremely effective PGA–PLA copolymers (multi/tri-block PGA–PLA copolymers) were synthesized. These synthesized block copolymers could overcome aforementioned issues and also showed good biocompatibility. In this study, the PGA–PLA block copolymers with large molecular weight were synthesized under the same chemical scheme, and their bio durability was confirmed through the in vivo degradation behavior and histochemical analyses (by hematoxylin and eosin and immune staining) in comparison with commercial PLGA random copolymer (medical grade). Specimens for the degradation test were investigated by SEM and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). As a result, the synthesized PGA–PLA block copolymer showed good biocompatibility and had a controlled biodegrading rate, making it suitable for use in resorbable spinal-fixation materials.
Changes in High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL), Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) and Cholesterol Concentration in Heavy Cannabis Users: A Single-Centre Study in Cusco, Peru
Authors: Cusihuaman Sandro , Moya-Salazar Jeel , Wong-Salgado Pedro , Moya-Salazar Marcia M. , Cañari Betsy , Chicoma-Flores Karina , Contreras-Pulache Hans
Published: August 2022

Background: The effect of cannabis on cholesterol and lipid balance has been reported for decades. However, there are conflicting reports on the reduction of low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) and total cholesterol. The purpose of this study was to determine the immediate changes of Cannabis spp. consumption by pyrolytic route in heavy users. Methods: A cross-sectional study on 20 Peruvian heavy cannabis users (mean age: 31 ± 9.5 years). The inclusion criteria were males with an average weight of 50–70 kg, normal BMI, and having used cannabis, without association with other drugs, for at least one year with a high frequency per week (use: 4–7 days/week). High-density lipoprotein (HDL-C), LDL-C, and total cholesterol were evaluated 30 and 120 min after the administration of Cannabis spp. (~0.2 g by inhalation). Results: Of the total 12 (60%), 10 (50%), and 11 (55%) had desirable total cholesterol, fairly good HDL-C (40–60 mg/dL) and fairly good LDL-C (100–129 mg/dL) values, respectively. The mean basal concentration of total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, and LDL-cholesterol was 193.37 ± 20.18 mg/dL, 60.05 ± 6.36 mg/dL, and 129.65 ± 14.50 mg/dL, respectively. HDL-cholesterol showed progressive increases in participants with desirable HDL-C > 60 mg/dL at 30 min (10 vs. 14 participants, p < 0.001) and at 120 min (10 vs. 16 participants, p < 0.001), while LDL-C peaked in participants with concentrations < 100 mg/dL at 30 min (desirable cholesterol: 0 vs. 2, p = 0.001). HDL-C concentration showed differences after cannabis consumption, showing increases at 30 (63.25 ± 7.68 mg/dL) and 120 min (69.15 ± 18.67 mg/dL) and total cholesterol concentration changed to 180.95 ± 19.3 mg/dL (95%CI 172.5 to 189.4) at 120 min (p = 0.007). Conclusions: HDL-C cholesterol increased 30 and 120 min after Cannabis spp. ingestion, while LDL-C and total cholesterol showed partial reductions in heavy-users from Cusco, Peru.
A Metallic Fracture Estimation Method Using Digital Image Correlation
Authors: Wu Ziran , Han Yan , Liang Bumeng , Wu Guichu , Bao Zhizhou , Qian Weifei
Published: August 2022

This paper proposes a metallic fracture estimation method that combines digital image correlation and convolutional neural networks, based on a proven theory that the strain distribution of a component changes when a crack occurs in a structure. By using digital image correlation, the method achieves noncontact and nondestructive sensing, as well as high interference immunity. We utilize a digital image correlation system to produce strain distribution graphs that reflect occurrences and propagations of fractures during fatigue processes. A deep residual network (ResNet) regression model is trained by correlating strain distribution graphs with the corresponding fracture lengths, so that the fracture propagation condition can be estimated by data from digital image correlation. In the experiment, according to the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) standards, we fabricate a set of aluminum specimens and perform fatigue tests with data acquisition by digital image correlation. Finally, we obtain a crack length estimation mean absolute error of 0.0077 mm, or 0.26% of the measuring range. The results show the precision, as well as the practicality, of the proposed method.
Ideal Flow Design of Plane-Strain Bending Driven by Springback
Authors: Alexandrov Sergei , Rynkovskaya Marina , Hwang Yeong-Maw
Published: August 2022

The present paper is concerned with the design of the plane-strain bending of wide sheets driven by the sheet’s geometric shape after unloading. The solution is based on the ideal flow theory. It determines the loading path (the dependence between the dimensionless bending moment and the dimensionless tensile force) that produces the desirable shape. The ideal flow theory is valid for the rigid perfectly plastic material model. A method proposed in the literature combines a rigid plastic solution at loading and an elastic solution for springback. The final design solution is practically analytical. A numerical method is only necessary to solve a system of transcendental equations. An illustrative example is provided. This example shows that, in some cases, it is sufficient to use the solution at loading to determine an accurate loading path that produces the desirable sheet’s shape after springback.
Software Refactoring Prediction Using SVM and Optimization Algorithms
Authors: Akour Mohammed , Alenezi Mamdouh , Alsghaier Hiba
Published: August 2022

Test suite code coverage is often used as an indicator for test suite capability in detecting faults. However, earlier studies that have explored the correlation between code coverage and test suite effectiveness have not addressed this correlation evolutionally. Moreover, some of these works have only addressed small sized systems, or systems from the same domain, which makes the result generalization process unclear for other domain systems. Software refactoring promotes a positive consequence in terms of software maintainability and understandability. It aims to enhance the software quality by modifying the internal structure of systems without affecting their external behavior. However, identifying the refactoring needs and which level should be executed is still a big challenge to software developers. In this paper, the authors explore the effectiveness of employing a support vector machine along with two optimization algorithms to predict software refactoring at the class level. In particular, the SVM was trained in genetic and whale algorithms. A well-known dataset belonging to open-source software systems (i.e., ANTLR4, JUnit, MapDB, and McMMO) was used in this study. All experiments achieved a promising accuracy rate range of between 84% for the SVM–Junit system and 93% for McMMO − GA + Whale + SVM. It was clear that added value was gained from merging the SVM with two optimization algorithms. All experiments achieved a promising F-measure range between the SVM–Antlr4 system’s result of 86% and that of the McMMO − GA + Whale + SVM system at 96%. Moreover, the results of the proposed approach were compared with the results from four well known ML algorithms (NB-Naïve, IBK-Instance, RT-Random Tree, and RF-Random Forest). The results from the proposed approach outperformed the prediction performances of the studied MLs.
Investigating the Cytotoxicity of Dual-Cure Bulk-Fill Resin Materials on L929 Cells
Authors: Koymen Safiye Selin , Donmez Nazmiye , Yenigun Vildan Betul , Bahadori Fatemeh , Kocyigit Abdurrahim
Published: August 2022

The aim of this in vitro study was to investigate cytotoxic effects of dual-cure bulk-fill resin materials polymerized with a third-generation LED light-curing unit (LCU) on L929 fibroblast cells in terms of morphology and viability. Three novel dual-cure, flowable bulk-fill materials (Fill-Up!™), a bioactive material (ACTIVA™ BioACTIVE-RESTORATIVE™), and a dual-cure bulk-fill composite material (HyperFIL® HAp) polymerized by LED LCU (VALO™ Cordless) were tested. Each material was placed in plastic rings (4 mm × 5 mm) in a single layer. Unpolymerized rings filled with each material were placed in direct contact with cells and then polymerized. After polymerization, the removed medium was readded to wells. In this study, four control groups were performed: the medium-free control group, medium control group, physical control group, and light applied control group. Three samples were prepared from each group. After 24 h, the morphology of cells was examined and a WST-1 test was performed. The percentage of cell viability (PCV) of each group was calculated. The experiment was repeated three times. Data were analyzed by a Kruskal–Wallis Test and a Mann–Whitney U test. p < 0.05 was considered significant. The PCV of all groups were found to be significantly lower than the medium control group (p < 0.05). The lowest PCV was obtained in HyperFIL® Hap, while highest was in the Fill-Up!™. In the morphology of cells related to the experimental groups, it was observed that the spindle structures of cells were disrupted due to cytotoxicity; cells became rounded and intercellular space increased. There were no significant differences between the control groups (p > 0.05). All control groups showed acceptable PCV (>70%) and cells were spindle-like, similar to the original fibroblast cells. It can be suggested that clinicians should pay attention when applying dual-cure bulk-fill materials in deep cavities, or they should use a liner material under these materials.
The Multicultural Church of “Le Jour du Seigneur”
Authors: Hegy Pierre
Published: August 2022

Multicultural worship is defined here as a form of worship that is attractive to both non-religious outsiders and religious insiders. It is most appropriate in our times of religious decline. This paper presents a Catholic television program which involves collaboration with Protestants, the secular state television, secular writers, and university professors. This Sunday service consists of two parts: a discussion called “le magazine” and the mass taking place every week in a different parish. During the pandemic, when there were strict restrictions from March 2020 to September 2020, the program aired innovative worship services, centered on music and images, broadcast from a small Paris studio. When in September 2020 the pandemic was thought to be over and the major restrictions were lifted, the program became theologically and pastorally more multicultural than ever before. The conclusion offers other examples of multicultural worship adapted to our times of religious decline.
Can Wu and Xi in Guoyu Be Categorised as Shamans?
Authors: Liu Liang
Published: August 2022

The issue of whether Wu 巫 and Xi 覡 mentioned in Guoyu, ‘Chuyu Xia’ 國語, 楚語下, can be categorised as shamans has been the subject of controversy for a long time. As there is no generally accepted definition of ‘shaman’, we cannot give a definite and universally acceptable answer. Based on a microanalysis of the semantic textual meaning of ‘Chuyu Xia’, this study argues that the meaning of ‘Shang Xia Bi Yi’ 上下比義 in this chapter is to implement the sacred principles of Heaven on Earth and that Wu and Xi were chosen by the spirits just because they were able to do this. The meaning of ‘Ming Shen Jiang Zhi, Zai Nan Yue Xi, Zai Nü Yue Wu’ 明神降之, 在男曰覡, 在女曰巫 is either ‘Wu and Xi were possessed by the spirits from Heaven’ or ‘there was a certain form of direct communication between the spirits and Wu and Xi’. This study, thus, aims to provide a basis for accurately judging whether Wu and Xi can be categorised as shamans.
Exploring the Influence of News Consumption on Non-Muslim Australians’ Attitudes towards Muslims
Authors: Ewart Jacqui , Walding Shannon
Published: August 2022

Research into news media representations of Muslims and their faith has focused mainly on how Muslims are portrayed in various types of news media and how stories about or involving them are framed. However, there has been very little attention paid to the effects of news consumption on attitudes towards Muslims. Accordingly, we wanted to explore a range of issues associated with news consumption levels and attitudes towards Muslims in Australia. The three objectives of this article are to: explore whether the amount of news consumed by respondents to an Australian survey influences the level of animosity they hold towards Muslims; determine how political viewpoint and religiosity influence the relationship between news consumption and animosity towards Muslims; and see whether engagement with Muslims influences the relationship between news consumption and animosity towards Muslims. Through a 2018 nationally representative sample of Australians, we target these objectives by investigating whether the amount of news that non-Muslim survey participants consume in a week influences the levels of anger they feel towards Muslims and how their self-defined religiosity, political viewpoint, and engagement with Muslims affect that relationship, while controlling for known drivers of anti-Muslim sentiment, such as demographic characteristics and knowledge about Muslims. We set our study in the contemporary context of mostly lab-based research that helps us understand how news media consumption affects particular types of people and whether there are commonalities in like-groups’ responses to different types of news consumption; in this case, stories about Muslims and their faith. The findings of our research will be of interest to news media organizations and journalists wanting to know about the effects of their coverage of stories about Muslims and their faith and those wanting to improve that reportage. The results will also interest groups working on social cohesion efforts, those trying to improve inter-faith and inter-cultural relations, and academics investigating news media coverage of Muslims and Islam. Significantly, we find quantity of news consumption to lack effect on anger levels.
Radiological Surveillance Using a Fixed-Wing UAV Platform
Authors: Geelen Stef , Camps Johan , Olyslaegers Geert , Ilegems Greet , Schroeyers Wouter
Published: August 2022

A drone–detector system was designed, developed, and tested for radiological monitoring. The system was tailored to perform measurements during the threat, release, and post-release phases of a nuclear or radiological event. This allows the surveillance of large areas, with an autonomy of up to 12 h, in a large range of altitudes above ground level. The detector system was optimized for gamma spectroscopy, taking into account the available payload for maximum endurance and maximum detection efficiency using ‘PENELOPE (2018)’ Monte Carlo simulations. A generic methodology was used to derive quantitative information on radioactivity levels from the raw measured gamma-ray spectra at different altitudes. Based on the methodology, it was demonstrated that the drone–detector system can measure the concentration of potassium-40 (K-40) that is naturally present in the soil. These measurements complied within 30% of the soil sampling results taking into account the uncertainties. The functioning of the system was tested during test flights, which demonstrated that radionuclide identification and quantification of radioactivity concentrations are possible.
Sentinel-2 Enables Nationwide Monitoring of Single Area Payment Scheme and Greening Agricultural Subsidies in Hungary
Authors: Henits László , Szerletics Ákos , Szokol Dávid , Szlovák Gergely , Gojdár Emese , Zlinszky András
Published: August 2022

The verification and monitoring of agricultural subsidy claims requires combined evaluation of several criteria at the scale of over a million cultivation units. Sentinel-2 satellite imagery is a promising data source and paying agencies are encouraged to test their pre-operational use. Here, we present the outcome of the Hungarian agricultural subsidy monitoring pilot: our goal was to propose a solution based on open-source components and evaluate the main strengths and weaknesses for Sentinel-2 in the framework of a complex set of tasks. These include the checking of the basic cultivation of grasslands and arable land and compliance to the criteria of ecological focus areas. The processing of the satellite data was conducted based on random forest for crop classification and the detection of cultivation events was conducted based on NDVI (Normalized Differential Vegetation Index) time series analysis results. The outputs of these processes were combined in a decision tree ruleset to provide the final results. We found that crop classification provided good performance (overall accuracy 88%) for 22 vegetation classes and cultivation detection was also reliable when compared to on-screen visual interpretation. The main limitation was the size of fields, which were frequently small compared to the spatial resolution of the images: more than 4% of the parcels had to be excluded, although these represent less than 3% of the cultivated area of Hungary. Based on these results, we find that operational satellite-based monitoring is feasible for Hungary, and expect further improvements from integration with Sentinel-1 due to additional temporal resolution.
Multi-Aspect Convolutional-Transformer Network for SAR Automatic Target Recognition
Authors: Li Siyuan , Pan Zongxu , Hu Yuxin
Published: August 2022

In recent years, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) automatic target recognition (ATR) has been widely used in both military and civilian fields. Due to the sensitivity of SAR images to the observation azimuth, the multi-aspect SAR image sequence contains more information for recognition than a single-aspect one. Nowadays, multi-aspect SAR target recognition methods mainly use recurrent neural networks (RNN), which rely on the order between images and thus suffer from information loss. At the same time, the training of the deep learning model also requires a lot of training data, but multi-aspect SAR images are expensive to obtain. Therefore, this paper proposes a multi-aspect SAR recognition method based on self-attention, which is used to find the correlation between the semantic information of images. Simultaneously, in order to improve the anti-noise ability of the proposed method and reduce the dependence on a large amount of data, the convolutional autoencoder (CAE) used to pretrain the feature extraction part of the method is designed. The experimental results using the MSTAR dataset show that the proposed multi-aspect SAR target recognition method is superior in various working conditions, performs well with few samples and also has a strong ability of anti-noise.
A Review on Multi-GNSS for Earth Observation and Emerging Applications
Authors: Jin Shuanggen , Wang Qisheng , Dardanelli Gino
Published: August 2022

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) has drawn the attention of scientists and users all over the world for its wide-ranging Earth observations and applications. Since the end of May 2022, more than 130 satellites are available for fully global operational satellite navigation systems, such as BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), Galileo, GLONASS and GPS, which have been widely used in positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT), e.g., precise orbit determination and location-based services. Recently, the refracted, reflected, and scattered signals from GNSS can remotely sense the Earth’s surface and atmosphere with potential applications in environmental remote sensing. In this paper, a review of multi-GNSS for Earth Observation and emerging application progress is presented, including GNSS positioning and orbiting, GNSS meteorology, GNSS ionosphere and space weather, GNSS-Reflectometry and GNSS earthquake monitoring, as well as GNSS integrated techniques for land and structural health monitoring. One of the most significant findings from this review is that, nowadays, GNSS is one of the best techniques in the field of Earth observation, not only for traditional positioning applications, but also for integrated remote sensing applications. With continuous improvements and developments in terms of performance, availability, modernization, and hybridizing, multi-GNSS will become a milestone for Earth observations and future applications.