bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ethics & AI: A Systematic Review on Ethical Concerns and Related Strategies for Designing with AI in Healthcare
Authors: Li Fan , Ruijs Nick , Lu Yuan
Published: January 2023

In modern life, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) has promoted the implementation of data-driven algorithms in high-stakes domains, such as healthcare. However, it is becoming increasingly challenging for humans to understand the working and reasoning of these complex and opaque algorithms. For AI to support essential decisions in these domains, specific ethical issues need to be addressed to prevent the misinterpretation of AI, which may have severe consequences for humans. However, little research has been published on guidelines that systematically addresses ethical issues when AI techniques are applied in healthcare. In this systematic literature review, we aimed to provide an overview of ethical concerns and related strategies that are currently identified when applying AI in healthcare. The review, which followed the PRISMA guidelines, revealed 12 main ethical issues: justice and fairness, freedom and autonomy, privacy, transparency, patient safety and cyber security, trust, beneficence, responsibility, solidarity, sustainability, dignity, and conflicts. In addition to these 12 main ethical issues, we derived 19 ethical sub-issues and associated strategies from the literature.
Lymphocystis Disease Virus Infection in Clownfish Amphiprion ocellaris and Amphiprion clarkii in Taiwan
Authors: Cheng Ming-Chung , See Ming She , Wang Pei-Chi , Kuo Yu-Ting , Ho Yuan-Shing , Chen Shih-Chu , Tsai Ming-An
Published: January 2023

Lymphocystic disease affects over 150 species of marine and freshwater fish worldwide. In this study, the lymphocystis pathogen was found in 2 (Amphiprion ocellaris and Amphiprion clarkii) of the 9 species of clownfish. Detection of lymphocystis disease virus (LCDV) was based on histopathological study, electron microscope observation of virus particles and gene sequence analysis from the MCP region. Infected A. ocellaris hosts showed sparse, multifocal, white, stiff, papilloma-like nodules on the body, skin, gills and fins; while, on A. clarkia, nodules were found on the operculum skin. Histopathologic study showed lymphocystic cells with an irregular nucleus, enlarged cytoplasm and intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies surrounded by the cell membrane. The viral particle presents virions 180–230 nm in diameter, hexagonal in shape with an inner dense nucleoid under transmission electron micrographs (TEM). From the ML polygenetic tree, the clownfish LCVD genotype was closely related to the LCDV strain from paradise fish, Macropodus opercularis (KJ408271) (pairwise distance: 92.5%) from China, then followed by the strain from Spain (GU320726 and GU320736) (pairwise distance: 90.8–90.5%), Korea (AB299163, AB212999, AB213004, and AB299164) (pairwise distance: 91.5–80.5%) and lastly Canada (GU939626) (pairwise distance: 83%). This is the first report of lymphocystis disease in A. clarkii in Taiwan.
The Thyroid Hormone and Immunoglobulin Concentrations in Blood Serum and Thyroid Gland Morphology in Young Hens Fed with Different Diets, Sources, and Levels of Iodine Supply
Authors: Słupczyńska Maja , Jamroz Dorota , Orda Janusz , Wiliczkiewicz Andrzej , Kuropka Piotr , Król Barbara
Published: January 2023

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of the level (1, 3, and 5 mg I/kg) and source of iodine (KI, Ca(IO3)2, and KIO3) on thyroid hormone and immunoglobulin concentrations in the blood serum of laying hens alongside a histological picture of the thyroid. In the first, birds were fed grain–soybean meal mixtures, and in the second, two kinds of diets based on corn–soybean or corn–soybean–rapeseed meal were applied. In the experiments, we determined the levels of the blood serum thyroid hormones fT3 and fT4, as well as the morphological structure of the thyroid gland. In the second experiment, the concentration of immunoglobulins in blood serum was assayed. In both experiments, no influence of iodine source on thyroid hormone concentration was observed. However, increasing the iodine level in the full mixture and adding rapeseed meal in both experiments caused an increase in fT3 concentration. Increasing I-addition in both experiments led to a decrease in thyroid gland follicle diameter. Rapeseed meal inclusion (at a level of 10%) to the complete hen mixture led to an increase in thyroid gland follicle diameter. Applying KIO3 as an iodine source in both experiments caused a decrease in the thyroid gland height of follicle epithelial cells. Immunoglobulin concentrations in the serum were not affected by experimental factors. The results suggest that the methodologies of studies on the bioavailability of minerals and the corresponding analytical methods require unification. The lack of such standardization makes it impossible to engage in a satisfactory discussion of the results and exchange experiences.
Comparative Proteomic Analysis of Milk-Derived Extracellular Vesicles from Dairy Cows with Clinical and Subclinical Mastitis
Authors: Wang Mengling , Cai Meng , Zhu Xiaoyan , Nan Xuemei , Xiong Benhai , Yang Liang
Published: January 2023

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membranous vesicles found in biological fluids with essential functions. However, milk-derived EV proteins from clinical mastitis (CM) and subclinical mastitis (SM) cows have yet to be studied in detail. In this study, milk-derived EVs of CM, SM, and Healthy cows were extracted using a combination of acetic acid/ultracentrifugation and density gradient ultracentrifugation and analyzed using a shotgun proteomic by data-independent acquisition mode. A total of 1253 milk exosome proteins were identified and quantified. Differently enriched (DE) proteins were identified as given a Benjamini–Hochberg adjusted p < 0.05 and a fold change of at least 2. There were 53 and 1 DE proteins in milk-derived EVs from CM and SM cows compared with healthy cows. Protein S100-A9, Protein S100-A8, Chitinase-3-like protein 1, Haptoglobin, Integrin beta-2, and Chloride intracellular channel protein 1 were more abundant in the CM group (adjusted p < 0.05). Still, their enrichment in the SM group was not significant as in the Healthy group. The enrichment of DE proteins between CM and Healthy group was consistent with elevated GO (Gene Ontology) processes—defense response, defense response to Gram-positive bacterium, granulocyte chemotaxis also contributed to Reactome pathways—neutrophil degranulation, innate immune system, and antimicrobial peptides in the CM group. These results provide essential information on mastitis-associated proteins in milk-derived EVs and indicate the biological functions of milk-derived EVs proteins require further elucidation.
Investigation and Management of an Outbreak of Lead Intoxication in an Extensively Managed Beef Herd
Authors: Scrivens Meghan M. , Frith David , Wood Ben , Burren Brian , Doust Andrew J. , McGowan Michael R.
Published: January 2023

Fifteen hundred 12–15-month-old tropically adapted heifers inadvertently grazed a paddock which had a refuse dump in it containing burnt out vehicle batteries. The cattle grazed this paddock for approximately seven days. Subsequently these cattle were managed as two cohorts (cull and potential replacement breeding animals). Deaths commenced in the cull heifer group approximately 18 days after initial exposure to the refuse dump during relocation to a feedlot. Mortalities continued for 12 days, with other heifers showing clinical signs of marked central nervous system dysfunction requiring euthanasia. Necropsy of several clinically affected cattle plus blood sampling for lead analysis confirmed a diagnosis of lead intoxication. The crude mortality rate in the cull heifers was 6.6% (n = 685). Following confirmation of the diagnosis most of the potential replacement heifers (second cohort) were also relocated to the feedlot. The estimated crude mortality rate in this cohort was 5.8% (n = 815). All possible lead intoxication deaths occurred within 34 days of initial exposure, and apparently after day 16 at the feedlot no further heifers showed any clinical signs which could be attributed to lead intoxication. Longitudinal monitoring of blood lead concentrations was used to identify cattle suitable for slaughter. Overall, 70% of heifers initially blood sampled (n = 1408) had no detectable lead in their blood, however 16% had markedly elevated blood lead concentrations (> 0.7µmol/L) which persisted, and 2% had above the maximum normal threshold 1.5 years later. These latter cattle were subsequently euthanized, and necropsy revealed that visible pieces of lead were still present in the reticulum of several animals. At no time did any of these heifers with persistently high blood lead concentrations show clinical signs of lead intoxication.
Relationship between Phenotypic and Genotypic Resistance of Subgingival Biofilm Samples in Patients with Periodontitis
Authors: Sparbrod Moritz , Gager Yann , Koehler Anne-Katrin , Jentsch Holger , Stingu Catalina-Suzana
Published: January 2023

The phenotypic expression of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) can hamper the use of antibiotics as adjuncts to subgingival instrumentation in the treatment of periodontitis patients. The aim of the study was to analyze the relationship between the phenotypic and genotypic resistance against ampicillin-sulbactam, clindamycin, doxycycline and metronidazole of subgingival biofilm samples from 19 periodontitis patients. Samples were analyzed with shotgun sequencing and cultivated anaerobically for 7 days on microbiological culture media incorporating antibiotics. All growing isolates were identified to the species level using MALDI-TOF-MS and sequence analysis of the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene. Phenotypic resistance was determined using EUCAST-breakpoints. The genetic profile of eight patients matched completely with phenotypical resistance to the tested antibiotics. The positive predictive values varied from 1.00 for clindamycin to 0.57 for doxycycline and 0.25 for ampicillin-sulbactam. No sample contained the nimI gene. It can be concluded that antibiotic resistance may be polygenetic and genes may be silent. Every biofilm sample harboring erm genes was phenotypic resistant. The absence of cfx and tet genes correlated to 100%, respectively, to 75%, with the absence of phenotypic resistance. The absence of nimI genes leads to the assumption that constitutive resistance among several species could explain the resistance to metronidazole.
Performance of Two Extracts Derived from Propolis on Mature Biofilm Produced by Candida albicans
Authors: Barros Isabella Letícia Esteves , Veiga Flávia Franco , de Castro-Hoshino Lidiane Vizioli , Souza Monique , Malacrida Amanda Milene , Diniz Beatriz Vesco , dos Santos Rafaela Said , Bruschi Marcos Luciano , Baesso Mauro Luciano , Negri Melyssa , Svidzinski Terezinha Inez Estivalet
Published: January 2023

Species of the Candida genus represent the third most common cause of onychomycosis, the most frequent and difficult to treat nail infection. Onychomycosis has been attributed to fungi organized in biofilm and some natural products have proved promising for its treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the antibiofilm activity of propolis extract (PE) and its by-product (WPE) on 7-day preformed biofilms produced by Candida albicans in polystyrene microplates, as well as in an ex vivo model on human nail fragments. The cytotoxicity and permeation capacity were also assessed. Firstly, multiple parameters were evaluated over 7 days to elucidate the dynamics of biofilm formation by C. albicans. The cell viability and total biomass did not vary much from the beginning; however, days 3 and 4 were crucial in terms of metabolic activity, which was significantly increased, and the levels of extracellular matrix components, wherein proteins and nucleic acids experienced an increase, but polysaccharide levels dropped. Architecturally, one-day biofilm showed a monolayer of organized cells (blastoconidia, hyphae, and pseudohyphae), while in the seven-day biofilm there was a three-dimensional well-structured and complex biofilm. This yeast was also able to form a biofilm on both surfaces of the nail, without an additional nutritional source. Both extracts showed excellent antibiofilm activity against the 7-day preformed biofilm and were not toxic to Vero cells at concentrations compatible with the antifungal and antibiofilm activities. Both extracts permeated the experimentally infected nail, with WPE being more efficient. The results of this study, taken together, reinforce the potential of these natural products, containing propolis, as a safe option for the topical treatment of onychomycosis.
Characterisation of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus from Alexandria, Egypt
Authors: Monecke Stefan , Bedewy Amira K. , Müller Elke , Braun Sascha D. , Diezel Celia , Elsheredy Amel , Kader Ola , Reinicke Martin , Ghazal Abeer , Rezk Shahinda , Ehricht Ralf
Published: January 2023

The present study aims to characterise clinical MRSA isolates from a tertiary care centre in Egypt’s second-largest city, Alexandria. Thirty isolates collected in 2020 were genotypically characterised by microarray to detect their resistance and virulence genes and assign them to clonal complexes (CC) and strains. Isolates belonged to 11 different CCs and 14 different strains. CC15-MRSA-[V+fus] (n = 6), CC1-MRSA-[V+fus+tir+ccrA/B-1] (PVL+) (n = 5) as well as CC1-MRSA-[V+fus+tir+ccrA/B-1] and CC1153-MRSA-[V+fus] (PVL+) (both with n = 3) were the most common strains. Most isolates (83%) harboured variant or composite SCCmec V or VI elements that included the fusidic acid resistance gene fusC. The SCCmec [V+fus+tir+ccrA/B-1] element of one of the CC1 isolates was sequenced, revealing a presence not only of fusC but also of blaZ, aacA-aphD and other resistance genes. PVL genes were also common (40%). The hospital-acquired MRSA CC239-III strain was only found twice. A comparison to data from a study on strains collected in 2015 (Montelongo et al., 2022) showed an increase in fusC and PVL carriage and a decreasing prevalence of the CC239 strain. These observations indicate a diffusion of community-acquired strains into hospital settings. The beta-lactam use in hospitals and the widespread fusidic acid consumption in the community might pose a selective pressure that favours MRSA strains with composite SCCmec elements comprising mecA and fusC. This is an unsettling trend, but more MRSA typing data from Egypt are required.
Cranberry Proanthocyanidins as a Therapeutic Strategy to Curb Metabolic Syndrome and Fatty Liver-Associated Disorders
Authors: Feldman Francis , Koudoufio Mireille , El-Jalbout Ramy , Sauvé Mathilde Foisy , Ahmarani Lena , Sané Alain Théophile , Ould-Chikh Nour-El-Houda , N’Timbane Thierry , Patey Natalie , Desjardins Yves , Stintzi Alain , Spahis Schohraya , Levy Emile
Published: January 2023

While the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) is steadily increasing worldwide, no optimal pharmacotherapy is readily available to address its multifaceted risk factors and halt its complications. This growing challenge mandates the development of other future curative directions. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the efficacy of cranberry proanthocyanidins (PACs) in improving MetS pathological conditions and liver complications; C57BL/6J mice were fed either a standard chow or a high fat/high sucrose (HFHS) diet with and without PACs (200 mg/kg), delivered by daily gavage for 12 weeks. Our results show that PACs lowered HFHS-induced obesity, insulin resistance, and hyperlipidemia. In conjunction, PACs lessened circulatory markers of oxidative stress (OxS) and inflammation. Similarly, the anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory capacities of PACs were noted in the liver in association with improved hepatic steatosis. Inhibition of lipogenesis and stimulation of beta-oxidation could account for PACs-mediated decline of fatty liver as evidenced not only by the expression of rate-limiting enzymes but also by the status of AMPKα (the key sensor of cellular energy) and the powerful transcription factors (PPARα, PGC1α, SREBP1c, ChREBP). Likewise, treatment with PACs resulted in the downregulation of critical enzymes of liver gluconeogenesis, a process contributing to increased rates of glucose production in type 2 diabetes. Our findings demonstrate that PACs prevented obesity and improved insulin resistance likely via suppression of OxS and inflammation while diminishing hyperlipidemia and fatty liver disease, as clear evidence for their strength of fighting the cluster of MetS abnormalities.
Selective Pharmacological Inhibition of NOX2 by GSK2795039 Improves Bladder Dysfunction in Cyclophosphamide-Induced Cystitis in Mice
Authors: de Oliveira Mariana G. , Monica Fabíola Z. , Passos Gabriela R. , Victorio Jamaira A. , Davel Ana Paula , Oliveira Anna Lethicia Lima , Parada Carlos A. , D’Ancona Carlos A. L. , Hill Warren G. , Antunes Edson
Published: January 2023

Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) is a chronic inflammatory disease without consistently effective treatment. Among the many mediators implicated in cystitis, the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) seems to play a key role, although the main source of ROS remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the contribution of NADPH oxidase (NOX) isoforms in ROS generation and the voiding dysfunction of cyclophosphamide (CYP, 300 mg/Kg, ip, 24 h)-induced cystitis in adult female mice, a well-recognized animal model to study IC/BPS, by using GKT137831 (5 mg/Kg, ip, three times in a 24 h period) or GSK2795039 (5 mg/Kg, ip, three times in a 24 h period) to inhibit NOX1/4 or NOX2, respectively. Our results showed that treatment with GSK2795039 improved the dysfunctional voiding behavior induced by CYP, reduced bladder edema and inflammation, and preserved the urothelial barrier integrity and tight junction occludin expression, besides inhibiting the characteristic vesical pain and bladder superoxide anion generation. In contrast, the NOX1/4 inhibitor GKT137831 had no significant protective effects. Taken together, our in vivo and ex vivo data demonstrate that NOX2 is possibly the main source of ROS observed in cystitis-induced CYP in mice. Therefore, selective inhibition of NOX2 by GSK2795039 may be a promising target for future therapies for IC/BPS.
Mechanisms Underlying Neurodegenerative Disorders and Potential Neuroprotective Activity of Agrifood By-Products
Authors: Angeloni Cristina , Malaguti Marco , Prata Cecilia , Freschi Michela , Barbalace Maria , Hrelia Silvana
Published: January 2023

Neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by progressive loss in selected areas of the nervous system, are becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide due to an aging population. Despite their diverse clinical manifestations, neurodegenerative diseases are multifactorial disorders with standard features and mechanisms such as abnormal protein aggregation, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress and inflammation. As there are no effective treatments to counteract neurodegenerative diseases, increasing interest has been directed to the potential neuroprotective activities of plant-derived compounds found abundantly in food and in agrifood by-products. Food waste has an extremely negative impact on the environment, and recycling is needed to promote their disposal and overcome this problem. Many studies have been carried out to develop green and effective strategies to extract bioactive compounds from food by-products, such as peel, leaves, seeds, bran, kernel, pomace, and oil cake, and to investigate their biological activity. In this review, we focused on the potential neuroprotective activity of agrifood wastes obtained by common products widely produced and consumed in Italy, such as grapes, coffee, tomatoes, olives, chestnuts, onions, apples, and pomegranates.
Identification of AP-1 as a Critical Regulator of Glutathione Peroxidase 4 (GPX4) Transcriptional Suppression and Acinar Cell Ferroptosis in Acute Pancreatitis
Authors: Ma Xiaojie , Dong Xiaowu , Xu Yao , Ma Nan , Wei Mei , Xie Xiaochun , Lu Yingying , Cao Wangsen , Lu Guotao , Li Weiqin
Published: January 2023

Glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4)-dependent ferroptosis in pancreatic acinar cells plays a critical role in acute pancreatitis (AP). However, potential upstream regulators of GPX4 are not well defined. Here, we observed a marked reduction in acinar GPX4 expression and ferroptotic cell death in mice with cerulein-induced AP. To determine the critical factors involved in acinar cell ferroptosis, pancreas transcriptome data from an AP mouse model were analyzed and overlapped with predicted transcription factors of Gpx4, and an upregulated transcription factor active protein 1 (AP-1) protein, Jun, was identified. The administration of a specific ferroptosis inhibitor liproxstatin-1 alleviated AP pathology and significantly decreased Jun levels. Bioinformatic analysis indicated that the Gpx4 promoter contains a putative AP-1 binding site. Jun binds directly to the Gpx4 promoter and inhibits Gpx4 transcription under pancreatic conditions. AP-1 inhibition by a selective inhibitor SR11302 reversed GPX4 reduction and ameliorated AP pathology in a GPX4-dependent manner. Collectively, our study demonstrates that the downregulation of GPX4 by AP-1 is critical in the aggravation of acinar cell ferroptosis during the progression of AP. Strategies targeting the AP-1/GPX4 axis may be potentially effective for the prevention and treatment of AP.
Evaluation of Different Advanced Approaches to Simulation of Dynamic In Vitro Digestion of Polyphenols from Different Food Matrices—A Systematic Review
Authors: Duque-Soto Carmen , Quintriqueo-Cid Alejandra , Rueda-Robles Ascensión , Robert Paz , Borrás-Linares Isabel , Lozano-Sánchez Jesús
Published: January 2023

Phenolic compounds have become interesting bioactive antioxidant compounds with implications for obesity, cancer and inflammatory gastrointestinal pathologies. As the influence of digestion and gut microbiota on antioxidant behavior is yet to be completely elucidated, and due to limitations associated to in vivo studies, dynamic in vitro gastrointestinal models have been promoted. A systematic review was conducted of different databases (PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus) following PRISMA guidelines to assess different dynamic digestion models and assay protocols used for phenolic compound research regarding bioaccesibility and interaction with colonic microbiota. Of 284 records identified, those including dynamic multicompartmental digestion models for the study of phenolic compound bioaccesibility, bioactivity and the effects of microbiota were included, with 57 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. Different conditions and experimental configurations as well as administered doses, sample treatments and microbiological assays of dynamic digestion studies on polyphenols were recorded and compared to establish their relevance for the dynamic in vitro digestion of phenolic compounds. While similarities were observed in certain experimental areas, a high variability was found in others, such as administered doses. A description of considerations on the study of the digestion of phenolic compounds is proposed to enhance comparability in research.
Effects of Carboxymethyl Modification on the Acidic Polysaccharides from Calocybe indica: Physicochemical Properties, Antioxidant, Antitumor and Anticoagulant Activities
Authors: Nataraj Ambika , Govindan Sudha , Rajendran Archana , Ramani Prasanna , Subbaiah Krishnamoorthy Akkana , Munekata Paulo E. S. , Pateiro Mirian , Lorenzo José M.
Published: January 2023

An acidic polysaccharide fraction was obtained from Calocybe indica (CIP3a) after subjecting it to hot water extraction followed by purification through DEAE-cellulose 52 and Sepaharose 6B column chromatography. The CIP3a was further modified using chloroacetic acid to yield carboxymethylated derivatives (CMCIP3a). The modified polysaccharide was characterized using various spectroscopic methods. In addition, further antioxidant, antitumor and anticoagulant activities were also investigated. The polysaccharides CIP3a and CMCIP3a were heterogeneous in nature and composed of various molar percentages of glucose, arabinose and mannose with molecular weights of 1.456 × 103 and 4.023 × 103 Da, respectively. The NMR and FT-IR data demonstrated that the carboxymethylation on the polysaccharide was successful. In comparison to CIP3a polysaccharides, the modified derivatives had lower sugar and protein contents, and higher levels of uronic acid. The in vitro antioxidant activity showed that CMCIP3a with higher molecular weight displayed an elevated ability in scavenging the DPPH radical, ABTS, superoxide, hydroxyl radical, ferric reducing power, cupric reducing power and erythrocyte hemolysis inhibition with an EC50 value of 2.49, 2.66, 4.10, 1.60, 3.48, 1.41 and 2.30 mg/mL, respectively. The MTT assay results revealed that CMCIP3a displayed a dose-dependent inhibition on five cancer cells (HT29, PC3, HeLa, Jurkat and HepG-2) in the range of 10–320 μg/mL. The APTT, PT and TT were significantly extended by CMCIP3a in relation to dosage, indicating that the anticoagulant effect of CIP was both extrinsic and intrinsic, along with a common coagulation pathway. These findings demonstrated that carboxymethylation might effectively improve the biological potential of the derivatives and offer a theoretical framework for the creation of novel natural antioxidants, low-toxicity antitumor and antithrombotic drugs.
Tracking the Biostimulatory Effect of Fractions from a Commercial Plant Protein Hydrolysate in Greenhouse-Grown Lettuce
Authors: Cristofano Francesco , El-Nakhel Christophe , Colla Giuseppe , Cardarelli Mariateresa , Pii Youry , Lucini Luigi , Rouphael Youssef
Published: January 2023

Protein hydrolysate biostimulants are environmentally friendly options for the reduction of nitrogen input, but their plant growth-promoting mechanisms are still not completely unveiled. Here, to put the “signaling peptide theory” to the test, a greenhouse experiment was undertaken using low (1 mM) and optimal (8 mM) NO3-treated butterhead lettuce and three molecular fractions (PH1 (>10 kDa), PH2 (1–10 kDa) and PH3 (<10 kDa) fractions), in addition to the whole product Vegamin®: PH, in a randomized block design. PH1 and PH3 significantly increased fresh yield (+8%) under optimal (lighter leaves), but not under low (darker leaves) NO3 conditions. Total ascorbic acid, lutein and β-carotene increased with PH3, and disinapoylgentobiose and kaempferol-3-hydroxyferuloyl-sophorosie-7-glucoside content increased with PH (whole/fractions) treatments, particularly under low NO3 conditions. The complete hydrolysate and analyzed peptide fractions have differential biostimulatory effects, enhancing the growth and nutritional quality of lettuce.
An Approach for Predicting the Apparent Color of Carpets under Different Illuminants
Authors: Mandal Sumit , Chowdhury Ishmam Zahin , Hebert Paulette R. , Petrova Adriana , Tushar Shariful Islam , Islam MD. Momtaz , Boorady Lynn M.
Published: January 2023

The color appearance of residential carpets under different illuminants can influence the purchase decisions of consumers, visual merchandisers, and interior designers. This study was designed to investigate and characterize the color appearance of residential carpets under average Noon Daylight (D65), Incandescent (A), and Cool White Fluorescent (F02) illuminants commonly used in retail and household settings. The objective of this study was to identify the key features significantly affecting the apparent color of the carpets under those three illuminants. Four different carpets were dyed with light, medium, and dark shades of red and green colors to identify the difference in color perception when illuminated by different lighting arrangements. A spectrophotometer was used to measure the lightness, chroma, and hue of the carpets via the CIELAB scale developed by Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage (CIE). Statistically significant differences among the L*, a*, and b* values of the carpets were evaluated using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Regression analyses were carried out to identify key parameters affecting the L*, a* and b* values. Multiple linear regression (MLR) was applied to generate equations to predict L*, a* and b* values under different illuminant for different carpet features. A decreasing trend in the L*, a*, and b* values have been observed from lighter to darker shades under the illuminants for all the carpets. The deposition of dye molecules over the carpet surface had significant effects on the CIELAB values, and the distribution of dye molecules over the carpet surface was influenced by the constructional parameters of the carpets. The study provides an overview of the effects of carpet structures on color perception under different illuminants, which could help the researcher to determine the apparent color of different carpets under various illuminants.
Influence of Porosity on Drag Coefficient of Perforated Road Signs
Authors: Sung Hongki , Chong Kyusoo , Chung Wonseok
Published: January 2023

To ensure the structural stability of road signs against strong gusts of wind, perforated road signs with sign boards perforated at regular intervals have been adopted for use in urban road infrastructure. However, ASCE 7-22 standards do not consider the drag coefficient of signs with low porosity, i.e., less than 30%. Therefore, here, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis was performed to analyze the drag coefficient of perforated road signs with a porosity of less than 30%. The aspect and clearance ratios, which are the width/height ratio of a perforated road sign and the height of the perforated road sign/its distance from the ground, respectively, were set as parameters. Subsequently, the drag coefficient of perforated road signs with a porosity of 30% was calculated, and the effect of porosity and wind speed on the drag coefficient of perforated road signs was analyzed. Results show that the drag coefficient of perforated road signs decreased as the porosity increased, with a drag coefficient reduction effect of up to 0.85 times. Furthermore, perforated road signs with a high clearance ratio exhibited significant decreased drag coefficient. For perforated road signs, the drag coefficient does not show a clear correlation with wind speed.
The Variation of Surface Shape in the Gas Jet Forming
Authors: Zhang Xinming , Wang Mingwei , Fu Weijie
Published: January 2023

This study investigated the the gas jet forming process for optical aspherical mirror blanks. The trend of the influence of the gas jet parameters on the surface shape of the mirror blanks was inferred by analysing the variation in the morphology of the gas jet stream. Based on the theoretical analysis, the inference was verified by numerical simulation. The experimental results were compared with the simulation predictions, and it was found that the average prediction deviation for the diameter was 1.07 mm, while the average prediction deviation for the principal curvature was 0.03665 mm−1, which is challenging to correct in simulation. Therefore, we developed a dimensionless prediction model of the surface curvature and surface diameter of the mirror blanks by considering the jet parameters using experimental data. The model’s average prediction error for the surface diameter of the formed surface was 0.3192 mm, and the average prediction error of the principal curvature for the formed surface was 0.00269 mm−1.
Special Issue on Seismic Assessment and Design of Structures
Authors: Favvata Maria
Published: January 2023

This Special Issue gathers 29 scientific papers that capture various open and challenging issues in earthquake engineering for the assessment and design of structures [...]
Theoretical Computational Analysis Predicts Interaction Changes Due to Differences of a Single Molecule in DNA
Authors: Koseki Jun , Hirose Haruka , Konno Masamitsu , Shimamura Teppei
Published: January 2023

Theoretical methods, such as molecular mechanics and molecular dynamics, are very useful in understanding differences in interactions at the single molecule level. In the life sciences, small conformational changes, including substituent modifications, often have a significant impact on function in vivo. Changes in binding interactions between nucleic acid molecules and binding proteins are a prime example. In this study, we propose a strategy to predict the complex structure of DNA-binding proteins with arbitrary DNA and analyze the differences in their interactions. We tested the utility of our strategy using the anticancer drug trifluoro-thymidine (FTD), which exerts its pharmacological effect by incorporation into DNA, and confirmed that the binding affinity of the BCL-2-associated X sequence to the p53 tetramer is increased by FTD incorporation. On the contrary, in p53-binding sequences extracted from FTD-resistant cells, the binding affinity of DNA containing FTD was found to be greatly reduced compared to normal DNA. This suggests that thymidine randomly substituted for FTD in resistant cells may acquire resistance by entering a position that inhibits binding to DNA-binding proteins. We believe that this is a versatile procedure that can also take energetics into account and will increase the importance of computational science in the life sciences.
Study on the Influence of Gear Spoke Hole Numbers on Meshing Noise
Authors: Hong Chuyang , Liu Min , Su Ning , Zou Sheng , Xiao Jianbo , Xu Chang , Zhu Feng
Published: January 2023

Gear meshing stiffness is one of the important causes of noise, and the structure optimization of gears, such as spoke hole structures, has been proven to be an effective method to reduce gear meshing noise. In this paper, the meshing dynamics model of spur gears with spoke structures was established, and the quasi-static dynamics simulation of the meshing process was carried out by ANSYS. The results show that more spoke holes lead to less meshing stiffness and less stiffness fluctuation. The BEM (boundary element method) acoustic simulation of spur gears meshing was accomplished by the LMS Virtual.Lab. It shows that meshing stiffness is the dominate factor for noise and less meshing stiffness will result in louder noise. In summary, having fewer spoke holes causes less noise, and the experiment shows the same trend. This has certain reference significance for gear structure design considering NVH (noise vibration harshness) performance.
Non-Magnetic Circulator Based on a Time-Varying Phase Modulator
Authors: Jia Xiangjian , Jiang Yanfeng
Published: January 2023

Non-reciprocal devices are key elements in modern wireless communication systems. The circulator devices can simultaneously save spectrum resources and antennas. A traditional circulator is made of ferrite materials with an external magnetic bias field, and its bulk and incompatibility with CMOS technology can hardly satisfy the miniaturization and integration of modern high-speed communication systems. In recent years, there have been many outstanding achievements in the study of non-magnetic circulators, among which, the method of producing non-reciprocity by temporal modulation is considered the most likely to have a transformative influence on the industry. By varying one of the parameters of the system with time, the time inversion symmetry of the system can be broken so that the non-reciprocal devices can be formed by applying appropriate topological structures without the use of magnetic materials. In the paper, a new concept of a time-varying phase modulator (TVPM) is proposed to achieve a relatively simple method to break the symmetry of time inversion. Two different time-varying phase modulators and buffering units can be integrated to form a gyrator, with which a circulator can be formed. This paper provides a relatively simple design idea and shows the circuit design and implementation method as well as the numerical analysis and simulation results. The simulation results show that the insertion loss of the circulator at the center frequency is −1.7 dB and the isolation is −18 dB. The proposed non-magnetic circulator shows potential applicability in related 5G and pre-6G systems.
Vegetation Classification in Urban Areas by Combining UAV-Based NDVI and Thermal Infrared Image
Authors: Lee Geunsang , Kim Gyeonggyu , Min Gyeongjo , Kim Minju , Jung Seunghyun , Hwang Jeewook , Cho Sangho
Published: January 2023

Vegetation has become very important decision-making information in promoting tasks such as urban regeneration, urban planning, environment, and landscaping. In the past, the vegetation index was calculated by combining images of various wavelength regions mainly acquired from the Landsat satellite’s TM or ETM+ sensor. Recently, a technology using UAV-based multispectral images has been developed to obtain more rapid and precise vegetation information. NDVI is a method of calculating the vegetation index by combining the red and near-infrared bands, and is currently the most widely used. In this study, NDVI was calculated using UAV-based multispectral images to classify vegetation. However, among the areas analyzed using NDVI, there was a problem that areas coated with urethane, such as basketball courts and waterproof coating roofs, were classified as vegetation areas. In order to examine these problems, the reflectance of each land cover was investigated using the ASD FieldSpec4 spectrometer. As a result of analyzing the spectrometer measurements, the NDVI values of basketball courts and waterproof coating roofs were similar to those of grass with slightly lower vegetation. To solve this problem, the temperature characteristics of the target site were analyzed using UAV-based thermal infrared images, and vegetation area was analyzed by combining the temperature information with NDVI. To evaluate the accuracy of the vegetation classification technology, 4409 verification points were selected, and kappa coefficients were analyzed for the method using only NDVI and the method using NDVI and thermal infrared images. Compared to the kappa coefficient of 0.830, which was analyzed by applying only NDVI, the kappa coefficient, which was analyzed by combining NDVI and thermal infrared images, was 0.934, which was higher. Therefore, it is very effective to apply a technology that classifies vegetation by combining NDVI and thermal infrared images in urban areas with many urethane-coated land cover such as basketball courts or waterproof coating roofs.
Thermal Management of Fuel Cells Based on Diploid Genetic Algorithm and Fuzzy PID
Authors: Zhao Ruikang , Qin Dongchen , Chen Benhai , Wang Tingting , Wu Hongxia
Published: January 2023

The operation of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is greatly affected by temperature. Reliable thermal management of fuel cells can improve the life, efficiency, and power output of fuel cells. The model established in this paper is based on the inner layer of the fuel cell, and through the analysis of the heat change and material flow between layers, the simulink model can reflect the temperature change of the end plate, the bipolar plate, and the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) plate. In terms of the thermal management control strategy, the deviation and deviation rate between the MEA plate’s temperature and the target temperature are taken as input, and the fuzzy PID (proportional integral differential) controller is used to control the cooling water flow, to achieve a cooling effect. Due to the low efficiency and instability of a haploid genetic algorithm (GA) in solving dynamic optimization problems, a diploid genetic algorithm to optimize the membership function of the controller, and improve the adaptability of the control system, was designed. The simulation results show that compared with the haploid genetic algorithm, the optimal results of 100 iterations of the fuzzy PID control strategy reduce by 27.9%. Compared with the haploid genetic algorithm and fuzzy PID control, the MEA layer temperature, under the control of a diploid genetic algorithm, is reduced by 18% and 28%, respectively, and the minimum temperature difference of the reactor is 2.28 K.
Gender Recognition of Bangla Names Using Deep Learning Approaches
Authors: Kabir Md. Humaun , Ahmad Faruk , Hasan Md. Al Mehedi , Shin Jungpil
Published: January 2023

The name of individuals has a specific meaning and great significance. Individuals’ names generally have substantial gender differences, and explicitly, Bengali names usually have a solid sexual identity. We can determine if a stranger is a man or a woman based on their name with remarkably suitable precision. In this research, we primarily conducted a thorough investigation into gender prediction based on a person’s name using DL-based methods. While various techniques have been explored for the English language, there has been little progress in the Bengali language. We address this gap by presenting a large-scale experiment with 2030 Bangladeshi unique names. We used both convolutional neural network (CNN)- and recurrent neural network (RNN)-based deep learning methods to infer gender from the Bangladeshi names in the Bengali language. We presented the one-dimensional CNN (Conv1D), simple long short-term memory (LSTM), bidirectional LSTM, stacked LSTM, and combined Conv1D and stacked bidirectional LSTM-based models and evaluated the performance of each scheme using our own dataset. Experimental results are analyzed on the basis of accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score, ROC AUC score, and loss performance metrics. The performance evaluative results show that Conv1D outperforms with 91.18% accuracy, which is likely to improve as the size of the training data grows.
Link Prediction with Hypergraphs via Network Embedding
Authors: Zhao Zijuan , Yang Kai , Guo Jinli
Published: January 2023

Network embedding is a promising field and is important for various network analysis tasks, such as link prediction, node classification, community detection and others. Most research studies on link prediction focus on simple networks and pay little attention to hypergraphs that provide a natural way to represent complex higher-order relationships. In this paper, we propose a link prediction method with hypergraphs using network embedding (HNE). HNE adapts a traditional network embedding method, Deepwalk, to link prediction in hypergraphs. Firstly, the hypergraph model is constructed based on heterogeneous library loan records of seven universities. With a network embedding method, the low-dimensional vectors are obtained to extract network structure features for the hypergraphs. Then, the link prediction is implemented on the hypergraphs as the classification task with machine learning. The experimental results on seven real networks show our approach has good performance for link prediction in hypergraphs. Our method will be helpful for human behavior dynamics.
Video Super-Resolution with Regional Focus for Recurrent Network
Authors: Li Yanghui , Zhu Hong , He Lixin , Wang Dong , Shi Jing , Wang Jing
Published: January 2023

Video super-resolution reconstruction is the process of reconstructing low-resolution video frames into high-resolution video frames. Most of the current methods use motion estimation and motion compensation to extract temporal series information, but the inaccuracy of motion estimation will lead to the degradation of the quality of video super-resolution results. Additionally, when using convolution network to extract feature information, the number of feature information is limited by the number of feature channels, resulting in poor reconstruction results. In this paper, we propose a recurrent structure of regional focus network for video super-resolution, which can avoid the influence of inaccurate motion compensation on super-resolution results. Meanwhile, regional focus blocks in the network can focus on different areas of video frames, extract different features from shallow to deep layers, and skip-connect to the last layer of the network through feature aggregation to improve the richness of features participating in the reconstruction. The experimental results show that our method has higher computational efficiency and better video super-resolution results than other temporal modeling methods.
Power Flow Optimization by Integrating Novel Metaheuristic Algorithms and Adopting Renewables to Improve Power System Operation
Authors: Alanazi Mohana , Alanazi Abdulaziz , Abdelaziz Almoataz Y. , Siano Pierluigi
Published: January 2023

The present study merges the teaching and learning algorithm (TLBO) and turbulent flow of water optimization (TFWO) to propose the hybrid TLTFWO. The main purpose is to provide optimal power flow (OPF) of the power network. To this end, the paper also incorporated photovoltaics (PV) and wind turbine (WT) generating units. The estimated output power of PVs/WTs and voltage magnitudes of PV/WT buses are included, respectively, as dependent and control (decision) variables in the mathematical expression of OPF. Real-time wind speed and irradiance measurements help estimate and predict the power generation by WT/PV units. An IEEE 30-bus system is also used to verify the accuracy and validity of the suggested OPF and the hybrid TLTFWO method. Moreover, a comparison is made between the suggested approach and the competing algorithms in solving the OPF problem to demonstrate the capability of the TLTFWO from robustness and efficiency perspectives.
Quantum Circuit Implementation of Multi-Dimensional Non-Linear Lattice Models
Authors: Steijl René
Published: January 2023

The application of Quantum Computing (QC) to fluid dynamics simulation has developed into a dynamic research topic in recent years. With many flow problems of scientific and engineering interest requiring large computational resources, the potential of QC to speed-up simulations and facilitate more detailed modeling forms the main motivation for this growing research interest. Despite notable progress, many important challenges to creating quantum algorithms for fluid modeling remain. The key challenge of non-linearity of the governing equations in fluid modeling is investigated here in the context of lattice-based modeling of fluids. Quantum circuits for the D1Q3 (one-dimensional, three discrete velocities) Lattice Boltzmann model are detailed along with design trade-offs involving circuit width and depth. Then, the design is extended to a one-dimensional lattice model for the non-linear Burgers equation. To facilitate the evaluation of non-linear terms, the presented quantum circuits employ quantum computational basis encoding. The second part of this work introduces a novel, modular quantum-circuit implementation for non-linear terms in multi-dimensional lattice models. In particular, the evaluation of kinetic energy in two-dimensional models is detailed as the first step toward quantum circuits for the collision term of two- and three-dimensional Lattice Boltzmann methods. The quantum circuit analysis shows that with O(100) fault-tolerant qubits, meaningful proof-of-concept experiments could be performed in the near future.