bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Demystifying Supervised Learning in Healthcare 4.0: A New Reality of Transforming Diagnostic Medicine
Authors: Roy Sudipta , Meena Tanushree , Lim Se-Jung
Published: October 2022

The global healthcare sector continues to grow rapidly and is reflected as one of the fastest-growing sectors in the fourth industrial revolution (4.0). The majority of the healthcare industry still uses labor-intensive, time-consuming, and error-prone traditional, manual, and manpower-based methods. This review addresses the current paradigm, the potential for new scientific discoveries, the technological state of preparation, the potential for supervised machine learning (SML) prospects in various healthcare sectors, and ethical issues. The effectiveness and potential for innovation of disease diagnosis, personalized medicine, clinical trials, non-invasive image analysis, drug discovery, patient care services, remote patient monitoring, hospital data, and nanotechnology in various learning-based automation in healthcare along with the requirement for explainable artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare are evaluated. In order to understand the potential architecture of non-invasive treatment, a thorough study of medical imaging analysis from a technical point of view is presented. This study also represents new thinking and developments that will push the boundaries and increase the opportunity for healthcare through AI and SML in the near future. Nowadays, SML-based applications require a lot of data quality awareness as healthcare is data-heavy, and knowledge management is paramount. Nowadays, SML in biomedical and healthcare developments needs skills, quality data consciousness for data-intensive study, and a knowledge-centric health management system. As a result, the merits, demerits, and precautions need to take ethics and the other effects of AI and SML into consideration. The overall insight in this paper will help researchers in academia and industry to understand and address the future research that needs to be discussed on SML in the healthcare and biomedical sectors.
Small-Object Detection for UAV-Based Images Using a Distance Metric Method
Authors: Zhou Helu , Ma Aitong , Niu Yifeng , Ma Zhaowei
Published: October 2022

Object detection is important in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) reconnaissance missions. However, since a UAV flies at a high altitude to gain a large reconnaissance view, the captured objects often have small pixel sizes and their categories have high uncertainty. Given the limited computing capability on UAVs, large detectors based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have difficulty obtaining real-time detection performance. To address these problems, we designed a small-object detector for UAV-based images in this paper. We modified the backbone of YOLOv4 according to the characteristics of small-object detection. We improved the performance of small-object positioning by modifying the positioning loss function. Using the distance metric method, the proposed detector can classify trained and untrained objects through object features. Furthermore, we designed two data augmentation strategies to enhance the diversity of the training set. We evaluated our method on a collected small-object dataset; the proposed method obtained 61.00% mAP50 on trained objects and 41.00% mAP50 on untrained objects with 77 frames per second (FPS). Flight experiments confirmed the utility of our approach on small UAVs, with satisfying detection performance and real-time inference speed.
Do Government Expenditures in G7 Countries Target Socioeconomics or Physical Output?
Authors: Al-Rabbaie Arqam Abdul Razzaq , Al-qalawi Usama Robin , Alwaked Ahmad
Published: October 2022

The issue of valuable government policy interventions has not been fully addressed. Therefore, this paper analyzes the impact of government capital expenditure on production efficiency in the G7 countries. Two models are estimated with different dependent variables: the Human Development Index (HDI) as a dependent variable to capture the socio-economic impact and the gross domestic product (GDP) as a dependent variable to capture the physical impact. The paper uses a set of panel data for the G7 countries spanning the years 2000–2018, which were obtained from the World Development Indicators (WDI) database. The paper applies stochastic production frontier analysis (SFA) to estimate each country’s yearly efficiency and to estimate the impact of government expenditure on the overall technical inefficiency for both models. The results demonstrate that increasing government expenditure boosts the inefficiency in the G7 countries in the HDI model, but it depresses inefficiency in the GDP model. This may suggest that government capital expenditure in the G7 countries was directed toward increasing physical output—not toward socio-economic outputs such as health and educational output—during the study period. Furthermore, the results show that the estimated average technical efficiency over the study period was 93.4% for the HDI model and 81.2% for the GDP model. Finally, the results show that the G7 countries’ objectives were not similar in this area, with some countries using socioeconomic-oriented policies and others using physical-capital-oriented policies.
Internationalization Based on Content Modification Combined with Project Management Methodology: An Application in a Spanish Postgraduate Course in Building Engineering
Authors: Bienvenido-Huertas David , Rubio-Bellido Carlos
Published: October 2022

Internationalizing university studies can be something of a challenge for courses related to engineering and architecture because their content is mainly focused on the standards of the country. In this regard, the content of the degree programmes in building engineering in Spain is based on the Spanish Building Technical Code. For this reason, this paper analyses experimentation conducted in a postgraduate course in building engineering of the University of Seville. The goal of the study was to internationalize the course content of that course appropriately. For this purpose, a combined approach was developed based on using ISO standards and including appropriately the modifications through a project management methodology to reduce risks. Experimentation was conducted for three academic years: 2018/2019–2020/2021. The results showed that ISO standards were appropriately implemented in the teaching course content and accepted by students. Likewise, the use of a project management methodology could be an opportunity to improve teaching course content, thus reducing the risk related to the modifications of this process.
Agricultural Lightweight Embedded Blockchain System: A Case Study in Olive Oil
Authors: Ktari Jalel , Frikha Tarek , Chaabane Faten , Hamdi Monia , Hamam Habib
Published: October 2022

In Tunisia, one of the major problems of the olive oil industry is marketing. Several factors have an impact, such as quality, originality, lobbying, subsidies and the certification of extra virgin olive oil. The major problem remains the traceability of the production process to guarantee the origin of the food at all times. This fine-grained traceability can be achieved by applying Blockchain technologies. Blockchain can be used as a solution that could bring visibility to the oil supply chain. It is proposed in order to guarantee the veracity of the product information at different stages. In this paper, a multi-Blockchain, multi-sensor traceability system using IoT will be presented. Two Blockchains that can be programmed via Smart Contract will be used. The first one is Quorum, which is a private Blockchain used by the actors of our system, and the second one is Ethereum, which is public and connects the different actors who have access to our system. This smart contract allows us to conta our system to track the olive oil manufacturing process from the farmer, through the oil mill, the transporter and the quality controller to the customer. A general approach for managing the olive oil supply chain is presented. This approach offers the possibility for the system to be configurable. It is based on smart contracts and applications that interact with the same smart contracts. The IoT is used to configure sensors. These sensors are the source of data for the supply chain process. These sensors are connected to the embedded platforms that host Quorum.
Challenging Ergonomics Risks with Smart Wearable Extension Sensors
Authors: Maksimović Nikola , Čabarkapa Milan , Tanasković Marko , Randjelović Dragan
Published: October 2022

Concerning occupational safety, the aim of ergonomics as a scientific discipline is to study and adjust working conditions, worker equipment, and work processes from a psychological, physiological, and anatomical aspect instead of adapting the worker to the needs of the job. This paper will discuss and analyze the potential of the garment-embedded body posture tracking sensor and its usage as standard working equipment, which is meant to help correct improper and high-risk upper body positions during prolonged and static work activities. The analysis evaluation cross-reference is based on the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment ergonomics risk assessment tool. Signals generated by the wearable are meant to help the wearer and observer promptly-continuously detect and correct bad posture. The results show a positive progression of workers’ body posture to reduce the ergonomic risks this research covers. It can be concluded that wearable technology and sensors would significantly contribute to the observer as the evaluation tool and the wearer to spot the risk factors promptly and self-correct them independently. This feature would help workers learn and improve the correct habits of correcting ergonomically incorrect body postures when performing work tasks.
A Monocular Visual Localization Algorithm for Large-Scale Indoor Environments through Matching a Prior Semantic Map
Authors: Lu Tianyi , Liu Yafei , Yang Yuan , Wang Huiqing , Zhang Xiaoguo
Published: October 2022

It is challenging for a visual SLAM system to keep long-term precise and robust localization ability in a large-scale indoor environment since there is a low probability of the occurrence of loop closure. Aiming to solve this problem, we propose a monocular visual localization algorithm for large-scale indoor environments through matching a prior semantic map. In the approach, the line features of certain semantic objects observed by the monocular camera are extracted in real time. A cost function is proposed to represent the difference between the observed objects and the matched semantic objects in the preexisting semantic map. After that, a bundle adjustment model integrating the semantic object matching difference is given to optimize the pose of the camera and the real-time environment map. Finally, test cases are designed to evaluate the performance of our approach, in which the line features with semantic information are extracted in advance to build the semantic map for matching in real time. The test results show that the positioning accuracy of our method is improved in large-scale indoor navigation.
An Estimated δ-Based Iterative Block Decision Feedback Equalization in SC-FDE System
Authors: Liu Yidong , Chen Xihong , Yuan Dizhe , Hu Denghua
Published: October 2022

We provide a novel nonlinear frequency domain equalization algorithm for the frequency domain equalization of an SC-FDE system by improving the classical iterative block decision feedback equalization (IBDFE) algorithm and applying δ estimation to the improved algorithm. The improvement of the IBDFE algorithm is carried out by replacing the ZF equalization in the feedback branch with the MMSE equalization and eliminating the iteration of the correlation factor, thus reducing the noise error and the computational complexity of the original algorithm. δ estimation can estimate residual inter-symbol interference in the signal after MMSE equalization and reject it, thus further improving the equalization accuracy. The simulation results show that the performance of the novel algorithm is better than that of the IBDFE algorithm with similar complexity, or the complexity of the novel algorithm is lower than that of the IBDFE algorithm with similar performance.
A Noval and Efficient ECC-Based Authenticated Key Agreement Scheme for Smart Metering in the Smart Grid
Authors: Wang Cong , Li Su , Ma Maode , Tong Xin , Zhang Yiying , Zhang Bo
Published: October 2022

With the gradual maturity of the smart grid (SG), security challenges have become one of the important issues that needs to be addressed urgently. In SG, the identity authentication and key agreement protocol between a smart meter (SMSM) and an aggregator (AGAG) is a prerequisite for both parties to establish a secure communication. Some of the existing solutions require high communication cost, some have key escrow problems and security defects. Elliptic curve cryptosystem (ECC) holds the feature of low-key requirement and high security to make it more suitable for the security solutions to the communications in SG. In this paper, we propose a mutual anonymous authentication with an ECC-based key agreement scheme to secure the communications in SG. In addition, we compare our scheme with other existing schemes by the number of encryption operations, the computation delay, and the communication cost. The results indicate that our scheme is more efficient without the loss of safety properties.
MetaEar: Imperceptible Acoustic Side Channel Continuous Authentication Based on ERTF
Authors: Chang Zhuo , Wang Lin , Li Binbin , Liu Wenyuan
Published: October 2022

With the development of ubiquitous mobile devices, biometrics authentication has received much attention from researchers. For immersive experiences in AR (augmented reality), convenient continuous biometric authentication technologies are required to provide security for electronic assets and transactions through head-mounted devices. Existing fingerprint or face authentication methods are vulnerable to spoof attacks and replay attacks. In this paper, we propose MetaEar, which harnesses head-mounted devices to send FMCW (Frequency-Modulated Continuous Wave) ultrasonic signals for continuous biometric authentication of the human ear. CIR (channel impulse response) leveraged the channel estimation theory to model the physiological structure of the human ear, called the Ear Related Transfer Function (ERTF). It extracts unique representations of the human ear’s intrinsic and extrinsic biometric features. To overcome the data dependency of Deep Learning and improve its deployability in mobile devices, we use the lightweight learning approach for classification and authentication. Our implementation and evaluation show that the average accuracy can reach about 96% in different scenarios with small amounts of data. MetaEar enables one to handle immersive deployable authentication and be more sensitive to replay and impersonation attacks.
Research on Fault Feature Extraction Method of Rolling Bearing Based on SSA–VMD–MCKD
Authors: Liu Zichang , Li Siyu , Wang Rongcai , Jia Xisheng
Published: October 2022

In response to the problem that nonlinear and non-stationary rolling bearing fault signals are easily disturbed by noise, which leads to the difficulty of fault feature extraction, to take full advantage of the superiority of variational mode decomposition (VMD) in noise reduction, and of maximum correlation kurtosis deconvolution (MCKD) in highlighting continuous pulses masked by noise, a method based on sparrow search algorithm (SSA), VMD, and MCKD is proposed, namely, SSA–VM–MCKD, for rolling bearing faint fault extraction. To improve the feature extraction effect, the method uses the inverse of the peak factor squared of the envelope spectrum as the fitness function, and the parameters to be determined in both algorithms are searched adaptively by SSA. Firstly, the parameter-optimized VMD is used to decompose the fault signal to obtain the intrinsic mode function (IMF) components, from which the optimal mode component is selected, and then the optimal component signal is deconvoluted by the parameter-optimized MCKD to enhance the periodic fault pulses in the optimal component signal, and finally extracts the rolling bearing fault characteristic frequency by envelope demodulation. Experiments on simulated signals and measured data show that the method can adaptively determine the parameters in VMD and MCKD, enhance the fault impact components in the signals, and effectively extract the fault characteristic frequencies of rolling bearings, with a success rate up to 100%, providing a new idea for rolling bearing fault feature extraction.
Modeling of a Compact Dual Band and Flexible Elliptical-Shape Implantable Antenna in Multi-Layer Tissue Model
Authors: Salama Sanaa , Zyoud Duaa , Abuelhaija Ashraf
Published: October 2022

A flexible antenna of compact size with a dual band elliptical-shape implantable is designed for biomedical purposes. The suggested antenna has an elliptical shape to be more comfortable for being implanted in human tissue. The implantable antenna is printed on RO3010 substrate with 2 mm as a thickness and 10.2 as a dielectric constant. It consists of an active planar C-shaped element and a parasitic planar inverted C-shaped element. The proposed antenna is designed with a major axis radius of 12 mm and a minor axis radius of 8 mm. It operates in dual bands: The Industrial Scientific and Medical band (ISM) [2.4 GHz–3.5 GHz] and Medical Implant Communications Service band (MICS) [394 MHz–407.61 MHz]. A short-circuited pin is used to minimize the antenna’s overall size and for further size reduction a capacitive load is used between the radiator and the ground plane. For biocompatibility, a thin-thickness layer of Alumina is used as a superstrate. The suggested antenna is tested in a multi-layer tissue model and the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) value is computed. The proposed antenna was fabricated, and the reflection coefficient is measured and compared with simulated results.
Research on a Charging Mechanism of Electric Vehicles for Photovoltaic Nearby Consumption Strategy
Authors: He Qingsu , Wu Muqing , Sun Pei , Guo Jinglin , Chen Lina , Jiang Lihua , Zhang Zhiwei
Published: October 2022

With the promotion of the pilot development of distributed whole county roof photovoltaics in China, problems such as power consumption, energy regional balance, and grid stability have become prominent. In this paper, an application mode of electric vehicle (EV) charging network and distributed photovoltaic power generation local consumption is studied. The management idea of two-layer and four model has been established, including the regional distributed photovoltaic output model, electricity consumption model, EV consumption model, and regional grid load dispatching model, which can realize the scheduling of the energy flow formed by photovoltaic, induce the charging of EVs, and make the photovoltaic consumption in office building areas and residential building areas complementary. Firstly, according to the randomness of photovoltaic power generation and EV charging, the dynamic response capability, power support capability, effective convergence time, system stability, system failure rate, and other characteristics of regional loads are comprehensively analyzed, and the grid energy management model of EV charging network and distributed photovoltaic is proposed. Secondly, according to certain statistical characteristics, the distributed photovoltaic will be concentrated, and EV charging will be prioritized to achieve nearby consumption. Finally, different scenarios are described, and the scenarios of charging in the park, community life, and power supply service are selected for analysis. This mode is intended to guide the consumption of new energy through economic leverage, which can realize the unified regulation of distributed energy convergence, consumption and storage.
Modeling of Botnet Detection Using Barnacles Mating Optimizer with Machine Learning Model for Internet of Things Environment
Authors: S. Alrayes Fatma , Maray Mohammed , Gaddah Abdulbaset , Yafoz Ayman , Alsini Raed , Alghushairy Omar , Mohsen Heba , Motwakel Abdelwahed
Published: October 2022

Owing to the development and expansion of energy-aware sensing devices and autonomous and intelligent systems, the Internet of Things (IoT) has gained remarkable growth and found uses in several day-to-day applications. However, IoT devices are highly prone to botnet attacks. To mitigate this threat, a lightweight and anomaly-based detection mechanism that can create profiles for malicious and normal actions on IoT networks could be developed. Additionally, the massive volume of data generated by IoT gadgets could be analyzed by machine learning (ML) methods. Recently, several deep learning (DL)-related mechanisms have been modeled to detect attacks on the IoT. This article designs a botnet detection model using the barnacles mating optimizer with machine learning (BND-BMOML) for the IoT environment. The presented BND-BMOML model focuses on the identification and recognition of botnets in the IoT environment. To accomplish this, the BND-BMOML model initially follows a data standardization approach. In the presented BND-BMOML model, the BMO algorithm is employed to select a useful set of features. For botnet detection, the BND-BMOML model in this study employs an Elman neural network (ENN) model. Finally, the presented BND-BMOML model uses a chicken swarm optimization (CSO) algorithm for the parameter tuning process, demonstrating the novelty of the work. The BND-BMOML method was experimentally validated using a benchmark dataset and the outcomes indicated significant improvements in performance over existing methods.
Comparing Tourist and Tour Operator Perceptions of Tourists’ Impacts on the Environment in Tanzania
Authors: Solberg Anna M. , Smiley Sarah L.
Published: October 2022

Tourism accounts for a substantial and increasing portion of the Sub-Saharan African economy. In Tanzania, the number of international tourist arrivals nearly doubled from 2010 to 2018, and many of them participated in nature-based tourism. In addition to the jobs and revenue created by tourism, it has both positive and negative impacts on a place’s environment. For example, it can fund conservation efforts, but it can also lead to deforestation from infrastructure development. This paper focuses on the environmental perceptions of tourists who traveled to Tanzania and tour operators working in the country. Environmental perception assesses an individual’s ability to recognize how they truly view and react to their environment. This study builds on the existing literature on tourist perceptions to compare three aspects of perceptions. First, it compares tourist perceptions of their personal environmental impact to the impacts of other tourists. Second, it compares tourist perceptions of their personal impacts to the perceptions of tour operators. Third, it compares how tourists perceive their behaviors at home to their behaviors while traveling. Using results from online surveys of 47 tourists and 16 tour operators, this study found that tourists attribute negative environmental impacts to others and positive impacts to themselves. It found similar gaps between tourist and tour operator perceptions, with tourists both over and underestimating their impacts compared to operator perceptions. It found that tourists are more proactive at minimizing their environmental impacts at home than away.
Remote Sensing-Based Land Suitability Analysis for Forest Restoration in Madagascar
Authors: Rajaonarivelo Fitiavana , Williams Roger A.
Published: October 2022

Tropical forest loss has been a prominent concern in Madagascar, portrayed by a highly fragmented landscape of forests surrounded by small-scale agricultural patches along the northwestern and eastern regions. This paper seeks to identify priority areas for forest landscape restoration at a landscape scale using a geospatial land suitability analysis approach. The study area is the watershed of Mahavavy, home to one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the island but also an important agriculture region. The suitability analysis method comprises five major steps: (1) the identification of a set of restoration criteria, (2) the acquisition of available environmental datasets for each criterion, (3) generating suitability maps for each criterion, (4) the conception of a suitability analysis model, and (5) the design of potential sites for restoration. The specific suitability criteria combine both landscape composition and soil characteristics, including (i) distance from protected sites and forest patches, (ii) land cover classes, (iii) distance from settlements, (iv) distance from roads, (v) risk of soil erosion. We found 143,680 ha (27.9%) that were highly suitable areas for forest landscape restoration, 159127 (30.9%) moderately suitable and138031 ha (26.6%) not suitable areas. High potential suitable areas are observed in close proximity of forest patches and protected areas, and low restoration feasibility in all areas that are easily accessible and thus subjected to exploitation.
Environmental Factors Driving the Transpiration of a Betula platyphylla Sukaczev Forest in a Semi-arid Region in North China during Different Hydrological Years
Authors: Wu Yiheng , Zhao Pengwu , Zhou Mei , Liu Zebin , Yao Huaxia , Wei Jiangsheng , Shu Yang , Li Jiamei , Xiang Changlin , Zhou Liwen
Published: October 2022

More and more droughts happened during the last decades, threatening natural forests in the semi-arid regions of North China. The increase in drought pressure may have an impact on stand transpiration (T) in semi-arid regions due to rising temperature and changes in precipitation. It is unclear how the transpiration of natural forest in semi-arid regions respond to drought, which is regulated by environmental factors. In this study, a relatively simple but mechanism-based forest stand T model that couples the effects of the reference T, solar radiation (Rn), vapor pressure deficit (VPD), and relative extractable water (REW) in the 0–80 cm soil layer was developed to quantify the independent impacts of Rn, VPD, and REW on T. The model was established based on the observed sap flow of four sample trees, and environmental factors were observed from May to September in different hydrological years (2015, 2017, 2018, and 2021) in a pure white birch (Betula platyphylla Sukaczev) forest stand in the southern section of the Greater Khingan Mountains, northeastern China. The sap flow data were used to calculate tree transpiration (Tt) and T to calibrate the T model. The results indicated that (1) The Tt sharply declined in the ‘dry’ year compared with that in the ‘wetter’ year. The daily Tt for small trees in the ‘dry’ year was only one-fifth of that in the ‘wetter’ year, and the daily Tt of large trees was 48% lower than that in the ‘normal’ year; (2) Large trees transpired more water than small trees, e.g., the daily Tt of small trees was 89% lower than that of the large trees in the ‘normal’ year; (3) Daily T increased with the increase in Rn, and the response conformed to a binomial function. Daily T responded to the rise of VPD and REW in an exponential function, first increasing rapidly, gradually reaching the threshold or peak value, and then stabilizing; (4) The driving factors for the T shift in different hydrological years were the REW in the ‘dry’ year, but the Rn and REW in the ‘wet’, ‘normal’, and ‘wetter’ years. The REW in the ‘wet’ and ‘wetter’ years exerted positive effects on T, but in the ‘normal’ and ‘dry’ year, exerted negative effects on T. Thus, the environmental factors affecting T were not the same in different hydrological years.
Ignition of Wood-Based Boards by Radiant Heat
Authors: Marková Iveta , Ivaničová Martina , Osvaldová Linda Makovická , Harangózo Jozef , Tureková Ivana
Published: October 2022

Particleboards (PB) and oriented strand boards (OSB) are commonly used materials in building structures or building interiors. The surface of boards may hence become directly exposed to fire or radiant heat. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the behaviour of uncoated particleboards and OSB exposed to radiant heat. The following ignition parameters were used to observe the process of particleboard and OSB ignition: heat flux intensity (from 43 to 50 kW.m-2) and ignition temperature. The time-to-ignition and mass loss of particleboards and OSB with thicknesses of 12, 15 and 18 mm were monitored and compared. The experiments were conducted on a modified device in accordance with ISO 5657: 1997. Results confirmed thermal degradation of samples. Heat flux had a significant effect on mass loss (burning rate) and time-to-ignition. OSB had higher ignition time than particleboards and the thermal degradation of OSB started later, i.e., at a higher temperature than that of particleboards, but OSB also had higher mass loss than particleboards. The samples yielded the same results above 47 kW.m−2. Thermal analysis also confirmed a higher thermal decomposition temperature of OSB (179 °C) compared to particleboards (146 °C). The difference in mass loss in both stages did not exceed 1%.
The Potential of Traditional ‘Gaja’ and New Breed Lines of Waxy, Blue and Purple Wheat in Wholemeal Flour Fermentation
Authors: Mockus Ernestas , Starkute Vytaute , Zokaityte Egle , Klupsaite Dovile , Bartkevics Vadims , Borisova Anastasija , Rocha João Miguel , Ruibys Romas , Liatukas Zilvinas , Ruzgas Vytautas , Bartkiene Elena
Published: October 2022

The aim of this study was to analyse and compare the acidity, microbiological and colour characteristics, fatty (FA) and amino (AA) acid profiles, biogenic amine (BA) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) concentrations, and macro- and microelement contents in non-treated (non-fermented) and fermented wholemeal cereal flours of ‘Gaja’ (traditional wheat) and new breed lines DS8888-3-6 (waxy wheat), DS8548-7 (blue wheat) and DS8535-2 (purple wheat). Independent fermentations were undertaken with selected strains of Pediococcus acidilactici, Liquorilactobacillus uvarum and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum. The results revealed that all the wholemeal cereal flours of the analysed wheat varieties are suitable for fermentation with the selected strains because all the fermented samples showed lactic acid bacteria (LAB) viable counts higher than 8.00 log10 CFU/g and desirable low pH values. In most of the cases, fermentation increased the concentration of essential amino acids in the wholemeal cereal samples, and the LAB strain used for fermentation proved to be a significant factor in all the essential amino acid content of wholemeal wheat (p ≤ 0.0001). When comparing the non-fermented samples, the highest GABA content was found in ‘Gaja’ and waxy wheat samples (2.47 µmol/g, on average), and, in all the cases, fermentation significantly increased GABA concentration in the wholemeal cereals. On the other hand, total levels of biogenic amines in wholemeal samples ranged from 22.7 to 416 mg/kg. The wheat variety was a significant factor in all the analysed macro- and microelement contents (p ≤ 0.0001) in the wholemeal cereals. Furthermore, fermentation showed to be a significant factor in most of the FA content of the wholemeal cereal samples. Finally, fermentation can also contribute to improving the biological and functional value of wholemeal wheat flours (by increasing essential amino acids and GABA concentrations); however, safety parameters (e.g., biogenic amines) also should be taken into consideration when optimizing the most appropriate technological parameters.
Topographic Factors Drive Short-Term Understory Revegetation in Burned Areas
Authors: He Zhixue , Wang Lei , Luo Jun , Zhang Bin , Deng Qingchun , Liu Hui
Published: October 2022

Fire is a disturbance factor in forest ecosystems which has an important influence on vegetation succession. In order to reveal the natural recovery characteristics of the understory vegetation and its response to topographic factors (elevation, slope position, aspect and slope) after fire in subtropical forests, a typical subtropical forest (Xide County, China) was selected as the study area. Based on quadrat surveys and correlation analyses, the main results of this study were as follows. (1) Within four months after a fire, a total of 71 species, 52 genera and 20 families of understory vegetation species were increased, representing a rapid recovery after a fire. The total number of genera and species of understory vegetation increased by 157% and 209%, respectively. (2) Different burning intensities had different effects on the recovery of vegetation species diversity. The change in Margalef richness index was the most significant, increasing by 5.44 and 5.16 in lightly and severely burned areas, respectively. (3) The vegetation community could be divided into six types after restoration. (4) Elevation and slope were significantly correlated with the diversity and distribution characteristics of understory vegetation in the burned area. This study is useful to understand the characteristics of the short-term natural recovery of understory vegetation in subtropical forests after fire, to identify the relationship between vegetation and topographic factors in burned areas, and to provide a scientific basis for vegetation recovery.
A Novel Streptococcus thermophilus FUA329 Isolated from Human Breast Milk Capable of Producing Urolithin A from Ellagic Acid
Authors: Liu Qitong , Liu Shu , Ye Qinwen , Hou Xiaoyue , Yang Guang , Lu Jing , Hai Yang , Shen Juan , Fang Yaowei
Published: October 2022

Urolithin A, a metabolite of ellagic acid, has many beneficial biological activities for people. Strains capable of producing urolithin A from ellagic acid have the hope of becoming the next-generation probiotics. However, only a few species of these strains have been reported. In this study, FUA329, a strain capable of converting ellagic acid to urolithin A in vitro, was isolated from the breast milk of healthy Chinese women. The results of morphological observation, physiological and biochemical tests, and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis confirmed that the strain FUA329 was Streptococcus thermophilus. In addition, the S. thermophilus FUA329 growth phase is consistent with the degradation of ellagic acid, and urolithin A was produced in the stationary phase, with a maximum concentration of 7.38 μM at 50 h. The corresponding conversion efficiency of urolithin A from ellagic acid was 82%. In summary, S. thermophilus FUA329, a novel urolithin A-producing bacterium, would be useful for the industrial production of urolithin A and may be developed as a next-generation probiotic.
Fabrication of Chitosan/Hydroxyethyl Cellulose/TiO2 Incorporated Mulberry Anthocyanin 3D-Printed Bilayer Films for Quality of Litchis
Authors: Luo Jinjie , Xia Guofeng , Liu Lizi , Ji Anping , Luo Qiang
Published: October 2022

In this study, a bilayer antibacterial chromogenic material was prepared using chitosan (CS) and hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) as inner substrate, mulberry anthocyanins (MA) as a natural tracer, and titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nano-TiO2)/CS:HEC as a bacteriostatic agent for the outer layer. By investigating their apparent viscosity and suitability for 3D printing links, the optimal ratio of the substrates was determined to be CS:HEC = 3:3. Viscosity of the CH was moderate. The printing process was consistent and exhibited no breakage or clogging. The printed image was highly stable and not susceptible to collapse and diffusion. Scanning electron microscopy and infrared spectroscopy indicated that intermolecular binding between the substances exhibited good compatibility. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nano-TiO2) were evenly distributed in the CH and no agglomeration was observed. The inner film fill rates affected the overall performance of the chromogenic material, with strong inhibitory effects against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus at different temperatures, as well as strong color stability. The experimental results indicated that the double-layer antibacterial chromogenic material can, to a certain extent, extend the shelf life of litchi fruit and determine the extent of its freshness. Therefore, from this study, we can infer that the research and development of active materials have a certain reference value.
Implications of Blending Pulse and Wheat Flours on Rheology and Quality Characteristics of Baked Goods: A Review
Authors: Olakanmi Sunday J. , Jayas Digvir S. , Paliwal Jitendra
Published: October 2022

Bread is one of the most widely consumed foods in all regions of the world. Wheat flour being its principal ingredient is a cereal crop low in protein. The protein content of a whole grain of wheat is about 12–15% and is deficit in some essential amino acids, for example, lysine. Conversely, the protein and fibre contents of legume crops are between 20 and 35% and 15 and 35%, respectively, depending on the type and cultivar of the legume. The importance of protein-rich diets for the growth and development of body organs and tissues as well as the overall functionality of the body is significant. Thus, in the last two decades, there has been a greater interest in the studies on the utilization of legumes in bread production and how the incorporation impacts the quality characteristics of the bread and the breadmaking process. The addition of plant-based protein flours has been shown to produce an improved quality characteristic, especially the nutritional quality aspect of bread. The objective of this review is to synthesize and critically investigate the body of research on the impact of adding legume flours on the rheological attributes of dough and the quality and baking characteristics of bread.
Multi-Fractality, Universality and Singularity in Turbulence
Authors: Dubrulle Bérengère
Published: October 2022

In most geophysical flows, vortices (or eddies) of all sizes are observed. In 1941, Kolmogorov devised a theory to describe the hierarchical organization of such vortices via a homogeneous self-similar process. This theory correctly explains the universal power-law energy spectrum observed in all turbulent flows. Finer observations however prove that this picture is too simplistic, owing to intermittency of energy dissipation and high velocity derivatives. In this review, we discuss how such intermittency can be explained and fitted into a new picture of turbulence. We first discuss how the concept of multi-fractality (invented by Parisi and Frisch in 1982) enables to generalize the concept of self-similarity in a non-homogeneous environment and recover a universality in turbulence. We further review the local extension of this theory, and show how it enables to probe the most irregular locations of the velocity field, in the sense foreseen by Lars Onsager in 1949. Finally, we discuss how the multi-fractal theory connects to possible singularities, in the real or in the complex plane, as first investigated by Frisch and Morf in 1981.
Mussel-Inspired Surface Functionalization of Porous Albumin Cryogels Supporting Synergistic Antibacterial/Antioxidant Activity and Bone-Like Apatite Formation
Authors: Mehwish Nabila , Xu Mengdie , Zaeem Muhammad , Lee Bae Hoon
Published: October 2022

A crucial method for adding new functions to current biomaterials for biomedical applications has been surface functionalization via molecular design. Mussel-inspired polydopamine (PDA) has generated much attention as a facile method for the functionalization of biomaterials because of its substantial independence in deposition, beneficial cell interactions, and significant responsiveness aimed at secondary functionalization. Because of their porous structure, the bovine serum albumin methacryloyl (BSAMA)-BM cryogels were functionalized with PDA (BM-PDA), which may reproduce the architecture and biological purpose of the natural extracellular environment. Excellent antioxidative and antibacterial qualities, improved mineralization, and better cell responsiveness were all demonstrated by BM-PDA. BM-PDA scaffolds maintained their linked and uniform pores after functionalization, which can make it easier for nutrients to be transported during bone repair. As a result, hydroxyapatite (HA)-coated BM* and BM-PDA* cryogels were created through successive mineralization with the goal of mineralized bone tissue repair. The heterogeneous nucleation and surface roughness contributed to rod-like apatite production in BM-PDA* cryogels whereas BM* cryogels were made up of plate-like HA morphologies. Analysis results showed that after five cycles, the mineral contents were around 57% and the HA units remained equally dispersed on the surface of BM-PDA* with a Ca/P ratio of 1.63. Other natural polymer-based cryogels can be coated using this general, rapid, and simple PDA coating technique and utilized as implants for bone tissue engineering. Future clinical uses of albumin cryogels for bone tissue engineering will advance as a result of additional in-vivo testing of such PDA-coated cryogels.
Examination of the Impact of Strength and Velocity of the Knee and Ankle on Gait Speed in Community-Dwelling Older Adults
Authors: Kanayama Atsuki , Minami Mayuka , Yamamoto Saki , Ohmine Toshimitsu , Fujiwara Minami , Murakami Takayuki , Okuno Shuji , Ueba Ryoga , Iwata Akira
Published: October 2022

The muscle strength of the knee extension and plantarflexion plays a crucial role in determining gait speed. Recent studies have shown that no-load angular velocity of the lower limb joints is essential for determining gait speed. However, no reports have compared the extent to which lower limb functions, such as knee extension strength, knee extension velocity, plantarflexion strength, and plantarflexion velocity, impact gait speed in a single study. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the relative importance of maximum strength and no-load angular velocity on gait speed. Overall, 164 community-dwelling older adults (72.9 ± 5.0 years) participated in this study. We measured the gait speed and lower limb function (the strength and velocity of knee extension and plantarflexion). Strength was measured with a hand-held dynamometer, and velocity with a gyroscope. A multiple regression analysis was performed with gait speed as the dependent variable and age, sex, and lower-limb function as independent variables. Plantarflexion velocity (β = 0.25) and plantarflexion strength (β = 0.21) were noted to be significant predictors of gait speed. These findings indicate that no-load plantarflexion velocity is more important than the strength of plantarflexion and knee extensions as a determinant of gait speed, suggesting that improvement in plantarflexion velocity may increase gait speed.
Non-Communicable Diseases and Transitioning Health System in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea during COVID-19 Lockdown
Authors: Noh Jin-Won , Kim Kyoung-Beom , Jang Ha-Eun , Heo Min-Hee , Kim Young-Jin , Cha Jiho
Published: October 2022

While there are increasing concerns on COVID-19 situation in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, or North Korea), little is known about North Korea’s health system function for Non-Communicable Diseases. Given the scarcity of available evidence, a scoping review was conducted in peer review articles from MEDLINE, SCOPUS, and Web of Science, and policy literatures from Rodongshinmun, state-run media in North Korea to analyze the North Korea health system and COVID-19 pandemic. The transition to a market economy is expected to deepen the gap between the rich and the poor over access to health care, causing a new type of health inequality in North Korea. COVID-19 lockdown intensified the DPRK’s economic predicament exacerbating shortage of health financing on non-communicable diseases. The case study of mixed evidence from scoping review indicates that NCDs prevention and management are not functional in the transitioning health system under chronic economic crisis and isolation. This study indicates that NCDs prevention and management are not functional in the transitioning health system under chronic economic crisis and isolation. The destabilized markets under COVID-19 lockdown intensified the DPRK’s economic predicament and exacerbated the chronic shortage of health financing especially to NCDs.
Poor Health Conditions among Brazilian Healthcare Workers: The Study Design and Baseline Characteristics of the HEROES Cohort
Authors: Sato Tatiana de Oliveira , de Faria Beatriz Suelen Ferreira , Albuquerque Bianca Biason , Silva Fabio Leandro da , Rohwedder Luiza Salvador , de Azevedo Renata Trivelato , Gonçalves Josiane Sotrate , Vieira Ludmilla Maria Souza Mattos de Araújo , Triches Maria Isabel , de Sousa Rosângela Aparecida , Cardoso Viviane de Freitas , Mininel Vivian Aline
Published: October 2022

This study was conducted to describe the health conditions (the psychosocial aspects, sleep quality, and musculoskeletal symptoms) among Brazilian healthcare workers in the context of the pandemic. Workers answered an online questionnaire, including the short version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ II), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The most unfavourable psychosocial factors were work pace (61%; 95% CI: 52–69%), emotional work demands (75%; 95% CI: 67–82%), predictability (47%; 95% CI: 39–56%), work-family conflict (55%; 95% CI: 46–64%), burnout (86%; 95% CI: 78–91%), and stress (81%; 95% CI: 73–87%). Most workers (74%; 95% CI: 66–81%) were classified as poor sleepers. Musculoskeletal symptoms were frequent in the neck (64%; 95% CI: 55–72%), shoulders (62%; 95% CI: 54–70%), upper back (58%; 95% CI: 50–67%), and lower back (61%; 95% CI: 52–69%). Depressive symptoms were also highly prevalent (mild: 22%; 95% CI: 15–30%, moderate: 16%; 95% CI: 11–23%, severe: 8%; 95% CI: 4–14%). Most healthcare workers experience unfavourable psychosocial factors, poor sleep quality, as well as musculoskeletal and depressive symptoms. These findings underscore the urgent need to acknowledge and address psychological and physical distress to improve the personal and professional well-being of this population.
Trends in Self-Rated Oral Health and Its Associations with Oral Health Status and Oral Health Behaviors in Japanese University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study from 2011 to 2019
Authors: Nakahara Momoko , Toyama Naoki , Ekuni Daisuke , Takeuchi Noriko , Maruyama Takayuki , Yokoi Aya , Fukuhara Daiki , Sawada Nanami , Nakashima Yukiho , Morita Manabu
Published: October 2022

Self-rated oral health (SROH) is a valid, comprehensive indicator of oral health status. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to analyze how oral health behaviors and clinical oral status were associated with SROH and how they had changed over the course of nine years in Japanese university students. Data were obtained from 17,996 students who underwent oral examinations and completed self-questionnaires from 2011 to 2019. Oral status was assessed using the decayed and filled teeth scores, bleeding on probing (BOP), probing pocket depth, the Oral Hygiene Index-Simplified (OHI-S), oral health behaviors, and related factors. SROH improved from 2011 to 2019. The logistic regression model showed that university students who were female and had a high daily frequency of tooth brushing, no BOP, no decayed teeth, no filled teeth, and a low OHI-S score and were significantly more likely to report very good, good, or fair SROH. An interaction effect was observed between survey year and regular dental check-ups (year × regular dental check-ups). The improvement trend in SROH might be associated with changes in oral health behaviors and oral health status.