bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Combined Metabolomic and Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Allantoin Enhances Drought Tolerance in Rice
Authors: Lu Shuai , Jia Zichang , Meng Xiangfeng , Chen Yaoyu , Wang Surong , Fu Chaozhen , Yang Lei , Zhou Rong , Wang Baohua , Cao Yunying
Published: November 2022

Drought is a misfortune for agriculture and human beings. The annual crop yield reduction caused by drought exceeds the sum of all pathogens. As one of the gatekeepers of China’s “granary”, rice is the most important to reveal the key drought tolerance factors in rice. Rice seedlings of Nipponbare (Oryza sativa L. ssp. Japonica) were subjected to simulated drought stress, and their root systems were analyzed for the non-targeted metabolome and strand-specific transcriptome. We found that both DEGs and metabolites were enriched in purine metabolism, and allantoin accumulated significantly in roots under drought stress. However, few studies on drought tolerance of exogenous allantoin in rice have been reported. We aimed to further determine whether allantoin can improve the drought tolerance of rice. Under the treatment of exogenous allantoin at different concentrations, the drought resistant metabolites of plants accumulated significantly, including proline and soluble sugar, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) decreased and reached a significant level in 100 μmol L−1. To this end, a follow-up study was identified in 100 μmol L−1 exogenous allantoin and found that exogenous allantoin improved the drought resistance of rice. At the gene level, under allantoin drought treatment, we found that genes of scavenge reactive oxygen species were significantly expressed, including peroxidase (POD), catalase (CATA), ascorbate peroxidase 8 (APX8) and respiratory burst oxidase homolog protein F (RbohF). This indicates that plants treated by allantoin have better ability to scavenge reactive oxygen species to resist drought. Alternative splicing analysis revealed a total of 427 differentially expressed alternative splicing events across 320 genes. The analysis of splicing factors showed that gene alternative splicing could be divided into many different subgroups and play a regulatory role in many aspects. Through further analysis, we restated the key genes and enzymes in the allantoin synthesis and catabolism pathway, and found that the expression of synthetase and hydrolase showed a downward trend. The pathway of uric acid to allantoin is completed by uric acid oxidase (UOX). To find out the key transcription factors that regulate the expression of this gene, we identified two highly related transcription factors OsERF059 and ONAC007 through correlation analysis. They may be the key for allantoin to enhance the drought resistance of rice.
Recent Progress in Research on COVID-19 Pathophysiology: Biomarkers, Repurposed Drugs, Viral Invasiveness, SARS-CoV-2 Genetic Diversity, the Crystal Structure of Viral Proteins, and the Molecular and Cellular Outcomes of COVID-19
Authors: Kubiak Jacek Z. , Kloc Malgorzata
Published: November 2022

COVID-19 is a disease caused by a novel zoonotic germ known as SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus [...]
Molecular Mechanisms of Pathogenesis, Prevention, and Therapy of COVID-19: Summarizing the Results of 2021
Authors: Gusev Evgenii
Published: November 2022

The purpose of this special issue is to highlight the main problems of the COVID-19 epidemic and to outline some ways to solve these problems, including research into the biology of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, general pathological and particular patterns of COVID-19 pathogenesis, acute and long-term complications of COVID-19, and evaluation of high-potential general and specific prevention methods and etiological and pathogenetic therapies for COVID-19 [...]
Chimney vs. Fenestrated Endovascular vs. Open Repair for Juxta/Pararenal Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis of the Medium-Term Results
Authors: Zlatanovic Petar , Jovanovic Aleksa , Tripodi Paolo , Davidovic Lazar
Published: November 2022

Introduction: This systematic review with network meta-analysis aimed at comparing the medium-term results of open surgery (OS), fenestrated endovascular repair (FEVAR), and chimney endovascular repair (ChEVAR) in patients with juxta/pararenal abdominal aortic aneurysms (JAAAs/PAAAs). Materials and methods: MEDLINE, SCOPUS, and Web of Science were searched from inception date to 1st July 2022. Any studies comparing the results of two or three treatment strategies (ChEVAR, FEVAR, or OS) on medium-term outcomes in patients with JAAAs/PAAAs were included. Primary outcomes were all-cause mortality, aortic-related reintervention, and aortic-related mortality, while secondary outcomes were visceral stent/bypass occlusion/occlusion, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), new onset renal replacement therapy (RRT), total endoleaks, and type I/III endoleak. Results: FEVAR (OR = 1.53, 95%CrI 1.03–2.11) was associated with higher medium-term all-cause mortality than OS. Sensitivity analysis including only studies that analysed JAAA showed that FEVAR (OR = 1.65, 95%CrI 1.08–2.33) persisted to be associated with higher medium-term mortality than OS. Both FEVAR (OR = 8.32, 95%CrI 3.80–27.16) and ChEVAR (OR = 5.95, 95%CrI 2.23–20.18) were associated with a higher aortic-related reintervention rate than OS. No difference between different treatment options was found in terms of aortic-related mortality. FEVAR (OR = 13.13, 95%CrI 2.70–105.2) and ChEVAR (OR = 16.82, 95%CrI 2.79–176.7) were associated with a higher rate of medium-term visceral branch occlusion/stenosis compared to OS; however, there was no difference found between FEVAR and ChEVAR. Conclusions: An advantage of OS compared to FEVAR and ChEVAR after mid-term follow-up aortic-related intervention and vessel branch/bypass stenosis/occlusion was found. This suggests that younger, low-surgical-risk patients might benefit from open surgery of JAAA/PAAA as a first approach.
Multimorbidity, Frailty and Diabetes in Older People–Identifying Interrelationships and Outcomes
Authors: Sinclair Alan J. , Abdelhafiz Ahmed H.
Published: November 2022

Multimorbidity and frailty are highly prevalent in older people with diabetes. This high prevalence is likely due to a combination of ageing and diabetes-related complications and other diabetes-associated comorbidities. Both multimorbidity and frailty are associated with a wide range of adverse outcomes in older people with diabetes, which are proportionally related to the number of morbidities and to the severity of frailty. Although, the multimorbidity pattern or cluster of morbidities that have the most adverse effect are not yet well defined, it appears that mental health disorders enhance the multimorbidity-related adverse outcomes. Therefore, comprehensive diabetes guidelines that incorporate a holistic approach that includes screening and management of mental health disorders such as depression is required. The adverse outcomes predicted by multimorbidity and frailty appear to be similar and include an increased risk of health care utilisation, disability and mortality. The differential effect of one condition on outcomes, independent of the other, still needs future exploration. In addition, prospective clinical trials are required to investigate whether interventions to reduce multimorbidity and frailty both separately and in combination would improve clinical outcomes.
A Perspective on the Quality of Life of Hemophilia A Patients in Romania—A Study on 100 Patients
Authors: Guran Catalina , Ioniţă Hortensia Mărioara , Haţegan Mieta-Gabriela , Ioniţă Ioana , Trăilă Adina , Ilie Alina-Maria
Published: November 2022

Hemophilia A is an X-linked coagulopathy, where there is a deficit in the production of the coagulation factor VIII. Even though there is a higher incidence of hemophilia A than of hemophilia B, it is still considered a rare disease, as its incidence is of 1 in 10,000 people born. We have applied three questionnaires regarding quality of life: Haem-A-QoL, Haemo-SYM and EQ-5D-5L to 101 adult patients with hemophilia A, which were separated into two groups: on-demand and prophylactic treatment. The results showed a relatively young lot, with medium and high education, but with a sedentary lifestyle and are pensioners. They also seem to have moderate mobility issues but, overall, a good quality of life. The quality of life in our studied lot is relatively good, but a more diverse lot is advised.
An Experimental and Numerical Study of the Influence of Temperature on Mode II Fracture of a T800/Epoxy Unidirectional Laminate
Authors: Gong Yu , Jiang Linfei , Li Linkang , Zhao Jian
Published: November 2022

Studies on mode II fracture have promoted the establishment of the delamination theory for unidirectional composite laminates at room temperature. However, under thermal conditions, the fracture behavior of composite laminates will exhibit certain differences. The delamination theory should be extended to consider the temperature effect. To achieve this goal, in this study, the mode II static delamination growth behavior of an aerospace-grade T800/epoxy composite is investigated at 23 °C, 80 °C and 130 °C. The mode II fracture resistance curve (R-curve) is experimentally determined. A fractographic study on the fracture surface is performed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), in order to reveal the failure mechanism. In addition, a numerical framework based on the cohesive zone model with a bilinear constitutive law is established for simulating the mode II delamination growth behavior at the thermal condition. The effects of the interfacial parameters on the simulations are investigated and a suitable value set for the interfacial parameters is determined. Good agreements between the experimental and numerical load–displacement responses illustrate the applicability of the numerical model. The research results provide helpful guidance for the design of composite laminates and an effective numerical method for the simulation of mode II delamination growth behavior.
Study on the Effect of Ultraviolet Absorber UV-531 on the Performance of SBS-Modified Asphalt
Authors: Liu Li , Liu Leixin , Liu Zhaohui , Yang Chengcheng , Pan Boyang , Li Wenbo
Published: November 2022

Asphalt pavements at high altitudes are susceptible to aging and disease under prolonged action of UV light. To improve their anti-ultraviolet aging performance, UV-531/SBS-modified asphalts with UV-531 dopings of 0.4%, 0.7%, and 1.0% were prepared by the high-speed shear method, and the effect of UV-531 on the conventional performance of SBS-modified asphalt before aging was studied by needle penetration, softening point and 5 °C ductility tests. The high- and low-temperature rheological properties of UV-531/SBS-modified asphalt before and after aging were also analyzed by high temperature dynamic shear rheology test and low-temperature glass transition temperature test. Finally, the effect of UV-531 on the anti-aging performance of SBS-modified asphalt was evaluated by three methods, including rutting factor ratio, viscosity aging index, and infrared spectroscopy. The results show that with the increase of UV-531 doping, the needle penetration and 5 °C ductility show an increasing trend, but the effect on the softening point is small. The high temperature stability of SBS-modified asphalt is not much affected by the addition of UV-531, and the low-temperature stability is improved, and when 0.7% UV absorber is added, SBS-modified asphalt shows better low-temperature performance. The results of all three evaluation methods show that the addition of UV-531 significantly improved the anti-UV aging performance of SBS-modified asphalt, with the amount of 0.7% providing the asphalt with the best anti-UV aging performance. The results of the study can provide an important reference for improving the anti-ultraviolet aging performance of SBS-modified asphalt.
Polylactide (PLA) as a Cell Carrier in Mesophilic Anaerobic Digestion—A New Strategy in the Management of PLA
Authors: Pilarska Agnieszka A. , Bula Karol , Pilarski Krzysztof , Adamski Mariusz , Wolna-Maruwka Agnieszka , Kałuża Tomasz , Magda Przemysław , Boniecki Piotr
Published: November 2022

The management of waste polylactide (PLA) in various solutions of thermophilic anaerobic digestion (AD) is problematic and often uneconomical. This paper proposes a different approach to the use of PLA in mesophilic AD, used more commonly on the industrial scale, which consists of assigning the function of a microbial carrier to the biopolymer. The study involved the testing of waste wafers and waste wafers and cheese in a co-substrate system, combined with digested sewage sludge. The experiment was conducted on a laboratory scale, in a batch bioreactor mode. They were used as test samples and as samples with the addition of a carrier: WF—control and WFC—control; WF + PLA and WFC + PLA. The main objective of the study was to verify the impact of PLA in the granular (PLAG) and powder (PLAP) forms on the stability and efficiency of the process. The results of the analysis of physicochemical properties of the carriers, including the critical thermal analysis by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), as well as the amount of cellular biomass of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens obtained in a culture with the addition of the tested PLAG and PLAP, confirmed that PLA can be an effective cell carrier in mesophilic AD. The addition of PLAG produced better results for bacterial proliferation than the addition of powdered PLA. The highest level of dehydrogenase activity was maintained in the WFC + PLAG system. An increase in the volume of the methane produced for the samples digested with the PLA granules carrier was registered in the study. It went up by c.a. 26% for WF, from 356.11 m3 Mg−1 VS (WF—control) to 448.84 m3 Mg−1 VS (WF + PLAG), and for WFC, from 413.46 m3 Mg−1 VS, (WFC—control) to 519.98 m3 Mg−1 VS (WFC + PLAG).
Thermal Creep Behavior and Creep Crystallization of Al-Mg-Si Aluminum Alloys
Authors: Zhang Qinmin , Huang Xiaomin , Guo Ran , Chen Dongyu
Published: November 2022

The experimental temperature is 613.15~763.15 K, and the strain rate is 0.01~10 s−1. The hot compression creep test of the 6082-T6 aluminum alloy sample is carried out by Gleeble-3500 hot compression simulation compressor, and its creep behavior is studied by scanning electron microscope. The results show that the DRX crystal has an irregular shape and that content of the Mg phase, Si phase, and Mn phase in the crystal are the main factors to change the color of DRX crystal. Temperature and strain rate are important factors affecting dynamic recrystallization. Reducing temperature and increasing strain rate will weaken dynamic recrystallization, and DRX critical condition and peak stress (strain) will increase. The constitutive equation of hot creep of 6082 aluminum alloy was established by introducing the work hardening rate-rheological stress curve, and the relationship between DRX critical condition, peak stress (strain) and parameter Z during creep was explored. Based on the Av rami equation, the prediction equation of the DRX volume fraction is established. With the increase of strain, DRX volume fraction is characterized by slow increase, then rapid increase and then slowly increase. In the hot -forming extrusion process of 6082 aluminum alloy, according to the volume fraction prediction equation, the DRX can be reduced, and the internal structure of the material can be optimized by changing the extrusion conditions and particle size.
An Approach of Producing Ultra-High-Performance Concrete with High Elastic Modulus by Nano-Al2O3: A Preliminary Study
Authors: Chu Hongyan , Wang Qun , Gao Li , Jiang Jinyang , Wang Fengjuan
Published: November 2022

Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) has promising applications in civil engineering. However, the elastic modulus of UHPC is relatively low compared with its compressive strength, which may result in insufficient stiffness in service. This work was carried out to explore the feasibility of producing UHPC with high elastic modulus by nano-Al2O3 (NA). Based on particle densely packing theory, the initial mixture of UHPC was designed via the modified Andreasen and Andersen model. An experimental investigation was conducted to systematically examine the effects of NA on different properties of UHPC, including its fluidity, mechanical properties, durability, and microstructure. It was found that: (1) Compared with UHPC without NA, the flexural strength, compressive strength, and elastic modulus of UHPC were improved by 7.38–16.87%, 4.08–20.58%, and 2.89–14.08%, respectively, because of the incorporation of NA; (2) the addition of NA had a prohibiting impact on the threshold pore diameter and porosity of UHPC, which suggested that NA could be conducive to its pore structure; (3) the incorporation of NA led to a decline of 2.9–11.76% in the dry shrinkage of UHPC, which suggested that incorporating NA in a proper amount could reduce the risk of cracking and alleviate the dry shrinkage of UHPC; (4) the optimal amount of NA in UHPC was 1.0%, considering the effects of NA on workability, mechanical properties, microstructure, and the durability of UHPC.
Evaluating the Feasibility of Using Brick Powder and Clay Powder in Cement Replacement
Authors: Rumiński Patryk , Szeląg Maciej , Matos Paulo de
Published: November 2022

The cement industry generates very large amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere. In recent years, there has been a search for alternative cementitious materials and micro-fillers that could partially or fully replace cement in cement composites without compromising their durability. This paper investigates the possibility of using brick powder (BP) and clay powder (CP) as a partial replacement for cement (up to 20% by weight) in cement paste. The raw materials were characterized, and the physical and mechanical properties of the modified cement pastes were studied, as well as their resistance to a short-term thermal shock at 250 °C. The study was supplemented by intelligent modelling of compressive strength using the support vector machine (SVM) algorithms. The results indicated a significant increase in tensile strength (up to 100%) and an increase in thermal resistance of cement pastes modified with BP and CP. The proposed SVM model had high accuracy (R2 = 0.90), indicating its suitability to predict the compressive strength of the modified cement matrix. This study complements the knowledge in the field of inter alia, the effect of a short-term thermal shock at elevated temperature on the properties of BP and CP modified cement paste, and the effect of BP, which, due to its grain size, plays more the role of a microfiller than a pozzolanic additive.
Evaluating the Influence of Elevated Temperature on Compressive Strength of Date-Palm-Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Using Response Surface Methodology
Authors: Adamu Musa , Ibrahim Yasser E. , Alanazi Hani
Published: November 2022

Due to its availability and affordable processing, date palm fiber (DPF) is among the natural and sustainable fibers used in cementitious composites. Furthermore, DPF is an agricultural, organic, and fibrous material that when subjected to higher temperature can easily degrade and cause reduction in strength. Therefore, the influence of elevated temperatures on the unit weight and strengths of DPF-reinforced concrete needs to be examined. Under this investigation, DPF is used in proportions of 0–3% weight of binder to produce a DPF-reinforced concrete. Silica fume was utilized as a supplemental cementitious material (SCM) in various amounts of 0%, 5%, 10%, and 15% by weight to enhance the heat resistance of the DPF-reinforced concrete. The concrete was then heated to various elevated temperatures for an hour at 200 °C, 400 °C, 600 °C, and 800 °C. After being exposed to high temperatures, the weight loss and the compressive and relative strengths were examined. The weight loss of DPF-reinforced concrete escalated with increments in temperature and DPF content. The compressive and relative strengths of the concrete improved when heated up to 400 °C, irrespective of the DPF and silica fume contents. The heat resistance of the concrete was enhanced with the replacement of up to 10% cement with silica fume when heated to a temperature up to 400 °C, where there were enhancements in compressive and relative strengths. However, at 800 °C, silica fume caused a significant decline in strength. The developed models for predicting the weight loss and the compressive and relative strengths of the DPF-reinforced concrete under high temperature using RSM have a very high degree of correlation and predictability. The models were said to have an average error of less than 6% when validated experimentally. The optimum DPF-reinforced concrete mix under high temperature was achieved by adding 1% DPF by weight of binder materials, replacing 12.14% of the cement using silica fume, and subjecting the concrete to a temperature of 317 °C. The optimization result has a very high desirability of 91.3%.
Influence of Slide Burnishing Parameters on the Surface Layer Properties of Stainless Steel and Mean Positron Lifetime
Authors: Skoczylas Agnieszka , Zaleski Kazimierz , Matuszak Jakub , Ciecieląg Krzysztof , Zaleski Radosław , Gorgol Marek
Published: November 2022

This paper presents the results of an experimental study on the impact of slide burnishing on surface roughness parameters (Sa, Sz, Sp, Sv, Ssk, and Sku), topography, surface layer microhardness, residual stress, and mean positron lifetime (τmean). In the study, specimens of X6CrNiTi18 stainless steel were subjected to slide burnishing. The experimental variables were feed and slide burnishing force. The slide burnishing process led to changes in the surface structure and residual stress distribution and increased the surface layer microhardness. After slide burnishing, the analyzed roughness parameters decreased compared with their pre-treatment (grinding) values. The slide burnishing of X6CrNiTi18 steel specimens increased their degree of strengthening e from 8.77% to 42.74%, while the hardened layer thickness gh increased after the treatment from about 10 µm to 100 µm. The maximum compressive residual stress was about 450 MPa, and the maximum depth of compressive residual stresses was gσ = 1.1 mm. The positron mean lifetime τmean slightly yet systematically increased with the increase in burnishing force F, while an increase in feed led to changes of a different nature.
The Role of Zn Substitution in Improving the Electrical Properties of CuI Thin Films and Optoelectronic Performance of CuI MSM Photodetectors
Authors: Tsay Chien-Yie , Chen Yun-Chi , Tsai Hsuan-Meng , Sittimart Phongsaphak , Yoshitake Tsuyoshi
Published: November 2022

Pure CuI and Zn-substituted CuI (CuI:Zn) semiconductor thin films, and metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodetectors were fabricated on glass substrates by a low-temperature solution process. The influence of Zn substitution concentration (0–12 at%) on the microstructural, optical, and electrical characteristics of CuI thin films and its role in improving the optoelectronic performance of CuI MSM photodetectors were investigated in this study. Incorporation of Zn cation dopant into CuI thin films improved the crystallinity and increased the average crystalline size. XPS analysis revealed that the oxidation state of Cu ions in all the CuI-based thin films was +1, and the estimated values of [Cu]/[I] for the CuI:Zn thin films were lower than 0.9. It was found that the native p-type conductivity of polycrystalline CuI thin film was converted to n-type conductivity after the incorporation of Zn ions into CuI nanocrystals, and the electrical resistivity decreased with increases in Zn concentration. A time-resolved photocurrent study indicated that the improvements in the optoelectronic performance of CuI MSM photodetectors were obtained through the substitution of Zn ions, which provided operational stability to the two-terminal optoelectronic device. The 8 at% Zn-substituted CuI photodetectors exhibited the highest response current, responsivity, and EQE, as well as moderate specific detectivity.
Electrochemical Polishing of Ti6Al4V Alloy Assisted by High-Speed Flow of Micro-Abrasive Particles in NaNO3 Electrolyte
Authors: Liu Jia , Wang Zhen , Xu Zhengyang
Published: November 2022

Electrochemical polishing (ECP) is an efficient and low-cost technology for polishing difficult-to-machine materials with complex structures. However, when an environmentally friendly neutral salt solution is used as the polishing electrolyte, a dense passivation film forms on the surface of passive metals, such as titanium alloy, with a serious detrimental effect on the polishing efficiency and surface quality. In this paper, we introduce an ECP method assisted by a high-speed flow of micro-abrasive particles (ECFAP). The contribution of the flowing micro-abrasive particles in the ECP process enables the electrochemical dissolution and abrasive polishing to occur simultaneously on the workpiece surface. The high-speed abrasive particles remove the passivation film formed under ECP, thereby improving the polishing efficiency and quality. We carried out the comparative tests of conventional ECP and the proposed ECFAP on a Ti6Al4V alloy in 10% NaNO3 electrolyte; the results show that, while the matrix material forms a soft high-impedance passivation film under ECP, this film is removed by the high-speed flowing abrasive particles under ECFAP. The proposed ECFAP method improves both the polishing efficiency and the surface quality. Finally, ECFAP-treated specimens with an optimum voltage of 3 V for 10 min exhibited an average surface roughness of 0.0953 µm.
Crystal Growth and Thermal Properties of Quasi-One-Dimensional van der Waals Material ZrSe3
Authors: Xu Youming , Guo Shucheng , Chen Xi
Published: November 2022

ZrSe3 with a quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) crystal structure belongs to the transition metal trichalcogenides (TMTCs) family. Owing to its unique optical, electrical, and optoelectrical properties, ZrSe3 is promising for applications in field effect transistors, photodetectors, and thermoelectrics. Compared with extensive studies of the above-mentioned physical properties, the thermal properties of ZrSe3 have not been experimentally investigated. Here, we report the crystal growth and thermal and optical properties of ZrSe3. Millimeter-sized single crystalline ZrSe3 flakes were prepared using a chemical vapor transport method. These flakes could be exfoliated into microribbons by liquid-phase exfoliation. The transmission electron microscope studies suggested that the obtained microribbons were single crystals along the chain axis. ZrSe3 exhibited a specific heat of 0.311 J g−1 K−1 at 300 K, close to the calculated value of the Dulong–Petit limit. The fitting of low-temperature specific heat led to a Debye temperature of 110 K and an average sound velocity of 2122 m s−1. The thermal conductivity of a polycrystalline ZrSe3 sample exhibited a maximum value of 10.4 ± 1.9 W m−1 K−1 at 40 K. The thermal conductivity decreased above 40 K and reached a room-temperature value of 5.4 ± 1.3 W m−1 K−1. The Debye model fitting of the solid thermal conductivity agreed well with the experimental data below 200 K but showed a deviation at high temperatures, indicating that optical phonons could substantially contribute to thermal transport at high temperatures. The calculated phonon mean free path decreased with temperatures between 2 and 21 K. The mean free path at 2 K approached 3 μm, which was similar to the grain size of the polycrystalline sample. This work provides useful insights into the preparation and thermal properties of quasi-1D ZrSe3.
Performance Test and Parameter Optimization of Trichogramma Delivery System
Authors: Ji Shengzheng , Gong Jinliang , Cui Kai , Zhang Yanfei , Mostafa Kazi
Published: November 2022

Trichogramma is a small wasp that is a natural enemy of many agricultural pests. Although Trichogramma can be used in sustainable crop production, conventional methods of delivering Trichogramma to fields are expensive and may cause pollution. In this study, the feasibility of using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for Trichogramma delivery was investigated. A six-rotor plant protection UAV was equipped with a Trichogramma delivery device, and a Box-Behnken experimental design was carried out with the Trichogramma pills as the test material, the launch height, the launch speed and the launch interval as the experimental factors, and the Trichogramma pills’ landing accuracy as the test index. The data were analyzed by ANOVA using the Design-Expert software, and the influence of each experimental factor on the accuracy of the Trichogramma pills bolus landing was explored through response surface analysis. The regression model between the experimental factors and the experimental indicators was established, and the parameters were optimized based on the response surface method, and the optimal combination parameters were obtained. The ANOVA revealed that the launch height A had the greatest effect on the accuracy, followed by launch interval C and launch velocity B. The results demonstrated that the optimal parameter combination of the Trichogramma delivery system is the launch height of 147.95 cm, the launch speed of 3.7745 m/s, and the launch interval of 2.98 s. At this moment, the accuracy of Trichogramma pills’ bolus landing was the highest, with an accuracy of 93.29%. The average relative error between the experimental value and the optimization result was 1.71%, indicating that the Trichogramma delivery system could meet the requirements of delivery. This study provides theoretical references and technical support for verifying the feasibility of the Trichogramma delivery system.
CO2-Responsive Wormlike Micelles Based on Pseudo-Tetrameric Surfactant
Authors: Wei Xia , He Xiran , Zhang Dongmei , Su Xin
Published: November 2022

Wormlike micelles, which are linear aggregates created by the self-assembly of surfactants, may entangle to form dynamic three-dimensional network-like structures, endowing solutions with considerable macroscopic viscoelasticity. Recently, a pressing need has arisen to research a novel stimuli-responsive worm-like micelle that is efficient and environmentally friendly. CO2 is an inexpensive, abundant, non-toxic, biocompatible, and non-combustible gas, and it is anticipated that CO2 may serve as the trigger for stimuli-responsive worm-like micelles. In this paper, the formation of CO2-switchable pseudo-tetrameric surfactants, which subsequently self-assemble into CO2-switched wormlike micelles, is accomplished using a simple mixing of two commercial reagents, such as stearic acids and cyclen. The rheological characteristics switched by the use of CO2 are cycled between that of a low-viscosity (1.2 mPa·s) fluid and a viscoelastic fluid (worm-like micelles, 3000 mPa·s). This article expands the field of study on stimuli-responsive worm-like micelles.
Pentapeptide-Zinc Chelate from Sweet Almond Expeller Amandin Hydrolysates: Structural and Physicochemical Characteristics, Stability and Zinc Transport Ability In Vitro
Authors: Zhang Jiangning , Ye Zheng
Published: November 2022

To promote the application of almond expellers, sweet almond expeller globulin (amandin) was extracted for the preparation of bioactive peptides. After dual enzymatic hydrolysis, Sephadex G-15 gel isolation, reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography purification and ESI-MS/MS analysis, two novel peptides Val-Asp-Leu-Val-Ala-Glu-Val-Pro-Arg-Gly-Leu (1164.45 Da) and Leu-Asp-Arg-Leu-Glu (644.77 Da) were identified in sweet almond expeller amandin hydrolysates. Leu-Asp-Arg-Leu-Glu (LDRLE) of excellent zinc-chelating capacity (24.73 mg/g) was selected for preparation of peptide-zinc chelate. Structural analysis revealed that zinc ions were mainly bonded to amino group and carboxyl group of LDRLE. Potential toxicity and some physicochemical properties of LDRLE and Val-Asp-Leu-Val-Ala-Glu-Val-Pro-Arg-Gly-Leu (VDLVAEVPRGL) were predicted in silico. The results demonstrated that both LDRLE and VDLVAEVPRGL were not toxic. Additionally, zinc solubility of LDRLE-zinc chelate was much higher than that of zinc sulphate and zinc gluconate at pH 6.0–10.0 and against gastrointestinal digestion at 37 °C (p < 0.05). However, incubation at 100 °C for 20–60 min significantly reduced zinc-solubility of LDRLE-zinc chelate. Moreover, the chelate showed higher zinc transport ability in vitro than zinc sulphate and zinc gluconate (p < 0.05). Therefore, peptides isolated from sweet almond expeller amandin have potential applications as ingredient of zinc supplements.
Iron Porphyrin as a Cytochrome P450 Model for the Degradation of Dye
Authors: Ren Dan-Dan , Lu Xiaoyan , Zhou Li-Ping , Tian Huanghongjun , Wang Shuang , Ma Lu-Fang , Li Dong-Sheng
Published: November 2022

Organic dyes are widely used in the textile, biological, medical and other fields. However, a serious environmental problem has appeared because of the presence of organic dyes in industrial aqueous effluents. Thus, the efficient treatment of organic dyes in industrial wastewaters is currently in real demand. The current study investigated the oxidative degradation of the organic dye gentian violet by meso-tetra(carboxyphenyl) porphyriniron(III), [FeIII(TCPP)] as a cytochrome P450 model and iodosylbenzene (PhIO) as an oxidant at room temperature. The degradation reaction was monitored by UV–vis absorption spectroscopy via the observation of UV–vis spectral changes of the gentian violet. The results showed that the efficiency of catalyzed degradation reached more than 90% in 1 h, indicating the remarkable oxidative degradation capacity of the [FeIII(TCPP)]/PhIO system, which provided an efficient approach for the treatment of dyeing wastewater.
The Significance of Zinc in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease
Authors: Nishikawa Hiroki , Asai Akira , Fukunishi Shinya
Published: November 2022

Zinc is an essential trace element for the maintenance of life because it acts as a center of activity or cofactor for hundreds of enzymes. Zinc deficiency causes a variety of symptoms, including anemia, dermatitis, stomatitis, alopecia, bedsores, decreased appetite, impaired growth, gonadal dysfunction, susceptibility to infection, and taste disorders, etc. In March 2017, zinc acetate hydrate, which had been approved for Wilson disease in Japan, received an additional indication for hypozincemia. Hypozincemia is frequently observed in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD), especially cirrhosis, and it has recently been shown that hypozincemia is closely related to the development of liver fibrosis and increased risk of liver carcinogenesis, in addition to the appearance of various subjective symptoms. Moreover, hypozincemia in CLD may be associated with sarcopenia (i.e., decrease in muscle strength and muscle mass) and frailty (i.e., vulnerability), which receive much attention these days. It is assumed that treatment with zinc acetate hydrate will become widespread in patients with CLD. Zinc acetate hydrate may also have potential for improving sarcopenia in patients with CLD. This review primarily outlines the significance of zinc in patients with CLD.
In-House Innovative “Diamond Shaped” 3D Printed Microfluidic Devices for Lysozyme-Loaded Liposomes
Authors: Sommonte Federica , Weaver Edward , Mathew Essyrose , Denora Nunzio , Lamprou Dimitrios A.
Published: November 2022

Nanotechnology applications have emerged as one of the most actively researched areas in recent years. As a result, substantial study into nanoparticulate lipidic systems and liposomes (LPs) has been conducted. Regardless of the advantages, various challenges involving traditional manufacturing processes have hampered their expansion. Here, the combination of microfluidic technology (MF) and 3D printing (3DP) digital light processing (DLP) was fruitfully investigated in the creation of novel, previously unexplored “diamond shaped” devices suitable for the production of LPs carrying lysozyme as model drug. Computer-aided design (CAD) software was used designing several MF devices with significantly multiple and diverse geometries. These were printed using a high-performance DLP 3DP, resulting in extremely high-resolution chips that were tested to optimize the experimental condition of MF-based LPs. Monodisperse narrow-sized lysozyme-loaded PEGylated LPs were produced using in-house devices. The developed formulations succumbed to stability tests to determine their consistency, and then an encapsulation efficacy (EE) study was performed, yielding good findings. The in vitro release study indicated that lysozyme-loaded LPs could release up to 93% of the encapsulated cargo within 72 h. Therefore, the proficiency of the association between MF and 3DP was demonstrated, revealing a potential growing synergy.
DNAJB6-Containing Extracellular Vesicles as Chaperone Delivery Systems: A Proteomic Analysis
Authors: Joshi Bhagyashree S. , Garcia Romeu Hector , Aliyandi Aldy , de Vries Marcel P. , Zuhorn Inge S.
Published: November 2022

Cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) are effectors of cell-to-cell communication that are in the spotlight as promising candidates for in vivo drug delivery because of their ability to enter cells and deliver cargo. For example, proteins of interest can be loaded into EVs to mediate protein transfer into target cells. To determine causality between EV content and function, which is also important to assess the clinical safety of EVs, it is crucial to comprehensively characterize their complete molecular composition. Here, we investigated EVs loaded with the chaperone protein DNAJB6. Chaperone proteins assist in protein folding and have been suggested to alleviate protein aggregation diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Huntington’s disease. We analyzed and compared the proteome of EVs isolated from wildtype HEK293T cells with that of EVs from HEK 293T cells overexpressing DNAJB6-WT or loss-of-function mutant DNAJB6-M3. Comprehensive analysis of proteomics data showed enhanced levels of DNAJB6 as well as protein-folding-related proteins in EVs derived from DNAJB6-overexpression cells. Interestingly, upregulation of a chaperone and its protein-folding-related proteins resulted in downregulation of another chaperone plus its related proteins, and vice versa. This implies the presence of compensatory mechanisms in the cellular expression of chaperones. Collectively, we provide the proteomic EV signatures underlying EV mediated DNAJB6 transmission by HEK293T cells, with the aim of establishing a causal relationship between EV protein content and EV function.
Impact of Tides and Surges on Fluvial Floods in Coastal Regions
Authors: Liang Huidi , Zhou Xudong
Published: November 2022

Fluvial floods in coastal areas are affected by tides and storm surges, while the impact is seldom quantified because the dynamics of seawater levels are often not represented in river routing models. This study established a model framework by coupling a surge model with a global hydrodynamic model at a higher spatiotemporal resolution than previous studies so that flood processes affected by seawater level fluctuation in small river basins can be investigated. Model implementation in Zhejiang Province, China, shows that the integration of dynamic seawater levels increases the stress of flooding along the Zhejiang coasts. The ocean effect varies in space, as it is much stronger in northern Zhejiang because of the lower landform and strong tidal amplification, while the mountainous rivers in southern Zhejiang are dominated by river flow regimes. Typhoon Lekima resulted in compound flood events (i.e., rainfall-induced riverine flood, tides, and surges), during which the maximum water level at the outlet of Qiantang River was 0.80 m in the default model settings with a constant downstream seawater level (i.e., 0 m), while it increased to 2.34 m (or 2.48 m) when tides (or tides and surges) were considered. The maximum increase due to tides and surges was 2.09 m and 1.45 m, respectively, while the maximum increase did not match the time of the flood peak. This mismatching indicates the need to consider different processes in physical models rather than linearly summing up different extreme water levels (i.e., river flood, tide, and surge) found in previous studies. The model framework integrating various flow processes will help to prevent risks of compound events in coastal cities in practical and future projections under different scenarios.
Coral Reef Benthos Classification Using Data from a Short-Range Multispectral Sensor
Authors: Garza-Pérez Joaquín Rodrigo , Barrón-Coronel Frida
Published: November 2022

A five-band short-range multispectral sensor (MicaSense RedEdge-M) was adapted to an underwater housing and used to obtain data from coral reef benthos. Artificial illumination was required to obtain data from most of the spectral range of the sensor; the optimal distance for obtaining these data was 0.5 m, from the sensor to the bottom. Multispectral orthomosaics were developed using structure-from-motion software; these have the advantage of producing ultra-high spatial resolution (down to 0.4 × 0.4 mm/pixel) images over larger areas. Pixel-based supervised classification of a multispectral (R, G, B, RE bands) orthomosaic accurately discriminated among different benthic components; classification schemes defined 9 to 14 different benthic components such as brown algae, green algae, sponges, crustose coralline algae, and different coral species with high accuracy (up to 84% overall accuracy, and 0.83 for Kappa and Tau coefficients). The least useful band acquired by the camera for this underwater application was the near-infrared (820–860 nm) associated with its rapid absorption in the water column. Further testing is required to explore possible applications of these multispectral orthomosaics, including the assessment of the health of coral colonies, as well as the automation of their processing.
Terrain-Net: A Highly-Efficient, Parameter-Free, and Easy-to-Use Deep Neural Network for Ground Filtering of UAV LiDAR Data in Forested Environments
Authors: Li Bowen , Lu Hao , Wang Han , Qi Jianbo , Yang Gang , Pang Yong , Dong Haolin , Lian Yining
Published: November 2022

In recent years, a rise in interest in using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) with LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) to capture the 3D structure of forests for forestry and ecosystem monitoring applications has been witnessed. Since the terrain is an essential basis for the vertical structure modeling of a forest, the point cloud filtering delivering a highly accurate Digital Terrain Model (DTM) contributes significantly to forest studies. Conventional point cloud filtering algorithms require users to select suitable parameters according to the knowledge of the algorithm and the characteristics of scanned scenes, which are normally empirical and time-consuming. Deep learning offers a novel method in classifying and segmenting LiDAR point cloud, while there are only few studies reported on utilizing deep learning to filter non-ground LiDAR points of forested environments. In this study, we proposed an end-to-end and highly-efficient network named Terrain-net which combines the 3D point convolution operator and self-attention mechanism to capture local and global features for UAV point cloud ground filtering. The network was trained with over 15 million labeled points of 70 forest sites and was evaluated at 17 sites covering various forested environments. Terrain-net was compared with four classical filtering algorithms and one of the most well-recognized point convolution-based deep learning methods (KP-FCNN). Results indicated that Terrain-net achieved the best performance in respect of the Kappa coefficient (0.93), MIoU (0.933) and overall accuracy (98.0%). Terrain-net also performed well in transferring to an additional third-party open dataset for ground filtering in large-scale scenes and other vegetated environments. No parameters need to be tuned in transferring predictions. Terrain-net will hopefully be widely applied as a new highly-efficient, parameter-free, and easy-to-use tool for LiDAR data ground filtering in varying forest environments.
Comparison of PROSAIL Model Inversion Methods for Estimating Leaf Chlorophyll Content and LAI Using UAV Imagery for Hemp Phenotyping
Authors: Impollonia Giorgio , Croci Michele , Blandinières Henri , Marcone Andrea , Amaducci Stefano
Published: November 2022

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) remote sensing was used to estimate the leaf area index (LAI) and leaf chlorophyll content (LCC) of two hemp cultivars during two growing seasons under four nitrogen fertilisation levels. The hemp traits were estimated by the inversion of the PROSAIL model from UAV multispectral images. The look-up table (LUT) and hybrid regression inversion methods were compared. The hybrid methods performed better than LUT methods, both for LAI and LCC, and the best accuracies were achieved by random forest for the LAI (0.75 m2 m−2 of RMSE) and by Gaussian process regression for the LCC (9.69 µg cm−2 of RMSE). High-throughput phenotyping was carried out by applying a generalised additive model to the time series of traits estimated by the PROSAIL model. Through this approach, significant differences in LAI and LCC dynamics were observed between the two hemp cultivars and between different levels of nitrogen fertilisation.
Rooftop PV or Hybrid Systems and Retrofitted Low-E Coated Windows for Energywise and Self-Sustainable School Buildings in Bangladesh
Authors: Nur-E-Alam Mohammad , Basher Mohammad Khairul , Iftekharuzzaman  , Mostofa Kazi Zehad , Islam Mohammad Aminul , Haque A. H. M. Ahashanul , Das Narottam
Published: November 2022

The electricity crisis is a common issue in Bangladesh; however, recently the electricity scenario has been getting worse due to various reasons including power generation and distribution all over the country. Meanwhile, the large number of people requires a huge amount of energy which is not possible to be met by the national grid due to the limited power generation from different plants. Among all renewable energy sources, the solar photovoltaics (PV) system is the best choice as a generation source, either off-grid or with a grid-tied connection, to reduce the pressure on the national grid. In Bangladesh, there are more than 175,000 schools, and it is possible to generate a huge amount of renewable (solar) power to supply all the schools by using rooftop PV systems. We propose a new approach that combines solar energy harvesting and savings to make the schools self-sufficient and energywise. We performed a Hybrid Optimization Model for Multiple Energy Resources (HOMER) pro simulation and find that it was possible to generate approximately 200 megawatts (MW) of power. We conducted a feasibility study on generating power from rooftop PV systems on school buildings and reduced the power consumption using retrofitted thin-film-coated glass by around 16–20% per day depending on the school size, which can help the national power grid system by either making all the schools off-grid or grid-connected to supply power to the national grid. In addition, we perform a HelioScope simulation to investigate the maximum upscaling of PV sizing for the rooftops of school buildings in Bangladesh to realize how to make each school a mini solar power station in the future. The HelioScope simulation performance showed that it was possible to generate approximately 96,993 kWh per year from one school building.