bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Linum lewisii Adventitious and Hairy-Roots Cultures as Lignan Plant Factories
Authors: Dougué Kentsop Roméo Arago , Consonni Roberto , Alfieri Michela , Laura Marina , Ottolina Gianluca , Mascheretti Iride , Mattana Monica
Published: August 2022

Plants synthesize specific secondary metabolites for survival, reproduction, environmental resilience, and defense. Among them, lignans are a class of polyphenols with several bioactive properties: chemopreventive, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antioxidant. These compounds are often extracted from field-grown plants with very low yields. To overcome these constraints, in vitro tissue cultures provide a tool to optimize large-scale production. Moreover, the use of elicitation to increase secondary metabolite production is gaining importance. The aim of this work was to develop adventitious (ARL) and hairy roots (HRL) from Linum lewisi, a species able to synthesize arylnaphthalene lignans such as justicidin B. The ARL and HRL were obtained for the first time and characterized for their phenol content, antioxidant activity, and the production of justicidin B after treatments with several elicitors and precursor feeding. Through NMR spectroscopy, other four lignans were highlighted and identified in the roots extracts. A pilot-scale bioreactor was adopted to assess the suitability of the developed root cultures for future large-scale production. The ARL and HRL cultures showed a justicidin B production higher than other Linum species cultures described up to now (75.8 mg/L and 82.2 g/L), and the production more than doubled after elicitation with MeJA.
Mini-Review on the Enzymatic Lipophilization of Phenolics Present in Plant Extracts with the Special Emphasis on Anthocyanins
Authors: Jasińska Karina , Fabiszewska Agata , Białecka-Florjańczyk Ewa , Zieniuk Bartłomiej
Published: August 2022

Different plant extracts have the potential to be important sources of phenolic compounds. Their antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant properties are of interest to researchers due to various possibilities for use in the pharmacy, cosmetic and food industries. Unfortunately, the direct application of phenolics in food is limited because of their hydrophilic nature and low solubility. The review is devoted to the recent advances in the methods of lipophilization of phenolic extracts along with the use of enzymes. The concept of extract modification instead of single compound modification is based on the expected synergistic effect of many phenolic compounds. The main focus is on the phenolic compounds found in fruits, flowers and leaves of different common and underutilized as well as medicinal, folk-medicinal or endemic plants. The compiled papers point to the great interest in the modification of anthocyanins, highly active but often unstable phenolics. Some examples of other flavonoids are also outlined. The possible applications of the lipophilized plant extracts are presented for improving the stability of edible oils, decreasing the content of acrylamide, exhibiting higher color stability in thermal processing and increasing the nutritional value.
Assessing Cellular Uptake of Exogenous Coenzyme Q10 into Human Skin Cells by X-ray Fluorescence Imaging
Authors: Staufer Theresa , Schulze Mirja L. , Schmutzler Oliver , Körnig Christian , Welge Vivienne , Burkhardt Thorsten , Vietzke Jens-Peter , Vogelsang Alexandra , Weise Julia M. , Blatt Thomas , Dabrowski Oliver , Falkenberg Gerald , Brückner Dennis , Sanchez-Cano Carlos , Grüner Florian
Published: August 2022

X-ray fluorescence (XRF) imaging is a highly sensitive non-invasive imaging method for detection of small element quantities in objects, from human-sized scales down to single-cell organelles, using various X-ray beam sizes. Our aim was to investigate the cellular uptake and distribution of Q10, a highly conserved coenzyme with antioxidant and bioenergetic properties. Q10 was labeled with iodine (I2-Q10) and individual primary human skin cells were scanned with nano-focused beams. Distribution of I2-Q10 molecules taken up inside the screened individual skin cells was measured, with a clear correlation between individual Q10 uptake and cell size. Experiments revealed that labeling Q10 with iodine causes no artificial side effects as a result of the labeling procedure itself, and thus is a perfect means of investigating bioavailability and distribution of Q10 in cells. In summary, individual cellular Q10 uptake was demonstrated by XRF, opening the path towards Q10 multi-scale tracking for biodistribution studies.
The Cluster Transfer Function of AtNEET Supports the Ferredoxin–Thioredoxin Network of Plant Cells
Authors: Zandalinas Sara I. , Song Luhua , Nechushtai Rachel , Mendoza-Cozatl David G. , Mittler Ron
Published: August 2022

NEET proteins are conserved 2Fe-2S proteins that regulate the levels of iron and reactive oxygen species in plant and mammalian cells. Previous studies of seedlings with constitutive expression of AtNEET, or its dominant-negative variant H89C (impaired in 2Fe-2S cluster transfer), revealed that disrupting AtNEET function causes oxidative stress, chloroplast iron overload, activation of iron-deficiency responses, and cell death. Because disrupting AtNEET function is deleterious to plants, we developed an inducible expression system to study AtNEET function in mature plants using a time-course proteomics approach. Here, we report that the suppression of AtNEET cluster transfer function results in drastic changes in the expression of different members of the ferredoxin (Fd), Fd-thioredoxin (TRX) reductase (FTR), and TRX network of Arabidopsis, as well as in cytosolic cluster assembly proteins. In addition, the expression of Yellow Stripe-Like 6 (YSL6), involved in iron export from chloroplasts was elevated. Taken together, our findings reveal new roles for AtNEET in supporting the Fd-TFR-TRX network of plants, iron mobilization from the chloroplast, and cytosolic 2Fe-2S cluster assembly. In addition, we show that the AtNEET function is linked to the expression of glutathione peroxidases (GPXs), which play a key role in the regulation of ferroptosis and redox balance in different organisms.
Role of Plasma Membrane NADPH Oxidase in Response to Salt Stress in Cucumber Seedlings
Authors: Kabała Katarzyna , Reda Małgorzata , Wdowikowska Anna , Janicka Małgorzata
Published: August 2022

Plasma membrane NADPH oxidases (RBOHs, EC 1.6.3.1) are known as the main ROS generators involved in plant adaptation to stress conditions. In the present work, regulation of NADPH oxidase was analyzed in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. var. Krak) seedlings exposed to salinity. RBOH activity and gene expression, as well as H2O2 content, were determined in the roots of plants treated with 50 or 100 mM NaCl for 1 h, and 50 mM NaCl for 1 or 6 days. It was found that enzyme activity increased in parallel with an enhancement in the H2O2 level in roots exposed to 100 mM NaCl for 1 h, and to 50 mM NaCl for 1 day. The expression of some CsRboh genes was induced by salt. Moreover, an increase in the activity of G6PDH, providing the substrate for the NADPH oxidase, was observed. In seedlings subjected to salinity for a longer time, antioxidant enzymes—including superoxide dismutase, catalase, and ascorbate peroxidase—were activated, participating in maintaining a steady-state H2O2 content in the root cells. In conclusion, NADPH oxidase and endogenous H2O2 up-regulation seem to be early events in cucumber response to salinity.
Investigation of Relationships between Discrete and Dimensional Emotion Models in Affective Picture Databases Using Unsupervised Machine Learning
Authors: Horvat Marko , Jović Alan , Burnik Kristijan
Published: August 2022

Digital documents created to evoke emotional responses are intentionally stored in special affective multimedia databases, along with metadata describing their semantics and emotional content. These databases are routinely used in multidisciplinary research on emotion, attention, and related phenomena. Affective dimensions and emotion norms are the most common emotion data models in the field of affective computing, but they are considered separable and not interchangeable. The goal of this study was to determine whether it is possible to statistically infer values of emotionally annotated pictures using the discrete emotion model when the values of the dimensional model are available and vice versa. A positive answer would greatly facilitate stimuli retrieval from affective multimedia databases and the integration of heterogeneous and differently structured affective data sources. In the experiment, we built a statistical model to describe dependencies between discrete and dimensional ratings using the affective picture databases NAPS and NAPS BE with standardized annotations for 1356 and 510 pictures, respectively. Our results show the following: (1) there is a statistically significant correlation between certain pairs of discrete and dimensional emotions in picture stimuli, and (2) robust transformation of picture ratings from the discrete emotion space to well-defined clusters in the dimensional space is possible for some discrete-dimensional emotion pairs. Based on our findings, we conclude that a feasible recommender system for affective dataset retrieval can be developed. The software tool developed for the experiment and the results are freely available for scientific and non-commercial purposes.
Special Issue on Industrial Management and Engineering in the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Authors: Gallego-García Sergio , García-García Manuel
Published: August 2022

The topic of the Special Issue, Industrial Management and Engineering, covers the research and practical background that has shaped our society since the beginning of the first industrial revolution [...]
Contribution to Excitonic Linewidth from Free Carrier–Exciton Scattering in Layered Materials: The Example of hBN
Authors: Quintela Maurício F. C. Martins , Peres Nuno M. R.
Published: August 2022

Scattering of excitons by free carriers is a phenomenon, which is especially important when considering moderately to heavily doped semiconductors in low-temperature experiments, where the interaction of excitons with acoustic and optical phonons is reduced. In this paper, we consider the scattering of excitons by free carriers in monolayer hexagonal boron nitride encapsulated by a dielectric medium. We describe the excitonic states by variational wave functions, modeling the electrostatic interaction via the Rytova–Keldysh potential. Making the distinction between elastic and inelastic scattering, the relevance of each transition between excitonic states is also considered. Finally, we discuss the contribution of free carrier scattering to the excitonic linewidth, analyzing both its temperature and carrier density dependence.
Evacuation Management System for Major Disasters
Authors: González-Villa Javier , Cuesta Arturo , Alvear Daniel , Balboa Adriana
Published: August 2022

Predicting and understanding mass evacuations are important factors in disaster management and response. Current modelling approaches are useful for planning but lack of real-time capabilities to help informed decisions as the disaster event evolves. To address this challenge, a real-time Evacuation Management System (EMS) is proposed here, following a stochastic approach and combining classical models of low complexity but high reliability. The EMS computes optimal assembly points and shelters and the related network of evacuation routes using GIS-based traffic, pedestrian and routing models including damaged assets or impassable areas. To test the proper operation performances of the EMS, we conducted a case study for the Gran Canaria wildfire (August 2019—Spain).
Improved SPGD Algorithm for Optical Phased Array Phase Calibration
Authors: Wang Zheng , Yang Yibo , Wang Ruiting , Luo Guangzhen , Wang Pengfei , Su Yanmei , Pan Jiaoqing , Zhang Yejin
Published: August 2022

A chip-level optical beam steerer is an inevitable choice for next-generation light detection and ranging (LiDAR). The research on optical phased array (OPA) is the most intriguing. However, the complexity of control and calibration speed limit the full potential as the number of channels increases. In this paper, an improved stochastic parallel gradient-descent algorithm combined with the Nesterov accelerated gradient method (NSPGD) is presented and applied in a 512-channel OPA. This algorithm can reduce the phase calibration time of large-scale OPA and demonstrates a better convergence performance than traditional SPGD. Compared with the traditional SPGD and hill-climbing (HC) algorithm, optimized convergence performance of NSPGD is shown. The side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) of over 10dB for 512-channel OPA is obtained with the NSPGD algorithm, and the convergence speed is twice that of traditional SPGD. In addition, a temperature-controlled OPA is also studied to stabilize the whole calibration system.
Tunable Luminescence of Sm3+/Tb3+ Co-Doped CaMoO4 Phosphors Synthesized by Microwave-Assisted Heating
Authors: Wu Wen-Te , Tiong Kwong-Kau , Lee Yu-Wei , Hu Sheng-Yao , Lee Yueh-Chien , Huang Wei
Published: August 2022

We present a series of Sm3+/Tb3+ co-doped CaMoO4 phosphors synthesized by an efficient method of microwave-assisted heating. The prepared CaMoO4 samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence, and Commission Internationale de l’Elcairage (CIE) chromaticity diagram. The X-ray diffraction results confirmed that all synthesized CaMoO4 samples are crystallized in a pure tetragonal phase. The photoluminescence spectra significantly show both red- and green emissions in the synthesized Sm3+/Tb3+ co-doped CaMoO4 phosphors. It is obvious that the variations in the intensity ratio of red/green emissions depend on the molar ratio of Sm3+/Tb3+ co-doping and dominate the CIE color coordinates on the chromaticity diagram. The investigations showed the functionality of the material system as advanced color-tunable phosphors for white-LEDs as evidenced by the controllability of the light-emitting region of Sm3+/Tb3+ co-doped CaMoO4 phosphors through the adjustment of the molar ratio of Sm3+/Tb3+ ions.
Considerations for the Design and Implementation of Ambient RF Signal Rectifiers in the 2.45 GHz WiFi Band
Authors: Garcia-Garcia Joan J.
Published: August 2022

Ambient RF energy harvesting (RF-EH) is a particular case of wireless power transfer (WPT), which is characterized by ultra-low power operation. This work points out theoretical and practical aspects that should be considered in the design of RF rectifiers for ambient RF energy harvesting systems. The most common RF rectifier circuits are compared and discussed using simulations and experimental data. The efficiency is analyzed in terms of the input power and load resistance. It is demonstrated that the most efficient RF rectifier in ultra-low power conditions is the simple diode capacitor structure. As an illustrative example, an RF rectifier has been fabricated by designing an impedance-matching network to operate into the WIFI band. The fabricated prototype shows a measured 12% efficiency working at 2.47 GHz with around −30 dBm ambient input power, which is higher than the reported efficiencies in the literature. The fabricated energy harvesting system delivers power between 25.6 nW and 129.6 nW to a resistive 10 kΩ load. The obtained results are applicable to ambient RF up to 6 GHz.
Calculation of Three-dimensional Energy Product for Isotropic Nd2Fe14B Magnet
Authors: Kim Namkyu , Han Hee-Sung , Choi Chul-Jin , Lee Ki-Suk , Park Jihoon
Published: August 2022

A conventional energy product calculated by the product of the B-field and the H-field is not sufficient for representing the performance of a magnet because it considers the homogeneous and only the uniaxial magnetic properties of the magnet. The conventional energy product has been compared with another energy product obtained by integrating the scalar product of the B-field and the H-field of each cell composed of the three-dimensional components. We investigated a model system by micromagnetic simulation using finite differential method (FDM) and calculated the full hysteresis of the magnet. The model system of a Nd2Fe14B magnet composed of grains with a diameter of about 100 nm was assumed. In the case of the isotropic multi-grain magnet, the energy product calculated by the integration method was 28% larger than the energy product obtained by the conventional way, although a discrepancy between the distribution of the magnetizations and the demagnetizing fields at the reversal process resulted in the decrease of the energy product.
Performance Evaluation and Engineering Verification of Machine Learning Based Prediction Models for Slope Stability
Authors: Bai Gexue , Hou Yunlong , Wan Baofeng , An Ning , Yan Yihao , Tang Zheng , Yan Mingchun , Zhang Yihan , Sun Daoyuan
Published: August 2022

Stability evaluation of geotechnical engineering slopes is of great significance for the risk control and safe operation of many engineering. Machine learning methods can effectively establish the potential relationship between geological features and slope behavior under complex environments, to accurately evaluate the stability of slope rock and soil. This work investigated the performance of eight commonly used machine learning models to predict slope safety factors. First, the prediction system of slope safety factors based on machine learning was established by combining historical data of slopes for parameter optimization and cross-validation. Then, four accuracy evaluation indexes, MSE, RMSE, MAE, and Pearson correlation, were objectively weighted, and objective weighting-TOPSIS models were constructed to comprehensively quantify the performance of each model. Finally, the best machine learning model was used in the slope stability analysis of the Sino–Russian natural gas control section. The research results show that there are obvious differences in the prediction accuracy of the slope safety factor among different models. The ANN model has the highest evaluation accuracy, and the ensemble learning method performs well in the data set. The machine learning model can better predict the safety factor of the slope under different working conditions. The discrepancies with the numerical simulation results are related to the limitations of data sets and the differences in analysis methods. The analysis method of this study not only provides a new research idea and solution for the construction and evaluation of the model predicting slope safety factors, but also applies to other geotechnical engineering instability problems.
Joint Channel Estimation Algorithm Based on DFT and DWT
Authors: Zhang Zhe , Bian Xin , Li Mingqi
Published: August 2022

Channel estimation is an important component of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. The existence of virtual subcarriers leads to energy spreading in the time-domain when using Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT), resulting in poor noise reduction by the conventional Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT)-based channel estimation algorithm. To tackle this problem, this paper first proposes a segmental threshold-assisted DFT-based channel estimation algorithm. The key idea is that, by utilizing the distribution characteristics of the channel and the noise components of the channel impulse response in the time-domain, different thresholds for channel estimation under different SNR conditions are set. Compared with the traditional single-threshold DFT-based algorithm, the performance of the proposed algorithm is improved. However, it still has an estimation performance floor under high SNR. Motivated by the fact that the discrete wavelet transform (DWT)-based channel estimation algorithm can achieve better estimation performance under high SNR, we propose a joint channel estimation algorithm based on DFT and DWT, which can achieve dynamic optimal selection of the two estimation methods without any prior information. Simulation results of the Wi-Fi 6 system show that the mean square error (MSE) simulation performance of the joint channel estimation algorithm is close to its theoretical approximation. It achieves the optimal estimation of MSE and BER performance across the entire SNR range compared with the separated DFT-based or DWT-based channel estimation algorithms.
A Comparison Study on Magnetorheological Multi-Disc Clutches in Steady Continuous-Duty States from the Viewpoint of Electrical Energy Consumption and Spatial Temperature Distribution
Authors: Kluszczyński Krzysztof , Pilch Zbigniew
Published: August 2022

The paper is focused on magnetorheological (MR) clutches applied in industrial drive systems working in a steady continuous-duty state. The main goal of the carried out numerical and analytical analyses oriented towards electrical power consumption, copper losses (Joule heat) in an excitation coil, spatial temperature distributions and the highest temperature possible for an MR fluid is to compare MR clutches due to a different number of discs. The authors considered selected representative MR multi-disc clutches with one, two, three or four discs, developing clutching torque Tc equal to 20, 35 and 50 Nm. These clutches were constructed based on the in-house design that integrates analytical and field methods (further in the paper referred to as the integrated analytical-field design method) described in the literature. The thermal computer simulation results obtained with the help of the AGROS2D program, combined with findings achieved with the use of simplified physical reasonings, allow one to draw the conclusion that the most advantageous, recommended number of discs for a magnetorheological clutch from the viewpoint of various (both constructional and thermal) criteria is the number of discs: N = 2. This conclusion takes into account the results presented earlier in the literature: the choice is a compromise between decreasing the mass (volume) of the MR clutches and increasing both the electrical power consumption and the maximum temperature of MR fluids in a clutch working region as the number of discs, N, increases.
A Novel Agricultural Machinery Intelligent Design System Based on Integrating Image Processing and Knowledge Reasoning
Authors: Li Cheng’en , Tang Yunchao , Zou Xiangjun , Zhang Po , Lin Junqiang , Lian Guoping , Pan Yaoqiang
Published: August 2022

Agricultural machinery intelligence is the inevitable direction of agricultural machinery design, and the systems in these designs are important tools. In this paper, to address the problem of low processing power of traditional agricultural machinery design systems in analyzing data, such as fit, tolerance, interchangeability, and the assembly process, as well as to overcome the disadvantages of the high cost of intelligent design modules, lack of data compatibility, and inconsistency between modules, a novel agricultural machinery intelligent design system integrating image processing and knowledge reasoning is constructed. An image-processing algorithm and trigger are used to detect the feature parameters of key parts of agricultural machinery and build a virtual prototype. At the same time, a special knowledge base of agricultural machinery is constructed to analyze the test data of the virtual prototype. The results of practical application and software evaluation of third-party institutions show that the system improves the efficiency of intelligent design in key parts of agricultural machinery by approximately 20%, reduces the operation error rate of personnel by approximately 40% and the consumption of computer resources by approximately 30%, and greatly reduces the purchase cost of intelligent design systems to provide a reference for intelligent design to guide actual production.
Preliminary Study on Double Lining Support Design for Water Plugging of Highway Tunnel under High Water Pressure in Mountain Area Based on Limited Drainage
Authors: Ding Yanping , Zhang Xuefu , Zhang Bin
Published: August 2022

In the water-rich karst regions, high water and mud outbursts are common geological disasters in tunnel construction. To ensure the safe and smooth construction of tunnel projects, it is necessary to consider anti-water pressure, water inrush prevention and geological disasters during the design of tunnels. Based on the Yongfutun Tunnel Project, this paper studies the application and effect of radial grouting and curtain grouting, which involves those in high-water-pressure tunnels under double-layer support conditions. To obtain the effects and parameters of radial grouting and curtain grouting, the influences of different grouting ranges on the tunnel’s surrounding rocks and supporting structures were analyzed and the finite difference method was adopted. The results show that the radial grouting of the surrounding rock can notably improve the initial support of the tunnel, but the impact is less obvious when the grouting range exceeds 4 m. The design of radial grouting is recommended to be 4.0 m to 4.5 m. Curtain grouting can effectively reduce the external water pressure of the tunnel lining. The external water pressure of the grouting area is 23% greater than that without curtain grouting. Curtain grouting can slow down the infiltration of external water pressure. This is beneficial to the stress of the tunnel lining structure, but the improvement in initial support force is slight. Moreover, curtain grouting improves the safety reserve of the secondary lining by strengthening the self-stability ability of the surrounding rock. Meanwhile, the double-layer primary support can effectively share the external water pressure and surrounding rock pressure. This study provides a certain reference for the lining design of high-water-pressure tunnels.
A Study on the Application of Walking Posture for Identifying Persons with Gait Recognition
Authors: Tsai Yu-Shiuan , Chen Si-Jie
Published: August 2022

In terms of gait recognition, face recognition is currently the most commonly used technology with high accuracy. However, in an image, there is not necessarily a face. Therefore, face recognition cannot be used if there is no face at all. However, when we cannot obtain facial information, we still want to know the person’s identity. Thus, we must use information other than facial features to identify the person. Since each person’s behavior will be somewhat different, we hope to learn the difference between one specific human body and others and use this behavior to identify the human body because deep learning technology advances this idea. Therefore, we used OpenPose along with LSTM for personal identification. We found that using people’s walking posture is feasible for identifying their identities. Presently, the environment for making judgments is limited, in terms of height, and there will be restrictions on distance. In the future, using various angles and distances will be explored. This method can also solve the problem of half-body identification and is also helpful for finding people.
Recent Progress in ZnO-Based Nanostructures for Photocatalytic Antimicrobial in Water Treatment: A Review
Authors: Xin Ziming , He Qianqian , Wang Shuangao , Han Xiaoyu , Fu Zhongtian , Xu Xinxin , Zhao Xin
Published: August 2022

Advances in nanotechnology have led to the development of antimicrobial technology of nanomaterials. In recent years, photocatalytic antibacterial disinfection methods with ZnO-based nanomaterials have attracted extensive attention in the scientific community. In addition, recently widely and speedily spread viral microorganisms, such as COVID-19 and monkeypox virus, have aroused global concerns. Traditional methods of water purification and disinfection are inhibited due to the increased resistance of bacteria and viruses. Exploring new and effective antimicrobial materials and methods has important practical application value. This review is a comprehensive overview of recent progress in the following: (i) preparation methods of ZnO-based nanomaterials and comparison between methods; (ii) types of nanomaterials for photocatalytic antibacterials in water treatment; (iii) methods for studying the antimicrobial activities and (iv) mechanisms of ZnO-based antibacterials. Subsequently, the use of different doping strategies to enhance the photocatalytic antibacterial properties of ZnO-based nanomaterials is also emphatically discussed. Finally, future research and practical applications of ZnO-based nanomaterials for antibacterial activity are proposed.
Computer-Aided Surgical Simulation through Digital Dynamic 3D Skeletal Segments for Correcting Torsional Deformities of the Lower Limbs in Children with Cerebral Palsy
Authors: Frizziero Leonardo , Trisolino Giovanni , Santi Gian Maria , Alessandri Giulia , Agazzani Simone , Liverani Alfredo , Menozzi Grazia Chiara , Di Gennaro Giovanni Luigi , Farella Giuseppina Maria Grazia , Abbruzzese Alida , Spinnato Paolo , Berti Lisa , Benedetti Maria Grazia
Published: August 2022

Torsional deformities of the lower limb are common in children with cerebral palsy (CP)-determining gait problems. The mechanisms underlying transverse plane gait deviations arise from a combination of dynamic and static factors. The dynamic elements may be due to spasticity, contractures and muscle imbalances, while the static ones may result from excessive femoral anteversion, which decreases the efficiency of the hip abductors by reducing the muscular lever arms. A therapeutic approach has been identified in multi-level functional surgery for the lower limb. Treating the malalignments of the lower limb with femoral or tibial derotation provides optimal results, especially when supported by adequate biomechanical planning. This planning requires an integrated static-dynamic approach of morphological and functional evaluation, based on radiological measurements, physical examination and gait analysis. Instrumented gait analysis has been confirmed as essential in the evaluation and surgical decision making process for children affected by CP with transverse plane deformities. Computational simulations based on musculoskeletal models that integrate patient-specific CT morphological data into gait analysis can be used for the implementation of a surgical simulation system in pre-operative planning to test the possible effects of the different surgical treatment options on the torsional defects of the lower limbs. Recently, a computer-aided simulation process has been implemented in the preoperative planning of complex osteotomies for limb deformities in children. Three-dimensional (3D) digital models were generated from Computed Tomography (CT) scans, using free open-source software. The aim of this study is to integrate the patient-specific CT musculoskeletal model with morphological data and gait analysis data, with the personalized calculation of kinematic and kinetic parameters, which allow us to generate an “avatar” of the patient for a more in-depth evaluation of the gait abnormalities. The computational simulation platform proposed provides a realistic movable musculoskeletal model in a virtual environment, with the possibility of planning and monitoring the effects of virtual three-dimensional surgical corrections.
PNMAVis: Visual Analysis Tool of Protein Normal Mode for Understanding Cavity Dynamics
Authors: Guo Dongliang , Feng Li , Zhang Taoxiang , Guo Yaoyao , Wang Yanfen , Xu Ximing
Published: August 2022

Molecular cavities play a critical role in our understanding of molecular phenomena. Recently, a number of works on the visual analysis of protein cavity dynamics have been developed to allow experts and users to interactively research dynamic cavity data. However, previous explorations are limited to studying cavity-lining amino acids and they lack a consideration of the impact of the key amino acids, which are far away from the cavity but have an important impact on the cavity. When studying protein amino acids, biochemists use normal mode decomposition to analyze protein changes on a time scale. However, the high-dimensional parameter space generated via decomposition is too large to be analyzed in detail. We present a novel approach that combines cavity characterization and normal mode analysis (NMA) for cavity dynamics analysis to reduce and explore this vast space through interactive visualization. PNMAVis can analyze whether direct factors (cavity-lining amino acids) or indirect factors (key amino acids) affect cavity changes, through multiple linked 2D and 3D views. The visual analysis method we proposed is based on close cooperation with domain experts, aiming to meet their needs to explore the relationship between cavity stability and cavity-lining amino acids fluctuations and key amino acids fluctuations as much as possible, and also to help domain experts identify potential allosteric residues. The effectiveness of our new method is demonstrated by the case study conducted by cooperative protein experts on a biological field case and an open normal mode data set.
Titanium Surface Analysis after Instrumentation with Different Burs Simulating the Implantoplasty Technique: A Pilot In Vitro Experimental Study
Authors: Gehrke Sergio Alexandre , Dedavid Berenice Anina , Odella Colla Germán , De Aza Piedad N. , Pérez-Díaz Leticia
Published: August 2022

(1) Background: The present pilot in vitro study evaluated, physically and biologically, the effects produced by the wear of the titanium surface using different drill models. (2) Methods: Titanium disks were subjected to wear using four different burs and accordingly divided into the following test groups (n = 12 disks per group): Tungsten Burs (TB group), Tungsten Carbide Burs (TCB group), Coarse-Grained Diamond Burs (CGB group), and Fine-Grained Diamond Burs (FGB group). As a control group (CON group), titanium disks with a smooth surface (machined) were used. The samples were subjected to atomic force microscopy (AFM), profilometry analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and cell viability and adhesion assessments. (3) Results: The values of the measured roughness parameters showed statistical differences among the five groups (p = 0.0035 for Ra and p = 0.0010 for Rz). All test groups showed an important difference statistically (p = 0.0032) to the CON group for the cell viability and adhesion analysis. The data of cell absorbance at 570 nm were 0.4122 ± 0.05 for the CON group, 0.1354 ± 0.02 for the TB group, 0.123 ± 0.01 for the TCB group, 0.1414 ± 0.02 for the CGB group, and 0.1216 ± 0.03 for the FGB group. Additionally, the cell count showed the following adherence percentages: 57.6 ± 4.6% for the CON group, 22.9 ± 3.3% for the TB group, 23.4 ± 2.9% for the TCB group, 22.5 ± 3.1% for the CGB group, and 23.7 ± 3.3% for the FGB group. However, no statistical differences were found among the four test groups analyzed (p = 0.3916). (4) Conclusions: The results showed that the changes produced on the surface by the four different bur models altered the topography characteristics and affected the cell viability and adhesion in comparison with the control group.
Modeling of a Blast Furnace with Both CFD and Thermodynamics Principles
Authors: Grejtak Tomas , Wang Sheldon , Shao Jianguo
Published: August 2022

In this paper, we revisit a turbulent mixing of gas and air in a gas burner with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models. The quality of such a turbulent mixture is based on temperature, pressure, and velocity distributions as well as the distributions of different molecules, turbulent kinetic energy, and turbulent dissipation rate. In order to identify a precise combination of a gas and air mixture in a gas burner, which directly influences the quality of the combustion flame and reduces the amount of carbon monoxide (CO) emission in flue gases, thermodynamic principles are utilized based on the balancing ratio of molecular weights and the balancing ratio of mass flows between gas and air. Moreover, input parameters, such as volume flow rates, pressure, mass ratio, temperature, turbulent kinetic energy, and turbulent dissipation rate, are judiciously chosen with proper boundary conditions for both axisymmetric two-dimensional and three-dimensional models. It is confirmed that the effectiveness of gas and air mixture and combustion depends on the gas burner model, more specifically, on the sizes and locations of gas and air inlets and outlets as well as operation conditions.
Catalase Like-Activity of Metal NPs–Enzyme Biohybrids
Authors: Losada-Garcia Noelia , Rodriguez-Otero Alba , Ortega-Nieto Clara , Azarmi Ariane , Palomo Jose M.
Published: August 2022

In this work, an efficient synthesis of bionanohybrids as artificial metalloenzymes (Cu, Pd, Ag, Mn) based on the application of an enzyme as a scaffold was described. Here we evaluated the effect of changing the metal, pH of the medium, and the amount of enzyme in the synthesis of these artificial metalloenzymes, where changes in the metal species and the size of the nanoparticles occur. These nanozymes were applied in the degradation of hydrogen peroxide for their evaluation as mimetics of catalase activity, the best being the Mn@CALB-H2O, which presented MnO2 nanostructures, with three-fold improved activity compared to Cu2O species, CuNPs@CALB-P, and free catalase.
Urban Residential CO2 from Spatial and Non-Spatial Perspectives: Regional Difference between Northern and Southern China
Authors: Zhao Jincai , Ren Shixin
Published: August 2022

Urban residential carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions have increased sharply along with the rapid urbanization process. Few studies have considered the different effects of influencing factors between Northern and Southern China, and the analysis of CO2 per unit area from the spatial perspective is also rarely involved. Using the spatial Durbin model (SDM), this study aimed at revealing the influencing factors (including income, inequality, population density, urban morphology, etc.) on CO2 per capita and CO2 per unit area during 2001–2018 between Northern and Southern China. The results showed that the Northern cities had higher carbon emissions and a faster growth rate, and the high-high clusters were also mainly located in the Northern cities. The Gini coefficient was correlated adversely with CO2, while income imposed a positive effect on carbon emissions. The negative coefficients of the quadratic term of the GDP per capita demonstrated that the residential carbon emissions have the potential to decrease when the income increases to a certain level. The indirect effects of income and the Gini showed that spatial spillover effects exist. Urban population density and the ratio of residential area to built-up area had an opposite effect on CO2 per capita and CO2 per unit area, and they have a bigger impact on the CO2 per unit area. This study revealed the different roles of various factors in reducing CO2 per unit area from the spatial perspective and CO2 per capita from the non-spatial perspective between the Northern and Southern regions, which could help policymakers to design targeted mitigation measures in the residential sector in China, providing references for developing countries to jointly reduce carbon emissions to promote the mitigation of global climate change.
Variations in Summer Precipitation According to Different Grades and Their Effects on Summer Drought/Flooding in Haihe River Basin
Authors: Cheng Shanjun , Xie Jun , Ma Ning , Liang Sujie , Guo Jun , Fu Ning
Published: August 2022

The variations in summer precipitation according to different grades and their effects on summer drought/flooding in the Haihe River basin were analyzed using the daily precipitation data from 161 meteorological stations from 1972 to 2021. The results showed that the number of rainy days (NRD) in summer in the Haihe River basin significantly declined in the past 50 years, mainly due to the reduction in the number of light-rain days. The precipitation amount (PA) exhibited prominent interdecadal characteristics, showing an upward tendency in the past 20 years accompanied by a remarkable increase in the proportion of torrential rain. The NRD in the northern part of the basin significantly decreased, while the PA in the southeast showed an increasing trend. Summer drought/flooding was strongly linked to the changes in the NRD and was predominantly affected by intense precipitation, with contribution rates of 5.5%, 16.8%, 31.2%, and 46.5% from light, moderate, heavy, and torrential rain, respectively. The effects of torrential rain increased in recent decades, particularly in the flooding scenarios. In addition, July was the critical period for summer drought/flooding, with the major influence of heavy and torrential rain. The most intense summer rainfall event in the Haihe River basin could contribute from 15% to 29% of total precipitation, resulting in changes in the severity and state of summer drought/flooding, which indicated that the precipitation process had a decisive impact on seasonal drought/flooding. Therefore, when predicting summer precipitation in the Haihe River basin, it is necessary to pay attention to the intense rainfall events during critical periods.
Measuring Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Point Sources with Mobile Systems
Authors: Cai Mengyang , Mao Huiqin , Chen Cuihong , Wei Xvpeng , Shi Tianqi
Published: August 2022

The traditional least squares method for the retrieval of CO2 emissions from CO2 emission sources is affected by the nonlinear characteristics of the Gaussian plume model, which leads to the optimal estimation of CO2 emissions easily falling into local minima. In this study, ACA–IPFM (ant colony algorithm and interior point penalty function) is proposed to remedy the shortcomings of the traditional least squares method, which makes full use of the global search property of the ant colony algorithm and the local exact search capability of the interior point penalty function to make the optimal estimation of CO2 emissions closer to the global optimum. We evaluate the errors of several parameters that are most likely to affect the accuracy of the CO2 emission retrieval and analyze these errors jointly. These parameters include wind speed measurement error, wind direction measurement error, CO2 concentration measurement error, and the number of CO2 concentration measurements. When the wind speed error is less than 20%, the inverse error of CO2 concentration emission is less than 1% and the uncertainty is less than 3%, when the wind direction error is less than 55 degrees, the inverse error is less than 1% and the uncertainty is less than 3%, when the CO2 concentration measurement error is less than 10%, the inverse error is less than 1% and the uncertainty is less than 3.3%, and when the measurement quantity is higher than 60, the inverse error is less than 1% and the uncertainty is less than 3%. In addition, we simulate the concentration observations on different paths under the same conditions, and invert the CO2 emissions based on these simulated values. Through the retrieval results, we evaluate the errors caused by different paths of measurements, and have demonstrated that different paths are affected by different emission sources to different degrees, resulting in different inversion accuracies for different paths under the same conditions in the end, which can provide some reference for the actual measurement route planning of the mobile system. Combined with the characteristics of the agility of the mobile system, ACA–IPFM can extend the monitoring of CO2 emissions to a wider area.
Narratives and Benefits of Agricultural Technology in Urban Buildings: A Review
Authors: Parkes Michael G. , Azevedo Duarte Leal , Domingos Tiago , Teixeira Ricardo F. M.
Published: August 2022

The literature on agricultural technology (ag-tech) for urban agriculture (UA) offers many narratives about its benefits in addressing the challenges of sustainability and food security for urban environments. In this paper, we present a literature review for the period 2015–2022 of research carried out on currently active UA installations. We aim to systematise the most common narratives regarding the benefits of controlled environment agriculture (CEA) and soil-less growing systems in urban buildings and assess the existence of peer-reviewed data supporting these claims. The review was based on 28 articles that provided detailed information about 68 active UA installations depicting multiple types of ag-tech and regions. The results show that most research conducted for commercial UA-CEA installations was carried out in North America. Standalone CEA greenhouses or plant factories as commercial producers for urban areas were mostly found in Asia and Europe. The most often cited benefits are that the integration of multiple CEA technologies with energy systems or building climate systems enables the transfer of heat through thermal airflow exchange and CO2 fertilisation to improve commercial production. However, this review shows that the data quantifying the benefits are limited and, therefore, the exact environmental effects of CEA are undetermined.
Statistical Research on Seismo-Ionospheric Ion Density Enhancements Observed via DEMETER
Authors: Zheng Lin , Yan Rui , Parrot Michel , Zhu Keying , Zhima Zeren , Liu Dapeng , Xu Song , Lv Fangxian , Shen Xuhui
Published: August 2022

In this paper, in order to investigate the correlation between seismic activity and ionospheric density variation, nighttime ion density (Ni) data from IAP onboard the Detection of Electro-Magnetic Emissions Transmitted from Earthquake Regions (DEMETER) satellite from 2005 to 2010 are used to carry out statistical analysis. Only data with kp ≤ 3 are selected to avoid density perturbations due to magnetic activity. The aftershocks are also carefully removed. The earthquake-related data were further strictly screened, and the apparent position of anomalies were normalized using Dobrovolsky’s radius. Real and pseudorandom earthquakes are compared and analyzed. The statistical results show that the postseismic effect is obvious; the Ni enhancements are more focused 3–5 days, 9–10 days, and 13–14 days before the earthquake; as the magnitude of earthquake increases, the apparent range and intensity of the ion density enhancements is also increased; and for medium–strong earthquakes, the position of disturbance will exceed Dobrovolsky’s radius.
Data Quality Analysis of Multi-GNSS Signals and Its Application in Improving Stochastic Model for Precise Orbit Determination
Authors: Huang Chao , Song Shuli , Cheng Na , Wang Zhitao
Published: August 2022

Currently, there are more Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals available for civilians. Many types of GNSS receivers have been updated and several new receivers have been developed for new signals. To know about the performance of these signals and receivers and their stochastic model for data processing, in this study, the data quality of all GNSS signals, especially the new signals are analyzed, and two modified stochastic models with observation noise statistics (STA) and post-fit residuals (RES) are formed. The results show that for all the new signals, the corresponding carrier phase noise is at the same level as other old signals. The pseudorange noise of B2a, L5, E5a, and E5b is within 4 cm and significantly smaller than other signals for receivers without a smooth algorithm, and the multipath error of these signals is about 0.1 m which is also better than other signals. For B1C, the pseudorange multipath error is about 0.4 m, which is close to L1 and E1. Stochastic models are validated for precise orbit determination (POD). Compared with the empirical stochastic model (EMP), both modified models are helpful to reduce the mean unit weight square error and obtain high accuracy orbits with reduced iteration. The 3D orbit accuracy improvement can reach 0.27 cm (7%) for the STA model, and 0.40 cm (10%) for the RES model when compared with the final products from the international GNSS service (IGS). For BDS-3 POD by using B1C and B2a observations, the improvements in the 3D orbit consistency of two adjacent three-day solutions are 0.21 cm (3%) for the STA model and 0.29 cm (4%) for the RES model. In addition, the STA model based on the observation noise of globally distributed stations is less affected by stations with problematic observations and with reduced computation burden.