bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Progression of Vision in Chinese School-Aged Children Before and After COVID-19
Authors: Wang Wenjing , Peng Shuzhen , Zhang Faxue , Zhu Boya , Zhang Longjiang , Tan Xiaodong
Published: August 2022

Objectives: To investigate the changes of vision, including the prevalence of myopia, hyperopia, poor vision, and the spherical equivalent refraction (SER), in school-aged children before and after the pandemic of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Methods: A school-based vision screening study was performed on children in 133 primary schools in Wuhan. This study was conducted in 4 consecutive years (2018–2021).

Results: A total of 468,094 children (936,188 eyes) were recruited, 255,863 (54.7%) were boys. The SER decreased in 2020 compared to other years after the age of 10. A positive myopia shift was found in younger children aged 6 (0.1 D), 7 (0.05D), and 8 (0.03 D) in 2020 compared to 2019. The progression of vision has improved slightly in 2021. Among the students included in the study, 33.7% were myopia.

Conclusion: The vision of older children decreased significantly during the COVID-19. After the pandemic, there is still a high risk for them. In the future, the focus on vision prevention and control should move forward to preschool children.
Investigating the Structural Effect of Achievement Motivation and Achievement on Leadership and Entrepreneurial Spirit of Students in Higher Education
Authors: Wiyono Bambang Budi , Wu Hsin-Hung
Published: August 2022

Today, it can be seen in the real world that many students are unemployed after graduating from college or university. Two soft skills are taught to determine the success of graduates at work, namely leadership and entrepreneurial spirit. The purpose of this study was to examine the structural effect of achievement motivation and achievement on student leadership and entrepreneurial spirit. This research was conducted in Indonesia, with a total sample of 789 students, through random sampling. Questionnaires and documentation techniques were used to collect the data, and then the data were analysed using descriptive statistics and structural equation modelling. The results showed that both exogenous variables, namely achievement motivation and achievement, affected both endogenous variables, but that achievement motivation had a stronger influence on student leadership and entrepreneurial spirit. In addition, the effect of achievement motivation was higher on entrepreneurial spirit than on leadership, whereas leadership influenced the entrepreneurial spirit of the students only to a small extent. The influences of these variables were then thoroughly discussed according to the theories and relevant research.
Knowledge-Intensive Organizations and Their Role in Promoting Sustainable Development
Authors: de la Torre Rocio , Berbegal-Mirabent Jasmina
Published: August 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic constitutes an unprecedented challenge with very severe socio-economic consequences [...]
Allelic Variation of Puroindolines Genes in Iranian Common Wheat Landraces
Authors: Huertas-García Ana B. , Guzmán Carlos , Tabbita Facundo , Alvarez Juan B.
Published: August 2022

Wheat is one of the most widely grown crops in the world. One of the traits that defines wheat quality is grain hardness, which is determined by puroindolines (PINA and PINB) proteins encoded with Pina-D1 and Pinb-D1 genes. In this study, the diversity of Pina-D1 and Pinb-D1 was evaluated in a collection of 271 Iranian common wheat (Triticum aestivum L. ssp. aestivum) landraces, whose kernels had previously been classified as hard or semi-hard based on PSI analysis. Three alleles previously described as associated with hard grain were detected in the collection: Pinb-D1b in 11 accessions, Pinb-d1ab in 175 accessions, and Pinb-d1p in 80 accessions. In addition, a novel allele tentatively named Pinb-d1ak was detected in Pinb-D1 and was characterized by a change at position 140 of the deduced protein (cysteine/tyrosine). On average, the accessions with this allele showed a lower PSI value than the accessions with other Pin allele. This means that this novel allele may be associated with harder grains than other Pin alleles and could be used by breeding programs targeting different grain hardness levels. This study highlights the importance of conserving and characterizing wheat genetic resources that could be used as sources of genetic variability in breeding programs.
Antimicrobial and Digestive Effects of Yucca schidigera Extracts Related to Production and Environment Implications of Ruminant and Non-Ruminant Animals: A Review
Authors: Zúñiga-Serrano Aracely , Barrios-García Hugo B. , Anderson Robin C. , Hume Michael E. , Ruiz-Albarrán Miguel , Bautista-Martínez Yuridia , Sánchez-Guerra Nadia A. , Vázquez-Villanueva José , Infante-Rodríguez Fidel , Salinas-Chavira Jaime
Published: August 2022

Plant extracts have been used over time in traditional medicine, mainly for their antimicrobial activity as well as for their medicinal effects. Plant-derived products contain secondary metabolites that prevent pathogenic microbial growth similar to conventional medicines. These secondary metabolites can enhance animal health and production in a more natural or organic manner and may contribute to the reduction in the use of pharmacological drugs in animal feed, which is of great concern for emerging microbial resistance. Plant secondary metabolites can be cost effective, while improving the production efficiency of ruminants, non-ruminants, and aquatic food animals. Among the plant-derived products is the Yucca schidigera extract (YSE), containing steroidal saponins as their main active component. YSE has multiple biological effects, including inhibition of some pathogenic bacteria, protozoa, and nematodes. YSE is used to control odor and ammonia and consistently enhance poultry production by enhancing intestinal health and function. In pigs, results are as yet inconclusive. In ruminants, YSE works against protozoa, has selective action against bacteria, and reduces the archaea populations; all these effects are reflected in the reduction in emissions of polluting gases, mainly methane, although the effects are not observed in all feeding conditions. These effects of YSE are discussed in this review. YSE has potential as a natural feed additive for sustainable animal production while contributing to the mitigation of contaminant gas emissions.
Nutritive Value of Ajuga iva as a Pastoral Plant for Ruminants: Plant Phytochemicals and In Vitro Gas Production and Digestibility
Authors: Ammar Hajer , Kholif Ahmed Eid , Soltan Yosra Ahmed , Almadani Mohammad Isam , Soufan Walid , Morsy Amr Salah , Ouerghemmi Saloua , Chahine Mireille , de Haro Marti Mario E. , Hassan Sawsan , Selmi Houcine , Horst Egon Henrique , Lopez Secundino
Published: August 2022

This study aims to evaluate the nutritive value of Ajuga iva (A. iva) harvested from three distinct altitude regions in Tunisia (Dougga, Mograne, and Nabeul). The chemical composition, phenolic concentration, gas production, and in vitro dry matter (DM) digestibility were determined. The highest concentrations of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) were for A. iva cultivated in Nabeul. In contrast, the highest crude protein (CP) concentration was observed in that cultivated in Mograne, and the lowest (p < 0.01) CP concentration was noted in that cultivated in Dougga. Additionally, the cultivation regions affected the concentrations of free-radical scavenging activity, total flavonoids, and total polyphenols (p < 0.01). The highest free-radical scavenging activity was observed with A. iva cultivated in Dougga and Mograne. The highest (p < 0.05) gas production rate and lag time were observed in A. iva cultivated in Mograne and Nabeul regions. DM digestibility differed between regions and methods of determination. The highest (p < 0.01) DM degradability, determined by the method of Tilley and Terry and the method of Van Soest et al., was for A. iva cultivated in Mograne and Dougga, while the lowest (p < 0.01) value was recorded for that cultivated in the Nabeul region. Likewise, metabolizable energy (ME) and protein digestibility values were higher for A. iva collected from Mograne region than that collected from the other sampling areas. In conclusion, the nutritive value of A. iva differed between regions. Therefore, care should be taken when developing recommendations for using A. iva in an entire region. Season- and region-specific feeding strategies for feeding A. iva are recommended.
The Influence of the Habitat on the Chemical Composition and Morphology of Silky Bent Grass (Apera spica-venti (L.) Beauv.) Occurring in Arable Fields (Lower Silesia, Poland)
Authors: Lejman Agnieszka , Ogórek Rafał , Parylak Danuta
Published: August 2022

One of the most common annual overwintering weeds in various crops worldwide is silky bent grass (Aspera spica-venti (L.) Beauv). The aim of this study was to investigate the selected morphological characteristics and chemical composition of A. spica-venti from different cultivation fields in Poland, depending on the macronutrient content of the soil. The average pH values of the soil samples, and the average concentration of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in the samples were statistically different between study sites. In turn, the concentration of potassium (K) was at the same statistical level. The average values of N, P and K concentrations in the straw of A. spica-venti (% dry matter) in particular study sites were not statistically different. The mean values of the examined morphological features of A. spica-venti did not differ statistically between the individual test sites. Overall, there was no significant impact of the habitat on the chemical composition and morphology of the A. spica-venti occurring naturally in arable fields. However, an increase in soil abundance in some macronutrients (mainly K) may positively affect the morphology of this weed as opposed to an increase in nitrogen concentration in the soil, and an increase soil pH. The lack of significant influence of soil conditions and location of APESV sites on the morphology and chemical composition of the weed indicates that it has high plasticity and is able to thrive under varying habitat conditions.
Effects of Dietary Nucleotide Supplementation on Performance, Profitability, and Disease Resistance of Litopenaeus vannamei Cultured in Indonesia under Intensive Outdoor Pond Conditions
Authors: Novriadi Romi , Roigé Oriol , Segarra Sergi
Published: August 2022

This study evaluated the effects of dietary nucleotide supplementation in Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, cultured in Indonesia. A total of 22,500 shrimp receiving diets in which fish meal (FM) had been partially replaced with vegetable protein sources were classified into five study groups (4500 shrimp/group) and received different diets for 110 days: 10FM (control group; 10% FM), 6FM (6% FM—low FM and no nucleotide supplementation), 10FMN (10% FM; 0.1% nucleotides), 8FMN (8% FM; 0.1% nucleotides) and 6FMN (6% FM; 0.1% nucleotides). Growth performance, body composition, total hemocyte count (THC), lysozyme activity, and hepatopancreas histopathology were assessed. Organoleptic evaluation and profitability assessments were also performed. In addition, shrimp resistance to a Vibrio harveyi challenge was studied in shrimps after having received the diets for 30 days. Results showed that reducing FM had a negative impact on growth performance and hepatopancreas morphology. Adding nucleotides resulted in better performance and profitability, a healthier histomorphological appearance of the hepatopancreas, and significantly higher survival rates upon challenge with V. harveyi, while it did not negatively affect organoleptic parameters. In conclusion, nucleotide supplementation could be useful for optimizing performance, profitability, and disease resistance in shrimp cultured under intensive outdoor pond conditions.
Effect of Dietary Inclusion of Azadirachta indica and Moringa oleifera Leaf Extracts on the Carcass Quality and Fatty Acid Composition of Lambs Fed High Forage Total Mixed Rations
Authors: Webb Edward Cottington , Hassen Abubeker , Olaniyi Michael Olanrewaju , Pophiwa Pamela
Published: August 2022

There is an increased interest in the use of medicinal plants as alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters and as agents for methane production mitigation. This study investigated the effects of Azadirachta indica and Moringa oleifera feed additives on the carcass and meat quality of lambs. Forty South African Mutton Merino lambs, weighing between 29 and 43 kg, were randomly assigned to four treatment groups (n = 10 lambs/treatment) and fed a basal total mixed ration (TMR) containing soybean meal (17%), yellow maize (28%), Alfalfa hay (20%), Eragrostis curvula hay (22.2%), molasses (6.0%), wheat offal (5%), urea (0.8%) and vitamin premix (0.5%) on a DM basis. The dietary treatments: TMR diet (control); TMR diet with A. indica leaf extract (A. indica leaf extract at a dosage of 50 mg per kg of feed: neem); TMR diet with M. oleifera leaf extract (M. oleifera leaf extract at a dosage of 50 mg per kg DM of feed: moringa); TMR diet with monensin (at a dosage of 50 mg monensin sodium per kg of feed: positive control). After an adaptation period of 10 days to the experimental conditions, the lambs from all treatment groups were fed ad libitum with the experimental diets. The lambs were slaughtered at a live weight of 60–65 kg after a 23 week trial period. The plant extract dietary additives had no significant effects on the carcass characteristics of the lambs. In comparison to monensin, supplementing with moringa leaf extracts resulted in a higher proportion of C18:1n9c (45.0% ± 0.57 vs. 40.5% ± 0.80; p < 0.05), total MUFAs (47.3% ± 0.66 vs. 42.6% ± 0.87; p < 0.05), and UFA:SFA ratio (1.01 ± 0.03 vs. 0.85 ± 0.03; p < 0.05), which may be beneficial for human health. Our results suggest that natural feed additives, such as A. indica and M. oleifera leaf extracts, can be included in lamb diets without compromising meat fatty acid composition. The negative economic impacts of such technologies on animal production and farm profitability should not be expected.
Ozone Pollution, Oxidative Stress, Regulatory T Cells and Antioxidants
Authors: Rivas-Arancibia Selva , Hernández-Orozco Eduardo , Rodríguez-Martínez Erika , Valdés-Fuentes Marlen , Cornejo-Trejo Vanessa , Pérez-Pacheco Nelva , Dorado-Martínez Claudia , Zequeida-Carmona Diana , Espinosa-Caleti Isaac
Published: August 2022

Ozone pollution, is a serious health problem worldwide. Repeated exposure to low ozone doses causes a loss of regulation of the oxidation–reduction systems, and also induces a chronic state of oxidative stress. This fact is of special importance for the regulation of different systems including the immune system and the inflammatory response. In addition, the oxidation–reduction balance modulates the homeostasis of these and other complex systems such as metabolism, survival capacity, cell renewal, and brain repair, etc. Likewise, it has been widely demonstrated that in chronic degenerative diseases, an alteration in the oxide-reduction balance is present, and this alteration causes a chronic loss in the regulation of the immune response and the inflammatory process. This is because reactive oxygen species disrupt different signaling pathways. Such pathways are related to the role of regulatory T cells (Treg) in inflammation. This causes an increase in chronic deterioration in the degenerative disease over time. The objective of this review was to study the relationship between environmental ozone pollution, the chronic state of oxidative stress and its effect on Treg cells, which causes the loss of regulation in the inflammatory response as well as the role played by antioxidant systems in various pathologies.
Volume Contraction in Shallow Sediments: Discrete Element Simulation
Authors: Cha Minsu , Santamarina J. Carlos
Published: August 2022

Displacements induced by mineral dissolution and subsurface volume contraction affect overlying soils. In this study, we examine the consequences of mass loss or volume contraction at shallow depths using a discrete element method. The goal of the study is to identify particle-scale and global effects as a function of the relative depth of a dissolving inclusion, initial soil density, and granular interlocking. There are successive arch formation and collapse events, and a porosity front propagates upwards as grains slide down to refill the space. Grains around and within the refilled cavity are loosely packed and have small contact forces that are sufficient to avert the buckling of granular arches that form around the dissolving zone. Denser packings and interlocking combine to exacerbate rotational frustration and lead to more pronounced force chains along granular arches, looser fill, and reduced surface settlement. In fact, surface settlement vanishes, and the sediment hides the localized dissolution when deep inclusions z/D ≥ 5 dissolve within dense sediments. While scaling relations limit the extrapolation of these numerical results to tunneling and mining applications, macroscale trends observed in the field resemble results gathered in this study.
Comparisons of GC-Measured Carboxylic Acids and AMS m/z 44 Signals: Contributions of Organic Acids to m/z 44 Signals in Remote Aerosols from Okinawa Island
Authors: Kunwar Bhagawati , Torii Kazuhiro , Aggarwal Shankar G. , Takami Akinori , Kawamura Kimitaka
Published: August 2022

An intercomparison study was conducted to evaluate the contributions of carboxylic acids to m/z 44 (COO+) signals obtained by an on-line aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) during a field campaign at Cape Hedo, Okinawa, in the western North Pacific Rim. We report for the first time that carboxylic acids (diacids, oxoacids, benzoic acid, and fatty acids) significantly contribute to m/z 44 signals with a strong correlation (R = 0.93); oxalic acid accounts for 16 ± 3% of the m/z 44 signals and 3.7 ± 0.9% of organic mass measured by AMS. We also found that about half of AMS m/z 44 signals can be explained by diacids and related compounds, suggesting that the remaining signals may be derived from other organic acids including monocarboxylic acids (e.g., formate and acetate) in aerosol phase. This study confirms that AMS-derived m/z 44 can be used as a surrogate tracer of carboxylic acids, although the signals cannot specify the types of carboxylic acids and their molecular compositions.
A Graph-Based k-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) Approach for Predicting Phases in High-Entropy Alloys
Authors: Ghouchan Nezhad Noor Nia Raheleh , Jalali Mehrdad , Houshmand Mahboobeh
Published: August 2022

Traditional techniques for detecting materials have been unable to coordinate with the advancement of material science today due to their low accuracy and high cost. Accordingly, machine learning (ML) improves prediction efficiency in material science and high-entropy alloys’ (HEAs’) phase prediction. Unlike traditional alloys, HEAs consist of at least five elements with equal or near-equal atomic sizes. In a previous approach, we presented an HEA interaction network based on its descriptors. In this study, the HEA phase is predicted using a graph-based k-nearest neighbor (KNN) approach. Each HEA compound has its phase, which includes five categories: FCC, BCC, HCP, Multiphase and Amorphous. A composition phase represents a state of matter with a certain energy level. Phase prediction is effective in determining its application. Each compound in the network has some neighbors, and the phase of a new compound can be predicted based on the phase of the most similar neighbors. The proposed approach is performed on the HEA network. The experimental results show that the accuracy of the proposed approach for predicting the phase of new alloys is 88.88%, which is higher than that of other ML methods.
Topology-Embedded Temporal Attention for Fine-Grained Skeleton-Based Action Recognition
Authors: Han Pengyuan , Ma Zhongli , Liu Jiajia
Published: August 2022

In recent years, graph convolutional networks (GCNs) have been extensively applied in numerous fields, demonstrating strong performances. Although existing GCN-based models have extraordinary feature representation capabilities in spatial modeling and perform exceptionally well in skeleton-based action recognition, they work poorly for fine-grained recognition. The key issue involves tiny distinctions between multiple classes. To address this issue, we propose a novel module named the topology-embedded temporal attention module (TE-TAM). Through embedding the temporal-different topology modeled with local area skeleton points in spatial and temporal dimensions, the TE-TAM achieves dynamical attention learning for the temporal dimensions of distinct data samples, to capture minor differences among intra-frames and inter-frames, making the characteristics more discriminating, and increasing the distances between various classes. To verify the validity of the proposed module, we inserted the module into the GCN-based models and tested them on FSD-30. Experimental results show that the GCN-based models with TE-TAMs outperformed the property of pred GCN-based models.
The Recommendation of the Rural Ecological Civilization Pattern Based on Geographic Data Argumentation
Authors: Xu Mengfei , Wang Shu , Song Chenlong , Zhu Anqi , Zhu Yunqiang , Zou Zhiqiang
Published: August 2022

For any rural area, a suitable ecological civilization model is of great significance and must be recommended taking into account its natural, social, and cultural characteristics so that the model is conducive to the sustainable development of its economy, environment, and industrial structure. However, the rural attribute data required for such a recommendation are often missing, and the data sparsity leads to the low accuracy of and poor training effect issues in recommendation algorithms. To address this issue, this paper proposes a geographic data augmentation method, namely the spatial factor on generative adversarial networks (S-GANs), which combines the generative adversarial network (GAN) with the Third Law of Geography. Specifically, the GAN is used to generate data for the rural ecological civilization recommender system, while the Third Law of Geography is used to ensure that the generated data conform to the real geographical environment. To test the effectiveness of the S-GAN method, the experiment used the enhanced rural attribute data as the input of three recommendation systems: RippleNet, KGCN, and KGNN-LS. Compared with the data before argumentation, the recommendation accuracy increased by 55.49%, 25.12%, and 27.14% in RippleNet, KGCN, and KGNN-LS, respectively. The experimental results show that the S-GAN is effective in geographic data argumentation for recommendation and is expected to be widely used in other geographic data argumentation fields.
Penetration Efficiency and Concentration Distribution of Nanoparticles in a Hollow Tapered Cylinder
Authors: Huang Cheng-Hsiung , Lin Yu-Chih , Chang Chung-Liang
Published: August 2022

Knowing particle penetration efficiencies and concentration distributions in an inlet channel of a sampling device is beneficial for the robust assessment, attribution and quantification of nanoparticles produced by various activities. The aim of this research is to evaluate the effect of the presence or absence of a conical column inside a hollow tapered cylinder on the nanoparticle penetration efficiency and its outlet concentration profile for different flow rates. The particle penetration characteristics of various sizes from 3 nm to 20 nm were numerically investigated by using the flow field and convection diffusion equations within the hollow tapered cylinder. Firstly, the proposed model of the nanoparticle penetration efficiency for the hollow tapered cylinder with the conical column is validated with the experimental data in the literature. Then, the results indicate that the concentration at the outlet of the hollow tapered cylinder with the conical column exhibits annular profiles for 3 nm and 5 nm nanoparticles at a flow rate of 2.0 L/min, which is found to avoid centralizing the particles in the exit area. In addition, the penetration efficiency of nanoparticles can be improved by increasing flow rates or removing the conical column inside the hollow tapered cylinder. Finally, the ring-shaped concentration profile of the 10 nm nanoparticles at the outlet of the hollow conical cylinder with the conical column becomes more obvious as the flow rate decreases. This study interprets and quantitatively decides the nanoparticle penetration efficiency and its exit concentration profile for the hollow tapered cylinder with or without the conical column. Therefore, the results can provide some useful design references for the transport of nanoparticles in the hollow tapered cylinder.
Effects of Bisphenol A Stress on Activated Sludge in Sequential Batch Reactors and Functional Recovery
Authors: Shao Junhua , Tian Kejian , Meng Fanxing , Li Shuaiguo , Li Han , Yu Yue , Qiu Qing , Chang Menghan , Huo Hongliang
Published: August 2022

This study assessed the toxic effects of bisphenol A (BPA) on the microbial community and the function of activated sludge in sequencing batch reactors (SBRs). The toxicity of BPA was mitigated through dosing sludge with Rhodococcus Req-001. BPA reduced the biomass of sludge, and the proportion of viable bacteria decreased with the aggravation of BPA pollution. BPA affected the secretion of extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs), increased the ratio of polysaccharide to protein, and deteriorated the sedimentation performance of sludge. BPA decreased the abundances of functional bacteria involved in the degradation of organic matter and water purification, including Polaromonas, Dechloromonas, and Nitrospira, and the water purification capacity of the reactor decreased. Req-001 enhanced the BPA removal efficiency by 15%, and increased ammonia nitrogen and phosphorus removal by 8.8% and 22.7%, respectively. The functional recovery ability of the sludge system and the high removal ability of Req-001 make it a promising specie for use in BPA bioremediation. This study combined the effect of BPA on activated sludge and reactor performance with the microbial community, clarified the toxic mechanism of BPA on activated sludge, and therefore provides a theoretical basis and potential solutions to help WWTPs cope with the toxic effects of BPA.
Ultrasensitive Radionuclide Analysis in Water and Sediments for Environmental Radiological Assessment near the Decommissioning Garigliano Nuclear Power Plant (Italy)
Authors: Petraglia Antonio , Sirignano Carmina , Marzaioli Fabio , Sabbarese Carlo , D’Onofrio Antonio , Porzio Giuseppe , Buompane Raffaele , Roca Vincenzo , Stellato Luisa , Esposito Alfonso Maria , Mazziotta Pietro , Terrasi Filippo
Published: August 2022

We report a high sensitivity study of actinides content in water and sediment matrices performed for the first time along the Garigliano river, near the nuclear power plant currently undergoing decommissioning, and in the marine environment surrounding the river mouth up to a depth of 100 m. Ultrasensitive accelerator mass spectrometry measurements were carried out to estimate the absolute values of 236U, 238U, 239Pu, and 240Pu concentrations and 236U/238U, and 239Pu/240Pu ratios. The accuracy of the measurements and the spatial distribution of the radionuclides enable us to discriminate the anthropogenic from the natural radionuclide’s contribution to the environmental radioactivity. The results indicate that the contribution to the anthropogenic contamination of past power plant operations is, in most of the examined environmental compartments, negligible compared to fallout. High resolution γ-ray spectrometry measurements for 137Cs and 40K show interesting correlations with the actinides results.
Using Convolutional Neural Networks in the Development of a Water Pipe Leakage and Location Identification System
Authors: Tsai Yao-Long , Chang Hung-Chih , Lin Shih-Neng , Chiou Ai-Huei , Lee Tin-Lai
Published: August 2022

To overcome the challenges brought about by abnormal weather and the growing industrial water consumption in Taiwan, the Taiwanese government is transporting water from the northern to the southern part of the country to help with droughts occurring in Taoyuan and Hsinchu. In addition, the government invested NTD 2.78 billion to build the backup water pipelines necessary in Taiyuan and Hsinchu, which help ensure a stable and safe water supply required for regional economic development. The construction adheres to the four major strategic goals of “open source, throttling, dispatch, and backup”. However, the leakage rate of water pipelines remains high. To help with large-scale right-of-way applications and the timeliness of emergency repairs, establishing a system that can detect the locations of leakages is vital. This study intended to apply artificial intelligence (AI) deep learning to develop a water pipe leakage and location identification system. This research established an intelligent sound-assisted water leak identification system, developed and used a localized AI water leak diagnostic instrument to capture on-site dynamic audio, and integrated Internet of Things (IoT) technology to simultaneously identify and locate the leakage. Actual excavation verification results show that the accuracy of the convolutional neural network (CNN) after training is greater than 95%, and the average absolute error calculated between the output data and the input data of the encoder is 0.1021, confirming that the system has high reliability and can reduce the cost of excavation by 26%.
Presenting a Human Pupil Orbit Model (HPOM) for Eye-Gaze Tracking
Authors: Lee Seungbong , Jeong Jaehoon , Kim Daechang , Kim Sungmin
Published: August 2022

Eye tracking technology has been continuously researched for application in various fields. In the past, studies have been conducted to interpret eye movements in 3D space in order to solve the problem of not being able to find the centre of rotation of the eye. In this paper, we propose a novel pre-processing method for eye-gaze tracking by monitoring the front of the face with a camera. Our method works regardless of the distance between the eye and the camera. The proposed method includes an analysis technique that simplifies conventional three-dimensional space analysis to two dimensions. The contribution this work presents is a method to simplify gaze direction detection. The errors in our model’s estimations appear to be under 1 pixel. In addition, our approach has an execution time of less than 1 s, enabling an adaptive model that responds to user movements in real time. The proposed method was able to overcome various problems that methods in existing studies still suffer from, including accurately finding the rotational centre of the user’s eye-ball. Moreover, even when a user’s pupil can only be monitored from a distance, our approach still makes it possible to produce accurate estimations.
Linking the Sensory Taste Properties of Chocolate-Based Biscuits to Consumers’ Emotions: A Cross-Cultural Study
Authors: Mielmann Annchen , Brunner Thomas A.
Published: August 2022

This research measured consumers’ emotions and change in emotion to the specific sensory taste properties and attitudes of chocolate-based biscuits. The sample size involved 216 respondents from South Africa (n = 106) and Switzerland (n = 110). Respondents tasted chocolate-based biscuits and completed an online questionnaire. The increase in consumers’ levels of guilt after chocolate-based biscuit consumption and the contribution of a chocolate taste and craving attitude to consumers’ subsequent positive emotions and change in positive emotions could help food and consumer scientists to understand the link between emotions and the sensory descriptors of chocolate-based biscuits. Investigating the association between the emotional responses and sensory attributes of sweet baked products could benefit product developers when formulating food products for specific target markets and aid in the understanding of the emotional profile of food products.
Heme Dependent Catalase Conditionally Contributes to Oxygen Tolerance of Tetragenococcus halophilus Strains Isolated from Soy Sauce Moromi
Authors: Li Jialian , Wang Bo , Chen Jian , Du Guocheng , Fang Fang
Published: August 2022

Tetragenococcus halophilus strains are the halophilic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) that are present in microbial communities during soy sauce or other hyperosmotic foods’ fermentation. This species contributes to the formation of volatiles in fermented foods but may experience harsh conditions such as oxidative stress and osmotic stress during fermentation. The characterization of the oxygen tolerance of T. halophilus and elaboration of its antioxidant mechanism are important for the selection of suitable LAB for food fermentation. In this work, the growth of T. halophilus strains isolated from soy sauce moromi under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions was compared, and the function of their antioxidant enzymes was investigated. These strains showed differences in oxidation resistance, and they all produce antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase, peroxidase and glutathione reductase. Interestingly, genes encoding catalase (CAT) are present in the genome of T. halophilus strains, though some of them are pseudogenes. Catalase produced by T. halophilus belongs to the heme-dependent CAT, and its activity could only be detected in the presence of heme under aerobic condition. The CAT from T. halophilus conditionally contributes to resistance to hydrogen peroxide and oxidative stress. These results elucidated the possible antioxidant mechanism of T. halophilus and revealed the differences in the oxidative stress tolerance of T. halophilus strains.
Reactivity and Loss Mechanisms of NO3 and N2O5 at a Rural Site on the North China Plain
Authors: Wang Dan , Xie Pinhua , Hu Renzhi , Li Zhiyan , Chen Hao , Jin Huawei
Published: August 2022

NO3, NO2, O3, and relevant parameters were measured at a rural site on the North China Plain during June 2014. During the campaign, the average concentrations of NO3 and N2O5 were 4.8 ± 3.3 pptv and 30.5 ± 35.4 pptv, respectively. The average NO3 production rate was 1.03 ± 0.48 ppbvh−1, and the steady-state lifetimes of NO3 and N2O5 were 26 s and 162 s, respectively, indicating that the NOx chemistry in the rural site during summer was active. The uptake coefficient range of N2O5 was 0.023 to 0.118, with an average value of 0.062 ± 0.035. Meanwhile, the fitting for kNO3 was 0.013 ± 0.016 s−1, corresponding to the shorter NO3 lifetime below 1 min. The results show that the indirect loss pathways caused by the heterogonous uptake of N2O5 contributed 64–90% of the overall NO3 loss, with an average of 81%, suggesting that the N2O5 heterogeneous reaction dominated the nocturnal NOx loss over this region.
Characterization of Propane Fueled Flames: A Significant Source of Brown Carbon
Authors: Prakash Jai , Mitra Kalyan , Mishra Harsh Raj , Pei Xiangyu , Ljungström Evert , Pathak Ravi Kant
Published: August 2022

In this study, we developed a framework for interpreting the in situ morphological properties of black carbon (BC, also referred to as “soot” due to combustion relevance) mixed with primary organic aerosol. Integration of the experiment considering primary organic aerosol (POA) evaporation from the soot particles was examined using a Differential mass–mobility analyzer (DMA) and showed the untold story of the mixing of BC and POA. We also hypothesize that morphological transformation of soots and determined such as (i) the evaporation of externally and internally mixed POA led to a decline in the particle number and size of monodisperse aerosol; (ii) presence of externally mixed BC was interpreted from the occurrence of two peaks of soot upon heating; (iii) heat-induced collapse of the BC core possibly resulted from the evaporation of material from the voids and effect of heat; (iv) volume equivalent to changes in the mobility diameter represented evaporation of POA from the surface and collapse upon heating. POA constituted a high fraction (20–40% by mass) of aerosol mass from these flames and was predominantly (i.e., 92–97% by mass) internally mixed with BC. POA was found to be highly light absorptive, i.e., an Ångström absorption exponent (AAE) value of (in general) >1.5 was estimated for BC + POA at 405/781 nm wavelengths. Interestingly, a much more highly absorptive POA [mass absorption cross-section (MAC)-5 m2 g−1] at 405 nm was discovered under a specific flame setting, which was comparable to MACs of BC particles (8–9 m2 g−1).
Non-Resonant Non-Hyperbolic Singularly Perturbed Neumann Problem
Authors: Vrabel Robert
Published: August 2022

In this brief note, we study the problem of asymptotic behavior of the solutions for non-resonant, singularly perturbed linear Neumann boundary value problems εy″+ky=f(t), y′(a)=0, y′(b)=0, k>0, with an indication of possible extension to more complex cases. Our approach is based on the analysis of an integral equation associated with this problem.
General Pseudo Quasi-Overlap Functions on Lattices
Authors: Paiva Rui Eduardo Brasileiro , Bedregal Benjamín René Callejas
Published: August 2022

The notion of general quasi-overlaps on bounded lattices was introduced as a special class of symmetric n-dimensional aggregation functions on bounded lattices satisfying some bound conditions and which do not need to be continuous. In this paper, we continue developing this topic, this time focusing on another generalization, called general pseudo-overlap functions on lattices, which in a given classification system measures the degree of overlapping of several classes and for any given object where symmetry is an unnecessarily restrictive condition. Moreover, we also provide some methods of constructing these functions, as well as a characterization theorem for them. Also, the notions of pseudo-t-norms and pseudo-t-conorms are used to generalize the concepts of additive and multiplicative generators for the context of general pseudo-quasi-overlap functions on lattices and we explore some related properties.
Arc Regulates Transcription of Genes for Plasticity, Excitability and Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Leung How-Wing , Foo Gabriel , VanDongen Antonius
Published: August 2022

The immediate early gene Arc is a master regulator of synaptic function and a critical determinant of memory consolidation. Here, we show that Arc interacts with dynamic chromatin and closely associates with histone markers for active enhancers and transcription in cultured rat hippocampal neurons. Both these histone modifications, H3K27Ac and H3K9Ac, have recently been shown to be upregulated in late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD). When Arc induction by pharmacological network activation was prevented using a short hairpin RNA, the expression profile was altered for over 1900 genes, which included genes associated with synaptic function, neuronal plasticity, intrinsic excitability, and signalling pathways. Interestingly, about 100 Arc-dependent genes are associated with the pathophysiology of AD. When endogenous Arc expression was induced in HEK293T cells, the transcription of many neuronal genes was increased, suggesting that Arc can control expression in the absence of activated signalling pathways. Taken together, these data establish Arc as a master regulator of neuronal activity-dependent gene expression and suggest that it plays a significant role in the pathophysiology of AD.
Genomic-Analysis-Oriented Drug Repurposing in the Search for Novel Antidepressants
Authors: Lesmana Mohammad Hendra Setia , Le Nguyen Quoc Khanh , Chiu Wei-Che , Chung Kuo-Hsuan , Wang Chih-Yang , Irham Lalu Muhammad , Chung Min-Huey
Published: August 2022

From inadequate prior antidepressants that targeted monoamine neurotransmitter systems emerged the discovery of alternative drugs for depression. For instance, drugs targeted interleukin 6 receptor (IL6R) in inflammatory system. Genomic analysis-based drug repurposing using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) inclined a promising method for several diseases. However, none of the diseases was depression. Thus, we aimed to identify drug repurposing candidates for depression treatment by adopting a genomic-analysis-based approach. The 5885 SNPs obtained from the machine learning approach were annotated using HaploReg v4.1. Five sets of functional annotations were applied to determine the depression risk genes. The STRING database was used to expand the target genes and identify drug candidates from the DrugBank database. We validated the findings using the ClinicalTrial.gov and PubMed databases. Seven genes were observed to be strongly associated with depression (functional annotation score = 4). Interestingly, IL6R was auspicious as a target gene according to the validation outcome. We identified 20 drugs that were undergoing preclinical studies or clinical trials for depression. In addition, we identified sarilumab and satralizumab as drugs that exhibit strong potential for use in the treatment of depression. Our findings indicate that a genomic-analysis-based approach can facilitate the discovery of drugs that can be repurposed for treating depression.
A Redox-Probe-Free Immunosensor Based on Electrocatalytic Prussian Blue Nanostructured Film One-Step-Prepared for Zika Virus Diagnosis
Authors: Santos Lorenna K. B. , Mendonça Priscila D. , Assis LiLian K. S. , Prudêncio Carlos R. , Guedes Maria Izabel F. , Marques Ernesto T. A. , Dutra Rosa Fireman
Published: August 2022

The Zika virus (ZIKV) is a great concern for global health due to its high transmission, including disseminating through blood, saliva, urine, semen and vertical transmission. In some cases, ZIKV has been associated with microcephaly, neurological disorders, and Guillain–Barré syndrome. There is no vaccine, and controlling the disease is a challenge, especially with the co-circulation of the Dengue virus, which causes a severe cross-reaction due to the similarity between the two arboviruses. Considering that electrochemical immunosensors are well-established, sensitive, and practical tools for diagnosis, in this study we developed a sensor platform with intrinsic redox activity that facilitates measurement readouts. Prussian blue (PB) has a great ability to form electrocatalytic surfaces, dispensing redox probe solutions in voltammetric measurements. Herein, PB was incorporated into a chitosan–carbon nanotube hybrid, forming a nanocomposite that was drop-casted on a screen-printed electrode (SPE). The immunosensor detected the envelope protein of ZIKV in a linear range of 0.25 to 1.75 µg/mL (n = 8, p < 0.01), with a 0.20 µg/mL limit of detection. The developed immunosensor represents a new method for electrochemical measurements without additional redox probe solutions, and it is feasible for application in point-of-care diagnosis.
In Situ SERS Sensing by a Laser-Induced Aggregation of Silver Nanoparticles Templated on a Thermoresponsive Polymer
Authors: Sigolaeva Larisa V. , Nechaeva Natalia L. , Ignatov Anton I. , Filatova Lyubov Y. , Sharifullin Timur Z. , Eichhorn Jonas , Schacher Felix H. , Pergushov Dmitry V. , Merzlikin Alexander M. , Kurochkin Ilya N.
Published: August 2022

A stimuli-responsive (pH- and thermoresponsive) micelle-forming diblock copolymer, poly(1,2-butadiene)290-block-poly(N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate)240 (PB-b-PDMAEMA), was used as a polymer template for the in situ synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) through Ag+ complexation with PDMAEMA blocks, followed by the reduction of the bound Ag+ with sodium borohydride. A successful synthesis of the AgNPs on a PB-b-PDMAEMA micellar template was confirmed by means of UV–Vis spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy, wherein the shape and size of the AgNPs were determined. A phase transition of the polymer matrix in the AgNPs/PB-b-PDMAEMA metallopolymer hybrids, which results from a collapse and aggregation of PDMAEMA blocks, was manifested by changes in the transmittance of their aqueous solutions as a function of temperature. A SERS reporting probe, 4-mercaptophenylboronic acid (4-MPBA), was used to demonstrate a laser-induced enhancement of the SERS signal observed under constant laser irradiation. The local heating of the AgNPs/PB-b-PDMAEMA sample in the laser spot is thought to be responsible for the triggered SERS effect, which is caused by the approaching of AgNPs and the generation of “hot spots” under a thermo-induced collapse and the aggregation of the PDMAEMA blocks of the polymer matrix. The triggered SERS effect depends on the time of a laser exposure and on the concentration of 4-MPBA. Possible mechanisms of the laser-induced heating for the AgNPs/PB-b-PDMAEMA metallopolymer hybrids are discussed.
Fluorescence-Based Microendoscopic Sensing System for Minimally Invasive In Vivo Bladder Cancer Diagnosis
Authors: Lee Sanghwa , Oh Jeongmin , Cho Minju , Kim Jun Ki
Published: August 2022

Bladder cancer is commonly diagnosed by evaluating the tissue morphology through cystoscopy, and tumor resection is used as the primary treatment approach. However, these methods are limited by lesion site specificity and resection margin, and can thereby fail to detect cancer lesions at early stages. Nevertheless, rapid diagnosis without biopsy may be possible through fluorescence sensing. Herein, we describe a minimally invasive imaging system capable of sensing even small tumors through a 1.2 mm diameter flexible fiber bundle microprobe. We demonstrate that this new device can be used for the early diagnosis of bladder cancer in rats. Bladder cancer was induced in rats using the carcinogen N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine (BBN), and a togglable filter capable of PpIX fluorescence sensing was installed in the microendoscopic system. Following 5-aminolevulinic acid administration, tissue in the early stages of bladder cancer was successfully identified with fluorescence detection and confirmed with hematoxylin/eosin and ferrochelatase staining. Although the time required for BBN to induce bladder cancer varied between 3 and 4 weeks among the rats, the microendoscopic system allowed the minimally invasive follow-up on cancer development.
Application of CCTV Methodology to Analyze COVID-19 Evolution in Italy
Authors: Milano Marianna , Agapito Giuseppe , Cannataro Mario
Published: August 2022

Italy was one of the European countries most afflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic. From 2020 to 2022, Italy adopted strong containment measures against the COVID-19 epidemic and then started an important vaccination campaign. Here, we extended previous work by applying the COVID-19 Community Temporal Visualizer (CCTV) methodology to Italian COVID-19 data related to 2020, 2021, and five months of 2022. The aim of this work was to evaluate how Italy reacted to the pandemic in the first two waves of COVID-19, in which only containment measures such as the lockdown had been adopted, in the months following the start of the vaccination campaign, the months with the mildest weather, and the months affected by the new COVID-19 variants. This assessment was conducted by observing the behavior of single regions. CCTV methodology allows us to map the similarities in the behavior of Italian regions on a graph and use a community detection algorithm to visualize and analyze the spatio-temporal evolution of data. The results depict that the communities formed by Italian regions change with respect to the ten data measures and time.