bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Immune Modifying Effect of Drug Free Biodegradable Nanoparticles on Disease Course of Experimental Autoimmune Neuritis
Authors: Elahi Ehsan , Ali Mohamed Ehab , Zimmermann Julian , Getts Daniel R. , Müller Marcus , Lamprecht Alf
Published: November 2022

Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) is an autoimmune disease of demyelination and inflammation of peripheral nerves. Current treatments are limited to plasma exchange and intravenous immunoglobulins. Cargo-free nanoparticles (NPs) have been evaluated here for their therapeutic benefit on the disease course of experimental autoimmune neuritis (EAN), mimicking the human GBS. NPs prepared from poly-lactic co-glycolic acid (PLGA) with variable size and surface charge (i.e., 500 nm vs. 130 nm, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) vs. sodium cholate), were intravenously administered in before- or early-onset treatment schedules in a rat EAN model. NP treatment mitigated distinctly the clinical severity of EAN as compared to the P2-peptide control group (P2) in all treatments and reduced the trafficking of inflammatory monocytes at inflammatory loci and diverted them towards the spleen. Therapeutic treatment with NPs reduced the expression of proinflammatory markers (CD68 (P2: 34.8 ± 6.6 vs. NP: 11.9 ± 2.3), IL-1β (P2: 18.3 ± 0.8 vs. NP: 5.8 ± 2.2), TNF-α (P2: 23.5 ± 3.7 vs. NP: 8.3 ± 1.7) and elevated the expression levels of anti-inflammatory markers CD163 (P2: 19.7 ± 3.0 vs. NP: 41.1 ± 6.5; all for NP-PVA of 130 nm; relative to healthy control). These results highlight the therapeutic potential of such cargo-free NPs in treating EAN, which would be easily translatable into clinical use due to their well-known low-toxicity profile.
The Cosmology of a Non-Minimally Coupled f(R,T) Gravitation
Authors: Sofuoğlu Değer , Tiwari Rishi Kumar , Abebe Amare , Alfedeel Alnadhief H. A. , Hassan Eltegani I.
Published: November 2022

A non-minimally coupled cosmological scenario is considered in the context of f(R,T)=f1(R)+f2(R)f3(T) gravity (with R being the Ricci scalar and T the trace of the energy-momentum tensor) in the background of the flat Friedmann–Robertson–Walker (FRW) model. The field equations of this modified theory are solved using a time-dependent deceleration parameter for a dust. The behavior of the model is analyzed taking into account constraints from recent observed values the deceleration parameter. It is shown that the analyzed models can explain the transition from the decelerating phase to the accelerating one in the expansion of the universe, by staying true to the results of the observable universe. It is shown that the models are dominated by a quintessence-like cosmological dark fluid at the late universe.
Exploring the Ideal MHD Quasi-Modes of a Plasma Interface with a Thick Nonuniform Transition
Authors: Soler Roberto
Published: November 2022

Nonuniform plasma across an imposed magnetic field, such as those present in the solar atmosphere, can support collective Alfvénic oscillations with a characteristic damping time. The damped transverse oscillations of coronal loops are an example of this process. In ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), these transient collective motions are associated with quasi-modes resonant in the Alfvén continuum. Quasi-modes live in a non-principal Riemann sheet of the dispersion relation, and so they are not true ideal MHD eigenmodes. The present study considers the illustrative case of incompressible surface MHD waves propagating on a nonuniform interface between two uniform plasmas with a straight magnetic field parallel to the interface. It is explored how the ideal quasi-modes of this configuration change when the width of the nonuniform transition increases. It is found that interfaces with wide enough transitions are not able to support truly collective oscillations. A quasi-mode that can be related with a resonantly damped surface MHD wave can only be found in interfaces with sufficiently thin transitions.
The Effect of Humic Acid and Polystyrene Fluorescence Nanoplastics on Solanum lycopersicum Environmental Behavior and Phytotoxicity
Authors: Lakshmikanthan Dhivya , Chandrasekaran Natarajan
Published: November 2022

The impacts of nanoplastics (100 nm) on terrestrial systems are unclear at this time. Due to the utilization of sewage sludge, plastic particles are likely to accumulate in these systems. The current research investigates how Solanum lycopersicum seed germination and growth are affected by fluorescence polystyrene (Flu−PS), humic acid (HA), and a Flu−PS+HA combination (tomato). Following 24 h of interaction between Flu−PS and HA, our report details the development of an eco-corona with a significant increase in hydrodynamic size. Plant growth, seed germination, and chlorophyll content were all enhanced by the eco-coronated Flu−PS.Additionally, we discover that seeds treated with Flu−PS+HA demonstrated a germination rate of 90%, compared to just 65.8% for seeds treated with Flu−PS alone. Chlorophyll (a, b, and a + b) content measurements indicated that HA-treated groups and Flu−PS+HA-treated groups had considerably higher levels of chlorophyll (a, b, and a + b) than Flu−PS-treated groups (Flu−PS: 3.18 mg g−1, 2.12 mg g−1, and 3.89 mg g−1, HA: 5.96 mg g−1, 4.28 mg g−1, and 6.36 mg g−1, and Flu−PS+HA: 4.17 mg g−1, 3.01 mg g−1, and 6.08 mg g−1, respectively). In a similar manner, the HA and Flu−PS+HA treatment groups showed lower ROS levels than the Flu−PS treatment groups. In addition, we discovered that the activity of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase and catalase was lower in the groups treated with HA and Flu−PS+HA than in the groups solely treated with Flu−PS. The results demonstrated that HA significantly lessens the toxicity caused by Flu−PS, while also promoting the germination and growth of Solanum lycopersicum seeds. The related decrease in toxic effects may be ascribed to the establishment of an eco-corona on the Flu−PS. We think that the use of eco-coronas is a technique for safeguarding plants against xenobiotics such as nanoplastics.
A Review of Cultural Practices for Botrytis Bunch Rot Management in New Zealand Vineyards
Authors: Mundy Dion Charles , Elmer Philip , Wood Peter , Agnew Rob
Published: November 2022

Botrytis bunch rot of grapes (BBR) causes substantial crop and wine quality issues globally. Past and present foundations for BBR control are based upon synthetic fungicides and varying forms of canopy management. Many authors regard the continued dependence on fungicides as unsustainable and have urged greater deployment of cultural, biological and nutritional strategies. However, in contrast to organic wine production, the uptake of alternative strategies in conventional vineyards has been slow based on cost and perceived reliability issues. This review summarises research from many different wine growing regions in New Zealand with the aim of demonstrating how traditional and newly developed cultural control practices have cost-effectively reduced BBR. In addition to reviewing traditional cultural practices (e.g., leaf removal), mechanical tools are described that remove floral trash and mechanically shake the vines. Multi-omics has improved our knowledge of the underlying changes to grape berries after mechanical shaking. Exogenous applications of calcium may correct calcium deficiencies in the berry skin and reduce BBR but the outcome varies between cultivar and regions. Nitrogen aids in grapevine defence against BBR but remains a complex and difficult nutrient to manage. The sustainable growth of organics and The European Green Deal will stimulate researchers to evaluate new combinations of non-chemical BBR strategies in the next decade.
Phytochemical Composition and Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Ligularia fischeri Turcz: A Comparison between Leaf and Root Extracts
Authors: Kim Tae-Hyu , Truong Van-Long , Jeong Woo-Sik
Published: November 2022

Ligularia fischeri Turcz leaves are widely consumed and have multiple health benefits. We aimed to evaluate the differences in the phytochemical composition and biological properties of the root and leaf extracts from L. fischeri. The root extract exhibited higher antioxidant capacity and total flavonoid levels than the leaf extract. GC/MS analysis revealed the presence of various volatiles, diterpenoids, sesquiterpenes, and other non-polar compounds. Moreover, these extracts enhanced cellular antioxidant defense by reducing the level of reactive oxygen species and upregulating the expression of catalase and heme oxygenase-1 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. The root and leaf extracts also exerted anti-inflammatory effects by suppressing nitric oxide production and diminishing the levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, and interleukin-1β in LPS-stimulated macrophages. Overall, these findings suggest that L. fischeri root extract contains diverse bioactive compounds for the development of nutraceuticals or functional foods with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity.
Seedling-Stage Deficit Irrigation with Nitrogen Application in Three-Year Field Study Provides Guidance for Improving Maize Yield, Water and Nitrogen Use Efficiencies
Authors: Li Yuxi , Chen Jian , Tian Longbing , Shen Zhaoyin , Amby Daniel Buchvaldt , Liu Fulai , Gao Qiang , Wang Yin
Published: November 2022

Deficit irrigation (DI) was acknowledged as an effective technique to improve water use efficiency (WUE) without significant yield reduction. In this study, a 3-year field experiment was conducted in Northeast China during 2017–2019 to investigate the combined effects of 3-week DI from 3-leaf stage and N fertilization on maize seedling growth and determine the resulting impacts on silking growth and yield formation, N use efficiency (NUE) and WUE. Results showed that seedling-stage DI decreased leaf area and photosynthesis, thus significantly limited shoot and root dry biomass for maize seedling, compared to well-watered (WW) plants. In 2017 and 2019, seedling-stage DI positively improved seedling growth with higher root: shoot ratio and enhanced drought tolerance, under higher initial soil water contents (SWC) with sufficient precipitation before DI. The DI-primed plants showed similar or better performances on reproductive growth, grain yield, WUE and NUE compared to WW plants, even experiencing heavy rainfall or drought stresses around the silking stage. However, the contrasting results were observed in 2018 with negative DI effects on seedling and silking growth and final yield, probably due to less rainfall and lower SWC before DI. In all 3 years, N fertilization had significant compensatory effects on limited seedling growth under DI, and its effect was much less in 2018 than other years due to adverse early climate. The principal component and correlation analysis revealed maize silking growth, grain yield, NUE and WUE were strongly related to the seedling growth as affected by water and N managements under various climatic conditions. In conclusion, a short-term and moderate DI regime—adopted at the seedling stage under higher initial SWC and coupled with an appropriate N fertilization—is beneficial to control redundant vegetative growth while optimizing root development, therefore effectively improving drought tolerance for maize plants and achieving higher grain yield, WUE and NUE.
Construction of an Electrical Conductor, Strain Sensor, Electrical Connection and Cycle Switch Using Conductive Graphite Cotton Fabrics
Authors: Alamer Fahad Alhashmi , Aldeih Asal , Alsalmi Omar , Althagafy Khalid , Al-Dossari Mawaheb
Published: November 2022

Researchers in science and industry are increasingly interested in conductive textiles. In this article, we have successfully prepared conductive textiles by applying a graphite dispersion to cotton fabric using a simple brush-coating-drying method and the solvents of dimethyl sulfoxide, dimethyl formamide, and a solvent mixture of both. The sheet resistance of the resulting cotton fabrics could be influenced by the type of polar solvent used to prepare the graphite dispersion and the concentration of graphite. In addition, the graphite cotton fabrics showed semiconductive behavior upon studying the resistance at different temperatures. A flexible strain sensor was fabricated using these graphite cotton fabrics for human motion detection. Most importantly, the resulting strain sensor functions even after 100 bending cycles, indicating its excellent reproducibility. In addition, our results have also shown that these graphite cotton fabrics can be used as electrical interconnects in electrical circuits without any visible degradation of the conductive cotton. Finally, a cotton electrical cycle switch was made using the graphite cotton fabrics and worked in the on and off state.
Fundamental Structural and Kinetic Principals of High Strength UHMWPE Fibers Production by Gel-Technology
Authors: Ivan’kova Elena , Egorov Viktor , Marikhin Vyacheslav , Myasnikova Liubov , Boiko Yuri , Radovanova Elena
Published: November 2022

One of the main research work in the field of polymeric materials was, is and always will be the improvement of their mechanical properties. Comprehensive structural studies of UHMWPE reactor powder, the features of its dissolution and the formation of a gel-state, as well as UHMWPE films oriented up to various draw ratios, were carried out using scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and X-ray diffraction. For comparison, decalin and vaseline oil were chosen as solvents. The mechanical properties of oriented UHMWPE films were also studied. In the process of orientation drawing, basing on the developed structural-kinetic principles of strengthening for highly oriented speciments gel-cast from UHMWPE powders, the average values of tensile strength of 4.7 GPa (about 6% of the samples had strength values up to 6.0 GPa) and an Young’s modulus of 170 GPa (about 6% of the samples had Young’s modulus values of 200 GPa). These values are among the highest according to the world scientific literature. A significant increase in the mechanical characteristics of highly oriented UHMWPE films was achieved using experimentally confirmed scientific approaches to revealing the structure-property relationship at each stage of the gel process.
Study on Bending Creep Performance of GFRP-Reinforced PVC-Based Wood-Plastic Composite Panels
Authors: Dai Bangbang , Huo Ruili , Wang Kun , Ma Zhengqing , Fang Hai
Published: November 2022

Wood-plastic composites (WPCs) are environment-friendly materials, which have broad application prospects in structures. They cannot be used for bearing structures because of poor mechanical performance and creep deformation. In order to enhance the mechanical behavior and decrease the long-term creep deformation, glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP) sheets and rebar reinforcement design methods are proposed. The bending static tests and creep performance tests of WPCs were conducted. The results showed that GFRP sheets and rebars improved the ultimate flexural loading capacity and deformation capacity by 257% and 165%, respectively, decreased the creep deflection effectively, and avoided shear failure. When the load level was very low, the creep deformation of WPC panels unreinforced, or reinforcement developed stably with time, and the damage did not occur within 1100 h. When the load increased to 80% of the ultimate load level, all specimens were damaged in the compression zone, the creep deformation increased quickly and unstably, bending shear failure of the unreinforced specimen occurred after 7 h, shear failure of the GFRP-sheets-reinforced specimen occurred after 1100 h, and the rebar-reinforced specimen failed after 720 h with excessive deflection deformation in the span. The reinforced effect of GFRP sheets is better. The creep strain growth rate of all specimens increased quickly at the first stage and gradually decreased at the second stage and tended to be stable. The creep calculation model was built based on the four-element model, which is simple and efficient and can make scientific and reasonable predictions of the two phases of structural transient creep and deceleration creep.
Preparation and Characterization of Polyanhydride Terminated with Oleic Acid Extracted from Olive Mills Waste
Authors: Zakiedin Mustafa , Alhoshan Mansour , Alrashed Maher M. , El Blidi Lahssen
Published: November 2022

Valorizing the fatty content of agricultural waste in material synthesis is an interesting topic. This work focused on utilizing oleic acid from the solid waste of olive mills in Saudi Arabia to synthesize biodegradable polyanhydrides based on sebacic acid which terminated with different concentrations of fatty acid (10, 30, 50, and 70 wt%), then characterize the final polymer samples and study the effects of termination on polyanhydrides properties, such as molecular weight and degradation profile. The fatty content of the solid waste was extracted, purified, and analyzed prior to and after separating the saturated and unsaturated fractions by urea crystallization, then the microwave-assisted melt polycondensation technique was used in the synthesis of the final polymers. Molecular weights were determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and the degradation profile of the prepared samples was examined by determining the weight loss percentage of the polymer mass and FT-IR scanning for the anhydride bond before and after sample degradation. Results showed a linear degradation profile for most samples with no significant change in the molecular weights due to termination.
Virtues, Vices and the Responsibilities of Business: An Application of Catholic Social Teaching to the Problems of Corruption and Lobbying
Authors: Alves André Azevedo , Booth Philip
Published: November 2022

This paper examines the development of Catholic social thought and teaching on the responsibilities of business. It begins with a natural law and Thomistic framework and shows how the general principles are applied to practical situations, firstly in the work of the late scholastics and, secondly, through the social encyclical tradition. Changes in emphasis are noted in the post-war period. The paper also explores how the challenges of corruption and lobbying have been viewed in the tradition. Despite mention of these topics by Pope Francis, we conclude that they are under-explored areas. As such, we set out a framework for consideration of these topics using the approach presented in the earlier part of the paper.
Tubo-Ovarian Abscess with Actinomyces odontolyticus: Case Report and Brief Review of Literature
Authors: Pană Adrian Gabriel , Neculicioiu Vlad , Toc Dan Alexandru , Sprinjan Gheorghe Dan , Rusu Mara Cristina , Costache Carmen
Published: November 2022

Actinomyces odontolyticus is a strictly anaerobic species, a member of the Actinomyces genus and of the commensal flora, especially oral flora, which can trigger severe infections through breaches in healthy tissue or necrotic tissue that are often hard to diagnose clinically and microbiologically. Most infections with this species are pulmonary or pleural, which might hint at a connection with poor dental hygiene, but other locations have been documented. We present a case of a tubo-ovarian abscess with a difficult identification of the etiological agent in a woman with multiple admissions, no significant comorbidities, and a longstanding use of an IUD (intrauterine device). To our knowledge, no previous case of tubo-ovarian abscess with an accurate A. odontolyticus microbiological species identification has been reported so far. This case also highlights the importance of considering an anaerobic species as an etiologic agent in an infectious process concerning a previously damaged tissue and the importance of appropriate harvesting and culturing in the accurate diagnosis of such species.
Spatial Variability of Active Layer Thickness along the Qinghai–Tibet Engineering Corridor Resolved Using Ground-Penetrating Radar
Authors: Jia Shichao , Zhang Tingjun , Hao Jiansheng , Li Chaoyue , Michaelides Roger , Shao Wanwan , Wei Sihao , Wang Kun , Fan Chengyan
Published: November 2022

Active layer thickness (ALT) is a sensitive indicator of response to climate change. ALT has important influence on various aspects of the regional environment such as hydrological processes and vegetation. In this study, 57 ground-penetrating radar (GPR) sections were surveyed along the Qinghai–Tibet Engineering Corridor (QTEC) during 2018–2021, covering a total length of 58.5 km. The suitability of GPR-derived ALT was evaluated using in situ measurements and reference datasets, for which the bias and root mean square error were approximately −0.16 and 0.43 m, respectively. The GPR results show that the QTEC ALT was in the range of 1.25–6.70 m (mean: 2.49 ± 0.57 m). Observed ALT demonstrated pronounced spatial variability at both regional and fine scales. We developed a statistical estimation model that explicitly considers the soil thermal regime (i.e., ground thawing index, TIg), soil properties, and vegetation. This model was found suitable for simulating ALT over the QTEC, and it could explain 52% (R2 = 0.52) of ALT variability. The statistical model shows that a difference of 10 °C.d in TIg is equivalent to a change of 0.67 m in ALT, and an increase of 0.1 in the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) is equivalent to a decrease of 0.23 m in ALT. The fine-scale (<1 km) variation in ALT could account for 77.6% of the regional-scale (approximately 550 km) variation. These results provide a timely ALT benchmark along the QTEC, which can inform the construction and maintenance of engineering facilities along the QTEC.
Modelling Permafrost Characteristics and Its Relationship with Environmental Constraints in the Gaize Area, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China
Authors: Wang Yudan , Chen Hao , Nan Zhuotong , Shang Zhihai
Published: November 2022

The impact of environmental constraints on permafrost distribution and characteristics of the remote western Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) were seldom reported. Using augmented Noah land surface model, this study aims to elaborate the permafrost characteristics and their relationship with key environmental constraints in the Gaize, a transitional area with mosaic distribution of permafrost and seasonally frozen ground in the western QTP. There were two soil parameter schemes, two thermal roughness schemes, and three vegetation parameter schemes with optimal minimum stomatal resistance established using MODIS NDVI, turbulent flux, and field survey data. Forcing data were extracted from the China Meteorological Forcing Dataset (CMFD) and downscaled to 5 km × 5 km resolution. Results show that the error of simulated mean annual ground temperatures (MAGT) were less than 1.0 °C for nine boreholes. The Kappa coefficiency between three types of permafrost and three types of vegetation is 0.654, which indicates the close relationship between the presence of certain vegetation types and the occurrence of certain permafrost types in the Gaize. Permafrost distribution and characteristics of the Gaize are jointly influenced by both altitude and vegetation. The relationship of permafrost with environmental constraints over the Gaize is significantly different from that of the West Kunlun, a western, predominantly permafrost-distributed area.
Assessing Changes in Boreal Vegetation of Kola Peninsula via Large-Scale Land Cover Classification between 1985 and 2021
Authors: Sklyar Ekaterina , Rees Gareth
Published: November 2022

The effective monitoring of boreal and tundra vegetation at different scales and environmental management at latitudes above 50 degrees North relies heavily on remote sensing. The vastness, remoteness and, in the case of Russia, the difficulty of access to boreal–tundra vegetation make it an ideal technique for vegetation monitoring in the Kola peninsula, located predominantly beyond the Arctic circle in the European part of Russia. Since the 1930s, this area has been highly urbanised and exposed to strong influence by a number of different types of human impact, such as toxic pollutions, fires, mineral excavation, grazing, logging, etc. Extensive open archives of remote sensing imagery as well as recent advances in machine learning further enable the efficient use of remote sensing methods for assessing land cover changes. Here, we present the results of mapping northern vegetation land cover and changes in it over a large territory, in time and under human impact based on remote imagery from Landsat TM, ETM+ and OLI. We study the area of about 37,000 km2 located in the central part of the Kola peninsula in the boreal, pre-tundra and tundra between 1985 and 2021 with a time interval of approximately 5 years and confirm the correlations between the human pressure and the level of vegetation changes. We put those into the perspective of year-on-year changes in the temperature and precipitation regimes and describe the recovery of the damaged original boreal vegetation (dominated by spruce) through pine and deciduous vegetation. As a by-product of this study, we develop and test an approach for the semi-automated processing and classification of Landsat images using the novel TensorFlow machine learning technique (widely spread across other disciplines) that enables high-throughput classification, even on conventional hardware.
Efficient SfM for Large-Scale UAV Images Based on Graph-Indexed BoW and Parallel-Constructed BA Optimization
Authors: Liu Sikang , Jiang San , Liu Yawen , Xue Wanchang , Guo Bingxuan
Published: November 2022

Structure from Motion (SfM) for large-scale UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) images has been widely used in the fields of photogrammetry and computer vision. Its efficiency, however, decreases dramatically as well as with the memory occupation rising steeply due to the explosion of data volume and the iterative BA (bundle adjustment) optimization. In this paper, an efficient SfM solution is proposed to solve the low-efficiency and high memory consumption problems. First, an algorithm is designed to find UAV image match pairs based on a graph-indexed bag-of-words (BoW) model (GIBoW), which treats visual words as vertices and link relations as edges to build a small-world graph structure. The small-world graph structure can be used to search the nearest-neighbor visual word for query features with extremely high efficiency. Reliable UAV image match pairs can effectively improve feature matching efficiency. Second, a central bundle adjustment with object point-wise parallel construction of the Schur complement (PSCBA) is proposed, which is designed as the combination of the LM (Levenberg–Marquardt) algorithm with the preconditioned conjugate gradients (PCG). The PSCBA method can dramatically reduce the memory consumption in both error and normal equations, as well as improve efficiency. Finally, by using four UAV datasets, the effectiveness of the proposed SfM solution is verified through comprehensive analysis and comparison. The experimental results show that compared with Colmap-Bow and Dbow2, the proposed graph index BoW retrieval algorithm improves the efficiency of image match pair selection with an acceleration ratio ranging from 3 to 7. Meanwhile, the parallel-constructed BA optimization algorithm can achieve accurate bundle adjustment results with an acceleration ratio by 2 to 7 times and reduce memory occupation by 2 to 3 times compared with the BA optimization using Ceres solver. For large-scale UAV images, the proposed method is an effective and reliable solution.
Enabling Deep-Neural-Network-Integrated Optical and SAR Data to Estimate the Maize Leaf Area Index and Biomass with Limited In Situ Data
Authors: Luo Peilei , Ye Huichun , Huang Wenjiang , Liao Jingjuan , Jiao Quanjun , Guo Anting , Qian Binxiang
Published: November 2022

Accurate estimation of the maize leaf area index (LAI) and biomass is of great importance in guiding field management and early yield estimation. Physical models and traditional machine learning methods are commonly used for LAI and biomass estimation. However, these models and methods mostly rely on handcrafted features and theoretical formulas under idealized assumptions, which limits their accuracy. Deep neural networks have demonstrated great superiority in automatic feature extraction and complicated nonlinear approximation, but their application to LAI and biomass estimation has been hindered by the shortage of in situ data. Therefore, bridging the gap of data shortage and making it possible to leverage deep neural networks to estimate maize LAI and biomass is of great significance. Optical data cannot provide information in the lower canopy due to the limited penetrability, but synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data can do this, so the integration of optical and SAR data is necessary. In this paper, 158 samples from the jointing, trumpet, flowering, and filling stages of maize were collected for investigation. First, we propose an improved version of the mixup training method, which is termed mixup+, to augment the sample amount. We then constructed a novel gated Siamese deep neural network (GSDNN) based on a gating mechanism and a Siamese architecture to integrate optical and SAR data for the estimation of the LAI and biomass. We compared the accuracy of the GSDNN with those of other machine learning methods, i.e., multiple linear regression (MLR), support vector regression (SVR), random forest regression (RFR), and a multilayer perceptron (MLP). The experimental results show that without the use of mixup+, the GSDNN achieved a similar accuracy to that of the simple neural network MLP in terms of R2 and RMSE, and this was slightly lower than those of MLR, SVR, and RFR. However, with the help of mixup+, the GSDNN achieved state-of-the-art performance (R2 = 0.71, 0.78, and 0.86 and RMSE = 0.58, 871.83, and 150.76 g/m2, for LAI, Biomass_wet, and Biomass_dry, respectively), exceeding the accuracies of MLR, SVR, RFR, and MLP. In addition, through the integration of optical and SAR data, the GSDNN achieved better accuracy in LAI and biomass estimation than when optical or SAR data alone were used. We found that the most appropriate amount of synthetic data from mixup+ was five times the amount of original data. Overall, this study demonstrates that the GSDNN + mixup+ has great potential for the integration of optical and SAR data with the aim of improving the estimation accuracy of the maize LAI and biomass with limited in situ data.
A Monitoring Method Based on Vegetation Abnormal Information Applied to the Case of Jizong Shed-Tunnel Landslide
Authors: Guo Qing , Tong Lianzi , Wang Hua
Published: November 2022

Landslides are one of the most dangerous natural disasters, which have affected national economic development and social stability. This paper proposes a method to indirectly monitor the deformation characteristics of landslides by extracting the abnormal vegetation information, especially for the inaccessible high-mountain landslides in southwestern China. This paper extracts the vegetation anomaly information in the Jizong Shed-Tunnel landslide which is located on the main traffic road to Tibet by the optical remote sensing Gaofen-1 (GF-1) data, and analyzes the temporal and spatial characteristics of the vegetation anomaly information through a time series. Then, we use the small baseline subsets interferometry synthetic aperture radar (SBAS-InSAR) technology to process Sentinel-1 data to obtain the time-series surface deformation information. Finally, we analyze and verify the results of the two methods. The results show that there is obvious vegetation coverage (VC) decline, with a maximum increasing percentage of 8.77% for the low and medium VC, and obvious surface deformation around the landslide, with the highest settlement rate of between 0 mm/year and 30 mm/year. Through the time-series analysis, we find that the change trends of the two methods are basically the same. This paper shows that the method of using abnormal vegetation information to monitor the Jizong Shed-Tunnel landslide has a certain degree of reliability and practicability. It can provide a new idea and effective supplement for landslide monitoring.
The Language Conceptual Formation to Inspire Intelligent Systems
Authors: Monte-Serrat Dioneia , Cattani Carlo
Published: November 2022

The semantic web invests in systems that work collaboratively. In this article we show that the collaborative way is not enough, because the system must ‘understand’ the data resources that are provided to it, to organize them in the direction indicated by the system’s core, the algorithm. In order for intelligent systems to imitate human cognition, in addition to technical skills to model algorithms, we show that the specialist needs a good knowledge of the principles that explain how human language constructs concepts. The content of this article focuses on the principles of the conceptual formation of language, pointing to aspects related to the environment, to logical reasoning and to the recursive process. We used the strategy of superimposing the dynamics of human cognition and intelligent systems to open new frontiers regarding the formation of concepts by human cognition. The dynamic aspect of the recursion of the human linguistic process integrates visual, auditory, tactile input stimuli, among others, to the central nervous system, where meaning is constructed. We conclude that the human linguistic process involves axiomatic (contextual/biological) and logical principles, and that the dynamics of the relationship between them takes place through recursive structures, which guarantee the construction of meanings through long-range correlation under scale invariance. Recursion and cognition are, therefore, interdependent elements of the linguistic process, making it a set of sui generis structures that evidence that the essence of language, whether natural or artificial, is a form and not a substance.
Research Progress on Process-Intensified Water Treatment Applications
Authors: Kopac Turkan
Published: November 2022

Process intensification (PI) is aimed towards essentially smaller, cleaner, safer, energy-efficient sustainable technologies involving the application of a number of strategies, including reducing the number of devices, miniaturization, process integration, improving mass and heat transfer, novel energy and separation techniques and combined optimization and control methodologies. Over the recent years, PI has attracted attention in the domain of aqueous medium adsorptive separations and wastewater treatment as well. Thus far, a limited number of investigations have appeared in the literature; in addition, there is yet a lack of published methods to follow the intensified solutions for processes in wastewater treatment. In this connection, this article aims to present an overview of the recent applications and advances in process-intensified decolorization of dyes; removal of aromatic hydrocarbons from wastewaters; and recovery of proteins, heavy metals and rare earth elements from aqueous media. Selected applications have been identified in terms of the PI techniques, and the corresponding process improvements have been discussed for a variety of examples with the aim of contributing to the future progress of applications. It has been confirmed that considerable process improvements could be possible, such as intensified process efficiency, improved adsorption and separation performance, and minimized sorbent requirement and processing time. Even though there have been considerable developments in the field, there is still a need for further developments for the enhancement of the technologies in adsorption wastewater treatment using a systems approach.
Characterization of the Binding Behavior of Specific Cobalt and Nickel Ion-Binding Peptides Identified by Phage Surface Display
Authors: Matys Sabine , Morawietz Lisa-Marie , Lederer Franziska , Pollmann Katrin
Published: November 2022

In recent years, the application focus of phage surface display (PSD) technology has been extended to the identification of metal ion-selective peptides. In previous studies, two phage clones—a nickel-binding one with the peptide motif CNAKHHPRCGGG and a cobalt-binding one with the peptide motif CTQMLGQLCGGG—were isolated, and their binding ability to metal-loaded NTA agarose beads was investigated. Here, the free cyclic peptides are characterized by UV/VIS spectroscopy with respect to their binding capacity for the respective target ion and in crossover experiments for the other ion by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) in different buffer systems. This revealed differences in selectivity and affinity. The cobalt-specific peptide is very sensitive to different buffers; it has a 20-fold higher affinity for cobalt and nickel under suitable conditions. The nickel-specific peptide binds more moderately and robustly in different buffers but only selectively to nickel.
Polymer-Based Nano-Adsorbent for the Removal of Lead Ions: Kinetics Studies and Optimization by Response Surface Methodology
Authors: Birniwa Abdullahi Haruna , Kehili Sana , Ali Mujahid , Musa Haruna , Ali Umar , Kutty Shamsul Rahman Mohamed , Jagaba Ahmad Hussaini , Abdullahi Shehu Sa’ad , Tag-Eldin Elsayed Mohamed , Mahmud Habibun Nabi Muhammad Ekramul
Published: November 2022

This work successfully created a polypyrrole-polyethyleneimine (PPy-PEI) nano adsorbent for the elimination of the lead ion Pb2+ from an aqueous solution. An efficient conducting polymer-based adsorbent called as was created using ammonium persulfate (NH4)2S2O8 as an oxidant (PPy-PEI). The PEI hyper-branched polymer with terminal amino groups was added to the PPy adsorbent to offer heavy metals more effective chelating sites. Pb2+ removal from aqueous solution using polyethyleneimine micro adsorbent was successfully accomplished using a batch equilibrium technique (PPy-PEI). The generated water-insoluble polymer nanoadsorbent had enough nitrogen atoms; therefore, an effort was made to link PEI, a water-soluble PPy, with PPy, a conjugated polymer, for lead ion adsorption from an aqueous solution. The generated PPy-PEI nanoadsorbents were discovered to have average particle sizes of 18–34 nm and a Brunauer-Emmet-Teller surface area of 17 m2/g, respectively. The thermal behavior of the composites was investigated using thermo gravimetric and differential scanning calorimetric methods. The lead ion adsorption efficacy of pure polypyrrole was found to be 38%; however, a batch equilibrium technique employing nanoadsorbent revealed with the maximum adsorption capacity of 75.60 mg g−1. At pH 10 and 30 min of contact time at 50 °C, 0.2 g of adsorption was shown to be the ideal dosage. X-ray diffraction analysis, energy-dispersive ray spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared ray spectrum support the lead ion adsorption by PPy-PEI nanoadsorbents. The cauli-like structure was visible using field emission scanning electron microscopy. Studying the thermodynamic showed that the adsorption was endothermic as illustrated from the positive value of value of ΔH° is 1.439 kJ/mol which indicates that the uptake of Pb2+ onto nanoadsorbent PPy-PEI could be attributed to a physical adsorption process. According to the values of ΔG°, the adsorption process was spontaneous at all selected temperatures. The positive value of ΔS° value (43.52 j/mol) suggested an increase in the randomness at the solid/solution interface during the adsorption process. The adsorption data meet the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and suited the Langumuir isothermal model effectively.
Failed Emancipations: Youth Transitions, Migration and the Future in Morocco
Authors: Feixa Carles , Sánchez-García José , Premat Celia , Hansen Nele
Published: November 2022

Several authors have highlighted the importance of marriage as a social marker that alters the social categorization of individuals and their relationships from youth to adulthood, according to the cultural construction of the life course in Arab countries. This article analyzes the interaction between the socio-political framework (structure) and the capacity for individual action (agency) in the context of biographical experiences for achieving emancipation in Morocco. This perspective responds to different authors’ demands to include young people’s subjective approaches in the analysis process. This study is guided by the following questions: What capacity do young Arabs have to decide the orientation of their life trajectories? Which factors (cultural, family, socioeconomic, educational, etc.) generate young people’s expectations regarding their transition to adult life? What are the social constrictions that lead to failure in the emancipation process, according to Arab societies?
Sustainable Drive Tourism Routes: A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Cruz Sandra P. , de Almeida Cláudia Ribeiro , Pintassilgo Pedro , Raimundo Ricardo
Published: November 2022

Drive tourism (DT) has become an attractive way to visit tourism destinations for an increasing number of visitors along driving routes. This flow of visitors has made sustainability a major issue, that is, the way by which tourism development ensure economic benefits for local communities and preserves local identity, along the route, without compromising the environmental resources. Many studies focused the topic of DT, mainly the analysis of a particular angle, either be economic sustainability, e.g., advantages of the ones related to economic and environment sustainability, such as the impact of tourists along the route environment. Nevertheless, little attention has been paid to the social consequences of DT in the local entrepreneurial environment and the resulting exaggeration of their cultural representativeness in the sense of authenticity. Our aim is to summon these points of view and achieve, through a systematic literature review, a clear and integrative picture of the driving tourism impacts in terms of sustainability along the routes throughout local communities. A systematic literature review was performed using the PRISMA guidelines (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) methodology. This systematic literature review sought to consolidate knowledge on the subject. In order to illustrate the link between major categories and their corresponding trends, authors used VOSviewer scientific software. The gathering of existing knowledge around the three components of sustainability highlighted the importance of community involvement and collaboration among DT stakeholders to address the trade-off between the protection and promotion of DT routes. Opportunities for future studies are suggested.
Global–Local Knowledge Spillover Strategic Coupling Network: Biopharmaceutical Industry Study of GBA, China
Authors: Chen Qingyi , Qian Qinglan , Yao Zuolin , Yang Na , Tong Junyue , Wang Yujiao
Published: November 2022

Strategic coupling is a hot field in the research of global production networks. The existing literature mostly consists of studies from the perspective of countries, regions, and enterprises, and relatively lacks the content for describing global–local strategic coupling networks and their evolution path with industries as carriers. The GBA is a bridgehead for China to participate in the global production network. Based on the systematic construction of the strategic coupling network analysis framework of global–local knowledge spillovers, this paper, taking the biopharmaceutical industry of GBA as an example, depicts the evolution process of its coupling network nodes, structures, and networks from 1990 to 2019 by using system analysis, social network analysis, and other methods, and analyzes node centrality, network structure, coupling paths, and their influencing factors. We found that the strategic coupling of global–local knowledge spillover is typically a networked structure, with the network organization presenting a multi-element sub-system hierarchical state. The overall network structure, with knowledge spillover as the carrier, shows obvious phased differences, having gone through three path stages from exploratory to expanding to stable. The path selection shows a spatial progression and a temporal sequence. The main factors affecting the path selection of the coupling network are the bargaining power of regional knowledge, behavioral subjects’ will, and multi-dimensional proximity.
Enhancing the Performance of Recycled Aggregate Concrete Using Micro-Carbon Fiber and Secondary Binding Material
Authors: Raza Syed Safdar , Fahad Muhammad , Ali Babar , Amir Muhammad Talha , Alashker Yasser , Elhag Ahmed Babekar
Published: November 2022

In this study, the effect of micro-carbon fiber on the properties of concrete incorporating recycled coarse aggregate at three different levels, i.e., 0%, 50%, and 100% by volume replacement of natural coarse aggregate, was studied. Carbon fiber was incorporated at a dosage of 0.5% by volume fraction. The effect of silica fume or micro-silica on the efficacy of fiber reinforcement was also investigated. Studied parameters include important mechanical properties, such as compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and flexural strength, and physical/quality parameters such as water absorption capacity and ultrasonic pulse velocity. The results showed that the mechanical and durability performance deteriorates with the increasing percentage of recycled coarse aggregate. Carbon fiber can significantly improve the tensile properties of recycled aggregate concrete. The combination of carbon fiber and silica fume proved to be highly useful in addressing both mechanical and durability concerns simultaneously. Concrete made with 50% recycled coarse aggregate, 8% silica fume, and 0.5% carbon fiber yielded 20% greater tensile and flexural strength compared to the control mix. Likewise, concrete containing 100% recycled coarse aggregate with silica fume and carbon fiber yielded higher tensile strength compared to the control mix. Silica fume ameliorated the bonding between fibers and matrix and improved the overall efficacy of fiber reinforcement.
PLS-SEM Validation for Burnout Measures in Latino College Students: A Socially Sustainable Educational Return
Authors: Reyna-Castillo Miguel , Pulgarín-Rodríguez Maira Alejandra , Ríos-Serna Arles Humberto , Santiago Alejandro
Published: November 2022

Health care is an essential factor in the social sustainability of the university; therefore, it is a challenge and a responsibility to monitor a safe return to school that ensures the support of the physical and emotional well-being of students. In this sense, the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey (MBI-SS) is a validated resource with robust techniques in several regions of the world to diagnose school burnout. However, few efforts appear in the literature to validate it from a predictive approach in the Latin region. This study aims to validate, from a predictive approach, measures of school burnout in Latino university students from Mexico and Colombia. A total of 235 surveys were administered (Mx. n = 127, Co. n = 108), and a Partial Least Squares (PLS) measurement model was validated using the statistical program SmartPLS 3.3.7. As a result, 22 valid items were obtained in four reliable subconstructs: burnout, family cynicism, inefficacy, and somatization. The value of this research is its contribution to filling two gaps related to the MBI-SS scale (1) to contribute to the validation of the MBI-SS in a Latin context and (2) the use of the nonparametric statistical technique PLS focused on prediction.