bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of Different Salmonella enterica Subspecies and Serotypes in Wild Carnivores in Emilia-Romagna Region, Italy
Authors: Gambi Lorenzo , Ravaioli Valentina , Rossini Rachele , Tranquillo Vito , Boscarino Andrea , Mattei Sara , D’incau Mario , Tosi Giovanni , Fiorentini Laura , Donato Alessandra Di
Published: November 2022

Salmonella is a pathogen of considerable health concern, given its zoonotic potential, and, in Italy, is the most frequently reported causative agent for foodborne outbreaks. Wild animals and in particular wild carnivores may be carriers of different Salmonella enterica subspecies and serotypes. Given their potential role as reservoirs, surveillance activities are necessary. This study aims to investigate the presence of different Salmonella subspecies and serotypes in wild carnivores in the Emilia-Romagna Region. A total of 718 fox (Vulpes vulpes), 182 badger (Meles meles) and 27 wolf (Canis lupus) carcasses, submitted between 2016–2022, were included for the present work. Gender and age data were collected along with geographical coordinates of carcass’ discovery site. Contents of the large intestine were sampled and cultured according to ISO 6579-1 and both serogroup and serotype identification were performed according to ISO/TR 6579-3:2014. Salmonella was retrieved from 42 foxes (6%), 21 badgers (12%) and 3 wolves (12%), respectively. Isolated Salmonella enterica strains belonged to 4 different subspecies and 25 different serotypes. S. veneziana and S. typhimurium were the most frequent serotypes found (11/67 and 10/67, respectively). In conclusion, zoonotic serotypes were found in all these species of wildlife, thus confirming their potential role in the ecology of Salmonella spp.
Antibacterial Coatings for Titanium Implants: Recent Trends and Future Perspectives
Authors: Akshaya S. , Rowlo Praveen Kumar , Dukle Amey , Nathanael A. Joseph
Published: November 2022

Titanium and its alloys are widely used as implant materials for biomedical devices owing to their high mechanical strength, biocompatibility, and corrosion resistance. However, there is a significant rise in implant-associated infections (IAIs) leading to revision surgeries, which are more complicated than the original replacement surgery. To reduce the risk of infections, numerous antibacterial agents, e.g., bioactive compounds, metal ions, nanoparticles, antimicrobial peptides, polymers, etc., have been incorporated on the surface of the titanium implant. Various coating methods and surface modification techniques, e.g., micro-arc oxidation (MAO), layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly, plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO), anodization, magnetron sputtering, and spin coating, are exploited in the race to create a biocompatible, antibacterial titanium implant surface that can simultaneously promote tissue integration around the implant. The nature and surface morphology of implant coatings play an important role in bacterial inhibition and drug delivery. Surface modification of titanium implants with nanostructured materials, such as titanium nanotubes, enhances bone regeneration. Antimicrobial peptides loaded with antibiotics help to achieve sustained drug release and reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance. Additive manufacturing of patient-specific porous titanium implants will have a clear future direction in the development of antimicrobial titanium implants. In this review, a brief overview of the different types of coatings that are used to prevent implant-associated infections and the applications of 3D printing in the development of antibacterial titanium implants is presented.
Daphnetin Alleviates Senile and Disuse Osteoporosis by Distinct Modulations of Bone Formation and Resorption
Authors: Gao Jing , Wang Zhen , Gao Peipei , Fan Qiang , Zhang Tiantian , Cui Li , Shi Liujia , Liu Zhongbo , Yang Zhiwei , He Langchong , Wang Chunyan , Li Yinghui , Qu Lina , Liu Jiankang , Long Jiangang
Published: November 2022

Senile and disuse osteoporosis have distinct bone turnover status and lack effective treatments. In this study, senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) and hindlimb unloading mouse models were used to explore the protective effects of daphnetin on these two types of osteoporosis, and primary osteoblasts and bone marrow monocyte-derived osteoclasts, as well as pre-osteoblast MC3T3-E1, and osteoclast precursor RAW264.7 cells were used to investigate the underlying mechanisms. The results showed that daphnetin administration effectively improved bone remodeling in both senile and disuse osteoporosis, but with different mechanisms. In senile osteoporosis with low bone turnover, daphnetin inhibited NOX2-mediated ROS production in osteoblasts, resulting in accelerated osteogenic differentiation and bone formation, while in disuse osteoporosis with high bone turnover, daphnetin restored SIRT3 expression, maintained mitochondrial homeostasis, and additionally upregulated SOD2 to eliminate ROS in osteoclasts, resulting in attenuation of osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption. These findings illuminated that daphnetin has promising potential for the prevention and treatment of senile and disuse osteoporosis. The different mechanisms may provide clues and basis for targeted prevention and treatment of osteoporosis according to distinct bone turnover status.
Oxidative Stress as a Therapeutic Target of Cardiac Remodeling
Authors: Martins Danilo , Garcia Leonardo Rufino , Queiroz Diego Aparecido Rios , Lazzarin Taline , Tonon Carolina Rodrigues , Balin Paola da Silva , Polegato Bertha Furlan , de Paiva Sergio Alberto Rupp , Azevedo Paula Schmidt , Minicucci Marcos Ferreira , Zornoff Leonardo
Published: November 2022

Cardiac remodeling is defined as a group of molecular, cellular, and interstitial changes that clinically manifest as changes in the heart’s size, mass, geometry, and function after different stimuli. It is important to emphasize that remodeling plays a pathophysiological role in the onset and progression of ventricular dysfunction and subsequent heart failure. Therefore, strategies to mitigate this process are critical. Different factors, including neurohormonal activation, can regulate the remodeling process and increase cell death, alterations in contractile and regulatory proteins, alterations in energy metabolism, changes in genomics, inflammation, changes in calcium transit, metalloproteases activation, fibrosis, alterations in matricellular proteins, and changes in left ventricular geometry, among other mechanisms. More recently, the role of reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress as modulators of remodeling has been gaining attention. Therefore, this review assesses the role of oxidative stress as a therapeutic target of cardiac remodeling.
Hexavalent-Chromium-Induced Oxidative Stress and the Protective Role of Antioxidants against Cellular Toxicity
Authors: Singh Veer , Singh Nidhi , Verma Manisha , Kamal Rashmi , Tiwari Ritesh , Sanjay Chivate Mahesh , Rai Sachchida Nand , Kumar Ashish , Singh Anupama , Singh Mohan P. , Vamanu Emanuel , Mishra Vishal
Published: November 2022

Hexavalent chromium is a highly soluble environmental contaminant. It is a widespread anthropogenic chromium species that is 100 times more toxic than trivalent chromium. Leather, chrome plating, coal mining and paint industries are the major sources of hexavalent chromium in water. Hexavalent chromium is widely recognised as a carcinogen and mutagen in humans and other animals. It is also responsible for multiorgan damage, such as kidney damage, liver failure, heart failure, skin disease and lung dysfunction. The fate of the toxicity of hexavalent chromium depends on its oxidation state. The reduction of Cr (VI) to Cr (III) is responsible for the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and chromium intermediate species, such as Cr (V) and Cr (IV). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are responsible for oxidative tissue damage and the disruption of cell organelles, such as mitochondria, DNA, RNA and protein molecules. Cr (VI)-induced oxidative stress can be neutralised by the antioxidant system in human and animal cells. In this review, the authors summarise the Cr (VI) source, toxicity and antioxidant defence mechanism against Cr (VI)-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS).
Laser Generated Broadband Rayleigh Waveform Evolution for Metal Additive Manufacturing Process Monitoring
Authors: Bakre Chaitanya , Afzalimir Seyed Hamidreza , Jamieson Cory , Nassar Abdalla , Reutzel Edward W. , Lissenden Cliff J.
Published: November 2022

This work proposes that laser pulses can generate finite amplitude Rayleigh waves for process monitoring during additive manufacturing. The noncontact process monitoring uses a pulsed laser to generate Rayleigh waves, and an adaptive laser interferometer to receive them. Experiments and models in the literature show that finite amplitude waveforms evolve with propagation distance and that shocks can even form in the in-plane particle velocity waveform. The nonlinear waveform evolution is indicative of the material nonlinearity, which is sensitive to the material microstructure, which in turn affects strength and fracture properties. The measurements are made inside a directed energy deposition additive manufacturing chamber on planar Ti-6Al-4V and IN-718 depositions. By detecting the out-of-plane particle displacement waveform, the in-plane displacement and velocity waveforms are also available. The waveform evolution can be characterized (i) for one source amplitude by reception at different points or (ii) by reception at one point by applying different source amplitudes. Sample results are provided for intentionally adjusted key process parameters: laser power, scan speed, and hatch spacing.
Improvement of the Wear Resistance of Circular Saws Used in the First Transformation of Wood through the Utilization of Variable Engineered Micro-Geometry Performed on PVD-Coated WC-Co Tips
Authors: Torkghashghaei Maryam , Shaffer William , Ugulino Bruna , Georges Rémi , Hernández Roger E. , Blais Carl
Published: November 2022

Reduced performance of circular saws due to premature chipping of their teeth has been a critical issue in woodcutting industry for many years. This research examined the impact of surface coating and variable engineered micro-geometry of the cutting edges of carbide teeth (tips) on the wear resistance of circular saws used in primary wood processing. CrN/CrCN/DLC, CrN/AlTiN, CrN/CrCN, and CrCN/TiSiCN were deposited on tungsten carbide-cobalt (WC-Co) substrates using the cathodic arc evaporation technique. The CrN/CrCN coating proved to be the one with highest wear resistance and adhesion among those studied. No sign of delamination was observed around the indentation of the CrN/CrCN coating after the adhesion test. Furthermore, no abrasion, delamination or crack was observed on the surface of the CrN/CrCN coating after the three-body abrasion wear test. The results of the dry-sliding wear test revealed that CrN/CrCN coating significantly decreased the wear rate of WC-Co substrates by 74%, 66% and 77% at sliding speeds of 50, 100 and 250 mm/s, respectively. Afterwards, a CrC/CrCN coating was deposited on the teeth of conventional circular saws. Next, the cutting edges of teeth were modified through variable engineered micro-geometry. Tests were conducted at a sawmill with three series of saws: 1-coated and edge-modified, 2-coated and conventional edge geometry, and 3-uncoated and edge-modified. Wood processing was performed during two shifts of 480 min each. The width of the wear land was the criterion used as the wear index. The results of industrial tests showed that saws with edge-modified teeth had significantly less chipping and no breakage at their corners compared to the saw without edge modification (conventional saw). After 480 min of sawing, the wear rate of the coated saw with edge modification decreased by 46% and 16%, compared to the coated saw without edge modification and the uncoated saw with edge-modified teeth, respectively. Those values reached 73 % and 41%, respectively, after 960 min of sawing. The study shows that by optimizing the surface chemistry and the geometry of the cutting edge of WC-Co tips, tool life can be significantly increased therefore reducing downtime due to saw replacement and resharpening, thus significantly increasing productivity in the first transformation of wood.
A Cross-Attention Mechanism Based on Regional-Level Semantic Features of Images for Cross-Modal Text-Image Retrieval in Remote Sensing
Authors: Zheng Fuzhong , Li Weipeng , Wang Xu , Wang Luyao , Zhang Xiong , Zhang Haisu
Published: November 2022

With the rapid development of remote sensing (RS) observation technology over recent years, the high-level semantic association-based cross-modal retrieval of RS images has drawn some attention. However, few existing studies on cross-modal retrieval of RS images have addressed the issue of mutual interference between semantic features of images caused by “multi-scene semantics”. Therefore, we proposed a novel cross-attention (CA) model, called CABIR, based on regional-level semantic features of RS images for cross-modal text-image retrieval. This technique utilizes the CA mechanism to implement cross-modal information interaction and guides the network with textual semantics to allocate weights and filter redundant features for image regions, reducing the effect of irrelevant scene semantics on retrieval. Furthermore, we proposed BERT plus Bi-GRU, a new approach to generating statement-level textual features, and designed an effective temperature control function to steer the CA network toward smooth running. Our experiment suggested that CABIR not only outperforms other state-of-the-art cross-modal image retrieval methods but also demonstrates high generalization ability and stability, with an average recall rate of up to 18.12%, 48.30%, and 55.53% over the datasets RSICD, UCM, and Sydney, respectively. The model proposed in this paper will be able to provide a possible solution to the problem of mutual interference of RS images with “multi-scene semantics” due to complex terrain objects.
A Novel Localization Method of Wireless Covert Communication Entity for Post-Steganalysis
Authors: Wei Guo , Ding Shichang , Yang Haifeng , Liu Wenyan , Yin Meijuan , Li Lingling
Published: November 2022

Recently, some criminals have begun to use multimedia steganography to conduct covert communication, such as transmitting stolen trade secrets. After using steganalysis to find covert communication entities, obtaining their locations can effectively help criminal forensics. This paper proposes a novel localization method of wireless covert communication entity for post-steganalysis. The method is based on hybrid particle swarm optimization and gray wolf optimization to improve localization precision (ILP-PSOGWO). In this method, firstly, the relationship model between received signal strength (RSS) and distance is constructed for the indoor environment where the target node exists. Secondly, dichotomy is used to narrow the region where the target node is located. Then, the weighted distance strategy is used to select the reference point locations with strong and stable RSS. Finally, the intersection region of the reference points is taken as the region where the target node is located, and the hybrid PSOGWO is used to locate and optimize the target node location. Experimental results demonstrate that ILP-PSOGWO can maintain high stability, and 90% of the localization errors are lower than 0.9012 m. In addition, compared with the existing methods of PSO, GWO and extended weighted centroid localization (EWCL), the average localization error of ILP-PSOGWO is also reduced by 28.2–49.0%.
User Experience of Virtual-Reality Interactive Interfaces: A Comparison between Hand Gesture Recognition and Joystick Control for XRSPACE MANOVA
Authors: Yeh Shih-Ching , Wu Eric Hsiao-Kuang , Lee Ying-Ru , Vaitheeshwari R. , Chang Chen-Wei
Published: November 2022

This research intends to understand whether users would adopt the interactive interface of hand gesture recognition for XRSPACE MANOVA in the virtual-reality environment. Different from the traditional joystick control and external sensors, XRSPACE MANOVA’s hand gesture recognition relies on cameras built into the head-mount display to detect users’ hand gestures and interact with the system to provide a more life-like immersive experience. To better understand if users would accept this hand gesture recognition, the current experiment compares users’ experiences with hand gesture recognition and joystick control for XRSPACE MANOVA while controlling for the effects of gender, college major, and the completion time. The results suggest that users of hand gesture recognition have better perceptions of enjoyment, satisfaction, and confirmation, which means that they have a relatively fun and satisfying experience and that their expectations of the system/technology confirm their actual usage. Based on the parametric statistical analyses, user assessments show that perceived usefulness, perceived ease-of-use, attitude, and perception of internal control suggest that, in terms of operating performance, users are more accepting of the traditional joystick control. When considering the length of usage time, this study finds that, when hand gesture recognition is used for a relatively longer time, users’ subjective evaluations of internal control and behavioral intention to use are reduced. This study has, therefore, identified potential issues with hand gesture recognition for XRSPACE MANOVA and discussed how to improve this interactive interface. It is hoped that users of hand gesture recognition will obtain the same level of operating experience as if they were using the traditional joystick control.
Prediction of Compressive Strength Loss of Normal Concrete after Exposure to High Temperature
Authors: Qin Xiaoyu , Ma Qianmin , Guo Rongxin , Tan Shaoen
Published: November 2022

In recent years, there has been an increasing number of fires in buildings. The methods for detecting residual properties of buildings after fires are commonly destructive and subjective. In this context, property prediction based on mathematical modeling has exhibited its potential. Backpropagation (BP), particle swarm algorithms optimized-BP (PSO-BP) and random forest (RF) models were established in this paper using 1803 sets of data from the literature. Material and relevant heating parameters, as well as compressive strength loss percentage, were used as input and output parameters, respectively. Experimental work was also carried out to evaluate the feasibility of the models for prediction. The accuracy of all the models was sufficiently high, and they were also much more feasible for prediction. Moreover, based on the RF model, the importance of the inputting parameters was ranked as well. Such prediction has provided a new perspective to non-destructively and objectively assess the post-fire properties of concrete. Additionally, this model could be used to guide performance-based design for fire-resistant concrete.
Intelligence and Usability Empowerment of Smartphone Adaptive Features
Authors: Alghamdi Ahmed Mohammed , Riasat Hafsa , Iqbal Muhammad Waseem , Ashraf Muhammad Usman , Alshahrani Abdullah , Alshamrani Adel
Published: November 2022

In adaptivity, the interface of the device automatically adjusts and assists the user. The adaptive user interfaces can adapt their activities by monitoring user status, the state of the system, and the current situation according to the adaptation strategy. Usually, the intensity of adaptation is measured in effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction to analyze the smartphone’s adaptive features. The adaptive features of light-emitting diode (LED) notifications, voice commands, face recognition, screen rotation, kid mode, drive mode, night mode, Swift Keyboard, s-health, gesture recognition, and fingerprint are selected for both iOS and Android platforms. Task completion within a specific time frame is used to measure effectiveness and efficiency, while satisfaction is calculated using the after-scenario questionnaire (ASQ). A total of 550 users are involved in the experimentation. The usability evaluation is measured for smartphone features. The effectiveness of adaptive features contains higher adaptivity in face recognition (87%) and voice command (85%). Furthermore, the satisfaction level is greater for adaptive features than non-adaptive features. This study indicates that adaptive features can only be used after a thorough examination of the user’s context. Furthermore, the usability evaluation shows that there is a dire need for adaptive smartphone features to provide ease and satisfaction to the user.
A New Approach to Assess Quality of Motion in Functional Task of Upper Limb in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Authors: Wojnicz Wiktoria , Sobierajska-Rek Agnieszka , Zagrodny Bartłomiej , Ludwicki Michał , Jabłońska-Brudło Joanna , Forysiak Katarzyna
Published: November 2022

(1) Background: This study presents a new method for the motion quantitative analysis of Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients (DMD) performing functional tasks in clinical conditions. (2) Methods: An experimental study was designed to define how different levels of external mass (light and heavy) influence the performance of the upper limbs of a tested DMD and reference subject (RS) during horizontal movements (level of the waist) under natural conditions (NC) and passive manipulator conditions (PMC); the kinematic data and muscle activity of four chosen superficial muscles (EMG) were recorded. (3) Results: A piecewise linear multi-regression analysis revealed high statistically significant results (R2 ≥ 0.75) between the tested muscle activities and kinematic data in the tested DMD patient and RS. These results were used to define whether the neural control of the four tested muscles (processed EMG data) was correlated more with the displacement of the wrist joint or the center of mass of the tested upper limb while performing functional tests with a given external weight in a horizontal plane under NC or PMC. (4) Conclusions: The proposed approach can be used to estimate the contributions of the tested muscles to patients’ motion performance and define whether this contribution is correlated with the kinematics or dynamics of the tested arm.
Green Enzymatic Recovery of Functional Bioactive Compounds from Unsold Vegetables: Storability and Potential Health Benefits
Authors: Lombardelli Claudio , Benucci Ilaria , Mazzocchi Caterina , Esti Marco
Published: November 2022

Carotenoids and betalains are food-derived bioactive compounds well-known for their countless healthy properties, especially as antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and immune system regulators. We have achieved a concise literature review on the main topics related to fruits and vegetables that contain such bioactive compounds, their localization in the plant cells, enzyme-assisted extraction (EAE) from vegetable sources (agricultural/food waste and unsold fruits and vegetables) and methods to improve pigment stability. The growing demand for more sustainable, efficient, and energy-saving techniques has driven the design of EAE protocols, such as a green route for the recovery of more stable natural pigments avoiding the use of organic solvents. This review discusses for the first time the application of commercial multi-enzymatic preparations by comparing it with the use of a tailored enzymatic mix, specifically formulated on the basis of the polysaccharide composition of vegetable source, for enhancing pigment recovery yield and stability. In order to move the economy in the direction of a circular economy model, the valorization of fruit and vegetable waste as a source of high added-value compounds, such as natural colorants, is a key issue. Therefore, the unsold vegetables may find a different use, where the donation to a food bank or charity organization may not be a viable path.
Prevalence and Patterns of Permanent Tooth Agenesis among Orthodontic Patients—Treatment Options and Outcome
Authors: Schonberger Shirley , Shapira Yehoshua , Pavlidi Aikaterini Maria , Finkelstein Tamar
Published: November 2022

(1) Background: tooth agenesis is a very common dental anomaly of the human dentition most often affecting the maxillary anterior region, mandibular and maxillary premolar regions. (2) Purpose: the present study was aimed to evaluate the prevalence and patterns between bilateral and unilateral tooth agenesis among orthodontic individuals and to illustrate the treatment options for missing teeth and the outcome. (3) Materials and methods: Pre-treatment records, photographs and radiographs, of 3000 consecutively treated orthodontic individuals from the post-graduate clinic of Tel Aviv University were surveyed to detect permanent tooth agenesis in either dental arch. The data was recorded according to gender, and location and quantified between unilateral and bilateral agenesis. Descriptive and comparative statistical analysis were performed with t-test and Chi-square test (p < 0.05). (4) Results: permanent teeth agenesis, excluding third molars, was found in 326 individuals (11%), 139 males (43%) and 187 females (57%). Of them, 59% were missing in the maxilla and (41%) were missing in the mandible. A higher prevalence rate of bilateral missing lateral incisors in the maxilla (62 cases), followed by bilateral missing second premolars in the mandible (44 cases) compared with unilateral missing teeth. (5) Conclusions: this study found an overall prevalence of missing permanent teeth in orthodontic patients to be 11%. The female: male prevalence ratio was roughly 3:2, with a greater tendency in the maxilla than in the mandible. A higher prevalence of bilateral missing maxillary lateral incisors and mandibular second premolar than unilateral missing teeth.
An Established Theory of Digital Twin Model for Tunnel Construction Safety Assessment
Authors: Zhao Yuhong , Wang Naiqiang , Liu Zhansheng
Published: November 2022

In traditional construction safety assessment, it is difficult to describe the safety status of different construction stages. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a digital twin modeling theory for construction safety assessment. Firstly, this paper analyzes the requirements of a digital twin model. Secondly, the required information is collected by IoT. Finally, the DT model is established based on the collected information. This DT model analyzes the collected information by ML, which aims to conducting the assessments of construction safety. To verify this method, this paper analyzes the vault settlement during tunnel construction. The analysis results show that the DT model can predict the settlement value with high accuracy. Moreover, the safety state is assessed dynamically based on the settlement value by DT.
Metabolic Profiling of Streptomyces sp. Strain ess_amH1 Isolated from Apis mellifera yemintica’s Gut Microbiome, and Its Anticancer Activity against Breast Cancer (MCF7) and Hepatocarcinoma (HepG2) Cell Lines, as Well as Antimicrobial Activity
Authors: Al-Enazi Nouf Mohammed , Abdel-Raouf Neveen , Alharbi Reem Mohammed , Sholkamy Essam Nageh
Published: November 2022

Streptomyces is recognized as a crucial generator of bioactive molecules that benefit humanity, such as antibiotics and other medications. The Streptomyces strain obtained from the gut of Apis mellifera yemintica was utilized in this investigation to screen for antibacterial and antiproliferative activities using secondary metabolites. On the basis of morphological and molecular identification, the isolated strain ess_amH1 was confirmed as Streptomyces sp., and phylogenetic tree construction revealed 96% sequence similarity with Streptomyces griseus. The ethyl acetate solvent extract generated from the strain ess_amH1 demonstrated high antibacterial activity against ATCC bacterial pathogens, as well as pathogenic yeast, according to the disc diffusion assay. The ethyl acetate solvent extract also induced dose-dependent cytotoxicity in breast cancer and hepatocarcinoma cell lines, with IC50 concentrations at 50 and 75 µg/mL, respectively. The findings confirm that the Streptomyces sp. strain ess_amH1 isolated from a competitive symbiotic habitat, i.e., the gut of A. mellifera yemintica, produces promising bioactive chemicals.
A First Step towards the Definition of a Link between Ground Tilt and Earthquakes at Mt. Vesuvius (Italy)
Authors: Cusano Paola , Ricco Ciro , Aquino Ida , Petrosino Simona
Published: November 2022

One of the strategies to detect the precursors of an eruption is to define the background dynamical state of a volcano for a prompt recognition of deviations from the basic condition. Mt. Vesuvius (Italy), currently in a quiescent state, is one of the most monitored volcanoes in the world, inciting multidisciplinary advanced studies. Hence an understanding of the links among the different monitored parameters is mandatory. In recent decades the joint analyses of ground tilt and seismicity have added to the understanding of the volcano’s activity. In this paper, we outline the first steps towards a comprehension of the link between Mt. Vesuvius earthquakes and co-seismic ground tilt, after excluding the contribution of other external forces acting on the ground, such as tides, landslides or exceptional meteorological phenomena. We used the seismicity with a duration magnitude ≥ 2.0 recorded at Mt. Vesuvius in the period 2018–2020 to estimate the source parameters and to calculate the associated static displacement. Then, we compared the ground inclination retrieved from the estimated seismic deformation with the long-term ground motion trend measured by tiltmeters. We found that in most cases the two vectors have a comparable size and direction.
Theoretical and Experimental Studies of Acoustic Reflection of Bubbly Liquid in Multilayer Media
Authors: Wang Yu , Chen Dehua , Cao Xueshen , He Xiao
Published: November 2022

Bubbly liquids are widely present in the natural environment and industrial fields, such as seawater near the ocean bottom, the multiphase flow in petroleum reservoirs, and the blood with bubbles resulting in decompression sickness. Therefore, accurate measurement of the gas content is of great significance for hydroacoustic physics, oil and gas resources exploration, and disease prevention and diagnosis. Trace bubbles in liquids can lead to considerable changes in the acoustic properties of gas–liquid two-phase media. Acoustic measurements can therefore be applied for trace bubble detection. This study derived the reflection coefficient of acoustic waves propagating in a sandwich layering model with liquid, bubbly liquid, and liquid. The influences of gas contents on the reflection coefficient at the layer interface were analyzed based on theoretical calculations. It was revealed that the magnitude of the reflection coefficient and the frequency interval between its valleys have a quantitative correlation with the gas contents. Thus, a novel means to detect the contents of trace bubbles was proposed by evaluating the reflection coefficients. The reflection features of a thin layer with bubbly liquid were then studied through experiments. It was validated by acoustical measurements and theories that the reflection coefficient is considerably sensitive to the change of gas contents as long as the gas content is tiny. With the increasing gas content, the maximum value of the reflection coefficient increases; meanwhile, the frequency intervals between the valleys become smaller. However, when the gas content is extensive enough, e.g., greater than 1%, the effect of the change of gas content on the reflection coefficient becomes inapparent. In that case, it is not easy to measure the gas content by the acoustic reflection signals with satisfying precision. This proposed method has potential applications for the detection of trace gas bubble content in several scenarios, e.g., decompression illness prevention and diagnosis.
Performance Evaluation of Convolutional Neural Network for Multi-Class in Cross Project Defect Prediction
Authors: Noreen Sundas , Faiz Rizwan Bin , Alyahya Sultan , Maddeh Mohamed
Published: November 2022

Cross-project defect prediction (CPDP) is a practical approach for finding software defects in projects which have incomplete or fewer data. Improvements to the defect prediction accuracy of CPDP—such as the PROMISE repository, the correct classification of the source data, removing the noise, reducing the distribution gap, and balancing the output classes—are an ongoing challenge, as is the selection of an optimal feature set. This research paper aims to achieve a higher defect prediction accuracy for multi-class CPDP by selecting an optimal feature set through XGBoost combined with an automatic feature extraction using a convolutional neural network (CNN). This research type is explanatory, and this research method is controlled experimentation, for which the independent variable prediction accuracy was dependent upon two variables, XGBoost and CNN. The Softmax layer was added to the output layers of the CNN classifier to classify the output into multiple classes. In our experimentation with CPDP, we selected all 28 versions of the multi-class, in which 11 versions were selected as the source projects, against which we predicted 28 target versions with an average AUC of 75.57%. We validated this research paper’s results through the Wilcoxon test. Therefore, after removing the noise, class imbalances, and the data distribution gap, and treating the PROMISE dataset as multi-class, the optimal features selected through XGBoost and classified through the CNN can substantially increase the prediction accuracy in CPDP as evident from our exploratory data analysis (EDA).
Limiting Conditions for Droplet Fragmentation of Stabilized Suspension Fuels
Authors: Antonov Dmitrii V. , Romanov Daniil S. , Kuznetsov Genii V.
Published: November 2022

The main barrier to the wide use of composite liquid fuels in the energy sector is the significant sedimentation of solid particles during fuel storage and transportation. As a result, the composition of fuel slurries changes quite fast and considerably when yet another portion of fuel is pumped from a storage tank. Stabilizing additives are one of the possible solutions to this problem. The technology of primary and secondary slurry fuel atomization is generally considered promising for obtaining a spray of small fragments (droplets and particles). This way, droplets of liquid components and solid particles can be produced with a size of less than 10 μm. A fuel aerosol with particles and droplets this small burns out rapidly. The most effective secondary droplet atomization technology is based on their microexplosive breakup in combustion chambers by superheating the water in the fuel to exceed its nucleation (boiling) point. As part of this research, we studied the impact of the main stabilizing additives to slurry fuels on droplet breakup behavior: heating time until breakup, breakup delay and duration, and the number, size, and velocities of secondary fragments. Soy lecithin and sodium lignosulfonate were used as stabilizers. The main components of the fuel slurries were water, rapeseed oil, diesel fuel, coal processing waste (filter cake), coking bituminous coal, soy lecithin, and sodium lignosulfonate. Droplets were heated at an ambient gas temperature ranging from 450 to 1050 K until the breakup conditions were achieved. Mathematical expressions were obtained for the relationship between input parameters and the key characteristics of the process. Principal differences and overall patterns of droplet breakup were established for slurries with and without stabilizing additives.
Correction: Korras-Carraca et al. Global Clear-Sky Aerosol Speciated Direct Radiative Effects over 40 Years (1980–2019). Atmosphere 2021, 12, 1254
Authors: Korras-Carraca Marios-Bruno , Gkikas Antonis , Matsoukas Christos , Hatzianastassiou Nikolaos
Published: November 2022

There was an error in the original publication [...]
Predicting the Environmental Change of Carbon Emission Patterns in South Asia: A Deep Learning Approach Using BiLSTM
Authors: Aamir Muhammad , Bhatti Mughair Aslam , Bazai Sibghat Ullah , Marjan Shah , Mirza Aamir Mehmood , Wahid Abdul , Hasnain Ahmad , Bhatti Uzair Aslam
Published: November 2022

China’s economy has made significant strides in the past three decades. As a direct result of China’s “one belt, one road” (OBOR) initiative, the country’s rate of industrialization and urbanization is currently the fastest in the entire world. This rapid development is largely dependent on the enormous amounts of energy currently being consumed and forms the foundation of the world’s high levels of carbon emissions. It is generally agreed that the production of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide, is the primary contributor to the current state of climate change. In this paper, a CO2 emission prediction model based on Bi-LSTM is constructed. In order to conduct empirical tests on the model, this study uses data from South Asian countries and China from 2001 to 2020. China’s CO2 emissions from 2022 to 2030 were predicted along with those of other countries in order to study the combined effects of the scientific and technological progress, industrial structures, and energy structure factors affecting CO2 emissions. When compared with the LSTM and GRU methods, the Bi-LSTM model’s results produced lower MAE, MSE, and MAPE values, indicating that it performs better. According to the findings, carbon emissions represent a significant problem that will become much worse in the future due to China and India’s high emissions, particularly in the next 10 years, if the government does not implement policies that help reduce those emissions.
Dry and Wet Changes and Vegetation Time-Delay Responses in Western China
Authors: Chen Jie , Zhang Bo , Yao Rongpeng , Zhang Xiaofang , Zhang Yaowen , Zhou Jing
Published: November 2022

Due to global warming and other climate changes, it is increasingly important to study the response of regional environmental changes and dynamic changes in vegetation to climate change. Based on meteorological data from the last 60 years, this paper calculates the humidity index of western China under a wide range of long time series in different regions and explores the cross-correlation effect between series by offering a comparison with NDVI data, to analyze the cross-correlation between wet and dry changes and changes in vegetation in western China on a spatial scale. The results show that the spatial distribution of the interdecadal humidity index is different between different regions in western China. For example, the semi-arid and the semi-humid zones of the Weihe River region exhibit significant changes, while the Xinjiang and Qinghai–Tibet regions show a trend of constant wetness, on the whole, and the Sichuan and Yunnan–Guizhou regions are relatively humid and the distribution of wetness and dryness is relatively stable. The distribution of high and low values of the humidity index is very obvious and consistent with that of the distribution of desert bare land and precipitation in western China. In common with the distribution in the humidity index, the maximum correlation number between the NDVI and the humidity index in the whole western region is also significantly different in spatial distribution. There is a positive correlation between the NDVI and the humidity index in 99% of the study area. However, the delay in response time of the NDVI to changes in the humidity index in each region is inconsistent. For example, changes in the NDVI lag changes in the humidity index in the Menggan region by generally either 2 months or 5 months, while in the Sichuan region the delay in response time is generally 3 months. The variation and trend in dry and wet areas are closely related to the geographical location, climate zone, and topographic terrain, which may be the reason for the differences in the distribution of vegetation types and the response time to dry and wet changes. There is significant interaction between the humidity index and the vegetation type or precipitation distribution in western China. The positive correlation between the NDVI and the humidity index means that the positive effect is more sensitive, and the response of grassland is the most sensitive in the ecosystem.
On a Surface Associated to the Catalan Triangle
Authors: Jianu Marilena , Achimescu Sever , Dăuş Leonard , Mierluş-Mazilu Ion , Mihai Adela , Tudor Daniel
Published: November 2022

We define a surface that interpolates the ballot numbers in the Catalan triangle corresponding to every pair of nonnegative integers (except for the origin). We study the geometric properties of this surface and prove that it contains exactly five half-lines. The mean curvature and the Gauss curvature of the surface are also calculated.
Tuning the Architecture of Hierarchical Porous CoNiO2 Nanosheet for Enhanced Performance of Li-S Batteries
Authors: Chai Lili , Ye Huizi , Hu Zhengguang , Liu Fengliang , Qin Liyun , Zhang Zhiqi , Lai Xianxin , Zhao Yong , Wang Li
Published: November 2022

As the desired components and crystal structure of a transition metal oxide catalyst are selected, architecture is a dominating factor affecting its electrocatalytic performance for applications in lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. Nano-compounds with a hollow architecture are undoubtedly the ideal catalysts for enhancing cathodic performance for more exposed active sites and shortened path lengths than are other architectures. Additionally, the internal stress in hollow architecture is favorable for further performance enhancement, due to its regulation effects of driving the d-band center of the transition metal in the active sites to migrate toward the Fermi level, which will promote the chemical adsorption and catalytic conversion of the polysulfides (PSs). To this point, we select hierarchical porous dual transition metal oxide CoNiO2 nano-boxes (CoNiO2(B)) as the conceptual model; meanwhile, CoNiO2 nano-flakes (CoNiO2(F)) with identical stoichiometry and crystal structure are also analyzed as a comparison. Li-S batteries based on CoNiO2(B) deliver superior energy storage features, including a reversible discharge capacity of 1232 mAh g−1 at 0.05 C and a stable cycle performance with decay rate of 0.1% each cycle even after 300 cycles at 1 C. This research presents an alternative scheme for booting the performance of Li-S batteries.
Nanostructured Manganese Dioxide for Hybrid Supercapacitor Electrodes
Authors: Rodriguez-Romero Jon , Ruiz de Larramendi Idoia , Goikolea Eider
Published: November 2022

Hybrid supercapacitors, as emerging energy storage devices, have gained much attention in recent years due to their high energy density, fast charge/discharge and long cyclabilities. Among the wide range of systems covered by this topic, low cost, environmental friendliness and high power provide MnO2 with great characteristics to be a competitive candidate. The present work reports a hybrid aqueous supercapacitor system using a commercial activated carbon as the negative electrode and a synthesized manganese dioxide as the positive electrode. Two manganese dioxide polymorphs (α-MnO2 and δ-MnO2) were tested in different neutral and basic aqueous electrolytes. In this way, full cell systems that reached an energy density of 15.6 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 1 kW kg−1 were achieved. The electrode–electrolyte combination explored in this study exhibits excellent performance without losing capacity after 5000 charge/discharge cycles, leading to a promising approach towards more sustainable, high-performance energy storage systems.
Endothelial Cell GATA2 Modulates the Cardiomyocyte Stress Response through the Regulation of Two Long Non-Coding RNAs
Authors: Froese Natali , Szaroszyk Malgorzata , Korf-Klingebiel Mortimer , Koch Katrin , Schmitto Jan D. , Geffers Robert , Hilfiker-Kleiner Denise , Riehle Christian , Wollert Kai C. , Bauersachs Johann , Heineke Joerg
Published: November 2022

Capillary endothelial cells modulate myocardial growth and function during pathological stress, but it is unknown how and whether this contributes to the development of heart failure. We found that the endothelial cell transcription factor GATA2 is downregulated in human failing myocardium. Endothelial GATA2 knock-out (G2-EC-KO) mice develop heart failure and defective myocardial signal transduction during pressure overload, indicating that the GATA2 downregulation is maladaptive. Heart failure and perturbed signaling in G2-EC-KO mice could be induced by strong upregulation of two unknown, endothelial cell-derived long non-coding (lnc) RNAs (AK037972, AK038629, termed here GADLOR1 and 2). Mechanistically, the GADLOR1/2 lncRNAs transfer from endothelial cells to cardiomyocytes, where they block stress-induced signalling. Thereby, lncRNAs can contribute to disease as paracrine effectors of signal transduction and therefore might serve as therapeutic targets in the future.
Identification of Novel mRNA Isoforms Associated with Acute Heat Stress Response Using RNA Sequencing Data in Sprague Dawley Rats
Authors: Dou Jinhuan , Sammad Abdul , Cánovas Angela , Schenkel Flavio , Usman Tahir , Muniz Maria Malane Magalhães , Guo Kaijun , Wang Yachun
Published: November 2022

The molecular mechanisms underlying heat stress tolerance in animals to high temperatures remain unclear. This study identified the differentially expressed mRNA isoforms which narrowed down the most reliable DEG markers and molecular pathways that underlie the mechanisms of thermoregulation. This experiment was performed on Sprague Dawley rats housed at 22 °C (control group; CT), and three acute heat-stressed groups housed at 42 °C for 30 min (H30), 60 min (H60), and 120 min (H120). Earlier, we demonstrated that acute heat stress increased the rectal temperature of rats, caused abnormal changes in the blood biochemical parameters, as well as induced dramatic changes in the expression levels of genes through epigenetics and post-transcriptional regulation. Transcriptomic analysis using RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq) data obtained previously from blood (CT and H120), liver (CT, H30, H60, and H120), and adrenal glands (CT, H30, H60, and H120) was performed. The differentially expressed mRNA isoforms (DEIs) were identified and annotated by the CLC Genomics Workbench. Biological process and metabolic pathway analyses were performed using Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database. A total of 225, 5764, and 4988 DEIs in the blood, liver, and adrenal glands were observed. Furthermore, the number of novel differentially expressed transcript lengths with annotated genes and novel differentially expressed transcript with non-annotated genes were 136 and 8 in blood, 3549 and 120 in the liver, as well as 3078 and 220 in adrenal glands, respectively. About 35 genes were involved in the heat stress response, out of which, Dnaja1, LOC680121, Chordc1, AABR07011951.1, Hsp90aa1, Hspa1b, Cdkn1a, Hmox1, Bag3, and Dnaja4 were commonly identified in the liver and adrenal glands, suggesting that these genes may regulate heat stress response through interactions between the liver and adrenal glands. In conclusion, this study would enhance our understanding of the complex underlying mechanisms of acute heat stress, and the identified mRNA isoforms and genes can be used as potential candidates for thermotolerance selection in mammals.