bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Differential Preincubation Effects of Nicardipine on OATP1B1- and OATP1B3-Mediated Transport in the Presence and Absence of Protein: Implications in Assessing OATP1B1- and OATP1B3-Mediated Drug–Drug Interactions
Authors: Kayesh Ruhul , Tambe Vishakha , Xu Chao , Yue Wei
Published: March 2023

Impaired transport activity of hepatic OATP1B1 and OATP1B3 due to drug–drug interactions (DDIs) often leads to increased systemic exposure to substrate drugs (e.g., lipid-lowering statins). Since dyslipidemia and hypertension frequently coexist, statins are often concurrently used with antihypertensives, including calcium channel blockers (CCBs). OATP1B1/1B3-related DDIs in humans have been reported for several CCBs. To date, the OATP1B1/1B3-mediated DDI potential of CCB nicardipine has not been assessed. The current study was designed to assess the OATP1B1- and OATP1B3-mediated DDI potential of nicardipine using the R-value model, following the US-FDA guidance. IC50 values of nicardipine against OATP1B1 and OATP1B3 were determined in transporter-overexpressing human embryonic kidney 293 cells using [3H]-estradiol 17β-D-glucuronide and [3H]-cholecystokinin-8 as substrates, respectively, with or without nicardipine-preincubation in protein-free Hanks’ Balanced Salt Solution (HBSS) or in fetal bovine serum (FBS)-containing culture medium. Preincubation with nicardipine for 30 min in protein-free HBSS buffer produced lower IC50 and higher R-values for both OATP1B1 and OATP1B3 compared to in FBS-containing medium, yielding IC50 values of 0.98 and 1.63 µM and R-values of 1.4 and 1.3 for OATP1B1 and OATP1B3, respectively. The R-values were higher than the US-FDA cut-off value of 1.1, supporting that nicardipine has the potential to cause OATP1B1/3-mediated DDIs. Current studies provide insight into the consideration of optimal preincubation conditions when assessing the OATP1B1/3-mediated DDIs in vitro.
The Potential Use of Exosomes in Anti-Cancer Effect Induced by Polarized Macrophages
Authors: Abe Chizumi , Bhaswant Maharshi , Miyazawa Teruo , Miyazawa Taiki
Published: March 2023

The rapid development of aberrant cells outgrowing their normal bounds, which can subsequently infect other body parts and spread to other organs—a process known as metastasis—is one of the significant characteristics of cancer. The main reason why cancer patients die is because of widespread metastases. This abnormal cell proliferation varies in cancers of over a hundred types, and their response to treatment can vary substantially. Several anti-cancer drugs have been discovered to treat various tumors, yet they still have harmful side-effects. Finding novel, highly efficient targeted therapies based on modifications in the molecular biology of tumor cells is essential to reduce the indiscriminate destruction of healthy cells. Exosomes, an extracellular vesicle, are promising as a drug carrier for cancer therapy due to their good tolerance in the body. In addition, the tumor microenvironment is a potential target to regulate in cancer treatment. Therefore, macrophages are polarized toward M1 and M2 phenotypes, which are involved in cancer proliferation and are malignant. It is evident from recent studies that controlled macrophage polarization might contribute to cancer treatment, by the direct way of using miRNA. This review provides an insight into the potential use of exosomes to develop an ‘indirect’, more natural, and harmless cancer treatment through regulating macrophage polarization.
Interactive Temperature and CO2 Rise, Salinity, Drought, and Bacterial Inoculation Alter the Content of Fatty Acids, Total Phenols, and Oxalates in the Edible Halophyte Salicornia ramosissima
Authors: Mesa-Marín Jennifer , Mateos-Naranjo Enrique , Carreiras João , Feijão Eduardo , Duarte Bernardo , Matos Ana Rita , Betti Marco , Del Rio Carmen , Romero-Bernal Marina , Montaner Joan , Redondo-Gómez Susana
Published: March 2023

In this work, we studied the combined effect of increased temperature and atmospheric CO2, salt and drought stress, and inoculation with plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) on the growth and some nutritional parameters of the edible halophyte Salicornia ramosissima. We found that the increase in temperature and atmospheric CO2, combined with salt and drought stresses, led to important changes in S. ramosissima fatty acids (FA), phenols, and oxalate contents, which are compounds of great importance for human health. Our results suggest that the S. ramosissima lipid profile will change in a future climate change scenario, and that levels of oxalate and phenolic compounds may change in response to salt and drought stress. The effect of inoculation with PGPR depended on the strains used. Some strains induced the accumulation of phenols in S. ramosissima leaves at higher temperature and CO2 while not altering FA profile but also led to an accumulation of oxalate under salt stress. In a climate change scenario, a combination of stressors (temperature, salinity, drought) and environmental conditions (atmospheric CO2, PGPR) will lead to important changes in the nutritional profiles of edible plants. These results may open new perspectives for the nutritional and economical valorization of S. ramosissima.
Plant Species as Potential Forage for Honey Bees in the Al-Baha Mountain Region in Southwestern Saudi Arabia
Authors: Al-Ghamdi Ahmad A. , Al-Sagheer Nageeb A.
Published: March 2023

The contribution of bee forages in the form of nectar, pollen, and propolis to beekeeping development depends on plant species diversity. The data concerning the increase in honey production in southwestern Saudi Arabia, which was unexpected with the deterioration of the vegetation cover, becomes a concrete background for this study, which planned to list the bee plant species contributing as sources of nectar, pollen, and propolis. The sampling method followed a purposive random sampling approach, and 20 × 20 m plots were considered with a total of 450 sample plots. Bee forage plants were identified based on flower morphology and honey bees’ actions during floral visits at active foraging hours. A checklist of bee forages containing 268 plants species belonging to 62 families was documented. The number of pollen source plants (122) was more than nectar (92) and propolis (10) source plants. Regarding seasonal distribution, spring and winter were relatively good seasons for honey bees in terms of pollen, nectar, and propolis availability. Generally, this study is an essential step towards understanding, conserving, and rehabilitating plant species providing nectar, forage, and propolis to honey bees in Al-Baha Region of Saudi Arabia.
Allelopathic Potential of the Cyanotoxins Microcystin-LR and Cylindrospermopsin on Green Algae
Authors: Teneva Ivanka , Velikova Violeta , Belkinova Detelina , Moten Dzhemal , Dzhambazov Balik
Published: March 2023

Allelopathic interactions are widespread in all aquatic habitats, among all groups of aquatic primary biomass producers, including cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria are producers of potent toxins called cyanotoxins, whose biological and ecological roles, including their allelopathic influence, are still incompletely understood. The allelopathic potential of the cyanotoxins microcystin-LR (MC-LR) and cylindrospermopsin (CYL) on green algae (Chlamydomonas asymmetrica, Dunaliella salina, and Scenedesmus obtusiusculus) was established. Time-dependent inhibitory effects on the growth and motility of the green algae exposed to cyanotoxins were detected. Changes in their morphology (cell shape, granulation of the cytoplasm, and loss of flagella) were also observed. The cyanotoxins MC-LR and CYL were found to affect photosynthesis to varying degrees in the green algae Chlamydomonas asymmetrica, Dunaliella salina, and Scenedesmus obtusiusculus, affecting chlorophyll fluorescence parameters such as the maximum photochemical activity (Fv/Fm) of photosystem II (PSII), the non-photochemical quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence (NPQ), and the quantum yield of the unregulated energy dissipation Y(NO) in PSII. In the context of ongoing climate change and the associated expectations of the increased frequency of cyanobacterial blooms and released cyanotoxins, our results demonstrated the possible allelopathic role of cyanotoxins on competing autotrophs in the phytoplankton communities.
Effect of Mn Deficiency on Carbon and Nitrogen Metabolism of Different Genotypes Seedlings in Maize (Zea mays L.)
Authors: Tao Yuzhao , Liu Changzhuang , Piao Lin , Yang Fuqiang , Liu Jiaqi , Jan Muhammad Faheem , Li Ming
Published: March 2023

Manganese deficiency critically impairs the function and stability of photosystem II (PSII) and negatively impacts crop growth and yield. However, the response mechanisms of carbon and nitrogen metabolism to Mn deficiency in different genotypes of maize and the differences in Mn deficiency tolerance are unclear. Herein, three different genotypes of maize seedlings (sensitive genotype: Mo17, tolerant genotype: B73, and B73 × Mo17) were exposed to Mn deficiency treatment for 16 days using liquid culture with different concentrations of MnSO4 [0.00, 2.23, 11.65, and 22.30 mg/L (control)]. We found that complete Mn deficiency significantly reduced maize seedling biomass; negatively affected the photosynthetic and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters; and depressed nitrate reductase, glutamine synthetase, and glutamate synthase activity. This resulted in reduced leaf and root nitrogen uptake, with Mo17 being most severely inhibited. B73 and B73 × Mo17 maintained higher sucrose phosphate synthase and sucrose synthase activities and lower neutral convertase activity compared to Mo17, which resulted in higher accumulation of soluble sugars and sucrose and maintenance of the osmoregulation capacity of leaves, which helped mitigate damage caused by Mn deficiency. The findings revealed the physiological regulation mechanism of carbon and nitrogen metabolism in different genotypes of maize seedlings that resist Mn deficiency stress, providing a theoretical basis for developing high yield and quality.
Gene Coexpression Analysis Identifies Genes Associated with Chlorophyll Content and Relative Water Content in Pearl Millet
Authors: Shinde Harshraj , Dudhate Ambika , Sathe Atul , Paserkar Neha , Wagh Sopan Ganpatrao , Kadam Ulhas Sopanrao
Published: March 2023

Pearl millet is a significant crop that is tolerant to abiotic stresses and is a staple food of arid regions. However, its underlying mechanisms of stress tolerance are not fully understood. Plant survival is regulated by the ability to perceive a stress signal and induce appropriate physiological changes. Here, we screened for genes regulating physiological changes such as chlorophyll content (CC) and relative water content (RWC) in response to abiotic stress by using “weighted gene coexpression network analysis” (WGCNA) and clustering changes in physiological traits, i.e., CC and RWC associated with gene expression. Genes’ correlations with traits were defined in the form of modules, and different color names were used to denote a particular module. Modules are groups of genes with similar patterns of expression, which also tend to be functionally related and co-regulated. In WGCNA, the dark green module (7082 genes) showed a significant positive correlation with CC, and the black (1393 genes) module was negatively correlated with CC and RWC. Analysis of the module positively correlated with CC highlighted ribosome synthesis and plant hormone signaling as the most significant pathways. Potassium transporter 8 and monothiol glutaredoxin were reported as the topmost hub genes in the dark green module. In Clust analysis, 2987 genes were found to display a correlation with increasing CC and RWC. Furthermore, the pathway analysis of these clusters identified the ribosome and thermogenesis as positive regulators of RWC and CC, respectively. Our study provides novel insights into the molecular mechanisms regulating CC and RWC in pearl millet.
Chemical Profiling and Biological Properties of Essential Oils of Lavandula stoechas L. Collected from Three Moroccan Sites: In Vitro and In Silico Investigations
Authors: Benali Taoufiq , Lemhadri Ahmed , Harboul Kaoutar , Chtibi Houda , Khabbach Abdelmajid , Jadouali Si Mohamed , Quesada-Romero Luisa , Louahlia Said , Hammani Khalil , Ghaleb Adib , Lee Learn-Han , Bouyahya Abdelhakim , Rusu Marius Emil , Akhazzane Mohamed
Published: March 2023

The aim of this study was the determination of the chemical compounds of Lavandula stoechas essential oil from Aknol (LSEOA), Khenifra (LSEOK), and Beni Mellal (LSEOB), and the in vitro investigation of their antibacterial, anticandidal, and antioxidant effects, and in silico anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity. The chemical profile of LSEO was determined using GC-MS-MS analysis, the results of which showed a qualitative and quantitative variation in the chemical composition of volatile compounds including L-fenchone, cubebol, camphor, bornyl acetate, and τ-muurolol; indicating that the biosynthesis of essential oils of Lavandula stoechas (LSEO) varied depending on the site of growth. The antioxidant activity was evaluated using the ABTS and FRAP methods, our results showed that this tested oil is endowed with an ABTS inhibitory effect and an important reducing power which varies between 4.82 ± 1.52 and 15.73 ± 3.26 mg EAA/g extract. The results of antibacterial activity of LSEOA, LSEOK and LSEOB, tested against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, revealed that B. subtilis (20.66 ± 1.15–25 ± 4.35 mm), P. mirabilis (18.66 ± 1.15–18.66 ± 1.15 mm), and P. aeruginosa (13.33 ± 1.15–19 ± 1.00 mm) are the most susceptible strains to LSEOA, LSEOK and LSEOB of which LSEOB exhibits bactericidal effect against P. mirabilis. furthermore The LSEO exhibited varying degrees of anticandidal activity with an inhibition zones of 25.33 ± 0.5, 22.66 ± 2.51, and 19 ± 1 mm for LSEOK, LSEOB, and LSEOA, respectively. Additionally, the in silico molecular docking process, performed using Chimera Vina and Surflex-Dock programs, indicated that LSEO could inhibit SARS-CoV-2. These important biological properties of LSEO qualify this plant as an interesting source of natural bioactive compounds with medicinal actions.
Polyamide 11 Composites Reinforced with Diatomite Biofiller—Mechanical, Rheological and Crystallization Properties
Authors: Dobrosielska Marta , Dobrucka Renata , Brząkalski Dariusz , Kozera Paulina , Martyła Agnieszka , Gabriel Ewa , Kurzydłowski Krzysztof J. , Przekop Robert E.
Published: March 2023

Amorphic diatomaceous earth is derived from natural sources, and polyamide 11 (PA11) is produced from materials of natural origin. Both of these materials show a low harmfulness to the environment and a reduced carbon footprint. This is why the combination of these two constituents is beneficial not only to improve the physicochemical and mechanical properties of polyamide 11 but also to produce a biocomposite. For the purpose of this paper, the test biocomposite was produced by combining polyamide 11, as well as basic and pre-fractionated diatomaceous earth, which had been subjected to silanization. The produced composites were used to carry out rheological (melt flow rate-MFR), mechanical (tensile strength, bending strength, impact strength), crystallographic (X-ray Diffraction-XRD), thermal and thermo-mechanical (differential scanning calorimetry–DSC, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis–DMTA) analyses, as well as a study of hydrophobic–hydrophilic properties of the material surface (wetting angle) and imaging of the surface of the composites and the fractured specimens. The tests showed that the additive 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) acted as an agent that improved the elasticity of composites and the melt flow rate. In addition, the produced composites showed a hydrophilic surface profile compared to pure polylactide and polyamide 11.
Heteroatom-Enhanced Porous Carbon Materials Based on Polybenzoxazine for Supercapacitor Electrodes and CO2 Capture
Authors: Periyasamy Thirukumaran , Asrafali Shakila Parveen , Kim Seong-Cheol
Published: March 2023

Through a solution method utilizing benzoxazine chemistry, heteroatoms containing porous carbons (HCPCs) were synthesized from melamine, eugenol and formaldehyde, followed by carbonization in a nitrogen atmosphere and chemical activation with KOH at three different activation temperatures, 700, 800 and 900 °C. The introduction of melamine and eugenol to the monomer produced structurally bonded nitrogen and oxygen in porous carbons. Changing the calcination temperature can alter the doping level of heteroatoms and the particle size. These carbon materials exhibit large pore size distributions, tunable pore structure, high nitrogen and oxygen contents and high surface areas, which make them suitable for use as electrode materials in supercapacitors. As a result of activating at 800 °C, the sample HCPC-800 exhibits a high specific surface area of 984 m2/g, high oxygen and nitrogen content (3.64–6.26 wt.% and 10.61–13.65 wt.%), hierarchical pore structure, high degree of graphitization and good electrical conductivity. An outstanding rate capability is also demonstrated, as well as incredible longevity, retaining the capacitance up to 83% even after 5000 cycles in a solution containing 1 M H2SO4. Moreover, the activated porous carbon containing nitrogen exhibits a CO2 adsorption capacity of 3.6 and 3.5 mmol/g at 25 °C and 0 °C, respectively, which corresponds to equilibrium pressures of 1 bar.
Constraint Release Rouse Mechanisms in Bidisperse Linear Polymers: Investigation of the Release Time of a Short-Long Entanglement
Authors: Hannecart Céline , Clasen Christian , van Ruymbeke Evelyne
Published: March 2023

Despite a wide set of experimental data and a large number of studies, the quantitative description of the relaxation mechanisms involved in the disorientation process of bidisperse blends is still under discussion. In particular, while it has been shown that the relaxation of self-unentangled long chains diluted in a short chain matrix is well approximated by a Constraint Release Rouse (CRR) mechanism, there is no consensus on the value of the average release time of their entanglements, τobs, which fixes the timescale of the CRR relaxation. Therefore, the first objective of the present work is to discuss the different approaches proposed to determine this time and compare them to a large set of experimental viscoelastic data, either newly measured (poly(methyl-)methacrylate and 1,4-polybutadiene blends) or coming from the literature (polystyrene and polyisoprene blends). Based on this large set of data, it is found that with respect to the molar mass of the short chain matrix, τobs follows a power law with an exponent close to 2.5, rather than 3 as previously proposed. While this slight change in the power law exponent does not strongly affect the values of the constraint release times, the results obtained suggest the universality of the CRR process. Finally, we propose a new description of τobs, which is implemented in a tube-based model. The accurate description of the experimental data obtained provides a good starting point to extend this approach to self-entangled binary blends.
Influence of Chitosan and Grape Seed Extract on Thermal and Mechanical Properties of PLA Blends
Authors: Goetjes Victoria , von Boyneburgk Claudia L. , Heim Hans-Peter , Horn Marilia M.
Published: March 2023

Blends based on polylactic acid (PLA), chitosan, and grape seed extract (GE) were prepared by extrusion and injection molding. The effect of chitosan (5% and 15% on PLA basis) and natural extract (1% on PLA basis) incorporated into the PLA host matrix was explored regarding the thermal and mechanical properties. GE showed antioxidant activity, as determined by the DPPH assay method. Chitosan and GE affect the degree of crystallinity up to 30% as the polysaccharide acts as a nucleating agent, while the extract reduces the mobility of PLA chains. The decomposition temperature was mainly affected by adding chitosan, with a reduction of up to 25 °C. The color of the blends was specially modified after the incorporation of both components, obtaining high values of b* and L* after the addition of chitosan, while GE switched to high values of a*. The elongation at break (EB) exhibited that the polysaccharide is mainly responsible for its reduction of around 50%. Slight differences were accessed in tensile strength and Young’s modulus, which were not statistically significant. Blends showed increased irregularities in their surface appearance, as observed by SEM analysis, corresponding to the partial miscibility of both polymers.
Mechanism of the Impact-Sensitivity Reduction of Energetic CL-20/TNT Cocrystals: A Nonequilibrium Molecular Dynamics Study
Authors: Wang Fuping , Du Guangyan , Zhang Chenggen , Wang Qian-You
Published: March 2023

High-energy low-sensitivity explosives are research objectives in the field of energetic materials, and the formation of cocrystals is an important method to improve the safety of explosives. However, the sensitivity reduction mechanism of cocrystal explosives is still unclear. In this study, CL-20/TNT, CL-20 and TNT crystals were taken as research objects. On the basis of the ReaxFF-lg reactive force field, the propagation process of the wave front in the crystals at different impact velocities was simulated. The molecular dynamics data were used to analyze the molecular structure changes and initial chemical reactions, and to explore the sensitivity reduction mechanism of the CL-20/TNT cocrystal. The results showed that the chemical reaction of the CL-20/TNT cocrystal, compared with the CL-20 single crystal, is different under different impact velocities. At an impact velocity of 2 km/s, polymerization and separation of the component molecules weakened the decomposition of CL-20. At an impact velocity of 3 km/s, the decay rates of CL-20 and TNT in the cocrystal decreased, and the intermediate products were enhanced, such as nitrogen oxides. At an impact velocity of 4 km/s, the cocrystal had little effect on the decay rates of the molecules and formation of CO2, but it enhanced formation of N2 and H2O. This may explain the reason for the impact-sensitivity reduction of the CL-20/TNT cocrystal.
Synthesis of Sulfonated Polyphenylene Block Copolymers via In Situ Generation of Ni(0)
Authors: Yadav Vikrant , Wijaya Farid , Lee Hyejin , Bae Byungchan , Shin Dongwon
Published: March 2023

Proton exchange membranes (PEMs) fabricated from sulfonated polyphenylenes (sPP) exhibit superior proton conductivity and electrochemical performance. However, the Ni(0) catalyst required for Colon’s cross-coupling reaction for the synthesis of sPP block copolymers is expensive. Therefore, in this study, we generated Ni(0) in situ from an inexpensive Ni(II) salt in the presence of the reducing metal Zn and NaI. The sPP block copolymers were synthesized from neopentyl-protected 3,5- and 2,5-dichlorobenzenesulfonates and oligo(arylene ether ketone) using the catalyst NiBr2(PPh3)2. The block copolymers synthesized using our strategy and the Ni(0) catalyst exhibited comparable polydispersity index values and high molecular weights. Thin, transparent, and bendable PEMs fabricated using selected high-molecular-weight sPP block copolymers synthesized via our strategy exhibited similar proton conductivities to those of the block copolymers synthesized using the Ni(0) catalyst. We believe that our strategy will promote the synthesis of similar multifunctional block copolymers.
Optimised Sunflower Oil Content for Encapsulation by Vibrating Technology as a Rejuvenating Solution for Asphalt Self-Healing
Authors: Concha Jose L. , Delgadillo Rodrigo , Arteaga-Pérez Luis E. , Segura Cristina , Norambuena-Contreras Jose
Published: March 2023

This study aimed to determine an optimal dosage of sunflower oil (i.e., Virgin Cooking Oil, VCO) as a rejuvenator for asphalt self-healing purposes, evaluating its effect on the chemical (carbonyl, and sulfoxide functional groups), physical (penetration, softening point, and viscosity), and rheological (dynamic shear modulus, and phase angle) properties of long-term aged (LTA) bitumen. Five concentrations of sunflower oil (VCO) were used: 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, and 5% vol. of LTA bitumen. VCO was encapsulated in alginate biopolymer under vibrating jet technology using three biopolymer:oil (B:O) mass ratios: 1:1, 1:5, and 1:9. The physical, thermal, and mechanical properties of the capsules were studied, as well as their effect on the physical properties of dense asphalt mixtures. The main results showed that an optimal VCO content of 4% vol. restored the chemical, physical, and rheological properties of LTA bitumen to a short-term ageing (STA) level. VCO capsules with B:O ratios of 1:5 presented good thermal and mechanical stability, with high encapsulation efficiency. Depending on the B:O ratio, the VCO capsule dosage to rejuvenate LTA bitumen and asphalt mixtures varied between 5.03–15.3% wt. and 0.24–0.74% wt., respectively. Finally, the capsule morphology significantly influenced the bulk density of the asphalt mixtures.
Preparation and Characterization of a Series of Self-Healable Bio-Based Poly(thiourethane) Vitrimer-like Materials
Authors: Guerrero Federico , Ramis Xavier , De la Flor Silvia , Serra Àngels
Published: March 2023

A series of poly(thiourethanes) (PTUs) from biobased monomers have been synthesized. Limonene and squalene were transformed into polyfunctional thiols by thiol-ene reaction with thioacetic acid and further saponification. They were then reacted in different proportions with hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) in the presence of a catalyst to prepare bio-based poly(thiourethane) vitrimer-like materials. The different functionalities of squalene and limonene thiols (six and two, respectively) allow for changing the characteristics of the final material by only varying their relative proportions in the reactive mixture. The proportions of thiol and isocyanate groups were stoichiometric in all the formulations tested. An acidic and a basic catalyst were tested in the preparation of the networked polymers. As the acidic catalyst, we selected dibutyltin dilaurate (DBTDL), and as the basic catalyst, a tetraphenylborate salt of 1,8-diazabicyclo(5.4.0)undec-7-ene (BGDBU), which has the advantage of only releasing the base at high temperatures. The materials obtained were characterized by thermogravimetry and thermomechanical analysis. The vitrimeric-like behavior was evaluated, and we could see that higher proportions of the limonene derivative in the formulations led to faster stress relaxation of the material. The use of the base catalyst led to a much shorter relaxation time. The materials obtained demonstrated good self-healing efficiency.
Philosophy of Religion in a Fragmented Age: Practice and Participatory Realism
Authors: Sherman Jacob Holsinger
Published: March 2023

What should the philosophical study of religion look like in an epoch of increasing political polarization, cultural ferment, and religious fragmentation? Drawing on the work of Amy Hollywood and others, I argue that philosophers seeking to understand what seem to be incommensurable moral and religious communities ought to attend more fully to the role of spiritual practice and moral formation as irreducible components of certain beliefs and ethical intuitions. However, while such an account might invite a reductive reading in which the object of religious belief is taken to be simply the practice, ritual, etc., I engage the thought of Michael Polanyi to argue that such irreducibly participatory truth claims can be understood to aim at a reality that exceeds the structures of formation and ways of life to which they are indexed.
The Recovery of Human Dignity in Protestant Christianity and Its Ethical Implications
Authors: Martens Paul , Jaiyesimi Wemimo B.
Published: March 2023

Human dignity, in the Protestant traditions, was generally formulated in reaction to Catholicism. Initial assessments of human dignity were less than enthusiastic and framed soteriologically and contingent on God’s saving grace. In contrast, by the middle of the 19th century, human dignity in Protestant theology emerged as a positive anthropological affirmation with significant political consequences. To illuminate this evolution within the Protestant world, this paper provides a narrative sketch that: (1) orients initial notions of human dignity with reference to the ambiguous legacy of Martin Luther; (2) describes how substantial engagements with minority or marginalized populations in the 19th and 20th centuries around the world—including South Africa, India, and the USA—led to a revision and expansion of human dignity; and (3) exhibits the affirmation of a robust understanding of human dignity in Protestant traditions around the world. The argument is both (a) expansive because it highlights developments toward the positive embrace of human dignity across a wide geographic range while also remaining (b) limited because it merely argues that the Protestant traditions universally affirm human dignity, while also acknowledging that frequently there are limits to the performance of that affirmation based on matters of race, nationality, class, and gender.
VEsNA, a Framework for Virtual Environments via Natural Language Agents and Its Application to Factory Automation
Authors: Gatti Andrea , Mascardi Viviana
Published: March 2023

Automating a factory where robots are involved is neither trivial nor cheap. Engineering the factory automation process in such a way that return of interest is maximized and risk for workers and equipment is minimized is hence, of paramount importance. Simulation can be a game changer in this scenario but requires advanced programming skills that domain experts and industrial designers might not have. In this paper, we present the preliminary design and implementation of a general-purpose framework for creating and exploiting Virtual Environments via Natural language Agents (VEsNA). VEsNA takes advantage of agent-based technologies and natural language processing to enhance the design of virtual environments. The natural language input provided to VEsNA is understood by a chatbot and passed to an intelligent cognitive agent that implements the logic behind displacing objects in the virtual environment. In the complete VEsNA vision, for which this paper provides the building blocks, the intelligent agent will be able to reason on this displacement and on its compliance with legal and normative constraints. It will also be able to implement what-if analysis and case-based reasoning. Objects populating the virtual environment will include active objects and will populate a dynamic simulation whose outcomes will be interpreted by the cognitive agent; further autonomous agents, representing workers in the factory, will be added to make the virtual environment even more realistic; explanations and suggestions will be passed back to the user by the chatbot.
Improving Pre-Training and Fine-Tuning for Few-Shot SAR Automatic Target Recognition
Authors: Zhang Chao , Dong Hongbin , Deng Baosong
Published: March 2023

SAR-ATR (synthetic aperture radar-automatic target recognition) is a hot topic in remote sensing. This work suggests a few-shot target recognition approach (FTL) based on the concept of transfer learning to accomplish accurate target recognition of SAR images in a few-shot scenario since the classic SAR ATR method has significant data reliance. At the same time, the strategy introduces a model distillation method to improve the model’s performance further. This method is composed of three parts. First, the data engine, which uses the style conversion model and optical image data to generate image data similar to SAR style and realize cross-domain conversion, can effectively solve the problem of insufficient training data of the SAR image classification model. Second is model training, which uses SAR image data sets to pre-train the model. Here, we introduce the deep Brownian distance covariance (Deep BDC) pooling layer to optimize the image feature representation so that the model can learn the image representation by measuring the difference between the joint feature function of the embedded feature and the edge product. Third, model fine-tuning, which freezes the model structure, except the classifier, and fine-tunes it by using a small amount of novel data. The knowledge distillation approach is also introduced simultaneously to train the model repeatedly, sharpen the knowledge, and enhance model performance. According to experimental results on the MSTAR benchmark dataset, the proposed method is demonstrably better than the SOTA method in the few-shot SAR ATR issue. The recognition accuracy is about 80% in the case of 10-way 10-shot.
Evaluation and Error Decomposition of IMERG Product Based on Multiple Satellite Sensors
Authors: Li Yunping , Zhang Ke , Bardossy Andras , Shen Xiaoji , Cheng Yujia
Published: March 2023

The Integrated Multisatellite Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) is designed to derive precipitation by merging data from all the passive microwave (PMW) and infrared (IR) sensors. While the input source errors originating from the PMW and IR sensors are important, their structure, characteristics, and algorithm improvement remain unclear. Our study utilized a four-component error decomposition (4CED) method and a systematic and random error decomposition method to evaluate the detectability of IMERG dataset and identify the precipitation errors based on the multi-sensors. The 30 min data from 30 precipitation stations in the Tunxi Watershed were used to evaluate the IMERG data from 2018 to 2020. The input source includes five types of PMW sensors and IR instruments. The results show that the sample ratio for IR (Morph, IR + Morph, and IR only) is much higher than that for PMW (AMSR2, SSMIS, GMI, MHS, and ATMS), with a ratio of 72.8% for IR sources and a ratio of 27.2% for PMW sources. The high false ratio of the IR sensor leads to poor detectability performance of the false alarm ratio (FAR, 0.5854), critical success index (CSI, 0.3014), and Brier score (BS, 0.1126). As for the 4CED, Morph and Morph + IR have a large magnitude of high total bias (TB), hit overestimate bias (HOB), hit underestimate bias (HUB), false bias (FB), and miss bias (MB), which is related to the prediction ability and sample size. In addition, systematic error is the prominent component for AMSR2, SSMIS, GMI, and Morph + IR, indicating some inherent error (retrieval algorithm) that needs to be removed. These findings can support improving the retrieval algorithm and reducing errors in the IMERG dataset.
Understanding the Diversity of People in Sex Work: Views from Leaders in Sex Worker Organizations
Authors: Mellor Andrea , Benoit Cecilia
Published: March 2023

Criminal laws in Canada and many other countries are currently premised on the assumption of homogeneity, that is, people in sex work are cis women and girls who are being sexually exploited/sex trafficked. This perspective is also shared by antiprostitution groups and many researchers investigating the “prostitution problem”. Perpetuating this position obscures their demographic multiplicity and variety of lived experiences. We interviewed 10 leaders from seven sex worker organizations (SWOs) across Canada who reported a diversity among their clientele that is rarely captured in the extant literature and absent from the current Canadian criminal code. Our findings reveal the important role that SWOs have to play in facilitating access to health and social services and providing spaces where people in sex work can gather in safe and supportive environments, without the fear of stigma, discrimination, or police harassment. We conclude that SWOs can operate as a structural intervention beyond decriminalization that can improve equitable access to health and social services for sex workers Despite SWOs’ efforts, sex workers’ mobilization is still limited by micro-, meso-, and macrolevel stigmatization that prevents and/or discourages some workers from accessing their programs and services.
The Impact of Corporate Governance and International Orientation on Firm Performance in SMEs: Evidence from a Developing Country
Authors: Wen Kankan , Alessa Noha , Marah Karifala , Kyeremeh Kwame , Ansah Emmanuel Sampson , Tawiah Vincent
Published: March 2023

Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (SMEs) have been adopting corporate governance and international strategies to improve performance. However, little is known about the success of corporate governance practices and the international orientation of SMEs, especially in developing countries. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to examine the influence of corporate governance practices and international orientation on the performance of SMEs in a developing country. We used a survey to hand-collect data from 270 SMEs in Ghana in 2022. Consistent with prior studies, we perform robust reliability tests, including confirmatory factor analysis and the Cronbach alpha test. Further, we use the structural equation modelling to test the hypothesis of whether corporate governance and international orientation affect firm performance in SMEs. Our results are as follows. First, we found that international orientation drives good corporate governance practices, and this exerts a positive influence on firm performance. Second, we established that international orientation positively and significantly moderates the relationship between corporate governance and firm performance. The results imply that engaging in the international market offers new knowledge to SMEs in developing countries. Therefore, investors and the government should develop strategies and policies that support the internationalization of SMEs in developing countries.
Application of Fixed-Point Results to Integral Equation through F-Khan Contraction
Authors: Gnanaprakasam Arul Joseph , Mani Gunaseelan , Ramaswamy Rajagopalan , Abdelnaby Ola A. Ashour , Khan Khizar Hyatt , Radenović Stojan
Published: March 2023

In this article, we establish fixed point results by defining the concept of F-Khan contraction of an orthogonal set by modifying the symmetry of usual contractive conditions. We also provide illustrative examples to support our results. The derived results have been applied to find analytical solutions to integral equations. The analytical solutions are verified with numerical simulation.
Influence of Asymmetric Agglomerations Effects over the Photothermal Release of Liposome-Encapsulated Nanodiamonds Assisted by Opto-Mechanical Changes
Authors: Morales-Bonilla Samuel , Mota-Díaz Isaac I. , Douda Janna , Fuerte-Hernández Ariel , Campos-López Juan Pablo , Torres-Torres Carlos
Published: March 2023

An analysis of optical effects exhibited by blood plasma under healthy/unhealthy conditions, and of the penetrating evolution of nanovehicles conformed by nanodiamonds (NDs) encapsulating liposomes (L) within these biofluids, is presented. Optical ablation of liposome clusters was actuated and controlled by a standard two-wave mixing (λ = 532 nm, τp = 4 ns) laser light method. Radiant time exposure effects (30 min) and threshold laser energy parameters (250 mJ/cm2 numerical; 181 mJ/cm2 experimental) necessary to release NDs were identified and confirmed with similar experiments in the literature. Interactions during the sedimentation process between nanovehicles and the laser beams barrier were considered as the principal thermal damage process to achieve the release and transportation of drugs within these static fluids. The mechanical response during the release of NDs focuses on the temperature propagation, dynamic effects of nanovehicles associated with the diffusion coefficient, and some agglomeration effects. The principal findings of this research concern the threshold temperature (51.85 °C) of liposomes for the release of NDs with respect to that typically quoted in the literature (40–70 °C) for pure liposomes. The assessment of the release of NDs focuses on the numerical magnitude of Quantum Yield. Furthermore, the optical contrast enhancement was associated with NDs size agglomerations and the healthy/unhealthy conditions of fluids. This research aims to be a first proof approximation for delivery and transportation approaches to guide and interpret outcomes when combined with the vectorial nature basis of laser light and further effects once the cargo is retained in the fluids.
An Integrated EDAS Model for Fermatean Fuzzy Multi-Attribute Group Decision Making and Its Application in Green-Supplier Selection
Authors: Zeng Shouzhen , Chen Wendi , Gu Jiaxing , Zhang Erhua
Published: March 2023

The environment and economy benefit from the sustained growth of a high-quality green supplier. During a supplier evaluation and selection process, DMs tend to use fuzzy tools to express evaluation information due to complex practical problems. Therefore, this study explores the green-supplier evaluation method in a complex Fermatean fuzzy (FF) environment. First, a group of indicators was created to evaluate the green capabilities and the social impact of suppliers. Second, by combining the merits of the Heronian mean and power average approaches, a FF power Heronian mean and its weighted framework were developed, and their related properties and special families were then presented. Third, to acquire the relative importance of indicators, a marvelous unification of the best–worst method (BWM) and FF entropy is then introduced. The challenge of choosing a green supplier was finally solved using an integrated evaluation based on distance from the average solution (EDAS) evaluation framework in the FF environment. Finally, the presented tool’s viability and robustness were confirmed by actual case analysis.
Freshwater Cyanobacterial Toxins, Cyanopeptides and Neurodegenerative Diseases
Authors: Nugumanova Galina , Ponomarev Eugene D. , Askarova Sholpan , Fasler-Kan Elizaveta , Barteneva Natasha S.
Published: March 2023

Cyanobacteria produce a wide range of structurally diverse cyanotoxins and bioactive cyanopeptides in freshwater, marine, and terrestrial ecosystems. The health significance of these metabolites, which include genotoxic- and neurotoxic agents, is confirmed by continued associations between the occurrence of animal and human acute toxic events and, in the long term, by associations between cyanobacteria and neurodegenerative diseases. Major mechanisms related to the neurotoxicity of cyanobacteria compounds include (1) blocking of key proteins and channels; (2) inhibition of essential enzymes in mammalian cells such as protein phosphatases and phosphoprotein phosphatases as well as new molecular targets such as toll-like receptors 4 and 8. One of the widely discussed implicated mechanisms includes a misincorporation of cyanobacterial non-proteogenic amino acids. Recent research provides evidence that non-proteinogenic amino acid BMAA produced by cyanobacteria have multiple effects on translation process and bypasses the proof-reading ability of the aminoacyl-tRNA-synthetase. Aberrant proteins generated by non-canonical translation may be a factor in neuronal death and neurodegeneration. We hypothesize that the production of cyanopeptides and non-canonical amino acids is a more general mechanism, leading to mistranslation, affecting protein homeostasis, and targeting mitochondria in eukaryotic cells. It can be evolutionarily ancient and initially developed to control phytoplankton communities during algal blooms. Outcompeting gut symbiotic microorganisms may lead to dysbiosis, increased gut permeability, a shift in blood-brain-barrier functionality, and eventually, mitochondrial dysfunction in high-energy demanding neurons. A better understanding of the interaction between cyanopeptides metabolism and the nervous system will be crucial to target or to prevent neurodegenerative diseases.
Fixation Effect of Modified Bamboo Charcoal on Typical Heavy Metals in Sediment
Authors: Wang Yizhuo , Li He , Lin Shaohua
Published: March 2023

In this study, we studied the influence of the dosage of modified bamboo charcoal (KAM-500-400-3) on the fixation effect of single Cu(II)-contaminated and mixed Cu(II)–Cd(II)-contaminated sediment. The results showed that it could effectively fix the heavy metals in both sediment types. In the single Cu(II)-contaminated sediment, when the amount of added KAM500-400-3 was greater than or equal to 5%, the Cu(II) content in the overlying and pore water was substantially reduced, and the form of heavy metal Cu(II) in the sediment changed from the acid-extractable state to a relatively stable, reducible, oxidizable, and residual state, its bioavailability markedly reduced, and the toxic leaching amount of heavy metal TCLP in the sediment also gradually reduced. In the sediment polluted by Cu(II)–Cd(II), the Cu(II) and Cd(II) could not be detected in the overlying or pore water when the addition amount was greater than or equal to 2.5%. The contents of Cu(II) and Cd(II) in the acid-extractable state considerably decreased and they transformed into other forms with low bioavailability, in which the content of Cd(II) in the oxidizable state was so low that it was lower than the detection limit. The TCLP toxicity of the leached amount of Cd(II) also gradually decreased. This showed that adding KAM500-400-3 to sediment helps with inhibiting the release of heavy metals from contaminated sediment into water bodies, so KAM500-400-3 is a material that can effectively adsorb and fix heavy metals Cu(II) and Cd(II) in sediment.
Applying Linear Forms of Pseudo-Second-Order Kinetic Model for Feasibly Identifying Errors in the Initial Periods of Time-Dependent Adsorption Datasets
Authors: Tran Hai Nguyen
Published: March 2023

Initial periods of adsorption kinetics play an important role in estimating the initial adsorption rate and rate constant of an adsorption process. Several adsorption processes rapidly occur, and the experimental data of adsorption kinetics under the initial periods can contain potential errors. The pseudo-second-order (PSO) kinetic model has been popularly applied in the field of adsorption. The use of the nonlinear optimization method to obtain the parameters of the PSO model can minimize error functions during modelling compared to the linear method. However, the nonlinear method has limitations in that it cannot directly recognize potential errors in the experimental points of time-dependent adsorption, especially under the initial periods. In this study, for the first time, the different linear types (Types 1–6) of the PSO model are applied to discover the error points under the initial periods. Results indicated that the fitting method using its linear equations (Types 2–5) is really helpful for identifying the error (doubtful) experimental points from the initial periods of adsorption kinetics. The imprecise points lead to low adjusted R2 (adj-R2), high reduced χ2 (red-χ2), and high Bayesian information criterion (BIC) values. After removing these points, the experimental data were adequately fitted with the PSO model. Statistical analyses demonstrated that the nonlinear method must be used for modelling the PSO model because its red-χ2 and BIC were lower than the linear method. Type 1 has been extensively applied in the literature because of its very high adj-R2 value (0.9999) and its excellent fitting to experimental points. However, its application should be limited because the potential errors from experimental points are not identified by this type. For comparison, the other kinetic models (i.e., pseudo-first-order, pseudo-nth-order, Avrami, and Elovich) are applied. The modelling result using the nonlinear forms of these models indicated that the fault experimental points from the initial periods were not detected in this study.