bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Secondary Formation of Aromatic Nitroderivatives of Environmental Concern: Photonitration Processes Triggered by the Photolysis of Nitrate and Nitrite Ions in Aqueous Solution
Authors: Marussi Giovanna , Vione Davide
Published: April 2021

Aromatic nitroderivatives are compounds of considerable environmental concern, because some of them are phytotoxic (especially the nitrophenols, and particularly 2,4-dinitrophenol), others are mutagenic and potentially carcinogenic (e.g., the nitroderivatives of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, such as 1-nitropyrene), and all of them absorb sunlight as components of the brown carbon. The latter has the potential to affect the climatic feedback of atmospheric aerosols. Most nitroderivatives are secondarily formed in the environment and, among their possible formation processes, photonitration upon irradiation of nitrate or nitrite is an important pathway that has periodically gained considerable attention. However, photonitration triggered by nitrate and nitrite is a very complex process, because the two ionic species under irradiation produce a wide range of nitrating agents (such as •NO2, HNO2, HOONO, and H2OONO+), which are affected by pH and the presence of organic compounds and, in turn, deeply affect the nitration of aromatic precursors. Moreover, aromatic substrates can highly differ in their reactivity towards the various photogenerated species, thereby providing different behaviours towards photonitration. Despite the high complexity, it is possible to rationalise the different photonitration pathways in a coherent framework. In this context, this review paper has the goal of providing the reader with a guide on what to expect from the photonitration process under different conditions, how to study it, and how to determine which pathway(s) are prevailing in the formation of the observed nitroderivatives.
Keratin Scaffolds Containing Casomorphin Stimulate Macrophage Infiltration and Accelerate Full-Thickness Cutaneous Wound Healing in Diabetic Mice
Authors: Konop Marek , Laskowska Anna K. , Rybka Mateusz , Kłodzińska Ewa , Sulejczak Dorota , Schwartz Robert A. , Czuwara Joanna
Published: April 2021

Impaired wound healing is a major medical challenge, especially in diabetics. Over the centuries, the main goal of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine has been to invent biomaterials that accelerate the wound healing process. In this context, keratin-derived biomaterial is a promising candidate due to its biocompatibility and biodegradability. In this study, we evaluated an insoluble fraction of keratin containing casomorphin as a wound dressing in a full-thickness surgical skin wound model in mice (n = 20) with iatrogenically induced diabetes. Casomorphin, an opioid peptide with analgesic properties, was incorporated into keratin and shown to be slowly released from the dressing. An in vitro study showed that keratin-casomorphin dressing is biocompatible, non-toxic, and supports cell growth. In vivo experiments demonstrated that keratin-casomorphin dressing significantly (p < 0.05) accelerates the whole process of skin wound healing to the its final stage. Wounds covered with keratin-casomorphin dressing underwent reepithelization faster, ending up with a thicker epidermis than control wounds, as confirmed by histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations. This investigated dressing stimulated macrophages infiltration, which favors tissue remodeling and regeneration, unlike in the control wounds in which neutrophils predominated. Additionally, in dressed wounds, the number of microhemorrhages was significantly decreased (p < 0.05) as compared with control wounds. The dressing was naturally incorporated into regenerating tissue during the wound healing process. Applied keratin dressing favored reconstruction of more regular skin structure and assured better cosmetic outcome in terms of scar formation and appearance. Our results have shown that insoluble keratin wound dressing containing casomorphin supports skin wound healing in diabetic mice.
Factors Affecting Surface Plasmon Coupling of Quantum Wells in Nitride-Based LEDs: A Review of the Recent Advances
Authors: Saleem Muhammad Farooq , Peng Yi , Xiao Kai , Yao Huilu , Wang Yukun , Sun Wenhong
Published: April 2021

Surface plasmon (SP)-enhanced quantum-well (QW) LEDs have proved their potential in replacing conventional lighting devices for their high-performance capabilities in ultraviolet (UV), blue and green spectral ranges. The SP-enhanced QW-LEDs have applications in light emission enhancement, light polarization, color conversion, and speed modulation. The electric field of the plasmonic mode of a metal couples with the exciton energy of QWs in resonance results in efficiency enhancement to several folds. The strength of the SP–QW coupling is mainly influenced by the type of metal used for SP enhancement, the metal nanostructure geometry, and the penetration depth of the SP fringing field in the p-GaN. The use of an appropriate dielectric interlayer between the metal and the p-GaN allows further control over SP resonance with QW emission wavelength. The penetration depth defines the p-GaN thickness and the QW period number for effective SP–QW coupling. The optimization of these parameters is key to achieve high efficiencies in SP-enhanced QW-LEDs for various applications. This review explains the SP enhancement mechanism and the key challenges facing the SP enhancement of QW-LEDs. The main factors that affect the SP–QW coupling have been explained in detail based on recent reports devoted to this field.
Giant Magnetoresistance and Magneto-Thermopower in 3D Interconnected NixFe1−x/Cu Multilayered Nanowire Networks
Authors: Marchal Nicolas , da Câmara Santa Clara Gomes Tristan , Abreu Araujo Flavio , Piraux Luc
Published: April 2021

The versatility of the template-assisted electrodeposition technique to fabricate complex three-dimensional networks made of interconnected nanowires allows one to easily stack ferromagnetic and non-magnetic metallic layers along the nanowire axis. This leads to the fabrication of unique multilayered nanowire network films showing giant magnetoresistance effect in the current-perpendicular-to-plane configuration that can be reliably measured along the macroscopic in-plane direction of the films. Moreover, the system also enables reliable measurements of the analogous magneto-thermoelectric properties of the multilayered nanowire networks. Here, three-dimensional interconnected NixFe1−x/Cu multilayered nanowire networks (with 0.60≤x≤0.97) are fabricated and characterized, leading to large magnetoresistance and magneto-thermopower ratios up to 17% and −25% in Ni80Fe20/Cu, respectively. A strong contrast is observed between the amplitudes of magnetoresistance and magneto-thermoelectric effects depending on the Ni content of the NiFe alloys. In particular, for the highest Ni concentrations, a strong increase in the magneto-thermoelectric effect is observed, more than a factor of 7 larger than the magnetoresistive effect for Ni97Fe3/Cu multilayers. This sharp increase is mainly due to an increase in the spin-dependent Seebeck coefficient from −7 µV/K for the Ni60Fe40/Cu and Ni70Fe30/Cu nanowire arrays to −21 µV/K for the Ni97Fe3/Cu nanowire array. The enhancement of the magneto-thermoelectric effect for multilayered nanowire networks based on dilute Ni alloys is promising for obtaining a flexible magnetic switch for thermoelectric generation for potential applications in heat management or logic devices using thermal energy.
High Sensitivity Humidity Detection Based on Functional GO/MWCNTs Hybrid Nano-Materials Coated Titled Fiber Bragg Grating
Authors: Wang Fang , Wang Bowen , Zhang Xuhui , Lu Mengdi , Zhang Yang , Sun Changsen , Peng Wei
Published: April 2021

A high performance humidity sensor using tilted fiber Bragg grating (TFBG) and functional graphene oxide (GO)/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) hybrid nano-materials was proposed. The humidity-sensitive material with three-dimensional (3D) structure was synthesized by the MWCNTs and GOs. Comparing with traditional two dimensional (2D) GOs film, water molecules could be absorbed effectively due to the larger ripples and more holes in GO/MWCNTs layers. The water molecule will fill the entire space in the 3D structure instead of air, which further enhances the absorption efficiency of the hybrid nanomaterial. TFBG as a compact and robust surrounding complex dielectric constant sensing platform was utilized. The mode coupling coefficient or the amplitude of TFBG cladding mode will vary sharply with the imaginary part of permittivity of the hybrid nanomaterial, realizing the high performance RH sensing. In the experiments, we successfully demonstrated that this 3D structural nanomaterial composed by the MWCNTs and GOs has significant advantages for expanding the range of humidity detection (range from 30% to 90%) and enhancing the detection sensitivity (0.377 dB/% RH is twice more than humidity sensor with 2D GO film). The TFBG-based RH sensor also exhibits good repeatability and stability. Our proposed humidity sensor has potential application in environmental and healthy monitoring fields.
Associations of Dietary ω-3, ω-6 Fatty Acids Consumption with Sleep Disorders and Sleep Duration among Adults
Authors: Luo Jia , Ge Honghan , Sun Jing , Hao Kangyu , Yao Wenqin , Zhang Dongfeng
Published: April 2021

The relationship between ω-3 and ω-6 fatty acids consumption and sleep disorders or duration are controversial. Therefore, we used the data of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007–2016 in this cross-sectional study to explore their relationships. ω-3 and ω-6 fatty acids consumption was assessed using two 24 h dietary recall interviews. Sleep disorders and sleep duration were based on self-reported data. Logistic regression models and restricted cubic spline analyses were used. Compared with tertile one, the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of sleep disorders for the second tertile of ω-6 fatty acid intake and the highest tertile of ω-6:ω-3 ratio were 1.30 (1.04–1.62) and 1.36 (1.08–1.70), respectively. Inverse U-shaped and linear dose–response relationships were observed between dietary ω-6 fatty acid intake and ω-6:ω-3 ratio and sleep disorders, respectively. In addition, ω-3 fatty acid consumption was adversely related to sleep disorders in men and the OR (95% CI) was 0.68 (0.49–0.95). Compared with normal sleep duration, ω-3 fatty acid consumption was negatively related to very short, short, and long sleep duration risk. The relative risk ratios (RRRs) were 0.53 (0.35–0.81), 0.79 (0.67–0.93), and 0.81 (068–0.98), respectively. The RRR of very short sleep for ω-6 fatty acid consumption was 0.57 (0.45–0.73). Our study indicates that ω-6 fatty acid consumption and the ω-6:ω-3 ratio are positively associated with the risk of sleep disorders, while the negative association between ω-3 fatty acids and sleep disorders may exist only in men. Furthermore, ω-3 and ω-6 fatty acid consumption are negatively related to the risk of non-normal sleep duration.
Association between Dietary Habits and Fecal Microbiota Composition in Irritable Bowel Syndrome Patients: A Pilot Study
Authors: Altomare Annamaria , Del Chierico Federica , Rocchi Giulia , Emerenziani Sara , Nuglio Chiara , Putignani Lorenza , Angeletti Silvia , Lo Presti Alessandra , Ciccozzi Massimo , Russo Alessandra , Cocca Silvia , Ribolsi Mentore , Muscaritoli Maurizio , Cicala Michele , Guarino Michele Pier Luca
Published: April 2021

Intestinal dysbiosis seems to play a role in the pathophysiology of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The present pilot study aimed to elucidate the association between nutrient intake and Mediterranean diet (MD) adherence with IBS symptoms and gut microbiota in IBS patients. The nutrient intake of 28 IBS patients and 21 controls was assessed through a food diary, the reference intake ranges (RIs) for energy-yielding macronutrients and the MD serving score (MDSS) index. MD adherence and nutrients intake were compared to IBS symptoms and fecal microbiota, obtained by 16S rRNA targeted-metagenomics. In IBS patients MDSS index was altered compared to controls (p < 0.01). IBS patients with low-MD score reported severe abdominal pain and higher flatulence point-scales. Through Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe), Erysipelotrichaceae were detected as a microbial biomarker in IBS patients with altered RIs for macronutrients intake, compared to controls. Lactobacillaceae and Lactobacillus were associated to an altered carbohydrates intake in IBS patients, while specific taxonomic biomarkers, such as Aldercreuzia, Mogibacteriaceae, Rikenellaceae, Parabacteroides and F. prausnitzii were associated with an adequate intake of nutrient in these patients. This study supports an association between dietary patterns and gut microbial biomarkers in IBS patients. Further investigations are needed to clarify these connections.
Effects of the Consumption of Low-Fat Cooked Ham with Reduced Salt Enriched with Antioxidants on the Improvement of Cardiovascular Health: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Victoria-Montesinos Desirée , Arcusa Raúl , García-Muñoz Ana , Pérez-Piñero Silvia , Sánchez-Macarro Maravillas , Avellaneda Antonio , López-Román Francisco
Published: April 2021

The aim of the study was to analyze how cardiovascular risk factors can be modified using nutritionally improved cooked ham enriched with a pool of antioxidants to influence relevant metabolic targets. Sixty-five untreated subjects (49.2% males, 50.8% females, mean age 40.92 ± 9.03 years) with total cholesterol level ≥180 mg/dL or LDL cholesterol ≥130 mg/dL participated in a 8-weeks randomized, double-blind controlled trial. Participant in the intervention group (51.5% males, 48.5% females, mean age 41.6 ± 9.8 years and mean BMI 25.1 ± 3.6 kg/m2) consumed cooked ham enriched with antioxidants (100 g/d) and controls (49.9% males, 53.1% females, mean age 40.2 ± 8.3 years and mean BMI 26.3 ± 3.2 kg/m2) received placebo. At 8 weeks, oxidized LDL decreased significantly between experimental and placebo groups (p < 0.036). Experimental group differences were also significant (p < 0.05). Similar findings in malondialdehyde, total cholesterol, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and interleukin 6 were observed in the intervention group. Significant between-group differences in these variables were also found, except for total cholesterol and interleukin 6. The effects on inflammation and oxidation support the direct action of these antioxidants on the etiopathogenic factors of atheromatous plaque. We also observed an improvement in the lipid profiles among the subjects.
New Acyl Derivatives of 3-Aminofurazanes and Their Antiplasmodial Activities
Authors: Hermann Theresa , Hochegger Patrick , Dolensky Johanna , Seebacher Werner , Saf Robert , Kaiser Marcel , Mäser Pascal , Weis Robert
Published: April 2021

An N-acylated furazan-3-amine of a Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) project has shown activity against different strains of Plasmodium falciparum. Seventeen new derivatives were prepared and tested in vitro for their activities against blood stages of two strains of Plasmodium falciparum. Several structure–activity relationships were revealed. The activity strongly depended on the nature of the acyl moiety. Only benzamides showed promising activity. The substitution pattern of their phenyl ring affected the activity and the cytotoxicity of compounds. In addition, physicochemical parameters were calculated (log P, log D, ligand efficiency) or determined experimentally (permeability) via a PAMPA. The N-(4-(3,4-diethoxyphenyl)-1,2,5-oxadiazol-3-yl)-3-(trifluoromethyl)benzamide possessed good physicochemical properties and showed high antiplasmodial activity against a chloroquine-sensitive strain (IC50(NF54) = 0.019 µM) and even higher antiplasmodial activity against a multiresistant strain (IC50(K1) = 0.007 µM). Compared to the MMV compound, the permeability and the activity against the multiresistant strain were improved.
Nucleoside-Lipid-Based Nanoparticles for Phenazine Delivery: A New Therapeutic Strategy to Disrupt Hsp27-eIF4E Interaction in Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer
Authors: Ziouziou Hajer , Paris Clément , Benizri Sébastien , Le Thi Khanh , Andrieu Claudia , Nguyen Dang Tan , Appavoo Ananda , Taïeb David , Brunel Frédéric , Oueslati Ridha , Siri Olivier , Camplo Michel , Barthélémy Philippe , Rocchi Palma
Published: April 2021

Heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27) has an established role in tumor progression and chemo-resistance of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Hsp27 protects eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) from degradation, thereby maintaining survival during treatment. Phenazine derivative compound #14 was demonstrated to specifically disrupt Hsp27/eIF4E interaction and significantly delay castration-resistant tumor progression in prostate cancer xenografts. In the present work, various strategies of encapsulation of phenazine #14 with either DOTAU (N-[5′-(2′,3′-dioleoyl)uridine]-N′,N′,N′-trimethylammonium tosylate) and DOU-PEG2000 (5′-PEG2000-2′,3′-dioleoyluridine) nucleolipids (NLs) were developed in order to improve its solubilization, biological activity, and bioavailability. We observed that NLs-encapsulated phenazine #14-driven Hsp27-eIF4E interaction disruption increased cytotoxic effects on castration-resistant prostate cancer cell line and inhibited tumor growth in castration-resistant prostate cancer cell xenografted mice compared to phenazine #14 and NLs alone. Phenazine #14 NL encapsulation might represent an interesting nanostrategy for CRPC therapy.
Pharmacist Prescribing for Minor Ailments Service Development: The Experience in Ontario
Authors: Nakhla Nardine , Shiamptanis Anastasia
Published: April 2021

To date, eight of ten Canadian provinces have authorized pharmacists to prescribe for minor ailments. Prompted by a request by the Ontario Minister of Health, draft regulations were submitted to enable this pharmacy service in Ontario. Differences exist in how jurisdictions have approached development and delivery of these programs. This paper will summarize key differences and similarities among existing programs while highlighting the multi-pronged approach utilized by Ontario. Such an approach involved broad stakeholder engagement, implementation science, and an evaluations framework to guide an assessment of the impact of this new service. These insights can be leveraged by other jurisdictions planning to initiate or evolve their minor ailment prescribing services.
Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analyses of AnSnRK2 Gene Family under Osmotic Stress in Ammopiptanthus nanus
Authors: Tang Yueming , Lu Fengzhong , Feng Wenqi , Liu Yuan , Cao Yang , Li Wanchen , Fu Fengling , Yu Haoqiang
Published: April 2021

Sucrose non-fermenting-1 (SNF1)-related protein kinase 2’s (SnRK2s) are plant-specific serine/threonine protein kinases and play crucial roles in the abscisic acid signaling pathway and abiotic stress response. Ammopiptanthus nanus is a relict xerophyte shrub and extremely tolerant of abiotic stresses. Therefore, we performed genome-wide identification of the AnSnRK2 genes and analyzed their expression profiles under osmotic stresses including drought and salinity. A total of 11 AnSnRK2 genes (AnSnRK2.1-AnSnRK2.11) were identified in the A. nanus genome and were divided into three groups according to the phylogenetic tree. The AnSnRK2.6 has seven introns and others have eight introns. All of the AnSnRK2 proteins are highly conserved at the N-terminus and contain similar motif composition. The result of cis-acting element analysis showed that there were abundant hormone- and stress-related cis-elements in the promoter regions of AnSnRK2s. Moreover, the results of quantitative real-time PCR exhibited that the expression of most AnSnRK2s was induced by NaCl and PEG-6000 treatments, but the expression of AnSnRK2.3 and AnSnRK2.6 was inhibited, suggesting that the AnSnRK2s might play key roles in stress tolerance. The study provides insights into understanding the function of AnSnRK2s.
Recent Progress of High Performance Thermosets Based on Norbornene Functional Benzoxazine Resins
Authors: Lu Yin , Yu Xinye , Han Lu , Zhang Kan
Published: April 2021

With the growing demand for high performance polymeric materials in industry, several types of thermosets such as bismaleimides, advanced epoxy resins, cyanate esters, and phenolic resins have been widely investigated to improve the performance of thermosetting products. Among them, benzoxazine resins have received wide attention due to their extraordinarily rich molecular design flexibility, which can customize our needs and adapt increasing requirements. To further improve the properties of polybenzoxiazines, researchers have found that the introduction of a norbornene functional group into the benzoxazine moiety can effectively improve the comprehensive performance of polybenzoxazine thermosets. This article focused on reviewing the recent development of high-performance thermosets based on norbornene functional benzoxazine thermosetting resins.
Preparation, Physical Properties, and Applications of Water-Based Functional Polymer Inks
Authors: Gutiérrez-Fernández Edgar , Cui Jing , Martínez-Tong Daniel E. , Nogales Aurora
Published: April 2021

In this study, water-based functional polymer inks are prepared using different solvent displacement methods, in particular, polymer functional inks based on semiconducting polymer poly(3-hexylthiophene) and the ferroelectric polymer poly(vinylidene fluoride) and its copolymers with trifluoroethylene. The nanoparticles that are included in the inks are prepared by miniemulsion, as well as flash and dialysis nanoprecipitation techniques and we discuss the properties of the inks obtained by each technique. Finally, an example of the functionality of a semiconducting/ferroelectric polymer coating prepared from water-based inks is presented.
New Method to Evaluate the Crosslinking Degree of Resin Finishing Agent with Cellulose Using Kjeldahl Method and Arrhenius Formula
Authors: Lou Jiangfei , Zhang Jinfang , Xu Shengxiang , Wang Dan , Fan Xuerong
Published: April 2021

In anti-wrinkle finishing, the crosslinking degree of fabric is mainly determined by wrinkle recovery angle, stiffness, and viscosity, these indicators can only reflect the finishing effect from a macro perspective, which cannot reflect whether the crosslinking is sufficient, and it is difficult to quantify the crosslinking degree. In this paper, we combined the Kjeldahl method with the Arrhenius formula and proposed a method to analyze the crosslinking degree of dimethyloldihydroxyethyleneurea (two-dimensional (2D) resin) with cotton cellulose during delayed-cure finishing for the first time. The nitrogen content of completed fabrics during storage was measured by the Kjeldahl method, and the reaction rate equation of the 2D resin and cellulose under normal temperature conditions was calculated. The results show that the nitrogen content is more suitable to indicate the crosslinking degree, and the apparent activation energy was 28.271 kJ/mol and the pre-finger factor was 0.622, which indicated that the 2D resin was prone to cross-linking with cotton fabrics during storage. During long-term storage, the relative errors between the calculated and measured values of the nitrogen content were within ±5%, and the accuracy was higher than the traditional evaluation method. The stability of 2D resins during the storage of delayed-curing finishing was also analyzed through this method.
A New Linear Relation for Estimating Surface Broadband Emissivity in Arid Regions Based on FTIR and MODIS Products
Authors: Li Huoqing , Liu Zonghui , Mamtimin Ali , Liu Junjian , Liu Yongqiang , Ju Chenxiang , Zhang Hailiang , Gao Zhibo
Published: April 2021

Broadband emissivity is a crucial parameter for calculating the radiation budget, still, it adopts a constant value in land surface models due to a lack of adequate observations. Arid regions have complex underlying surfaces and estimations of the broadband emissivity in such areas suffer from high spatial variation and uncertainty. Here, we propose a novel method for estimating broadband emissivity in the 8–14 µm range based on Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) observations, moderate resolution imaging spectrometer (MODIS) emissivity, the leaf area index (LAI) and reflectance products. The proposed method exploits FTIR observations, MODIS single-channel emissivity, reflectance and the LAI to fit a linear regression of the broadband emissivity, so the optimal equation includes emissivity, reflectance and the LAI, with an R2 and root-mean-squared error of 0.942 and 0.08. Then we used the proposed method to generate a broadband emissivity map of Northwest of China, the broadband emissivity estimated by the method showed higher variations and finer distribution in arid areas and sparsely vegetated regions compared to data from the global land surface satellite and land model. An analysis of the relationship between the broadband emissivity, land-use type and soil moisture found an existing but not linear relationship, which indicated that the relationship was complicated under the inhomogeneous surface of wetness and vegetation. In conclusion, our results suggest that the proposed method can accurately estimate the broadband emissivity in arid regions. In future research, we will test the data in a land model.
Deep Learning Network Intensification for Preventing Noisy-Labeled Samples for Remote Sensing Classification
Authors: Lin Chuang , Guo Shanxin , Chen Jinsong , Sun Luyi , Zheng Xiaorou , Yang Yan , Xiong Yingfei
Published: April 2021

The deep-learning-network performance depends on the accuracy of the training samples. The training samples are commonly labeled by human visual investigation or inherited from historical land-cover or land-use maps, which usually contain label noise, depending on subjective knowledge and the time of the historical map. Helping the network to distinguish noisy labels during the training process is a prerequisite for applying the model for training across time and locations. This study proposes an antinoise framework, the Weight Loss Network (WLN), to achieve this goal. The WLN contains three main parts: (1) the segmentation subnetwork, which any state-of-the-art segmentation network can replace; (2) the attention subnetwork (λ); and (3) the class-balance coefficient (α). Four types of label noise (an insufficient label, redundant label, missing label and incorrect label) were simulated by dilate and erode processing to test the network’s antinoise ability. The segmentation task was set to extract buildings from the Inria Aerial Image Labeling Dataset, which includes Austin, Chicago, Kitsap County, Western Tyrol and Vienna. The network’s performance was evaluated by comparing it with the original U-Net model by adding noisy training samples with different noise rates and noise levels. The result shows that the proposed antinoise framework (WLN) can maintain high accuracy, while the accuracy of the U-Net model dropped. Specifically, after adding 50% of dilated-label samples at noise level 3, the U-Net model’s accuracy dropped by 12.7% for OA, 20.7% for the Mean Intersection over Union (MIOU) and 13.8% for Kappa scores. By contrast, the accuracy of the WLN dropped by 0.2% for OA, 0.3% for the MIOU and 0.8% for Kappa scores. For eroded-label samples at the same level, the accuracy of the U-Net model dropped by 8.4% for OA, 24.2% for the MIOU and 43.3% for Kappa scores, while the accuracy of the WLN dropped by 4.5% for OA, 4.7% for the MIOU and 0.5% for Kappa scores. This result shows that the antinoise framework proposed in this paper can help current segmentation models to avoid the impact of noisy training labels and has the potential to be trained by a larger remote sensing image set regardless of the inner label error.
Effect of Time of Day and Sky Conditions on Different Vegetation Indices Calculated from Active and Passive Sensors and Images Taken from UAV
Authors: de Souza Romina , Buchhart Claudia , Heil Kurt , Plass Jürgen , Padilla Francisco M. , Schmidhalter Urs
Published: April 2021

Optical sensors have been widely reported to be useful tools to assess biomass, nutrition, and water status in several crops. However, the use of these sensors could be affected by the time of day and sky conditions. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of time of day and sky conditions (sunny versus overcast) on several vegetation indices (VI) calculated from two active sensors (the Crop Circle ACS-470 and Greenseeker RT100), two passive sensors (the hyperspectral bidirectional passive spectrometer and HandySpec Field sensor), and images taken from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The experimental work was conducted in a wheat crop in south-west Germany, with eight nitrogen (N) application treatments. Optical sensor measurements were made throughout the vegetative growth period on different dates in 2019 at 9:00, 14:00, and 16:00 solar time to evaluate the effect of time of day, and on a sunny and overcast day only at 9:00 h to evaluate the influence of sky conditions on different vegetation indices. For most vegetation indices evaluated, there were significant differences between paired time measurements, regardless of the sensor and day of measurement. The smallest differences between measurement times were found between measurements at 14:00 and 16:00 h, and they were observed for the vehicle-carried and the handheld hyperspectral passive sensor being lower than 2% and 4%, respectively, for the indices NIR/Red edge ratio, Red edge inflection point (REIP), and the water index. Differences were lower than 5% for the vehicle-carried active sensors Crop Circle ACS-470 (indices NIR/Red edge and NIR/Red ratios, and NDVI) and Greenseeker RT100 (index NDVI). The most stable indices over measurement times were the NIR/Red edge ratio, water index, and REIP index, regardless of the sensor used. The most considerable differences between measurement times were found for the simple ratios NIR/Red and NIR/Green. For measurements made on a sunny and overcast day, the most stable were the indices NIR/Red edge ratio, water index, and REIP. In practical terms, these results confirm that passive and active sensors could be used to measure on-farm at any time of day from 9:00 to 16:00 h by choosing optimized indices.
Monitoring of Urban Sprawl and Densification Processes in Western Germany in the Light of SDG Indicator 11.3.1 Based on an Automated Retrospective Classification Approach
Authors: Ghazaryan Gohar , Rienow Andreas , Oldenburg Carsten , Thonfeld Frank , Trampnau Birte , Sticksel Sarah , Jürgens Carsten
Published: April 2021

By 2050, two-third of the world’s population will live in cities. In this study, we develop a framework for analyzing urban growth-related imperviousness in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) from the 1980s to date using Landsat data. For the baseline 2017-time step, official geodata was extracted to generate labelled data for ten classes, including three classes representing low, middle, and high level of imperviousness. We used the output of the 2017 classification and information based on radiometric bi-temporal change detection for retrospective classification. Besides spectral bands, we calculated several indices and various temporal composites, which were used as an input for Random Forest classification. The results provide information on three imperviousness classes with accuracies exceeding 75%. According to our results, the imperviousness areas grew continuously from 1985 to 2017, with a high imperviousness area growth of more than 167,000 ha, comprising around 30% increase. The information on the expansion of urban areas was integrated with population dynamics data to estimate the progress towards SDG 11. With the intensity analysis and the integration of population data, the spatial heterogeneity of urban expansion and population growth was analysed, showing that the urban expansion rates considerably excelled population growth rates in some regions in NRW. The study highlights the applicability of earth observation data for accurately quantifying spatio-temporal urban dynamics for sustainable urbanization and targeted planning.
Remote Sensing of Tropical Rainforest Biomass Changes in Hainan Island, China from 2003 to 2018
Authors: Lin Meizhi , Ling Qingping , Pei Huiqing , Song Yanni , Qiu Zixuan , Wang Cai , Liu Tiedong , Gong Wenfeng
Published: April 2021

The largest area of tropical rainforests in China is on Hainan Island, and it is an important part of the world’s tropical rainforests. The structure of the tropical rainforests in Hainan is complex, the biomass density is high, and conducting ground surveys is difficult, costly, and time-consuming. Remote sensing is a good monitoring method for biomass estimation. However, the saturation phenomenon of such data from different satellite sensors results in low forest biomass estimation accuracy in tropical rainforests with high biomass density. Based on environmental information, the biomass of permanent sample plots, and forest age, this study established a tropical rainforest database for Hainan. Forest age and 14 types of environmental information, combined with an enhanced vegetation index (EVI), were introduced to establish a tropical rainforest biomass estimation model for remote sensing that can overcome the saturation phenomenon present when using remote sensing data. The fitting determination coefficient R2 of the model was 0.694. The remote sensing estimate of relative bias was 2.29%, and the relative root mean square error was 35.41%. The tropical rainforest biomass in Hainan Island is mainly distributed in the central mountainous and southern areas. The tropical rainforests in the northern and coastal areas have been severely damaged by tourism and real estate development. Particularly in low-altitude areas, large areas of tropical rainforest have been replaced by economic forests. Furthermore, the tropical rainforest areas in some cities and counties have decreased, affecting the increase in tropical rainforest biomass. On Hainan Island, there were few tropical rainforests in areas with high rainfall. Therefore, afforestation in these areas could maximize the ecological benefits of tropical rainforests. To further strengthen the protection, there is an urgent need to establish a feasible, reliable, and effective tropical rainforest loss assessment system using quantitative scientific methodologies.
Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Heavy Metals in Arid Soils at the Catchment Scale Using Digital Soil Assessment and a Random Forest Model
Authors: Taghizadeh-Mehrjardi Ruhollah , Fathizad Hassan , Ali Hakimzadeh Ardakani Mohammad , Sodaiezadeh Hamid , Kerry Ruth , Heung Brandon , Scholten Thomas
Published: April 2021

Predicting the spatio-temporal distribution of absorbable heavy metals in soil is needed to identify the potential contaminant sources and develop appropriate management plans to control these hazardous pollutants. Therefore, our aim was to develop a model to predict soil adsorbable heavy metals in arid regions of Iran from 1986 to 2016. Soil adsorbable heavy metals were measured in 201 samples from locations selected using the Latin hypercube sampling method in 2016. A random forest (RF) model was used to determine the relationship between a suite of geospatial predictors derived from remote sensing and digital elevation model data with georeferenced measurements of soil absorbable heavy metals. The trained RF model from 2016 was used to reconstruct the spatial distribution of soil absorbable heavy metals at three historical timesteps (1986, 1999, and 2010). Results indicated that the RF model was effective at predicting the distribution of heavy metals with coefficients of determination of 0.53, 0.59, 0.41, 0.45, and 0.60 for Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn, respectively. The predicted maps showed high spatio-temporal variability; for example, there were substantial increases in Pb (the 1.5–2 mg/kg−1 class) where its distribution increased by ~25% from 1988 to 2016—similar trends were observed for the other heavy metals. This study provides insights into the spatio-temporal trends and the potential causes of soil heavy metal contamination to facilitate appropriate planning and management strategies to prevent, control, and reduce the impact of heavy metal contamination in soils.
Disturbance Modelling for Minimum Variance Control in Adaptive Optics Systems Using Wavefront Sensor Sampled-Data
Authors: Coronel María , Carvajal Rodrigo , Escárate Pedro , Agüero Juan C.
Published: April 2021

Modern large telescopes are built based on the effectiveness of adaptive optics systems in mitigating the detrimental effects of wavefront distortions on astronomical images. In astronomical adaptive optics systems, the main sources of wavefront distortions are atmospheric turbulence and mechanical vibrations that are induced by the wind or the instrumentation systems, such as fans and cooling pumps. The mitigation of wavefront distortions is typically attained via a control law that is based on an adequate and accurate model. In this paper, we develop a modelling technique based on continuous-time damped-oscillators and on the Whittle’s likelihood method to estimate the parameters of disturbance models from wavefront sensor time-domain sampled-data. On the other hand, when the model is not accurate, the performance of the minimum variance controller is affected. We show that our modelling and identification techniques not only allow for more accurate estimates, but also for better minimum variance control performance. We illustrate the benefits of our proposal via numerical simulations.
Three-Dimensional Unified Motion Control of a Robotic Standing Wheelchair for Rehabilitation Purposes
Authors: Ortiz Jessica S. , Palacios-Navarro Guillermo , Andaluz Víctor H. , Recalde Luis F.
Published: April 2021

Technological advances in recent years have shown interest in the development of robots in the medical field. The integration of robotic systems in areas of assistance and rehabilitation improves the user’s quality of life. In this context, this article presents a proposal for the unified control of a robotic standing wheelchair. Considering primary and secondary tasks as control objectives, the system performs tasks autonomously and the change of position and orientation can be performed at any time. The development of the control scheme was divided in two parts: (i) kinematic controller to solve the desired motion problem; and (ii) dynamic compensation of the standing wheelchair–human system. The design of the two controllers considers the theory of linear algebra, proposing a low computational cost and an asymptotically stable algorithm, without disturbances. The stability and robustness analysis of the system is performed by analyzing the evolution of the control errors in each sampling period. Finally, real experiments of the performance of the developed controller are performed using a built and instrumented standing wheelchair.
Preliminary Protocol Development of a HPLC-TBARS-EVSC (Ex Vivo Stratum Corneum) Assay for Skin Research: Application in a Sunscreen System
Authors: Sauce Rafael , Pinto Claudinéia Aparecida Sales de Oliveira , Ayala-Jara Carmen , Prieto Zulita Adriana , Velasco Maria Valéria Robles , Baby André Rolim
Published: April 2021

Considering the importance of the cutaneous tissue investigation and the need for the development of new protocols to non-invasively establish the safety and efficacy of dermocosmetics and topical products, we aimed at developing an HPLC-TBARS-EVSC (high performance liquid chromatography–thiobarbituric acid reactive species–ex vivo stratum corneum) assay for the lipid peroxidation measurement on subjects’ stratum corneum (SC) obtained by tape stripping; additionally, we applied the HPLC-TBARS-EVSC assay in an emulsified sunscreen system containing ethylhexyl triazone and bemotrizinol as UV filters. HPLC analysis was performed in isocratic mode with 35% methanol/65% phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) as the mobile phase. The diode detector was set at 532 nm to quantify the malondialdehyde (MDA)-TBA adduct. An ex vivo tape stripping method was applied in 10 volunteers in three pre-defined regions of the volar forearms: the control; the irradiated; and the site containing the sunscreen (2.0 mg·cm−2). Ten adhesive tapes per region were used for SC removal. An exclusive ex vivo protocol to measure SC lipid peroxidation was preliminarily developed with linearity and selectivity. The protocol suggested the use of an artificial irradiation dose (5506 KJ·m−2) to improve the assay response from the SC. The sunscreen system had a significative decrease in SC lipoperoxidative damage compared to the control. Our protocol can aid in the efficacy establishment of anti-UV and antioxidant agents, for instance, in studies that aim at elucidating the level of SC lipid peroxidation and even in carrying out baseline investigations characterizing different ethnicities and genders.
Collective or Individual? What Types of Tourism Reduce Economic Inequality in Peripheral Regions?
Authors: Tucki Andrzej , Pylak Korneliusz
Published: April 2021

Regional inequalities are a major concern for governments and policymakers. There is no doubt that tourism impacts the reduction of inequalities, but this impact is not entirely clear. We consider this ambiguity to be related to both the level of study and type of accommodation. In the present study, we examine the inequality level measured by the Gini coefficient in 108 municipalities of the peripheral region of northeastern Poland from 2009 to 2018. We employ a directional spillover index to measure the impact of two accommodation types on tax incomes per capita. The empirical results indicate that collective accommodation-based tourism only reduced inequality during the financial crisis, while individual accommodation-based tourism started to reduce inequality from 2014, when Russian sanctions hit local agriculture and businesses. These results indicate that the role of accommodation types is time-varying and evident in measuring economic distress during and after shocks.
Strengthening the Role of Academic Institutions and Innovation Brokers in Agri-Food Innovation: Towards Hybridisation in Cross-Border Cooperation
Authors: Knickel Marina , Neuberger Sabine , Klerkx Laurens , Knickel Karlheinz , Brunori Gianluca , Saatkamp Helmut
Published: April 2021

Existing research suggests that regions can develop their long-term competitive advantage through well-functioning interregional innovation cooperation. In this article, we use the example of innovation in small and medium-sized agri-food enterprises (SMEs) to scrutinise and compare regional innovation approaches on each side of the Dutch-German border and explore how they can converge into a cross-border innovation space. Particular attention is paid to the role of academic institutions and innovation brokers in creating a common innovation space. We explore how differences between two cross-border regions can be harnessed to enhance the impact of innovation, and how this may lead to what we describe as hybridisation effects. In the empirical analysis, we apply the concept of hybridisation to a cross-border innovation space, something that, as far as we are aware, has not been done before. We empirically ground the concepts of a cross-border innovation space and hybridisation and illustrate how relative regional strengths can lead to hybridisation effects. We conclude that differences in economic structures, institutional set-ups, visions and identities inherent in cross-border spaces are not only hindrances, but also opportunities, and we highlight the importance of these complementary strengths and the potential for their strategic use by regional innovation actors. Our findings are highly relevant for the further development of the Interreg Europe programme and the implementation of the EU’s Territorial Agenda 2030.
Towards the Development of Sustainable Tourism in Pakistan: A Study of the Role of Tour Operators
Authors: Ullah Zia , Naveed Rana Tahir , Rehman Atta Ur , Ahmad Naveed , Scholz Miklas , Adnan Mohammad , Han Heesup
Published: April 2021

The literature on sustainable tourism is scant, particularly in the least developed countries. Very few studies touch upon the concept and no holistic theoretical or conceptual frameworks around the idea of sustainable tourism have been formulated. This study aims at exploring the role of tour operators in developing sustainable tourism in Pakistan and how the tour operators (TOs) conceive their role in this regard. TOs were reached through phone calls, emails, and virtual sources as face-to-face interviews were not possible due to COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions on travel by the government. In-depth interviews were conducted to gather data. Results suggest that the TOs although realize the importance of social, environmental, and economic dimensions of tourism on the communities but have no management systems in place to cater accordingly. There are no incentives in place by the government facilitate TOs to design and implement such systems. The TOs do not select a destination based on Global Sustainable Tourism Council criterion, but rather the selection of destination is mostly demand-based and profit-oriented. The study suggests that corporate profit motive is the sole criterion for decision making and is one of the major causes impeding sustainable tourism in Pakistan. The role of TOs in developing sustainable tourism is vague as the TOs do not have any systems in place to implement sustainable models. The study recommends that efforts need to be put in place to incentivize sustainable tourism in Pakistan and proper laws should be set forth by the authorities to comply by the TOs. The role of TOs is important and understood, however, there is a need to put proper systems in place.
Explore the World Responsibly: The Antecedents of Ethical Tourism Behaviors in China
Authors: Teng Ying , Ma Zhenzhong , Jing Lei
Published: April 2021

While ethical tourism is becoming more important in the tourist industry, relatively little is known about ethical tourism in China and what motivates Chinese tourists to undertake ethical tourism. This study examines this issue by adopting the planned behavior theory to explore the impact of Chinese tourists’ personal factors, positive social influence, image of destination and quality of services on their behavioral intentions in order to better understand what motivate Chinese tourists to participate ethical tourism. The results show that knowledge of ethical tourism, attitude toward ethical tourism, influences from family and friends, and local environment of the destinations are the key factors that drive Chinese tourists to undertake ethical tourism. In addition, service customization, service support and past experiences with ethical tourism are also important determinants of tourists’ satisfaction with ethical tourism, which further affects Chinese tourists’ intention to visit. Implications for ethical tourism marketing and management are then discussed with reference to how to promote more ethical tourism.