bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Relationship between Reaction Times and Post-COVID-19 Symptoms Assessed by a Web-Based Visual Detection Task
Authors: Maiorana Natale Vincenzo , Aiello Edoardo Nicolò , Poletti Barbara , Carusi Fabrizio , De Sandi Angelica , Guidetti Matteo , Prandin Roberto , Marceglia Sara , Ticozzi Nicola , Silani Vincenzo , Priori Alberto , Ferrucci Roberta
Published: January 2023

Long-COVID is a clinical condition in which patients affected by SARS-CoV-2 usually report a wide range of physical and cognitive symptoms from 3 to 6 months after the infection recovery. The aim of the current study was to assess the link between self-reported long-COVID symptoms and reaction times (RTs) in a self-administered Visual Detection Task (VDT) in order to identify the predictor symptoms of the slowing in reaction times to determine attention impairment. In total, 362 participants (age (mean ± S.D.: 38.56 ± 13.14); sex (female–male: 73.76–26.24%)) responded to a web-based self-report questionnaire consisting of four sections: demographics, disease-related characteristics, and medical history questions. The final section consisted of a 23 item 5-point Likert-scale questionnaire related to long-term COVID-19 symptoms. After completing the questionnaire, subjects performed a VDT on a tablet screen to assess reaction times (RTs). An exploratory factorial analysis (EFA) was performed on the 23 long-COVID symptom questions, identifying 4 factors (cognition, behavior, physical condition, presence of anosmia and/or ageusia). The most important predictors of RTs were cognition and physical factors. By dissecting the cognitive and physical factors, learning, visual impairment, and headache were the top predictors of subjects’ performance in the VDT. Long-COVID subjects showed higher RTs in the VDT after a considerable time post-disease, suggesting the presence of an attention deficit disorder. Attention impairment due to COVID-19 can be due to the presence of headaches, visual impairments, and the presence of cognitive problems related to the difficulty in learning new activities. The link between the slowing of reaction times and physical and cognitive symptoms post-COVID-19 suggests that attention deficit disorder is caused by a complex interaction between physical and cognitive symptoms. In addition, the study provides evidence that RTs in a VDT represent a reliable measure to detect the presence of long-COVID neurological sequelae.
Forecasting Short-Term Passenger Flow of Subway Stations Based on the Temporal Pattern Attention Mechanism and the Long Short-Term Memory Network
Authors: Wei Lingxiang , Guo Dongjun , Chen Zhilong , Yang Jincheng , Feng Tianliu
Published: January 2023

Rational use of urban underground space (UUS) and public transportation transfer underground can solve urban traffic problems. Accurate short-term prediction of passenger flow can ensure the efficient, safe, and comfortable operation of subway stations. However, complex and nonlinear interdependencies between time steps and time series complicate such predictions. This study considered temporal patterns across multiple time steps and selected relevant information on short-term passenger flow for prediction. A hybrid model based on the temporal pattern attention (TPA) mechanism and the long short-term memory (LSTM) network was developed (i.e., TPA-LSTM) for predicting the future number of passengers in subway stations. The TPA mechanism focuses on the hidden layer output values of different time steps in history and of the current time as well as correlates these output values to improve the accuracy of the model. The card swiping data from the Hangzhou Metro automatic fare collection system in China were used for verification and analysis. This model was compared with a convolutional neural network (CNN), LSTM, and CNN-LSTM. The results showed that the TPA-LSTM outperformed the other models with good applicability and accuracy. This study provides a theoretical basis for the pre-allocation of subway resources to avoid subway station crowding and stampede accidents.
The Concept of a Georeferential Spatial Database of Topographic–Historical Objects (GSDoT-HO): A Case Study of the Cadastral Map of Toruń (Poland)
Authors: Golba Radosław , Pilarska Agnieszka , Czaja Roman
Published: January 2023

In this study, we aimed to further the international discussion on the methodology of applying GIS technology to the editing of large-scale cadastral maps, taking the experience of editing the cadastral map of Toruń from 1910–1915 as an example. We present the concept of building a georeferential spatial database of topographic–historical objects (GSDoT-HO), which includes the stages involved in creating the database, its exemplary structure, and a proposal of good practices in this process, which were developed in the course of previous projects using a geographic information system for Historical Atlases of Polish Towns. Our works included the scanning, calibration, and rectification of a total of 178 sheets of cadastral maps (including 154 sheets of the map of Toruń and 24 sheets of the cadastral map of the then-village of Mokre) at differentiated scales of 1:250, 1:500, 1:1000, and 1:2000. Finally, in the process of vectorization, vector and attribute data were acquired, which made up the final result in the form of GSDoT-HOs. This database was created out of seven information layers with linear or polygon geometries, including the two most important layers, i.e., plots and buildings, which for the then-area of the city of Toruń, contained approximately 5800 and 10,800 vectorised polygon objects, respectively. This article shifts the focus of the discussion of standards in the use of GIS technology to edit Historic Towns Atlases from the development of interactive maps to the construction of a database that should enable comparative studies of urban spaces.
M2ASR-KIRGHIZ: A Free Kirghiz Speech Database and Accompanied Baselines
Authors: Mamtimin Ikram , Du Wenqiang , Hamdulla Askar
Published: January 2023

Deep learning has significantly boosted the performance improvement of automatic speech recognition (ASR) with the cooperation of large amounts of data resources. For minority languages, however, there are almost no large-scale data resources, limiting the development of ASR technologies in these languages. In this paper, we publish a free Kirghiz speech database accompanied by associated language resources. The entire database involves 128 h of speech data from 163 speakers and corresponding transcriptions. To our knowledge, this is the largest Kirghiz speech database that is dedicated to the ASR task and is publicly free so far. In addition, we also provide several baseline systems based on Kaldi and WeNet to demonstrate how these public data resources can be used to facilitate the Kirghiz ASR research. This publication is a part of the M2ASR project, and all the resources can be downloaded at the project webpage.
Generalized Frame for Orthopair Fuzzy Sets: (m,n)-Fuzzy Sets and Their Applications to Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Methods
Authors: Al-shami Tareq M. , Mhemdi Abdelwaheb
Published: January 2023

Orthopairs (pairs of disjoint sets) have points in common with many approaches to managing vaguness/uncertainty such as fuzzy sets, rough sets, soft sets, etc. Indeed, they are successfully employed to address partial knowledge, consensus, and borderline cases. One of the generalized versions of orthopairs is intuitionistic fuzzy sets which is a well-known theory for researchers interested in fuzzy set theory. To extend the area of application of fuzzy set theory and address more empirical situations, the limitation that the grades of membership and non-membership must be calibrated with the same power should be canceled. To this end, we dedicate this manuscript to introducing a generalized frame for orthopair fuzzy sets called “(m,n)-Fuzzy sets”, which will be an efficient tool to deal with issues that require different importances for the degrees of membership and non-membership and cannot be addressed by the fuzzification tools existing in the published literature. We first establish its fundamental set of operations and investigate its abstract properties that can then be transmitted to the various models they are in connection with. Then, to rank (m,n)-Fuzzy sets, we define the functions of score and accuracy, and formulate aggregation operators to be used with (m,n)-Fuzzy sets. Ultimately, we develop the successful technique “aggregation operators” to handle multi-criteria decision-making problems in the environment of (m,n)-Fuzzy sets. The proposed technique has been illustrated and analyzed via a numerical example.
An Evaluation of Open Source Adaptive Learning Solutions
Authors: Oussous Ahmed , Menyani Ismail , Srifi Mehdi , Lahcen Ayoub Ait , Kheraz Smail , Benjelloun Fatima-Zahra
Published: January 2023

The education sector has never been so shaken up as much as this past year. COVID-19 has imposed new rules. Several countries were forced to switch overnight from a traditional educational model to a full eLearning one. Like most other countries, the Moroccan government decided to promote distance learning by implementing several initiatives, though they remained at an embryonic stage. To contribute to the movement of transforming the national educational landscape, we aimed to develop a solution that will leverage the technological advances in this field and influence the ways students learn. This will be possible by providing learners with the latest features enabling online and adaptive learning modes. Hence, the purpose of this first study is to provide an empirical evaluation of the existing open source Ed-tech projects, which will serve as the basis for the development of our global adaptive eLearning solution. Unlike existing work, which is based on literature reviews to compare the existing adaptive eLearning platforms, we have used the OpenBRR assessment methodology as a comparison methodology due to its flexibility and ease of use. This work will help us to understand the concepts of adaptivity in education. It will also describe the most popular open source Maturity Models as well as provide a clear idea about the differences between these Ed-tech open source solutions.
Sinoagetopanorpidae fam. nov., a New Family of Scorpionflies (Insecta, Mecoptera) from the Guadalupian of South China
Authors: Lian Xinneng , Cai Chenyang , Huang Diying
Published: January 2023

Mecoptera was in great abundance in the Permian, but little is known from China. A new family, Sinoagetopanorpidae fam. nov., is described and illustrated from the upper Guadalupian Yinping Formation at Yinping Mountain, Chaohu City, Anhui Province, China. Sinoagetopaorpa permiana Lin, Nel and Huang, 2010 was previously attributed to Permochoristidae and now is revised as the type species of Sinoagetopanorpidae fam. nov. Three genera (two new genera) and ten new species of this new family are described and illustrated: Sinoagetopanorpa permiana Lin, Nel and Huang, 2010, S. nigra sp. nov., S. rotunda sp. nov., S. lini sp. nov., S. minuta sp. nov., S. elegans sp. nov., S. grimaldii sp. nov., S. magna sp. nov., Raragetopanorpa zhangi gen. et sp. nov., Permoagetopanorpa yinpingensis gen. et sp. nov. and P. incompleta sp. nov. Some isolated hind wings are described and illustrated, although it is difficult to assign them to any particular species. As a dominant mecopteran lineage in the Yinping Formation, Sinoagetopanorpidae represents an endemic group that might have independently evolved on the Yangtze Platform.
FESNet: Frequency-Enhanced Saliency Detection Network for Grain Pest Segmentation
Authors: Yu Junwei , Zhai Fupin , Liu Nan , Shen Yi , Pan Quan
Published: January 2023

As insect infestation is the leading factor accounting for nutritive and economic losses in stored grains, it is important to detect the presence and number of insects for the sake of taking proper control measures. Inspired by the human visual attention mechanism, we propose a U-net-like frequency-enhanced saliency (FESNet) detection model, resulting in the pixelwise segmentation of grain pests. The frequency clues, as well as the spatial information, are leveraged to enhance the detection performance of small insects from the cluttered grain background. Firstly, we collect a dedicated dataset, GrainPest, with pixel-level annotation after analyzing the image attributes of the existing salient object detection datasets. Secondly, we design a FESNet with the discrete wavelet transformation (DWT) and the discrete cosine transformation (DCT), both involved in the traditional convolution layers. As current salient object detection models will reduce the spatial information with pooling operations in the sequence of encoding stages, a special branch of the discrete wavelet transformation (DWT) is connected to the higher stages to capture accurate spatial information for saliency detection. Then, we introduce the discrete cosine transform (DCT) into the backbone bottlenecks to enhance the channel attention with low-frequency information. Moreover, we also propose a new receptive field block (NRFB) to enlarge the receptive fields by aggregating three atrous convolution features. Finally, in the phase of decoding, we use the high-frequency information and aggregated features together to restore the saliency map. Extensive experiments and ablation studies on our dataset, GrainPest, and open dataset, Salient Objects in Clutter (SOC), demonstrate that the proposed model performs favorably against the state-of-the-art model.
Preliminary Design Tools for Hydrodynamic Aspects of Submerged Impermeable Breakwaters
Authors: Bar Daniel , Drimer Nitai
Published: January 2023

The boundary element method (BEM) with Lagrangian formulation is a conceptually simple and efficient method for the simulation of nonlinear wave shoaling, with or without impermeable coastal structures, up to the wave breaking. However, in post-breaking flows, the domain is no longer simply connected, and the BEM is not efficient for the generation of a new free surface. Volumes of fluid (VOF) methods are made to track the fluid-free surfaces after breaking, but they are more numerically complex and less efficient relative to the BEM before breaking. This study presents a numerical model, named BELWF—boundary elements Lagrangian wave flume—for the mathematical simulation of two-dimensional wave flumes. The BELWF can simulate the hydrodynamics of wave shoaling over a coast profile, with submerged impermeable coastal structures of any geometry. The developed model is applied to simulate and study Geotube structures. The BELWF is validated by comparisons with OpenFOAM simulations. Both the BELWF and OpenFOAM simulations show that the most critical state, regarding the sliding stability of the Geotube, occurs, typically just before breaking, where the BELWF reasonably assesses the wave loads and the sliding stability. Hence, the BELWF is a valid and efficient method for the preliminary design of impermeable coastal structures. Finally, the BELWF is applied to simulate a practical design example of a complete shoaling process along a sloped shore with a Geotube structure at the shallow water, which develops a plunging breaker. The simulation well captures the critical event considering the sliding stability of the structure.
Dynamic Analysis of Active Heave Compensation System for Marine Winch under the Impact of Irregular Waves
Authors: Xie Tiancai , Huang Liangpei , Xu Jingwei , Guo Yong , Ou Yun
Published: January 2023

The six-degree-of-freedom (6 DOF) motion of the mother ship, especially the heave motion, brings difficulties to offshore operations and even causes safety accidents. To ensure the reliability of the launch and recovery system when the active heave compensation (AHC) function works, its dynamic characteristics are analyzed. Firstly, the dynamic model of the launch and recovery system with a rigid rope is constructed, and the mathematical simulation of the launch and recovery system without the AHC function under the excitation of irregular waves is completed. Secondly, a flexible rope based on the finite element method is established, and the dynamic responses of the launch and recovery system with AHC function under different conditions are compared with those without AHC function. The simulation results demonstrate that the dynamic responses of the system are related to the load, the underwater penetration, and the sea condition. In detail, the increase of the load leads to an increase in the dynamic response of the system. In essence, the underwater penetration affects the dynamic response of the system by affecting the activity of load acceleration. Therefore, a short rope is preferred in the maritime operations. Moreover, the harsh sea condition usually causes an undesirable effect of AHC function. In summary, the overall work is conductive to the modeling of the launch and recovery system, as well as the development of AHC technology so as to improve the quality of offshore operations in the future.
Living by the Symbolic River: Landscape Effects of Post-Industrial Water Narratives of the Susquehanna River
Authors: Marsh Ben
Published: January 2023

This paper examines ways in which human values toward surface water, especially large rivers, are relevant to land-use decisions in the watersheds. The study’s focus is the symbolic riverscape constructed by residents local to the Susquehanna River at the confluence of its branches in central Pennsylvania. The main analytical tool is the cultural landscape, a conceptualization of the ways in which alteration of the physical world is the product of human value systems. The paper traces the symbolic weights apparent in discourses about the Susquehanna River with regard to environmental use and abuse in the watershed, through qualitative analysis of public expressions of meaning and valuation. The conclusions emphasize an evolution of the meaning of the river toward a central role as an integral and intricate part of the human experience on the landscape, rather than its earlier role as one functional part of the economic system. Land-use actions consonant with that new value are now favored. This work is offered to suggest that land system science, which is highly effective in understanding altered natural systems and their consequences, can benefit from a fuller engagement with more-intimate human aspects of landscape such as symbols, meaning, and narrative.
Robust State Estimation for T–S Fuzzy Markov Jump Systems
Authors: Zhang Zhenglei , Wang Jirong , Gao Junwei , Liu Huabo
Published: January 2023

The problem of robust state estimation for a class of uncertain nonlinear systems with Markov jump is investigated. The uncertain nonlinear system under consideration is represented by the Takagi–Sugeno (T–S) fuzzy model because it is difficult to describe. Firstly, different from the traditional T–S fuzzy modeling method, the deviation of the linear system approaching a nonlinear system is considered, which is represented as a model error in system modeling. Secondly, through a robust state estimation method based on the sensitivity penalty, we develop a robust state estimator for linear subsystems, and the fuzzy robust state estimator is obtained by fuzzy rules. Thirdly, the stability and boundedness of the fuzzy robust state estimator are proved under the assumption conditions to ensure the reliability of the obtained estimator. Finally, some numerical examples are given to verify the effectiveness of the fuzzy robust state estimator.
Mechanical Surface Treatment of Titanium Alloy Ti6Al4V Manufactured by Direct Metal Laser Sintering Using Laser Cavitation
Authors: Kuji Chieko , Soyama Hitoshi
Published: January 2023

Additive manufactured (AM) metals are attractive materials for medical implants, as their geometries are directly produced from computer-aided design (CAD)/computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) data. However, the fatigue properties of AM metals are weak compared with bulk metals, which is an obstacle to the practical applications of AM metals. To improve the fatigue properties of AM metals, we developed a mechanical surface treatment using laser cavitation. When we irradiate a pulsed laser to a metallic surface in water, laser ablation is generated, and a bubble that behaves like a cavitation is produced. The bubble is referred to as a “laser cavitation”. In the surface treatment using laser cavitation, we use the plastic deformation caused by the impact force at the bubble collapse and pulsed laser energy that produces local melting at the same time. Thus, the mechanical surface treatment using laser cavitation is a type of surface mechanical alloying. In this study, to demonstrate the improvement in the fatigue properties of AM metals, we treated titanium alloy Ti6Al4V, which was manufactured by direct metal laser sintering (DMLS), with laser cavitation, and we evaluated the surface morphology, roughness, residual stress, hardness, and finally tested it using a torsion fatigue test. Unmelted particles on the DMLS surface, which cause fatigue cracks, were melted and resolidified using laser cavitation, resulting in a reduction of the maximum heights of roughness (Rz) of about 75% and the arithmetical mean roughness (Ra) of about 84% of the non-peened one. Although tensile residual stresses of about 80–180 MPa were generated on the as-built surface, compressive residual stresses of about −80 MPa were introduced by laser cavitation. Furthermore, laser cavitation formed Ti4O5 oxide film, which increased the surface hardness by about 106%. Finally, we performed torsional fatigue tests and revealed that laser cavitation extended the fatigue life from 19,791 cycles to 36,288 cycles at an applied shear stress (τa) at 460 MPa, which is effective in suppressing crack initiation.
Comparative Proteomics and Genome-Wide Druggability Analyses Prioritized Promising Therapeutic Targets against Drug-Resistant Leishmania tropica
Authors: Aiman Sara , Alzahrani A. Khuzaim , Ali Fawad , Abida  , Imran Mohd. , Kamal Mehnaz , Usman Muhammad , Thabet Hamdy Khamees , Li Chunhua , Khan Asifullah
Published: January 2023

Leishmania tropica is a tropical parasite causing cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in humans. Leishmaniasis is a serious public health threat, affecting an estimated 350 million people in 98 countries. The global rise in antileishmanial drug resistance has triggered the need to explore novel therapeutic strategies against this parasite. In the present study, we utilized the recently available multidrug resistant L. tropica strain proteome data repository to identify alternative therapeutic drug targets based on comparative subtractive proteomic and druggability analyses. Additionally, small drug-like compounds were scanned against novel targets based on virtual screening and ADME profiling. The analysis unveiled 496 essential cellular proteins of L. tropica that were nonhomologous to the human proteome set. The druggability analyses prioritized nine parasite-specific druggable proteins essential for the parasite’s basic cellular survival, growth, and virulence. These prioritized proteins were identified to have appropriate binding pockets to anchor small drug-like compounds. Among these, UDPase and PCNA were prioritized as the top-ranked druggable proteins. The pharmacophore-based virtual screening and ADME profiling predicted MolPort-000-730-162 and MolPort-020-232-354 as the top hit drug-like compounds from the Pharmit resource to inhibit L. tropica UDPase and PCNA, respectively. The alternative drug targets and drug-like molecules predicted in the current study lay the groundwork for developing novel antileishmanial therapies.
Synthesis and Antiparasitic Activity of New Trithiolato-Bridged Dinuclear Ruthenium(II)-arene-carbohydrate Conjugates
Authors: Holzer Isabelle , Desiatkina Oksana , Anghel Nicoleta , Johns Serena K. , Boubaker Ghalia , Hemphill Andrew , Furrer Julien , Păunescu Emilia
Published: January 2023

Eight novel carbohydrate-tethered trithiolato dinuclear ruthenium(II)-arene complexes were synthesized using CuAAC ‘click’ (Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition) reactions, and there in vitro activity against transgenic T. gondii tachyzoites constitutively expressing β-galactosidase (T. gondii β-gal) and in non-infected human foreskin fibroblasts, HFF, was determined at 0.1 and 1 µM. When evaluated at 1 µM, seven diruthenium-carbohydrate conjugates strongly impaired parasite proliferation by >90%, while HFF viability was retained at 50% or more, and they were further subjected to the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) measurement on T. gondii β-gal. Results revealed that the biological activity of the hybrids was influenced both by the nature of the carbohydrate (glucose vs. galactose) appended on ruthenium complex and the type/length of the linker between the two units. 23 and 26, two galactose-based diruthenium conjugates, exhibited low IC50 values and reduced effect on HFF viability when applied at 2.5 µM (23: IC50 = 0.032 µM/HFF viability 92% and 26: IC50 = 0.153 µM/HFF viability 97%). Remarkably, compounds 23 and 26 performed significantly better than the corresponding carbohydrate non-modified diruthenium complexes, showing that this type of conjugates are a promising approach for obtaining new antiparasitic compounds with reduced toxicity.
Hydroponic Ginseng ROOT Mediated with CMC Polymer-Coated Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles for Cellular Apoptosis via Downregulation of BCL-2 Gene Expression in A549 Lung Cancer Cell Line
Authors: Jin Yinping , Rupa Esrat Jahan , Nahar Jinnatun , Ling Li , Puja Aditi Mitra , Akter Reshmi , Yang Deok Chun , Kang Se Chan , Zhang Hao
Published: January 2023

The unique and tailorable physicochemical features of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) synthesized from green sources make them attractive for use in cancer treatment. Hydroponic-cultured ginseng-root-synthesized ZnO-NPs (HGRCm-ZnO NPs) were coated with O-carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC) polymer, which stabilized and enhanced the biological efficacy of the nanoparticles. Nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The flower-shaped nanoparticles were crystalline in nature with a particle size of 28 nm. To evaluate if these NPs had anti-lung cancer activity, analysis was performed on a human lung carcinoma cell line (A549). HGRCm-ZnO nanoparticles showed less toxicity to normal keratinocytes (HaCaTs), at concentrations up to 20 µg/mL, than A549 cancer cells. Additionally, these NPs showed dose-dependent colony formation and cell migration inhibition ability, which makes them more promising for lung cancer treatment. Additionally, Hoechst and propidium iodide dye staining also confirmed that the NP formulation had apoptotic activity in cancer cells. Further, to evaluate the mechanism of cancer cell death via checking the gene expression, HGRCm ZnO NPs upregulated the BAX and Caspase 3 and 9 expression levels but downregulated Bcl-2 expression, indicating that the nanoformulation induced mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis. Moreover, these preliminary results suggest that HGRCm ZnO NPs can be a potential candidate for future lung cancer treatment.
Controlled Assembly of Fluorophores inside a Nanoliposome
Authors: Konishi Hiroaki , Nakata Eiji , Komatsubara Futa , Morii Takashi
Published: January 2023

Cellular compartmentalization plays an essential role in organizing the complex and multiple biochemical reactions in the cell. An artificial compartment would provide powerful strategies to develop new biochemical tools for material production and diagnosis, but it is still a great challenge to synthesize the compartments that encapsulate materials of interest while controlling their accurate locations, numbers, and stoichiometry. In this study, we evaluated chemical characteristics of a liposome-encapsulated compartment, which has great potential to locate various materials of interest with precise control of their locations and numbers in the compartment. A nanoliposome was constructed inside a ring-shaped DNA origami skeleton according to the method of Yang et al., and further equipped with a double-stranded DNA platform to assemble molecules of interest in the nanoliposome. Upon formation of the nanoliposome, a pH-sensitive fluorophore on the bridged platform showed little or no response to the pH change of the outer buffer, ensuring that the molecules assembled on the platform are effectively shielded from the outer environment. The ring-shaped DNA skeleton equipped with a double-stranded DNA platform allows spatial assembly of several functional molecules inside the nanoliposome to isolate them from the outer environment.
Direct Regioselective C-H Cyanation of Purines
Authors: Li Luyong , Hu Jie , Fu Yuqing , Shi Xiaolin , Du Hongguang , Xu Jiaxi , Chen Ning
Published: January 2023

A direct regioselective C-H cyanation of purines was developed through a sequential triflic anhydride activation, nucleophilic cyanation with TMSCN, followed by a process of base-mediated elimination of triflous acid (CF3SO2H). In most cases, the direct C-H cyanation occurred on the electron-rich imidazole motif of purines, affording 8-cyanated purine derivatives in moderate to excellent yields. Various functional groups, including allyl, alkynyl, ketone, ester, nitro et al. were tolerated and acted as a C8 directing group. The electron-donating 6-diethylamino, as C2-directing group substituent, can switch the regioselectivity of purine from 8- to 2-position, enabling the synthesis of 8- and 2-cyano 6-dialkylaminopurines from corresponding 6-chloropurine in different reaction order. Further functional manipulations of the cyano group allow the conversions of 8-cyanopurines to corresponding purine amides, imidates, imidothioates, imidamides, oxazolines, and isothiazoles.
Detection of Vegetable Oil Adulteration in Pre-Grated Bovine Hard Cheeses via 1H NMR Spectroscopy
Authors: Ray Colleen L. , Gawenis James A. , Bylo Madison P. , Pescaglia Jonny , Greenlief C. Michael
Published: January 2023

Adulteration of food products is a widespread problem of great concern to society and dairy products are no exception to this. Due to new methods of adulteration being devised in order to circumvent existing detection methods, new detection methods must be developed to counter fraud. Bovine hard cheeses such as Asiago, Parmesan, and Romano are widely sold and consumed in pre-grated form for convenience. Due to being processed products, there is ample opportunity for the introduction of inexpensive adulterants and as such, there is concern regarding the authenticity of these products. An analytical method was developed using a simple organic extraction to verify the authenticity of bovine hard cheese products by examining the lipid profile of these cheeses via proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. In this study, 52 samples of pre-grated hard cheese were analyzed as a market survey and a significant number of these samples were found to be adulterated with vegetable oils. This method is well suited to high throughput analysis of these products and relies on ratiometrics of the lipids in the samples themselves. Genuine cheeses were found to have a very consistent lipid profile from sample to sample, improving the power of this approach to detect vegetable oil adulteration. The method is purely ratiometric with no need for internal or external references, reducing sample preparation time and reducing the potential for the introduction of error.
Reduced Graphene Oxide-Zinc Sulfide Nanocomposite Decorated with Silver Nanoparticles for Wastewater Treatment by Adsorption, Photocatalysis and Antimicrobial Action
Authors: Naeem Hina , Tofil Hafiz Muhammad , Soliman Mohamed , Hai Abdul , Zaidi Syeda Huma H. , Kizilbash Nadeem , Alruwaili Daliyah , Ajmal Muhammad , Siddiq Muhammad
Published: January 2023

Reduced graphene oxide nanosheets decorated with ZnS and ZnS-Ag nanoparticles are successfully prepared via a facile one-step chemical approach consisting of reducing the metal precursors on a rGO surface. Prepared rGO-ZnS nanocomposite is employed as an adsorbent material against two model dyes: malachite green (MG) and ethyl violet (EV). The adsorptive behavior of the nanocomposite was tuned by monitoring some parameters, such as the time of contact between the dye and the adsorbent, and the adsorbent dose. Experimental data were also simulated with kinetic models to evaluate the adsorption behavior, and the results confirmed that the adsorption of both dyes followed a pseudo 2nd order kinetic mode. Moreover, the adsorbent was also regenerated in a suitable media for both dyes (HCl for MG and ethanol for EV), without any significant loss in removal efficiency. Ag doped rGO-ZnS nanocomposite was also utilized as a photocatalyst for the degradation of the selected organic contaminant, resorcinol. The complete degradation of the phenolic compound was achieved after 60 min with 200 mg of rGO-ZnS-Ag nanocomposite under natural sunlight irradiation. The photocatalytic activity was studied considering some parameters, such as the initial phenol concentration, the photocatalyst loading, and the pH of the solution. The degradation kinetics of resorcinol was carefully studied and found to follow a linear Langmuir–Hinshelwood model. An additional advantage of rGO-ZnS and rGO-ZnS-Ag nanocomposites was antibacterial activity against Gram-negative bacterium, E. coli, and the results confirmed the significant performance of the nanocomposites in destroying harmful pathogens.
The Cardioprotective Effect of Corosolic Acid in the Diabetic Rats: A Possible Mechanism of the PPAR-γ Pathway
Authors: Alkholifi Faisal K. , Devi Sushma , Yusufoglu Hasan S. , Alam Aftab
Published: January 2023

The study was conducted to determine whether corosolic acid could protect the myocardium of diabetic rats from damage caused by isoproterenol (ISO) and, if so, how peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) activation might contribute into this protection. Diabetes in the rats was induced by streptozotocin (STZ), and it was divided into four groups: the diabetic control group, diabetic rats treated with corosolic acid, diabetic rats treated with GW9662, and diabetic rats treated with corosolic acid plus GW9662. The study was carried out for 28 days. The diabetic control and ISO control groups showed a decrease in mean arterial pressure (MAP) and diastolic arterial pressure (DAP) and an increase in systolic arterial pressure (SAP). The rat myocardium was activated by corosolic acid treatment, which elevated PPAR-γ expression. A histopathological analysis showed a significant reduction in myocardial damage by reducing myonecrosis and edema. It was found that myocardial levels of CK-MB and LDH levels were significantly increased after treatment with corosolic acid. By decreasing lipid peroxidation and increasing endogenous antioxidant levels, corosolic acid therapy showed a significant improvement over the ISO diabetic group. In conclusion, our results prove that corosolic acid can ameliorate ISO-induced acute myocardial injury in rats. Based on these results, corosolic acid seems to be a viable new target for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and other diseases of a similar nature.
Wheat Omics: Advancements and Opportunities
Authors: Sehgal Deepmala , Dhakate Priyanka , Ambreen Heena , Shaik Khasim Hussain Baji , Rathan Nagenahalli Dharmegowda , Anusha Nayanahalli Munireddy , Deshmukh Rupesh , Vikram Prashant
Published: January 2023

Plant omics, which includes genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics and proteomics, has played a remarkable role in the discovery of new genes and biomolecules that can be deployed for crop improvement. In wheat, great insights have been gleaned from the utilization of diverse omics approaches for both qualitative and quantitative traits. Especially, a combination of omics approaches has led to significant advances in gene discovery and pathway investigations and in deciphering the essential components of stress responses and yields. Recently, a Wheat Omics database has been developed for wheat which could be used by scientists for further accelerating functional genomics studies. In this review, we have discussed various omics technologies and platforms that have been used in wheat to enhance the understanding of the stress biology of the crop and the molecular mechanisms underlying stress tolerance.
Review of Bacterial Nanocellulose as Suitable Substrate for Conformable and Flexible Organic Light-Emitting Diodes
Authors: Faraco Thales Alves , Fontes Marina de Lima , Paschoalin Rafaella Takehara , Claro Amanda Maria , Gonçalves Isabella Salgado , Cavicchioli Mauricio , Farias Renan Lira de , Cremona Marco , Ribeiro Sidney José Lima , Barud Hernane da Silva , Legnani Cristiano
Published: January 2023

As the development of nanotechnology progresses, organic electronics have gained momentum in recent years, and the production and rapid development of electronic devices based on organic semiconductors, such as organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), organic photovoltaic cells (OPVs), and organic field effect transistors (OFETs), among others, have excelled. Their uses extend to the fabrication of intelligent screens for televisions and portable devices, due to their flexibility and versatility. Lately, great efforts have been reported in the literature to use them in the biomedical field, such as in photodynamic therapy. In tandem, there has been considerable interest in the design of advanced materials originating from natural sources. Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) is a natural polymer synthesized by many microorganisms, notably by non-pathogenic strains of Komagataeibacter (K. xylinus, K. hansenii, and K. rhaeticus). BNC shows distinct physical and mechanical properties, including its insolubility, rapid biodegradability, tensile strength, elasticity, durability, and nontoxic and nonallergenic features, which make BNC ideal for many areas, including active and intelligent food packaging, sensors, water remediation, drug delivery, wound healing, and as conformable/flexible substrates for application in organic electronics. Here, we review BNC production methods, properties, and applications, focusing on electronic devices, especially OLEDs and flexible OLEDs (FOLEDs). Furthermore, we discuss the future progress of BNC-based flexible substrate nanocomposites.
Dynamic Optimal Decision Making of Innovative Products’ Remanufacturing Supply Chain
Authors: Liu Lang , Liu Zhenwei , Pu Yutao , Wang Nan
Published: January 2023

In order to realize the recyclability of innovative product resources, we explored the optimal dynamic path of each decision variable in the remanufacturing supply chain and analyzed the impact of each decision variable on supply chain performance. Based on the Bass innovation diffusion model, we established a remanufacturing supply chain model in which a single manufacturer leads and a single retailer follows, and the retailer is responsible for recycling. The optimal wholesale price, retail price, and recovery effort path were obtained through optimal control theory. We also discussed the influence of different innovation coefficients and imitation coefficients on the overall long-term profit of each member in the supply chain, and at the same time, found the optimal market share of the product. The research results show that the larger the market innovation coefficient and the imitation coefficient are, the larger the overall long-term profit of the manufacturer and the greater the market share of the product, while the overall long-term profit of the retailer and the entire supply chain will increase first and then decrease; when the innovation coefficient and imitation coefficient are above a certain level, retailers will not enter the market. In a market with a small innovation coefficient and a large imitation coefficient, the overall long-term profits of retailers and supply chains will be higher. This study provides a theoretical basis for the decision making of the remanufacturing supply chain of innovative products in a dynamic environment, and also provides guidance for the practice of nodal enterprises in the supply chain.
Development and Validation of an Artificial Neural-Network-Based Optical Density Soft Sensor for a High-Throughput Fermentation System
Authors: Medl Matthias , Rajamanickam Vignesh , Striedner Gerald , Newton Joseph
Published: January 2023

Optical density (OD) is a critical process parameter during fermentation, this being directly related to cell density, which provides valuable information regarding the state of the process. However, to measure OD, sampling of the fermentation broth is required. This is particularly challenging for high-throughput-microbioreactor (HT-MBR) systems, which require robotic liquid-handling (LiHa) systems for process control tasks, such as pH regulation or carbon feed additions. Bioreactor volume is limited and automated at-line sampling occupies the resources of LiHa systems; this affects their ability to carry out the aforementioned pipetting operations. Minimizing the number of physical OD measurements is therefore of significant interest. However, fewer measurements also result in less process information. This resource conflict has previously represented a challenge. We present an artificial neural-network-based soft sensor developed for the real-time estimation of the OD in an MBR system. This sensor was able to estimate the OD to a high degree of accuracy (>95%), even without informative process variables stemming from, e.g., off-gas analysis only available at larger scales. Furthermore, we investigated and demonstrated scaling of the soft sensor’s generalization capabilities with the data from different antibody fragments expressing Escherichia coli strains. This study contributes to accelerated biopharmaceutical process development.
Enhancing Visible-Light Photodegradation of TC-HCl by Doping Phosphorus into Self-Sensitized Carbon Nitride Microspheres
Authors: Chen Xiangyu , Yang Xiuru , Wu Jianhao , Chen Zhi , Li Lan , Gao Jingyang , Chen Jinchao , Hu Jinglei , Li Chunyan , Wang Wen
Published: January 2023

SSCN is a new type of self-sensitive photocatalyst. It consists of oxygenated carbon nitride-containing microspheres inside and polymerized triazine dye (TBO) formed on its surface by in situ polymerization. The presence of TBO endows SSCN with a wide range of optical responses. However, the TBO would self-degrade under light, making SSCN extremely unstable in photocatalytic reactions and limiting the practical application of SSCN. The introduction of phosphorus into the structure of SSCN significantly improved the electron–hole separation efficiency and reduced the self-degradation of surface TBO. Phosphorus-doped self-sensitive carbon nitride microspheres (P-SSCN) are easily synthesized by a one-pot solvothermal method—the phosphorus source was added to the precursor solution of SSCN. This resulting material was used for the photodegradation of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC-HCl) for the first time, giving improved visible light sensitivity and high stability in the photocatalytic process. This provides a new method for modifying self-sensitive carbon nitride carbon.
A New Method of Tractor Engine State Identification Based on Vibration Characteristics
Authors: Li Jingyao , Li Xiaoqin , Li Yadong , Zhang Yuxiangmeng , Yang Xiangkui , Xu Pengxiang
Published: January 2023

Based on signal decomposition, a tractor engine state recognition method is proposed to explore the degree of information recognition of vibration signals at measurement points at different distances from the engine and the degree of correlation in different directions. The accuracy of engine operating state information recognition was obtained by analyzing the vibration signals of the tractor at different measurement points. The main contents are as follows: Based on variational mode decomposition (VMD), the modal component, which includes the state information, was obtained by measuring the vibration signal of the tractor at each measurement point under different driving conditions, and the exogenous excitation of the tractor under different road conditions was simulated by changing the tire pressure. Then, the state characteristics of the modal component were quantified based on permutation entropy (PE), and the correlation coefficient was used as the evaluation index to select the entropy of the optimal modal component as the feature vector. Finally, a support vector machine and random forest classification models were trained with 4800 feature vectors under 25 working conditions, and the remaining 900 feature vectors were used to verify the classification results. Compared with the results of empirical mode decomposition (EMD), the superiority of this method was proved. A comparative study with backpropagation demonstrated the superiority of the support vector machine and random forest identification method using a small sample size. The results indicate the following: (1) the accuracy of engine condition recognition, which was measured by longitudinal vibration signals, was better than that of vertical vibration signals at different measurement points; and (2) the closer the vibration transmission distance between the measurement point and the engine, the higher the recognition accuracy of the measured signals. This study provides a reference for the condition identification of agricultural machinery in complex working environments and lays a foundation for the fault diagnosis of agricultural machinery under working conditions.
Between Public Justification and Civil Religion: Shared Values in a Divided Time
Authors: Morrow Eric V. , Kabala Boleslaw Zbigniew , Hartness Christine Dalton
Published: January 2023

Civil religion as formulated in Robert Bellah’s seminal 1967 article, recalling Rousseau’s Social Contract, has recently been proposed to build shared values and bridge deep partisan divides. A competing approach to shared values, based on public reason, relies on overlapping consensus in the works of John Rawls. In this paper, we present an in-between strategy that recognizes the insuperable empirical and normative problems of civil religion while using university civic engagement programs to bring about a public square in which religious reasons are found alongside neutral ones, ultimately for the sake of public justification. Having documented recent polarization trends, we consider the last major attempt to defend civil religion from the perspective of democratic solidarity, Phil Gorski’s American Covenant, but believe it falls short: based on sociological work and Augustinian insights, we show the risk of domination that Gorski’s strategy still entails, not least because of the definitional indeterminacy of civil religion and its overlap with religious nationalism. Paradoxically, a late Rawlsian approach that allows for the initial use of religious reasons, with a generosity proviso of necessary translation into public reason at some point, can lead to a public square with more religious arguments than one theorized explicitly from the perspective of civil religion. This is especially important because, given the discussed polarization trends, universities have taken on an increasingly important civic engagement role even as some still rely on a civil religion approach. We insist on public justification in university civic engagement, and for the sake of doing so take as a starting point Ben Berger’s work in favoring civil engagement, which we define as combining moral, political, and social rather than exclusively political commitments. In proposing a novel university shared values mechanism, intended to expose learners to a maximum diversity of opinions and lived experiences, we offer a fresh approach to building trust in cohorts that increases the likelihood of true dialogue across difference.