bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
GWAS and Identification of Candidate Genes Associated with Seed Soluble Sugar Content in Vegetable Soybean
Authors: Xu Wenjing , Liu Hui , Li Songsong , Zhang Wei , Wang Qiong , Zhang Hongmei , Liu Xiaoqing , Cui Xiaoyan , Chen Xin , Tang Wei , Li Yanzhe , Zhu Yuelin , Chen Huatao
Published: June 2022

Total soluble sugar (TSS) is an important component in vegetable soybean seeds during the R6 stage and greatly impacts fresh soybean flavor. Increasing the TSS content is thus one of the most important breeding objectives for the creation of high-quality vegetable soybean germplasm. To better understand the genetic basis of the TSS at the R6 stage, we investigated 264 germplasm accessions in two environments. We obtained five associations with 27 significant SNPs using GWAS. The significant SNPs S15_10810881–S15_10843821 and S06_12044239–S06_12048607 were identified in both environments. We then conducted candidate gene analysis and uncovered nine candidate genes as potential regulators of TSS content in vegetable soybean seeds using RT-PCR. These genes may be involved in the regulation of soluble sugar content in soybean seeds. This study provides new knowledge for the understanding of the genetic basis of TSS at the R6 stage and will help improve regulation of TSS in vegetable soybean using molecular breeding.
Characterizing Root Morphological Traits in 65 Genotypes of Foxtail Millet (Setaria italica L.) from Four Different Ecological Regions in China
Authors: Yang Xiaoxia , Tian Qiaoyan , Yan Jiakun , Chen Yinglong
Published: June 2022

As an indispensable grain crop, foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.) is becoming a functional food in China because of its abundant nutrients. However, low rainfall and uneven precipitation limit its growth and production, especially in northwest China. Understanding the root phenotypic characteristics of foxtail millet is critical for utilizing its root characteristics to breed new millet varieties with improved resource-use efficiency and better adaptation to harsh environments. The present study characterized the variability of the root morphological traits at the seedling stage of 65 millet genotypes selected from four ecological regions across seven provinces in China. The plants were assessed after 21 days of growth in the germination pouches, and 48 root and shoot traits were measured. The results showed a large variation among the genotypes in the growth and functional traits. Among the measured traits, root dry mass, maximal root length, root surface area, and root tissue density contributed the most to the principal components. Root surface area ratio and root volume ratio were significantly correlated with root length ratio, respectively, while root length density and root weight density were negatively correlated with root diameter (p < 0.01). Shoot dry mass, root number, root length, root dry mass, and total dry mass were closely correlated with each other. Root length and root surface area in each 5-cm sections decreased from the top to the bottom along the root system. Among the four ecological regions, genotypes from the early maturing area of northwest China had the greatest root length, shoot dry mass, root dry mass, and root density, while those from the early maturing area of northwest China generally had the largest root system, with about 2.2 times more root length and dry weight than those from the early maturing area of northeast China (the shortest root system). The genotypic variability in root traits and correlations among shoot and root traits form a basis for breeding new millet cultivars.
Competition and Niche Differentiation of Water and Nutrients between Broussonetia papyrifera and Platycladus orientalis under Prolonged Drought Stress
Authors: Yao Kai , Wang Yanqing , Wu Yanyou
Published: June 2022

Little is known about the competition between and niche differentiation of water and nutrients between angiosperm and gymnosperm tree species under prolonged drought stress, especially in fragile environments. We imposed 21 d drought and competition treatments on Broussonetia papyrifera and Platycladus orientalis and measured water, N, and P contents, the isotopic composition of N and C, the activity of P assimilation enzymes, and stomatal conductance under solo planting and mixed planting to characterize resource diversity and competition in response to treatments. The N content, δ13C, δ15N, phosphomonoesterase, phosphodiesterase, gs, and foliage water content were significantly affected by the soil water content. The δ15N content in young leaves showed that N competition between these two plants could be alleviated through niche differentiation, but the changes in the PDE: PME ratio for these two plants indicated that they lost the niche differentiation of the P source under drought stress. Additionally, it was observed that foliage water content, WUE, N contents, and N and P sources were significantly affected by interspecific competition, and Broussonetia papyrifera benefited from water competition under moderate drought. Our results indicate that plants have different competition and niche differentiation modes to different nutrients under drought stress, and the effect of interspecific water competition should be seriously considered in mixed forests in semiarid areas.
Investigation of Bacterial Isolations and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Chronic Rhinitis in Cats
Authors: Meepoo Wannisa , Jaroensong Tassanee , Pruksakorn Chantima , Rattanasrisomporn Jatuporn
Published: June 2022

Chronic rhinitis is a quite common upper respiratory tract (URT) disease in cats. As a result of unclear etiology, frequently, multidrug-resistant bacteria are identified. This study investigated bacterial isolations and an antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST) in chronic rhinitis in cats. The medical records of 395 cats with chronic URT signs were reviewed at the Kasetsart University Veterinary Teaching Hospital (KUVTH) between 2016 and 2021 to survey the underlying causes of URT. Then, apart from rhinitis, other causes were excluded to identify the bacterial species and antimicrobial susceptibility. The results indicated that the most frequent finding was neoplasia, followed by rhinitis and anatomical defects. Furthermore, the only significant association was between the age range and disease group, with gender, FIV, or FeLV infection not being significant. Rhinitis was 4.7 times more likely to occur than neoplasia in younger and young adult cats in the age range < 1–3 years compared to the group > 10 years. The main bacterial species was the Pseudomonas species. Antimicrobials with a susceptibility rate of more than 90% were amikacin, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, marbofloxacin, imipenem, and meropenem. In conclusion, rhinitis was the second most common chronic URT disease in cats and was more common in younger and young adult cats. The predominant bacteria with AST in this study reflect the antimicrobial resistance situation. Thus, antimicrobial usage should follow antimicrobial use guidelines first.
Anatomy of the Palmar Region of the Carpus of the Dog
Authors: González-Rellán Sonia , Barreiro Andrés , Cifuentes José Manuel , Fdz-de-Trocóniz Patricia
Published: June 2022

The palmar region of the canine carpus is anatomically complex, and the information found in the literature about its anatomy is inconsistent. The aims of this prospective, descriptive, anatomic study were (1) the clarification and (2) the description of the precise anatomic composition of the palmar region of the canine carpus, with special reference to the canalis carpi. For this study, 92 cadaveric specimens were obtained from 46 dogs that had died for reasons unrelated to this study. Of these, 43 medium-to-large-breed dogs were randomly selected for the dissection of transverse slices of the carpus. Samples of the flexor retinaculum and flexor carpi radialis tendon and surrounding tissues were taken for complementary histology. For additional histology of the palmar structures in their anatomical position, three small breed dogs were randomly selected for obtaining transverse slices. The anatomic characteristics of the components of the palmar region of the canine carpus were qualitatively described, with special attention to the following structures: flexor retinaculum, flexor carpi radialis muscle, arteria and vena mediana, nervus medianus, interflexorius muscle, flexor digitorum profundus muscle, canalis carpi, and arteria and nervus ulnaris. The findings from this study provide reference information about the anatomy of the palmar region of the canine carpus.
The Use of Live Action, Animation, and Computer-Generated Imagery in the Depiction of Non-Human Primates in Film
Authors: Martinez Alexandra , Campera Marco , Nekaris K. A. I.
Published: June 2022

For over 100 years, non-human primates (primates) have been a part of the now hundred-billion-dollar global film industry in a variety of capacities. Their use in the film industry is of concern due to the negative welfare effects on individuals, the potential for increased pet trade, and the conservation impacts of public perception. While the effects on human perception of using live primates in film have been studied, little research has been performed on their appearance in animation and none in computer-generated imagery (CGI). We aimed to investigate how the portrayal of primates varied between depiction medium types and how this related to the films’ performance with critics and in the box office. We observed 151 primates in 101 different English-speaking films that debuted between 2000 and 2019. For each appearance we recorded aspects of primate portrayals based on accuracy, anthropomorphism, environment, and agency displayed, along with the depiction medium. We used structural equation models to depict the highest likelihood of the portrayal aspects on the medium’s relationship to the films gross profit worldwide and film critic consensus scores. We found that over the 20-year time frame, use of live primates has decreased, CGI has increased, and animations have remained relatively steady. While animation had no significant relationship to gross profit or critic consensus, both were significantly lower for films that used live primates and were significantly higher for films that used CGI primates. Due to the steady increase in the use of the CGI medium and its positive relationship with gross profit and critic consensus, it could have great effects on people’s perceptions of primates and implications for conservation efforts.
A Qualitative Study on the Design and Implementation of the National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance in the Philippines
Authors: Lota Maria Margarita M. , Chua Alvin Qijia , Azupardo Karen , Lumangaya Carlo , Reyes Katherine Ann V. , Villanueva Sharon Yvette Angelina M. , Legido-Quigley Helena , Roxas Evalyn A.
Published: June 2022

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global public health threat that warrants urgent attention. Countries developed their national action plans (NAPs) following the launch of the Global Action Plan on AMR in 2015. The development and implementation of NAPs are often complicated due to the multifaceted nature of AMR, and studies analyzing these aspects are lacking. We analyzed the development and implementation of the Philippine NAP on AMR with guidance from an AMR governance framework. We conducted in-depth interviews with 37 participants across the One Health spectrum. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and were analyzed thematically, adopting an interpretative approach. The enabling factors for NAP implementation include (1) a high level of governmental support and involvement of relevant stakeholders, (2) the development of policies to support improved responses in infection prevention and control and antimicrobial stewardship, and (3) better engagement and advocacy by professional associations and civil society groups. The challenges include (1) a lack of resources and regulatory capacity, (2) insufficient impetus for AMR research and surveillance, and (3) limited One Health engagement. Although there has been considerable progress for human health, strengthening the involvement and representation of the animal health and environment sectors in the AMR scene must be undertaken. Developing well-defined roles within policies will be paramount to the strong implementation of AMR strategies.
Characterization of Diarreaghenic Escherichia coli Strains Isolated from Healthy Donors, including a Triple Hybrid Strain
Authors: Méndez-Moreno Evelyn , Caporal-Hernandez Liliana , Mendez-Pfeiffer Pablo A. , Enciso-Martinez Yessica , De la Rosa López Rafael , Valencia Dora , Arenas-Hernández Margarita M. P. , Ballesteros-Monrreal Manuel G. , Barrios-Villa Edwin
Published: June 2022

Escherichia coli is a well-recognized inhabitant of the animal and human gut. Its presence represents an essential component of the microbiome. There are six pathogenic variants of E. coli associated with diarrheal processes, known as pathotypes. These harbor genetic determinants that allow them to be classified as such. In this work, we report the presence of diarrheagenic pathotypes of E. coli strains isolated from healthy donors. Ninety E. coli strains were analyzed, of which forty-six (51%) harbored virulence markers specifics for diarrheagenic pathotypes, including four hybrids (one of them with genetic determinants of three DEC pathotypes). We also identified phylogenetic groups with a higher prevalence of B2 (45.6%) and A (17.8%). In addition, resistance to sulfonamides (100%), and aminoglycosides (100%) was found in 100% of the strains, with a lower prevalence of resistance to cefotaxime (13.3%), ceftriaxone (12.2%), fosfomycin (10%), and meropenem (0%). All analyzed strains were classified as multidrug resistant. Virulence genes were also investigated, which led us to propose three new virotypes. Among the virulence traits observed, the ability to form biofilms stands out, which was superior to that of the E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus strains used as positive controls.
Early Prediction for Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes Using the Genetic Risk Score and Oxidative Stress Score
Authors: Huang Ximei , Han Youngmin , Jang Kyunghye , Kim Minjoo
Published: June 2022

We aimed to use a genetic risk score (GRS) constructed with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes-related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and an oxidative stress score (OSS) to construct an early-prediction model for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes (T2DM) incidence in a Korean population. The study population included 549 prediabetes and T2DM patients and 1036 normal subjects. The GRS was constructed using six prediabetes and T2DM-related SNPs, and the OSS was composed of three recognized oxidative stress biomarkers. Among the nine SNPs, six showed significant associations with the incidence of prediabetes and T2DM. The GRS was profoundly associated with increased prediabetes and T2DM (OR = 1.946) compared with individual SNPs after adjusting for age, sex, and BMI. Each of the three oxidative stress biomarkers was markedly higher in the prediabetes and T2DM group than in the normal group, and the OSS was significantly associated with increased prediabetes and T2DM (OR = 2.270). When BMI was introduced to the model with the OSS and GRS, the area under the ROC curve improved (from 69.3% to 70.5%). We found that the prediction model composed of the OSS, GRS, and BMI showed a significant prediction ability for the incidence of prediabetes and T2DM.
Multi-Target Effects of ß-Caryophyllene and Carnosic Acid at the Crossroads of Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Neurodegeneration: From Oxidative Stress to Microglia-Mediated Neuroinflammation
Authors: Iorio Roberto , Celenza Giuseppe , Petricca Sabrina
Published: June 2022

Inflammation and oxidative stress are interlinked and interdependent processes involved in many chronic diseases, including neurodegeneration, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. Therefore, targeting inflammatory pathways may represent a potential therapeutic strategy. Emerging evidence indicates that many phytochemicals extracted from edible plants have the potential to ameliorate the disease phenotypes. In this scenario, ß-caryophyllene (BCP), a bicyclic sesquiterpene, and carnosic acid (CA), an ortho-diphenolic diterpene, were demonstrated to exhibit anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities, as well as neuroprotective and mitoprotective effects in different in vitro and in vivo models. BCP essentially promotes its effects by acting as a selective agonist and allosteric modulator of cannabinoid type-2 receptor (CB2R). CA is a pro-electrophilic compound that, in response to oxidation, is converted to its electrophilic form. This can interact and activate the Keap1/Nrf2/ARE transcription pathway, triggering the synthesis of endogenous antioxidant “phase 2” enzymes. However, given the nature of its chemical structure, CA also exhibits direct antioxidant effects. BCP and CA can readily cross the BBB and accumulate in brain regions, giving rise to neuroprotective effects by preventing mitochondrial dysfunction and inhibiting activated microglia, substantially through the activation of pro-survival signalling pathways, including regulation of apoptosis and autophagy, and molecular mechanisms related to mitochondrial quality control. Findings from different in vitro/in vivo experimental models of Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease reported the beneficial effects of both compounds, suggesting that their use in treatments may be a promising strategy in the management of neurodegenerative diseases aimed at maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis and ameliorating glia-mediated neuroinflammation.
Assessment of Golden Proportion among Natural Maxillary Anterior Teeth of Global Population: A Systematic Review
Authors: Ahmed Naseer , Abbasi Maria S. , Vohra Fahim , Khalid Shiza , Halim Mohamad Syahrizal , Ab-Ghani Zuryati , Alrabiah Mohammed , Al Ahdal Khold , Alhamdan Mai M. , AlFaraz Yassen , Al-Aali Khulud A. , Abduljabbar Tariq
Published: June 2022

The purpose of this systematic review was to analyze studies, identify the existence of golden proportion between the perceived widths of the maxillary anterior teeth among the different geographical populations, and evaluate the range of dental proportion that exists regionally. An electronic search was conducted using PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, Scopus, Science Direct, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library. The focused question was, “Does golden proportion exist in natural, aesthetically pleasing smiles among different populations around the world?” The search conducted included studies from January 2000 to September 2020, identifying articles in English with the specific combination of MeSH and other related terms. The title search yielded eight hundred and ninety-eight articles, and seventy-five articles were selected for full-text analysis. However, only fifty-two full-text articles were included in the systematic review. The mean predicted dental ratios were either larger or smaller than the successive widths of maxillary natural anterior teeth. Golden proportions were not found consistently among anterior teeth in different populations observed in the systematic review. The golden proportion is still a useful tool for the reconstruction of lost or damaged anterior tooth widths; however, it is not the only standard for restoring esthetic smiles worldwide, and anterior tooth proportions differ among populations based on their geographic, ethnic, and racial background. Moreover, consideration should also be given to an individual’s dentofacial variations in restoring anterior teeth.
Vehicle Detection for Unmanned Systems Based on Multimodal Feature Fusion
Authors: Wang Yuli , Liu Hui , Chen Nan
Published: June 2022

This paper proposes a 3D vehicle-detection algorithm based on multimodal feature fusion to address the problem of low vehicle-detection accuracy in unmanned system environment awareness. The algorithm matches the coordinate relationships between the two sensors and reduces sampling errors by combining the millimeter-wave radar and camera calibration. Statistical filtering is used to remove redundant points from the millimeter-wave radar data to reduce outlier interference; a multimodal feature fusion module is constructed to fuse the point cloud and image information using pixel-by-pixel averaging. Moreover, feature pyramids are added to extract fused high-level feature information, which is used to improve detection accuracy in complex road scenarios. A feature fusion region proposal structure was established to generate region proposals based on the high-level feature information. The vehicle detection results were obtained by matching the detection frames in their vertices after removal of the redundant detection frames using non-maximum suppression. Experimental results from the KITTI dataset show that the proposed method improved the efficiency and accuracy of vehicle detection with the corresponding average of 0.14 s and 84.71%.
Intelligent Measurement of Coal Moisture Based on Microwave Spectrum via Distance-Weighted kNN
Authors: Li Ming , Tian Jun , Wang Yuliang , Zhang Haiyang , Yang Dongping , Lei Meng
Published: June 2022

Realizing the rapid measurement of coal moisture content (MC) is of great significance. However, existing measurement methods are time-consuming and damage the original properties of the samples. To address these concerns, a coal MC intelligent measurement system is designed in this study that integrates microwave spectrum analysis and the distance-weighted k-nearest neighbor (DW-kNN) algorithm to realize rapid and non-destructive measurement of coal MC. Specifically, the measurement system is built using portable microwave analysis equipment, which can efficiently collect the microwave signals of coal. To improve the cleanliness of modeling data, an iterative clipping method based on Mahalanobis distance (MD-ICM) is used to detect and eliminate outliers. Based on multiple microwave frequency bands, various machine learning methods are evaluated, and it is found that coal MC measurement using broad frequency signals of 8.05–12.01 GHz yields the best results. Experiments are also carried out on coals from different regions to examine the regional robustness of the proposed method. The results of on-site testing with 27 additional samples show that the method based on the combination of microwave spectrum analysis and DW-kNN has a potential application prospect in the rapid measurement of coal MC.
A Study of the Fluid–Structure Interaction of the Plaque Circumferential Distribution in the Left Coronary Artery
Authors: Du Yepeng , Zhang Lili , Hou Zhanju , Liu Jian
Published: June 2022

Atherosclerotic plaques within the coronary arteries can prevent blood from flowing to downstream tissues, causing coronary heart disease and a myocardial infarction over time. The degree of stenosis is an important reference point during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, clinically, patients with the same degree of stenosis exhibit different degrees of disease severity. To investigate the connection between this phenomenon and the plaque circumferential distribution, in this paper, four models with different plaque circumferential locations were made based on the CT data. The blood in the coronary arteries was simulated using the fluid–structure interaction method in ANSYS Workbench software. The results showed that the risk of plaque rupture was less affected by the circumferential distribution of plaque, and the distribution of blood in each branch was affected by the circumferential distribution of plaque. Low TAWSS areas were found posterior to the plaque, and the TAWSS < 0.4 Pa area was ranked from highest to lowest in each model species: plaque on the side away from the left circumflex branch, plaque on the side away from the heart; plaque on the side close to the heart; and plaque on the side close to the left circumflex branch. The same trend was also found in the OSI. It was concluded that the circumferential distribution of plaques affects their further development. This finding will be useful for clinical treatment.
Shear Wave Elastography Implementation on a Portable Research Ultrasound System: Initial Results
Authors: Cacko Damian , Lewandowski Marcin
Published: June 2022

Ultrasound shear wave elastography (SWE) has emerged as a promising technique that enables the quantitative estimation of soft tissue stiffness. However, its practical implementation is complicated and presents a number of engineering challenges, including high-energy burst transmission, high-frame rate data acquisition and high computational requirements to process huge datasets. Therefore, to date, SWE has only been available for high-end commercial systems or bulk and expensive research platforms. In this work, we present a low-cost, portable and fully configurable 256-channel research system that is able to implement various SWE techniques. We evaluated its transmit capabilities using various push beam patterns and developed algorithms for the reconstruction of tissue stiffness maps. Three different push beam generation methods were evaluated in both homogeneous and heterogeneous experiments using an industry-standard elastography phantom. The results showed that it is possible to implement the SWE modality using a portable and cost-optimized system without significant image quality losses.
Automatic Transmission Fluids in Electrified Transmissions: Compatibility with Elastomers
Authors: García-Tuero Alejandro , Ramajo Beatriz , Valbuena Guillermo D. , Fernández-González Alfonso , Mendoza Rafael , García Alberto , Hernández Battez Antolin
Published: June 2022

The location of the electric motor (EM) inside the transmission in an electric vehicle requires the compatibility of the automatic transmission fluids (ATFs) with the materials of the EM and the transmission. This work studies the compatibility of four conventional ATFs with three elastomers: fluoroelastomer (FKM), ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM), and vinyl-methyl silicone rubber (silicone). Changes in volume, hardness, tensile strength, and elongation at break of the elastomers after aging in the ATFs were measured, and additional Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric and derivative thermogravimetric (TGA and DTGA) tests were performed. The four ATFs showed high or medium compatibility with FKM and silicone, and low compatibility with EPDM. This low compatibility was related to changes in the composition and crystalline structure of the elastomer. The non-compatibility of the EPDM with the oils from Group III was also proven.
Whole-Body Keypoint and Skeleton Augmented RGB Networks for Video Action Recognition
Authors: Guo Zizhao , Ying Sancong
Published: June 2022

Incorporating multi-modality data is an effective way to improve action recognition performance. Based on this idea, we investigate a new data modality in which Whole-Body Keypoint and Skeleton (WKS) labels are used to capture refined body information. Unlike directly aggregated multi-modality, we leverage distillation to adapt an RGB network to classify action with the feature-extraction ability of the WKS network, which is only fed with RGB clips. Inspired by the success of transformers for vision tasks, we design an architecture that takes advantage of both three-dimensional (3D) convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and the Swin transformer to extract spatiotemporal features, resulting in advanced performance. Furthermore, considering the unequal discrimination among clips of a video, we also present a new method for aggregating the clip-level classification results, further improving the performance. The experimental results demonstrate that our framework achieves advanced accuracy of 93.4% with only RGB input on the UCF-101 dataset.
Research on Foundation Deformation and Structural Stress Variation of Shaft Tower under the Influence of Frost Heave and Thaw Settlement
Authors: Qin Wei , Zhao Wei , Gao Jie , Zhang Hongzhen
Published: June 2022

As the laws of structure deformation and structural stress variation under freezing construction around high-rise buildings are not clear and no engineering experience can be referred to, freezing method construction in this situation is paired with huge safety risks. In this paper, freezing construction was successfully carried out around the main shaft tower in Chensilou Coal Mine by taking the following protective measures: symmetrical drilling, local freezing and hot water circulation. The elevation of the shaft tower foundation is continuously measured during the process of drilling, frost heaving and thaw settlement (hereinafter referred to as the DHS process). Benefiting from these protective measures, the maximum inclination value (−0.406 mm/m) of the shaft tower is controlled at well below the allowable value. The observation data informed the settlement and inclination of the tower foundation during the DHS process. A numerical model of the shaft tower is further established based on the observation data to reveal the tower structure’s law of stress variation during the DHS process. In addition, the fitting equation between the tower inclination value and the structural stress is obtained, which can provide a reference for freezing construction of similar high-rise buildings.
An SQP Algorithm for Structural Topology Optimization Based on Majorization–Minimization Method
Authors: Liao Weilong , Zhang Qiliang , Meng Huanli
Published: June 2022

When applying the sequential quadratic programming (SQP) algorithm to topology optimization, using the quasi-Newton methods or calculating the Hessian matrix directly will result in a considerable amount of calculation, making it computationally infeasible when the number of optimization variables is large. To solve the above problems, this paper creatively proposes a method for calculating the approximate Hessian matrix for structural topology optimization with minimum compliance problems. Then, the second-order Taylor expansion transforms the original problem into a series of separable and easy-to-solve convex quadratic programming (QP) subproblems. Finally, the quadratic programming optimality criteria (QPOC) method and the QP solver of MATLAB are used to solve the subproblems. Compared with other sequential quadratic programming methods, the advantage of the proposed method is that the Hessian matrix is diagonally positive definite and its calculation is simple. Numerical experiments on an MBB beam and cantilever beam verify the feasibility and efficiency of the proposed method.
Wire and Arc Additive Manufacturing of a CoCrFeMoNiV Complex Concentrated Alloy Using Metal-Cored Wire—Process, Properties, and Wear Resistance
Authors: Treutler Kai , Lorenz Swenja , Hamje Jens , Wesling Volker
Published: June 2022

The field of complex concentrated alloys offers a very large number of variations in alloy composition. The achievable range of properties varies greatly within these variants. The experimental determination of the properties is in many cases laborious. In this work, the possibility of using metal-cored wires to produce sufficient large samples for the determination of the properties using arc-based additive manufacturing or in detail wire and arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) is to be demonstrated by giving an example. In the example, a cored wire is used for the production of a CoCrFeNiMo alloy. In addition to the process parameters used for the additive manufacturing, the mechanical properties of the alloy produced in this way are presented and related to the properties of a cast sample with a similar chemical composition. The characterization of the resulting microstructure and wear resistance will complete this work. It will be shown that it is possible to create additively manufactured structures for a microstructure and a property determination by using metal-cored filler wires in arc-based additive manufacturing. In this case, the additively manufactured structure shows an FCC two-phased microstructure, a yield strength of 534 MPa, and a decent wear resistance.
Tooth Shade Relationship with Age, Gender, and Skin Color in a Saudi Population: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Alsayed Hussain , Alaqeely Razan , Almazrouei Nawaf , Alzahrani Mohammed , Alzahrani Faris , Bin Oun Abdulaziz , Alshihri Abdulmonem
Published: June 2022

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between tooth shade among different groups of patients according to their age, gender, and skin color in a Saudi population. Materials and methods: Participants were divided based on age into Group 1 (10–20 years), Group 2 (21–30 years), Group 3 (31–40 years), and Group 4 (41+ years), and according to gender. Tooth shade was measured by Vita easyshade, Shade scanner, 3D Master shade system. The skin color was determined according to the Firzpatrick Scale. It consists of six shades, namely: I, II, III, IV, V, and VI. The skin complexion of the participants was divided into six categories: white/very fair, fair, light brown, moderate brown, dark brown, and black. Results: One hundred and ninety-eight individuals were recruited. Around 70% were males. Females had 25.4% A2 followed by 22% A1, and 22% A3 shade types, while males had B3 shade (18%) followed by A2 and A3 (15.8%). A statistically significant difference was observed between shade and gender (p < 0.05). A statistically significant difference was observed between shade and age group (p < 0.05), where increased age was correlated with darker teeth shades. Shade A1 was correlated with type I skin color in 57.1% of individuals. Skin color type II had A2 as a dominant shade by 34.1%. A2 and A3 shades were equally observed in skin color III by 20.3%. Overall, statistically significant differences were observed between shade and skin color groups (p < 0.05). Conclusions: In conclusion, the most frequent classical shade noted among male and female participants was shade type A, which represents reddish brownish. Group 2 (21–30 years) had the B3 shade as the most prominent shade type among age groups. Gender, age, and skin types all showed a significant relation with the tooth shade.
A Literature Survey on Offline Automatic Algorithm Configuration
Authors: Eryoldaş Yasemin , Durmuşoglu Alptekin
Published: June 2022

Metaheuristic and heuristic methods have many tunable parameters, and choosing their values can increase their ability to deal with hard optimization problems. Automated approaches for finding good parameter settings have attracted significant research and development efforts in the last few years. Because parameter tuning became commonly utilized in industry and research and there is a significant advancement in this area, a comprehensive review is an important requirement. Although there is very wide literature about algorithm configuration problems, a detailed survey analysis has not been conducted yet to the best of our knowledge. In this paper, we will briefly explain the automatic algorithm configuration problem and then survey the automated methods developed to handle this problem. After explaining the logic of these methods, we also argued about their main advantages and disadvantages to help researchers or practitioners select the best possible method for their specific problem. Moreover, some recommendations and possible future directions for this topic are provided as a conclusion.
DETECT-LC: A 3D Deep Learning and Textural Radiomics Computational Model for Lung Cancer Staging and Tumor Phenotyping Based on Computed Tomography Volumes
Authors: Fathalla Karma M. , Youssef Sherin M. , Mohammed Nourhan
Published: June 2022

Lung Cancer is one of the primary causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Timely diagnosis and precise staging are pivotal for treatment planning, and thus can lead to increased survival rates. The application of advanced machine learning techniques helps in effective diagnosis and staging. In this study, a multistage neurobased computational model is proposed, DETECT-LC learning. DETECT-LC handles the challenge of choosing discriminative CT slices for constructing 3D volumes, using Haralick, histogram-based radiomics, and unsupervised clustering. ALT-CNN-DENSE Net architecture is introduced as part of DETECT-LC for voxel-based classification. DETECT-LC offers an automatic threshold-based segmentation approach instead of the manual procedure, to help mitigate this burden for radiologists and clinicians. Also, DETECT-LC presents a slice selection approach and a newly proposed relatively light weight 3D CNN architecture to improve existing studies performance. The proposed pipeline is employed for tumor phenotyping and staging. DETECT-LC performance is assessed through a range of experiments, in which DETECT-LC attains outstanding performance surpassing its counterparts in terms of accuracy, sensitivity, F1-score and Area under Curve (AuC). For histopathology classification, DETECT-LC average performance achieved an improvement of 20% in overall accuracy, 0.19 in sensitivity, 0.16 in F1-Score and 0.16 in AuC over the state of the art. A similar enhancement is reached for staging, where higher overall accuracy, sensitivity and F1-score are attained with differences of 8%, 0.08 and 0.14.
Group Assignments for Project-Based Learning Using Natural Language Processing—A Feasibility Study
Authors: Kim Woori , Yoo Yongseok
Published: June 2022

Group learning is commonly used in a wide range of classes. However, effective methods used to form groups are not thoroughly understood. In this study, we explore a quantitative method for creating project teams based on student knowledge and interests expressed in project proposals. The proposals are encoded to vector representations, ensuring that closely related proposals yield similar vectors. During this step, two widely used natural language processing algorithms are used. The first algorithm is based solely on the frequency of words used in the text, while the other considers context information using a deep neural network. The similarity scores for the proposals generated by the two algorithms are compared with those generated by human evaluators. The proposed method was applied to a group of senior students in a capstone design course in South Korea based on their project proposals on autonomous cars written in Korean. The results indicate that the contextualized encoding scheme produces more human-like text similarity vectors compared to the word frequency-based encoding scheme. This discrepancy is discussed from a context information standpoint in this study.
An Inverse Identification Procedure for the Evaluation of Equivalent Loading Conditions for Simplified Numerical Models in Abaqus
Authors: Pantalé Olivier , Ming Lu
Published: June 2022

In the finite element simulation process, it is very common to use simplified models to replace the original complex models to reduce the computational cost. To improve the accuracy of simulation with simplified numerical models in Abaqus Explicit, we propose an inverse identification procedure to evaluate the equivalent loading conditions to be applied to these simplified models. We construct an objective function to test the correlation between the final deformed shape obtained by simulation on the full models and the simplified models. A Python identification program using the Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm is implemented to optimize this objective function. In parallel to this approach, we propose a data processing step, validated by a dynamic tensile test, to obtain more accurate numerical responses, including data extraction and estimation. Full numerical models for the Taylor test, dynamic tensile test, and dynamic shear test were constructed using Abaqus Explicit FEM code. The complete models were then replaced by simplified models, in which some non-essential parts were removed and some boundary conditions were modified. In order to obtain the same results in terms of the final geometry, the proposed inverse identification procedure is then used to calculate the equivalent impact velocities for the simplified models.
Analytical Solution of Oscillatory Stokes Flow in a Porous Pipe with Spatiotemporally Periodic Suction/Injection
Authors: Manopoulos Christos , Raptis Anastasios , Tsangaris Sokrates
Published: June 2022

The study presents a generalized analytical solution of the laminar, oscillatory, creeping flow of an incompressible Newtonian fluid in a porous circular pipe with spatiotemporally periodic suction/injection at the wall. The analytical solution is examined for a variety of values of the dimensionless parameters, namely the Womersley number and the dimensionless suction/injection number.
Introducing an Open-Source Simulation Model for Track Rollers Considering Friction
Authors: Wenzel Jan , Bienefeld Christoph , Kretschmer Alexander , Kirchner Eckhard
Published: June 2022

Locating bearing track rollers are used, for example, in monorail transport systems to enable relative movement between the rail and the shuttle. Due to the two-point contact, both radial and axial forces can be transmitted simultaneously. Since friction is involved, the state of the art does not provide any calculation rules for the dimensioning and design. The development of a calculation model with sophisticated commercial software brings its difficulties since no plausibility check is possible using existing models. For this reason, a model based on analytical descriptions including the Hertzian and the elastic half space theories is presented in this paper. It bridges the gap between very simple approaches and widely developed commercial software. With this model, the contact forces, friction forces, surface tensions, relative velocities and subsurface stresses can be calculated for both free and driven rolling. The main advantages are that the model is easy to apply, and thus comparisons between different track roller designs can be made quickly.
Synthesis, Identification and Antibacterial Activities of Amino Acid Schiff Base Cu(II) Complexes with Chlorinated Aromatic Moieties
Authors: Otani Nao , Fayeulle Antoine , Nakane Daisuke , Léonard Estelle , Akitsu Takashiro
Published: June 2022

Amino acid Schiff base Cu(II) complexes were synthesized under microwave irradiation using methanol as a solvent, to maximize the best conditions to obtain the attained compounds, containing aromatics possessing no, one or two chlorine atoms. The compounds’ antibacterial activities were tested against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, and the most active were tested for their antioxidant activities, and as E. coli, in particular, was found to be sensitive to these compounds, their interaction with this bacterium was investigated. It was found that, depending on the amino acid used for the formation of the Schiff base ligand, its LogPo/w mono-chlorinated or bis-chlorinated compounds are the most efficient against the tested bacteria.
Evaluation of the Performance of the WRF Model in a Hyper-Arid Environment: A Sensitivity Study
Authors: Abida Rachid , Addad Yacine , Francis Diana , Temimi Marouane , Nelli Narendra , Fonseca Ricardo , Nesterov Oleksandr , Bosc Emmanuel
Published: June 2022

Accurate simulation of boundary layer surface meteorological parameters is essential to achieve good forecasting of weather and atmospheric dispersion. This paper is devoted to a model sensitivity study over a coastal hyper-arid region in the western desert of the United Arab Emirates. This region hosts the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP), making it vital to correctly simulate local weather conditions for emergency response in case of an accidental release. We conducted a series of high-resolution WRF model simulations using different combinations of physical schemes for the months January 2019 and June 2019. The simulated results were verified against in-situ meteorological surface measurements available offshore, nearshore, and inland at 12 stations. Several statistical metrics were calculated to rank the performance of the different simulations and a near-to-optimal set of physics options that enhance the performance of a WRF model over different locations in this region has been selected. Additionally, we found that the WRF model performed better in inland locations compared to offshore or nearshore locations, suggesting the important role of dynamical SSTs in mesoscale models. Moreover, morning periods were better simulated than evening ones. The impact of nudging towards station observations resulted in an overall reduction in model errors by 5–15%, which was more marked at offshore and nearshore locations. The sensitivity to grid cell resolution indicated that a spatial resolution of 1 km led to better performance compared to coarser spatial resolutions, highlighting the advantage of high-resolution simulations in which the mesoscale coastal circulation is better resolved.
Spatiotemporal Variations in the Air Pollutant NO2 in Some Regions of Pakistan, India, China, and Korea, before and after COVID-19, Based on Ozone Monitoring Instrument Data
Authors: Naeem Wardah , Kim Jaemin , Lee Yun Gon
Published: June 2022

In 2020, COVID-19 was proclaimed a pandemic by the World Health Organization, prompting several nations throughout the world to block their borders and impose a countrywide lockdown, halting all major manmade activities and thus leaving a beneficial impact on the natural environment. We investigated the influence of a sudden cessation of human activity on tropospheric NO2 concentrations to understand the resulting changes in emissions, particularly from the power-generating sector, before (2010–2019) and during the pandemic (2020). NO2 was chosen because of its short lifespan in the Earth’s atmosphere. Using daily tropospheric NO2 column concentrations from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument, the geographic and temporal characteristics of tropospheric NO2 column were investigated across 12 regions in India, Pakistan, China, and South Korea (2010–2020). We analyzed weekly, monthly, and annual trends and found that the NO2 concentrations were decreased in 2020 (COVID-19 period) in the locations investigated. Reduced anthropogenic activities, including changes in energy production and a reduction in fossil fuel consumption before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as reduced traffic and industrial activity in 2020, can explain the lower tropospheric NO2 concentrations. The findings of this study provide a better understanding of the process of tropospheric NO2 emissions over four nations before and after the coronavirus pandemic for improving air quality modeling and management approaches.
Information Measures Based on T-Spherical Fuzzy Sets and Their Applications in Decision Making and Pattern Recognition
Authors: Shen Xiaomin , Sakhi Sidra , Ullah Kifayat , Abid Muhammad Nabeel , Jin Yun
Published: June 2022

The T-spherical fuzzy set (TSFS) is a modification of the fuzzy set (FS), intuitionistic fuzzy set (IFS), Pythagorean fuzzy set (PyFS), q-rung orthopair fuzzy set (q-ROFS), and picture fuzzy set (PFS), with three characteristic functions: the membership degree (MD) denoted by S, the nonmembership degree (NMD) denoted by D, and the abstinence degree (AD) denoted by I. It can be used to solve problems of uncertain information with no restrictions. The distance measure (DM) is a tool that sums up the difference between points, while the similarity measure (SM) is a method applied to calculate the similarity between objects within an interval of [0,1]. The current work aims to introduce novel DMs and SMs in the environment of TSFSs to show the limitations of the previously defined DMs and SMs. The suggested DMs and SMs provide more room for all three degrees to be selected without restriction. We investigated the effectiveness of the proposed DMs and SMs by applying a pattern-recognition technique, and we determined their applicability for multicriteria decision making (MCDM) using numerical examples. The newly proposed DMs and SMs are briefly compared to existing DMs and SMs, and appropriate conclusions are drawn.