bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Repurposing α-Adrenoreceptor Blockers as Promising Anti-Virulence Agents in Gram-Negative Bacteria
Authors: Almalki Ahmad J. , Ibrahim Tarek S. , Elhady Sameh S. , Darwish Khaled M. , Hegazy Wael A. H.
Published: January 2022

Antimicrobial resistance is among the world’s most urgent public health problems. Diminishing of the virulence of bacteria is a promising approach to decrease the development of bacterial resistance. Quorum sensing (QS) systems orchestrate the bacterial virulence in inducer–receptors manner. Bacteria can spy on the cells of the host by sensing adrenergic hormones and other neurotransmitters, and in turn, these neurotransmitters can induce bacterial pathogenesis. In this direction, α-adrenergic blockers were proposed as an anti-virulence agents through inhibiting the bacterial espionage. The current study aimed to explore the α-blockers’ anti-QS activities. Within comprehensive in silico investigation, the binding affinities of seven α-adrenoreceptor blockers were evaluated towards structurally different QS receptors. From the best docked α-blockers into QS receptors, terazosin was nominated to be subjected for further in vivo and in vitro anti-QS and anti-virulence activities against Chromobacterium violaceum and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Terazosin showed a significant ability to diminish the QS-controlled pigment production in C. violaceum. Moreover, Terazosin decreased the P. aeruginosa biofilm formation and down-regulated its QS-encoding genes. Terazosin protected mice from the P. aeruginosa pathogenesis. In conclusion, α-adrenergic blockers are proposed as promising anti-virulence agents as they hinder QS receptors and inhibit bacterial espionage.
Genomic Changes within a Subset of IncI2 Plasmids Associated with Dissemination of mcr-1 Genes and Other Important Antimicrobial Resistance Determinants
Authors: Ricker Nicole , Chalmers Gabhan , Whalen Elli , Allen Heather , Meinersmann Richard
Published: January 2022

IncI2 plasmids appear to have only recently become associated with resistance genes; however, their tendency to carry resistance to the antibiotics of last resort and their widespread distribution increase their relative importance. In this study, we describe lineages within this plasmid family that have an increased likelihood of acquisition of antimicrobial resistance genes. Globally distributed mcr-1-carrying IncI2 plasmids were found to cluster with other IncI2 plasmids carrying extended-spectrum beta-lactamase genes, and separately from the non-resistant IncI2 plasmids. In addition, insertion sequence (IS) elements with no direct association with the acquired resistance genes also clustered with the resistance plasmids in the phylogenetic tree. In recognition of the biased sequencing of resistant plasmids globally, the analysis was also performed on resistant and non-resistant IncI2 plasmids sequenced in the USA through government surveillance efforts that do not rely on antibiotic selection. This analysis confirmed a distinct clustering associated with both resistance and mobile elements and identified possible genomic changes in core genes that correlate with increased acquisition of foreign DNA. This work highlights a potential genetic mechanism for increased uptake of foreign DNA within this prevalent family of plasmids.
Effects of Ferroptosis on the Metabolome in Cardiac Cells: The Role of Glutaminolysis
Authors: Rodríguez-Graciani Keishla M. , Chapa-Dubocq Xavier R. , Ayala-Arroyo Esteban J. , Chaves-Negrón Ivana , Jang Sehwan , Chorna Nataliya , S. Maskrey Taber , Wipf Peter , Javadov Sabzali
Published: January 2022

Ferroptosis is a novel iron-dependent regulated cell death mechanism that affects cell metabolism; however, a detailed metabolomic analysis of ferroptotic cells is not yet available. Here, we elucidated the metabolome of H9c2 cardioblasts by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry during ferroptosis induced by RSL3, a GPX4 inhibitor, in the presence of ferrostatin-1 (a ferroptosis inhibitor), XJB-5-131 (a mitochondrial-targeted ROS scavenger), or TSM-1005-44 (a newly developed cellular ROS scavenger). Results demonstrated that RSL3 decreased the levels of amino acids involved in glutathione synthesis more than two-fold. In contrast, saturated fatty acids levels were markedly increased in RSL3-challenged cells, with no effects on unsaturated fatty acids. RSL3 significantly altered the levels of mitochondrial tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates; isocitrate and 2-oxoglutarate were found to increase, whereas succinate was significantly decreased in RSL3-challenged cells. Ferrostatin-1, XJB-5-131, and TSM-1005-44 prevented RSL3-induced cell death and conserved the metabolomic profile of the cells. Since 2-oxoglutarate is involved in the regulation of ferroptosis, particularly through glutamine metabolism, we further assessed the role of glutaminolysis in ferroptosis in H9c2 cardioblasts. Genetic silencing of GLS1, which encodes the K-type mitochondrial glutaminase (glutaminase C), protected against ferroptosis in the early stage. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that RSL3-induced ferroptosis impairs the metabolome of H9c2 cardioblasts.
Dynamic Controllability of Processes without Surprises
Authors: Eder Johann , Franceschetti Marco , Lubas Josef
Published: January 2022

Dynamic controllability guarantees that a process control can steer the execution of a business process without violating any temporal constraints although some tasks have uncontrollable durations. However, it has been shown that dynamic controllability may lead to process executions with the undesirable property that tasks have to be started or ended on extremely short notice. Sudden termination forces the agent to immediately terminate the execution of a process task without any prior notice in order to meet some temporal constraints. Semi-dynamic controllability guarantees dynamic controllability and the absence of sudden termination. Here, we show that dynamic controllability may also lead to the problem of sudden start, which forces the immediate start of a process task without prior notice. We formalize all constellations of temporal constraints causing sudden start and sudden termination in a process. We propose a technique to design processes in which activities can be dynamically dispatched without these surprises, i.e., with advance notice, and extend the notion of semi-dynamic controllability by also considering the sudden start. This leads to a sound and complete algorithm for checking the semi-dynamic controllability of time-constrained processes.
Periodontal Tissue Reaction Consecutive Implantation of Endodontic Materials and Subsequent Integration of Complex Oral Rehabilitation Treatments
Authors: Aminov Liana , Pasca Aurelian Sorin , Sindilar Eusebiu Viorel , Beldiman Maria Antonela , Bulancea Bogdan Petru , Stamatin Ovidiu , Lupu Iulian Costin , Croitoru Irina , Teslaru Silvia , Solomon Sorina Mihaela , Foia Georgeta Liliana , Checherita Laura Elisabeta
Published: January 2022

Oral rehabilitation is a main branch of dentistry focused on diagnosing the patient’s problem and creating a treatment plan to restore aesthetics, recondition morphologically all components, and recover the functionality of the oral cavity. Biological compatibility of the materials used has a major importance, due to the direct contact with essential tissues, such as the soft and hard tissue of the periodontium and the potential influence on the outcome of the treatment. The present material aims to assess the inflammatory response after subcutaneous implantation of three materials frequently used in endodontics (Mineral Trioxide Aggregate—MTA, DiaRoot BioAggregate, and Sealapex). The evaluation of the reparative tissue reaction after 7, 30, and 60 days, respectively, subsequent to in vivo implantation, was carried out through electron microscopy imaging. Moreover, evaluation of the dynamics of the osteogenesis process was an indicator for the maintenance of internal homeostasis in the context of complex intraoral rehabilitation treatments that include fixed prosthodontics correlated with the particular periodontal-aesthetic aspects and completed by cranio-mandibular repositioning. Our study showed increased absolute values of alkaline phosphatase in all material-implanted cases (more pronounced in MTA and Bio Aggregate), highlighting that this enzyme could be an effective indicator of bone formation, which takes place after the material implantation, with the most significant elevated values at 30 days postoperatively.
Using Artificial Neural Network Models to Assess Hurricane Damage through Transfer Learning
Authors: Calton Landon , Wei Zhangping
Published: January 2022

Coastal hazard events such as hurricanes pose a significant threat to coastal communities. Disaster relief is essential to mitigating damage from these catastrophes; therefore, accurate and efficient damage assessment is key to evaluating the extent of damage inflicted on coastal cities and structures. Historically, this process has been carried out by human task forces that manually take post-disaster images and identify the damaged areas. While this method has been well established, current digital tools used for computer vision tasks such as artificial intelligence and machine learning put forth a more efficient and reliable method for assessing post-disaster damage. Using transfer learning on three advanced neural networks, ResNet, MobileNet, and EfficientNet, we applied techniques for damage classification and damaged object detection to our post-hurricane image dataset comprised of damaged buildings from the coastal region of the southeastern United States. Our dataset included 1000 images for the classification model with a binary classification structure containing classes of floods and non-floods and 800 images for the object detection model with four damaged object classes damaged roof, damaged wall, flood damage, and structural damage. Our damage classification model achieved 76% overall accuracy for ResNet and 87% overall accuracy for MobileNet. The F1 score for MobileNet was also 9% higher than the F1 score of ResNet at 0.88. Our damaged object detection model achieved predominant predictions of the four damaged object classes, with MobileNet attaining the highest overall confidence score of 97.58% in its predictions. The object detection results highlight the model’s ability to successfully identify damaged areas of buildings and structures from images in a time span of seconds, which is necessary for more efficient damage assessment. Thus, we show that this level of accuracy for our damage assessment using artificial intelligence is akin to the accuracy of manual damage assessments while also completing the assessment in a drastically shorter time span.
Improving Prediction of the Potential Distribution Induced by Cylindrical Electrodes within a Homogeneous Rectangular Grid during Irreversible Electroporation
Authors: Agnass Pierre , van Lienden Krijn P. , van Gulik Thomas M. , Besselink Marc G. , Crezee Johannes , Kok H. Petra
Published: January 2022

Background: Irreversible electroporation (IRE) is an ablation technique based on the application of short, high-voltage pulses between needle electrodes (diameter: ~1.0 × 10−3 m). A Finite Difference-based software simulating IRE treatment generally uses rectangular grids, yielding discretization issues when modeling cylindrical electrodes and potentially affecting the validity of treatment planning simulations. Aim: Develop an Electric-Potential Estimation (EPE) method for accurate prediction of the electric-potential distribution in the vicinity of cylindrical electrodes. Methods: The electric-potential values in the voxels neighboring the cylindrical electrode voxels were corrected based on analytical solutions derived for coaxial/cylindrical electrodes. Simulations at varying grid resolutions were validated using analytical models. Low-resolution heterogeneous simulations at 2.0 × 10−3 m excluding/including EPE were compared with high-resolution results at 0.25 × 10−3 m. Results: EPE significantly reduced maximal errors compared to analytical results for the electric-potential distributions (26.6–71.8%→0.4%) and for the electrical resistance (30%→1–6%) at 3.0 × 10−3 m voxel-size. EPE significantly improved the mean-deviation (43.1–52.8%→13.0–24.3%) and the calculation-time gain (>15,000×) of low-resolution compared to high-resolution heterogeneous simulations. Conclusions: EPE can accurately predict the potential distribution of neighboring cylindrical electrodes, regardless of size, position, and orientation in a rectangular grid. The simulation time of treatment planning can therefore be shortened by using large voxel-sized models without affecting accuracy of the electric-field distribution, enabling real-time clinical IRE treatment planning.
Techniques, Tricks, and Stratagems of Oral Cavity Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Authors: Maraghelli Davide , Pietragalla Michele , Calistri Linda , Barbato Luigi , Locatello Luca Giovanni , Orlandi Martina , Landini Nicholas , Lo Casto Antonio , Nardi Cosimo
Published: January 2022

The oral cavity constitutes a complex anatomical area that can be affected by many developmental, inflammatory, and tumoural diseases. MultiSlice Computed Tomography (MSCT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) currently represent the essential and complementary imaging techniques for detecting oral cavity abnormalities. Advanced MRI with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and dynamic contrast-enhanced perfusion-weighted imaging (DCE-PWI) has recently increased the ability to characterise oral lesions and distinguish disease recurrences from post therapy changes. The analysis of the oral cavity area via imaging techniques is also complicated both by mutual close appositions of different mucosal surfaces and metal artifacts from dental materials. Nevertheless, an exact identification of oral lesions is made possible thanks to dynamic manoeuvres and specific stratagems applicable on MSCT and MRI acquisitions. This study summarises the currently available imaging techniques for oral diseases, with particular attention to the role of DWI, DCE-PWI, and dynamic manoeuvres. We also propose MSCT and MRI acquisition protocols for an accurate study of the oral cavity area.
Coloured Petri Nets-Based Modeling and Validation of Insulin Infusion Pump Systems
Authors: Fernandes Costa Tássio , Sobrinho Álvaro , Chaves e Silva Lenardo , da Silva Leandro Dias , Perkusich Angelo
Published: January 2022

Safety and effectiveness are crucial quality attributes for insulin infusion pump systems. Therefore, regulatory agencies require the quality evaluation and approval of such systems before the market to decrease the risk of harm, motivating the usage of a formal Model-Based Approach (MBA) to improve quality. Nevertheless, using a formal MBA increases costs and development time because it requires expert knowledge and thorough analyses of behaviors. We aim to assist the quality evaluation of such systems in a cost-effective and time-efficient manner, providing re-usable project artifacts by applying our proposed approach (named MBA with CPN—MBA/CPN). We defined a Coloured Petri nets MBA and a case study on a commercial insulin infusion pump system to verify and validate a reference model (as a component of MBA/CPN), describing quality assessment scenarios. We also conducted an empirical evaluation to verify the productivity and reusability of modelers when using the reference model. Such a model is relevant to reason about behaviors and quality evaluation of such concurrent and complex systems. During the empirical evaluation, using the reference model, 66.7% of the 12 interviewed modelers stated no effort, while 8.3% stated low effort, 16.7% medium effort, and 8.3% considerable effort. Based on the modelers’ knowledge, we implemented a web-based application to assist them in re-using our proposed approach, enabling simulation-based training. Although a reduced number of modelers experimented with our approach, such an evaluation provided insights to improve the MBA/CPN. Given the empirical evaluation and the case study results, MBA/CPN showed to be relevant to assess the quality of insulin infusion pump systems.
The XMUSPEECH System for Accented English Automatic Speech Recognition
Authors: Tong Fuchuan , Li Tao , Liao Dexin , Xia Shipeng , Li Song , Hong Qingyang , Li Lin
Published: January 2022

In this paper, we present the XMUSPEECH systems for Track 2 of the Interspeech 2020 Accented English Speech Recognition Challenge (AESRC2020). Track 2 is an Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) task where the non-native English speakers have various accents, which reduces the accuracy of the ASR system. To solve this problem, we experimented with acoustic models and input features. Furthermore, we trained a TDNN-LSTM language model for lattice rescoring to obtain better results. Compared with our baseline system, we achieved relative word error rate (WER) improvements of 40.7% and 35.7% on the development set and evaluation set, respectively.
SEM and FT-MIR Analysis of Human Demineralized Dentin Matrix: An In Vitro Study
Authors: Memè Lucia , Strappa Enrico M. , Monterubbianesi Riccardo , Bambini Fabrizio , Mummolo Stefano
Published: January 2022

Recently, the demineralized dentin matrix has been suggested as an alternative material to autologous bone grafts and xenografts for clinical purposes. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different times of demineralization on the chemical composition and the surface morphology of dentinal particles. Extracted teeth were ground and divided into 5 groups based on demineralization time (T0 = 0 min, T2 = 2 min, T5 = 5 min, T10 = 10 min, and T60 = 60 min) with 12% EDTA. The analysis was performed using Fourier-Transform Mid-Infrared spectroscopy (FT-MIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) (p < 0.05). The FT-MIR analysis showed a progressive reduction of the concentration of both PO43− and CO32− in the specimens (T0 > T2 > T5 > T10 > T60). On the contrary, the organic (protein) component did not undergo any change. The SEM examination showed that increasing the times of demineralization resulted in a smoother surface of the dentin particles and a higher number of dentinal tubules.
Study on Dynamic Constitutive Model of Polypropylene Concrete under Real-Time High-Temperature Conditions
Authors: Li Rui , Liu Lei , An Huaming , Wang Ya
Published: January 2022

Polypropylene (PP) concrete, a kind of high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete, is widely used in large concrete structures. Studies on the dynamic mechanical properties of polypropylene concrete under temperature–impact load can provide a theoretical basis for research on the structural stability of concrete structures during fires, explosions, and other disasters. The purpose of this paper was to study the dynamic mechanical properties of polypropylene concrete under real-time high-temperature conditions and to establish a dynamic damage constitutive model for polypropylene concrete under real-time high-temperature conditions. In this paper, Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) equipment was used to test the dynamic mechanical properties of polypropylene concrete with different high strain rates under different real-time high temperatures (room temperature, 100 °C, 200 °C, 300 °C, 400 °C, 500 °C, 600 °C, 700 °C, and 800 °C). A modified “Z-W-T” model was used to determine the recursion of the dynamic damage constitutive model of polypropylene concrete under different temperature–impact loads, and the model was compared with the experimental data. The results show that the thermal conditions influenced the chemical composition and microstructure of the polypropylene fiber concrete, which was why the high temperatures had a strong influence on the dynamic mechanical properties of polypropylene concrete. When the heating temperature exceeded 300 °C, although the polypropylene concrete specimen was still able to maintain a certain strength, the dynamic mechanical properties showed a deterioration trend as the temperature increased. The comparation between the experimental data and the fitting curve of the dynamic damage constitutive model showed that the dynamic stress–strain curves could be well matched with the fitting curves of the dynamic damage constitutive model, meaning that this model could describe the dynamic mechanical properties of polypropylene concrete under different real-time high temperatures well.
Scenario-Based Configuration Refinement for High-Load Cellular Networks: An Operator View
Authors: Su Ruoyu , Zhang Meinan , Ding Fei , Hu Guilong , Qi Qi
Published: January 2022

With the rapid growth of users and sustained network demands powered by different industries, the quality of service (QoS) of the cellular network is affected by network traffic and computing loads. The current solutions of QoS improvement in academia focus on the fundamental algorithms within the physical and medium access control (MAC) layer. However, traffic features of various scenarios extracted from field data are rarely addressed for practical network configuration refinement. In this paper, we identify significant indicators of high traffic load cells according to the field data provided by telecommunication operators. Then, we propose the analysis flow of high traffic load cells with basic principles of network configuration refinement for QoS improvement. To demonstrate the proposed analysis flow and the refinement principles, we consider three typical scenarios of high traffic load cells, including high population density, emergency, and high-speed mobility. For each scenario, we discuss traffic features with field data. The corresponding performance evaluation demonstrates that the proposed principle can significantly enhance the network performance and user experience in terms of access success rate, downlink data rate, and number of high traffic load cells.
Decision-Making Processes of Residents in Preservation, Thermal Comfort, and Energy Efficiency in Heritage Buildings: A Pilot Study in Mexico City
Authors: Murillo Camacho Krisangella Sofia , Fouseki Kalliopi , Altamirano Medina Hector
Published: January 2022

With building construction representing one of the largest sectors responsible for the use of natural resources, retrofitting existing heritage buildings becomes a necessity, albeit a challenging one. The emergence of specific guidance on retrofitting heritage buildings has unveiled more than never the need to understand how residents negotiate, thermal comfort, energy efficiency, and heritage conservation decisions. The paper reports the complexity of the decision-making process of residents of heritage buildings in the Historic Centre of Mexico City regarding energy efficiency, intending to improve thermal comfort and reduce energy consumption while preserving heritage values. The study involved in-depth semi-structured interviews with users of heritage buildings that were thematically analysed, complemented by the monitoring of internal environmental conditions and system dynamics analysis. The results show that although the residents perceived the buildings’ temperature as poor, passive thermal comfort actions (e.g., wearing more clothes and closing windows) were preferred against invasive retrofitting solutions for thermal comfort due to residents’ resistance to a potential loss in the buildings’ values and the high cost of changes. The degree of change necessary for maintenance, renovation, and actions for improving the thermal comfort of a heritage building is related to values and to their preservation for future generations. The users’ changes were limited to small-scale interventions in floors and ceilings while avoiding touching what they consider essential to preserve and protect (i.e., social and cultural values). Integrating the user into the decision-making process would enhance the long-term continuity and sustainability of retrofitting policies and guidelines, thus avoiding losing heritage-built stock.
Railway Overhead Wiring Structures in Australia: Review and Structural Assessment
Authors: Hu Bin , Chan Ricky W. K.
Published: January 2022

Overhead wiring structures (OWS) provide physical support to overhead electrical wires that power trains. They are typically spaced at 50 to 70 m. In a rail network, tens of thousands of these structures are required. Although they are simple structures, due to their numbers; design, construction and maintenance often involve large capital investments. Their reliability is also crucial to a safe operating rail network. This paper presents a review of OWS in Australia. Electrification of train services began in the 1910s, making some of the OWS over 100 years old. Descriptions in this article include their structural forms, design, construction, assessment and maintenance. It follows with a structural assessment carried out on a century-old riveted OWS built in the 1910s. This OWS was decommissioned in a recent railway renewal project which allowed the assessments to carry out. The assessment provides insights into hundreds of similar aged OWS still being used today. Assessments carried out consisted of tensile tests, corrosion depth measurements, radiographic imaging, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX). Crevice corrosion is common in locations where moisture accumulated. Material properties were similar to modern-day Grade 250 steel with satisfactory ductility. Corrosion depths were less than those predicted. Samples of riveted connection showed no sign of deterioration within connected plates. This study may provide insights into structural design, construction and maintenance of similar structures in Australia and abroad.
Effect of Femtosecond Laser Polarization on the Damage Threshold of Ta2O5/SiO2 Film
Authors: Zhang Luwei , Jia Xiaodong , Wang Yunzhe , Zhang Yin , Chen Anmin , Shao Junfeng , Zheng Changbin
Published: January 2022

The study used linearly and circularly polarized femtosecond pulsed lasers to irradiate a Ta2O5/SiO2 film. Firstly, the damage thresholds of the film for linearly and circularly polarized femtosecond pulsed lasers were measured in 1-on-1 mode. The results showed that the damage threshold (1.70 J/cm2) under a circularly polarized laser was higher than that (1.68 J/cm2) under a linearly polarized laser. For femtosecond lasers, the multi-photon ionization cross-section under circular polarization was lower than that under linear polarization. The lower ionization rate under circular polarization led to a higher damage threshold compared to the case under linear polarization. Secondly, the damage morphology of the film irradiated by linearly and circularly polarized femtosecond lasers was observed by microscope. The damage caused by linearly polarized laser was more evident than that caused by the circularly polarized laser. Finally, the damage thresholds induced by linearly and circularly polarized femtosecond pulsed lasers were measured in S-on-1 (S = 2, 5, and 10) mode. For the same S value (2, 5, or 10), the damage threshold under the circularly polarized laser was higher than that under the linearly polarized laser. The damage thresholds under two polarized laser pulses decreased with an increase in the number of laser shots, indicating that repeated laser pulses had a cumulative effect on the damage of the film.
Diversity and Source of Airborne Microbial Communities at Differential Polluted Sites of Rome
Authors: Pollegioni Paola , Mattioni Claudia , Ristorini Martina , Occhiuto Donatella , Canepari Silvia , Korneykova Maria V. , Gavrichkova Olga
Published: January 2022

Biogenic fraction of airborne PM10 which includes bacteria, viruses, fungi and pollens, has been proposed as one of the potential causes of the PM10 toxicity. The present study aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the microbial community variations associated to PM10, and their main local sources in the surrounding environment in three urban sites of Rome, characterized by differential pollution rate: green area, residential area and polluted area close to the traffic roads. We combined high-throughput amplicon sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene and the fungal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, with detailed chemical analysis of particulate matter sampled from air, paved road surfaces and leaf surfaces of Quercus ilex. Our results demonstrated that bacterial and fungal airborne communities were characterized by the highest alpha-diversity and grouped separately from epiphytic and road dust communities. The reconstruction of source-sink relationships revealed that the resuspension/deposition of road dust from traffic might contribute to the maximum magnitude of microbial exchanges. The relative abundance of extremotolerant microbes was found to be enhanced in epiphytic communities and was associated to a progressively increase of pollution levels as well as opportunistic human pathogenicity in fungal communities.
Investigation of the Long-Term Trends in the Streamflow Due to Climate Change and Urbanization for a Great Lakes Watershed
Authors: Philip Elizabeth , Rudra Ramesh P. , Goel Pradeep K. , Ahmed Syed I.
Published: January 2022

Climate change and rapid urbanization could possibly increase the vulnerability of the Great Lakes Basin, Canada, which is the largest surface freshwater system in the world. This study explores the joint impact of climate change and land-use changes on the hydrology of a rapidly urbanizing Credit River watershed which lets out into Lake Ontario 25 km southwest of downtown Toronto, Ontario (ON), Canada; we began by classifying the watershed into urban and rural sections. A non-parametric Mann–Kendall test and the Sen slope estimator served to detect and describe the annual-, seasonal-, and monthly-scale trends in the climate variables (temperature, precipitation, and evapotranspiration), as well as the streamflow characteristics (median annual streamflow, baseflow, Runoff Coefficients (RC), Flow Duration Curve (FDC), Center of Volume (COV), and Peak Over Threshold (POT)) since 1916 for four rural and urban sub-watersheds. The temperature, precipitation and evapotranspiration (1950–2019) showed significant increasing trends for different months and seasons. Furthermore, the results indicated that the median annual streamflow, 7-day annual minimum flow, and days above normal are increasing; meanwhile, the annual maximum streamflow is decreasing. A total of 230 datasets were tested for their trends; of these, 80% and 20% increasing and decreasing trends were obtained, respectively. Of the total, significant trends (<0.05%) of 32% and 2% increasing and decreasing, respectively, were observed. The results of the FDC analysis indicated a decline in the annual and winter 10:90 exceedance ratio over the years for the rural and urban sub-watershed gauges. The BFI results show that the BFI of the rural areas was, on average, 18% higher than that of the urban areas. In addition, the RC also showed the influence of land-use and population changes on the watershed hydrology, as the RC for the urban gauge area was 19.3% higher than that for the rural area gauge. However, the difference in the RC was the lowest (5.8%) in the summer. Overall, the findings from this study highlight the annual, seasonal, and monthly changes in the temperature, precipitation, evapotranspiration, and streamflow in the watershed under study. Based on the available monitored data, it was difficult to quantify the changes in the streamflow over the decade which were attributable to population growth and land-cover use and management changes due to municipal official planning in the watershed.
ELF/VLF Wave Radiation Experiment by Modulated Ionospheric Heating Based on Multi-Source Observations at EISCAT
Authors: Chen Jing , Yang Jutao , Li Qingliang , Yan Yubo , Hao Shuji , Wang Cheng , Wu Jian , Xu Bin , Xu Tong , Che Haiqin , He Linglei
Published: January 2022

Ground-based high-frequency modulated waves can periodically heat the ionosphere and create “virtual antennas”, which can radiate extremely low frequency (ELF, 0.3–3 kHz) or very low frequency (VLF, 3–30 kHz) waves for long-distance communication. Ionospheric X-mode and O-mode heating experiments using amplitude and beat-wave (BW) modulations were conducted on 21 November 2019. Experimental results were analyzed from multiple perspectives based on data from Dynasonde, a magnetometer, stimulated electromagnetic emissions, an ELF/VLF signal receiver, and ultra-high-frequency radar. The strongest excited ELF/VLF signals in previous BW modulation heating experiments were around 8–12 kHz; however, in this experiment, no signal excited in this frequency range was observed, and the signal with the highest signal/noise ratio was at the frequency of 3517 Hz, which will aid in understanding the best communication frequency under different ionospheric backgrounds. It is well-accepted that the electron temperature changes periodically with the modulation frequency. However, we noted that the electron temperature had insufficient cooling during the O-mode modulated heating process and then increased again, resulting in a continuous electron temperature increase. We found that this was related to the change in ion composition after analyzing ion-line spectra, which will be helpful in studying the effect of modulation heating on the ionosphere background.
Numerical Simulation of Topography Impact on Transport and Source Apportionment on PM2.5 in a Polluted City in Fenwei Plain
Authors: Li Yanyu , Wang Xuan , Li Jie , Zhu Lingyun , Chen Yong
Published: January 2022

The unique energy structure, high intensity of coal production, and complex terrain, make Fenwei Plain a highly polluted region in China. In this study, we characterized the transport characteristic and sources of PM2.5 (the fraction of particulate matter ≤ 2.5 μm) in Sanmenxia, a polluted city in canyon terrain. The results showed that special topography in Sanmenxia had an important role in the transport of particulates. Sanmenxia is located between two northeast-southwest facing mountains, showing a special local circulation. The local circulation was dominated by a downslope wind at nighttime, while the cross−mountain airflow and zonal wind were dominant during the daytime in the canyon terrain. PM2.5 accumulated near Sanmenxia with the influence of downslope, zonal wind, and topography. The main regional transport paths could be summarized into an eastern path, a northern path, and a western path during the severe haze episodes. The PM2.5 source apportionment revealed by an on-line tracer-tagged of the Nested Air Quality Prediction Model System (NAQPMS) showed that the main regional sources of Sanmenxia were Yuncheng, Sanmenxia, and Weinan. The contribution to PM2.5 concentration in Sanmenxia was 39%, 25%, and 11%, respectively. The northern path had the most important impact on Sanmenxia. The results can provide scientific basis for the establishment of severe haze control in Sanmenxia and regional joint control.
Impact of Stratospheric Aerosol Geoengineering on Meteorological Droughts in West Africa
Authors: Alamou Adéchina Eric , Obada Ezéchiel , Biao Eliézer Iboukoun , Zandagba Esdras Babadjidé Josué , Da-Allada Casimir Y. , Bonou Frederic K. , Baloïtcha Ezinvi , Tilmes Simone , Irvine Peter J.
Published: January 2022

This study assesses changes in meteorological droughts in West Africa under a high greenhouse gas scenario, i.e., a representative concentration pathway 8.5 (RCP8.5), and under a scenario of stratospheric aerosol geoengineering (SAG) deployment. Using simulations from the Geoengineering Large Ensemble (GLENS) project that employed stratospheric sulfate aerosols injection to keep global mean surface temperature, as well as the interhemispheric and equator-to-pole temperature gradients at the 2020 level (present-day climate), we investigated the impact of SAG on meteorological droughts in West Africa. Analysis of the meteorological drought characteristics (number of drought events, drought duration, maximum length of drought events, severity of the greatest drought events and intensity of the greatest drought event) revealed that over the period from 2030–2049 and under GLENS simulations, these drought characteristics decrease in most regions in comparison to the RCP8.5 scenarios. On the contrary, over the period from 2070–2089 and under GLENS simulations, these drought characteristics increase in most regions compared to the results from the RCP8.5 scenarios. Under GLENS, the increase in drought characteristics is due to a decrease in precipitation. The decrease in precipitation is largely driven by weakened monsoon circulation due to the reduce of land–sea thermal contrast in the lower troposphere.
A Meteorological Paradox: Low Atmospheric Pressure-Associated Decrease in Blood Pressure Is Accompanied by More Cardiac and Cerebrovascular Complications: Five-Year Follow-Up of Elderly Hypertensive Patients
Authors: Charach Lior , Grosskopf Itamar , Karniel Eli , Charach Gideon
Published: January 2022

Background: Variations in atmospheric pressure (AP) are known to affect blood pressure (BP). We assessed the effect of AP on BP, and the major fatal and nonfatal complications thereof (i.e., stroke, myocardial infarction, and pulmonary emboli). Methods: In this observational cohort study, 250 hypertensive patients (aged 65–92 years old) were followed for 3.5–5.4 years in a primary care clinic. Cox proportional hazard regression was performed to define the associations between AP, clinical, demographic and environmental factors, and major complications such as stroke, myocardial infarction, etc. Results: AP fluctuated between 1007 and 1024 millibars (MB). A total of 132 patients (53%) developed various complications, of which 13 (9.8%) were fatal. Among all fatalities, 93 of 119 nonfatal cases and 7 of 13 fatal cases occurred at AP < 1013 MB. A Cox regression analysis showed that low AP (AP < 1013 MB) had a higher hazard ratio (HR) on hypertension (HTN) complications among all demographic, clinical and environmental parameters. Conclusions: Most major complications were associated with very low APs. Low AP was the best predictive risk-factor for major complications of HTN.
Life Cycle Assessment of Battery Electric and Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles Considering the Impact of Electricity Generation Mix: A Case Study in China
Authors: Tang Bowen , Xu Yi , Wang Mingyang
Published: February 2022

Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) are considered to have higher energy efficiency and advantages to better control CO2 emissions compared to Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles (ICEVs). However, in the context that a large amount of thermal power is still used in developing countries, the CO2 emission reduction effectiveness of BEVs can be weakened or even counterproductive. To reveal the impact of the electricity generation mix on carbon emissions from vehicles, this paper compares the life cycle carbon emissions of BEVs with ICEVs considering the regional disparity of electricity generation mix in China. According to Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis and regional electricity carbon intensity, this study demonstrates that BEVs in the region with high penetration of thermal power produce more CO2 emissions, while BEVs in the region with higher penetration of renewable energy have better environmental performance in carbon emission reduction. For instance, in the region with over 50% penetration of renewable energy, a BEV can reduce more CO2 (18.32 t) compared to an ICEV. Therefore, the regions with high carbon emissions from vehicles need to increase the proportion of renewable generation as a priority rather than promoting BEVs.
Odour Emissions from Livestock Buildings
Authors: Rzeźnik Wojciech , Mielcarek-Bocheńska Paulina
Published: February 2022

Due to the intensification and concentration of agriculture and the interpenetration of residential and agricultural areas, odours are an important air pollutant. The changes taking place in rural areas mean that not all inhabitants of these areas are involved in agricultural activities, and there are new people looking for an idyllic life in the countryside. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of complaints concerning odour emissions from agricultural sources. The aim of the study was to compare odour emissions from selected livestock buildings for various animal species in the Great Poland Voivodeship. The assessment of odour concentrations was made in accordance with EN 13725: 2003 using the TO 8 olfactometer in the accredited olfactometric laboratory of the Institute of Technology and Life Sciences National Research Institute in Poznań. The fattening house showed the highest odour burden for the surroundings (mean odour concentration and odour emission factor: 450 ouE·m3 and 0.419 ouE·s−1·kg−1, respectively). In the case of buildings for poultry and dairy cows, the differences in the emission factors were not large. The emission factor for poultry (0.232 ouE·s−1·kg−1) was 22% higher than that for dairy cows (0.190 ouE·s−1·kg−1). Conversely, the mean concentration in the hen house (281 ouE·m3) was 18% lower than that in the dairy cow barn (342 ouE·m3).
Atomic Processes, Including Photoabsorption, Subject to Outside Charge-Neutral Plasma
Authors: Chang Tu-Nan , Fang Te-Kuei , Wu Chensheng , Gao Xiang
Published: January 2022

We present in this review our recent theoretical studies on atomic processes subject to the plasma environment including the α and β emissions and the ground state photoabsorption of the one- and two-electron atoms and ions. By carefully examining the spatial and temporal criteria of the Debye–Hückel (DH) approximation based on the classical Maxwell–Boltzmann statistics, we were able to represent the plasma effect with a Debye–Hückel screening potential VDH in terms of the Debye length D, which is linked to the ratio between the plasma density N and its temperature kT. Our theoretical data generated with VDH from the detailed non-relativistic and relativistic multiconfiguration atomic structure calculations compare well with the limited measured results from the most recent experiments. Starting from the quasi-hydrogenic picture, we were able to show qualitatively that the energy shifts of the emission lines could be expressed in terms of a general expression as a function of a modified parameter, i.e., the reduced Debye length λ. The close agreement between theory and experiment from our study may help to facilitate the plasma diagnostics to determine the electron density and the temperature of the outside plasma.
Hopf Bifurcation Analysis of a Diffusive Nutrient–Phytoplankton Model with Time Delay
Authors: Yang Ruizhi , Wang Liye , Jin Dan
Published: January 2022

In this paper, we studied a nutrient–phytoplankton model with time delay and diffusion term. We studied the Turing instability, local stability, and the existence of Hopf bifurcation. Some formulas are obtained to determine the direction of the bifurcation and the stability of periodic solutions by the central manifold theory and normal form method. Finally, we verify the above conclusion through numerical simulation.
Application of Water Treated with Low-Temperature Low-Pressure Glow Plasma (LPGP) in Various Industries
Authors: Pater Aneta , Zdaniewicz Marek , Satora Paweł
Published: January 2022

Plasma processing is now a key technology across the world, and nonthermal low-temperature plasmas are being increasingly used. This situation can be explained by a rapidly growing interest in the optimization of existing methods, as well as the development of new ones. Over the last few years, the production of plasma-treated water (PTW) by low-temperature low-pressure glow plasma (LPGP) under an atmosphere of various gases has been increasingly gaining in popularity. Research has been conducted on producing plasma-treated water in the presence of air, nitrogen, ammonia, carbon dioxide, and methane. All the obtained results show that the changed physicochemical properties of the water depend on the type of gas used and the duration of the plasma treatment. New research is emerging on the possibility of using this water in plant breeding, animal husbandry, cosmetology, medicine, and food. For the first time, plasma-treated water has also been tested for use in the brewing industry at the raw material preparation stage. The results obtained in all branches of science are very promising, contributing to the growing interest in plasma-treated water within the scientific community.
3D Printing of Abdominal Immobilization Masks for Therapeutics: Dosimetric, Mechanical and Financial Analysis
Authors: Duarte Jessica , Loja Maria Amélia Ramos , Portal Ricardo , Vieira Lina
Published: January 2022

Molding immobilization masks is a time-consuming process, strongly dependent on the healthcare professional, and potentially uncomfortable for the patient. Thus, an alternative sustainable automated production process is proposed for abdominal masks, using fused deposition modelling (FDM) 3D printing with polylactic acid (PLA). Radiological properties of PLA were evaluated by submitting a set of PLA plates to photon beam radiation, while estimations of their mechanical characteristics were assessed through numerical simulation. Based on the obtained results, the abdominal mask was 3D printed and process costs and times were analyzed. The plates revealed dose transmissions similar to the conventional mask at all energies, and mechanical deformation guarantees the required immobilization, with a 66% final cost reduction. PLA proved to be an excellent material for this purpose. Despite the increase in labour costs, a significant reduction in material costs is observed with the proposed process. However, the time results are not favorable, mainly due to the printing technique used in this study.
Use of RNA-Seq and a Transgenic Mouse Model to Identify Genes Which May Contribute to Mutant p53-Driven Prostate Cancer Initiation
Authors: Vinall Ruth , Chen Qian , Talbott George , Ramsamooj Rajendra , Dang An , Tepper Clifford G. , Borowsky Alexander
Published: January 2022

We previously demonstrated that the Trp53-R270H mutation can drive prostate cancer (CaP) initiation using the FVB.129S4 (Trp53tm3Tyj/wt); FVB.129S (Nkx3-1tm3(cre)Mmswt) genetically engineered mouse model (GEM). We now validate this finding in a different model (B6.129S4-Trp53tm3.1Tyj/J mice) and use RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) to identify genes which may contribute to Trp53 R270H-mediated prostate carcinogenesis. Wildtype (Trp53WT/WT), heterozygous (Trp53R270H/WT), and homozygous mice (Trp53R270H/R270H) were exposed to 5 Gy irradiation to activate and stabilize p53, and thereby enhance our ability to identify differences in transcriptional activity between the three groups of mice. Mouse prostates were harvested 6 h post-irradiation and processed for histological/immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis or were snap-frozen for RNA extraction and transcriptome profiling. IHC analyses determined that presence of the Trp53-R270H mutation impacts apoptosis (lower caspase 3 activity) but not cell proliferation (Ki67). RNA-Seq analysis identified 1378 differentially expressed genes, including wildtype p53 target genes (E.g., Cdkn1a, Bax, Bcl2, Kras, Mdm2), p53 gain-of-function (GOF)-related genes (Mgmt, Id4), and CaP-related genes (Cav-1, Raf1, Kras). Further understanding the mechanisms which contribute to prostate carcinogenesis could allow for the development of improved preventive methods, diagnostics, and treatments for CaP.