bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Az I–III. stádiumú parodontitis kezelése
Authors: Paár Claudia , Bartha Boldizsár , Eper Mária , Radóczy-Drajkó Zsombor , Szabó Gábor , Gera István
Published: September 2021

A nemrégiben bevezetett, a parodontitis osztályozására vonatkozó 2017. évi szakmai állásfoglalás több meghatározást és diagnosztikai megközelítést változtatott meg a fogágybetegség klasszifikációjában. Ezeket tavaly összegezték és közzétették a magyar tudományos médiában. Az új osztályozás egyik kulcseleme, hogy paradigmaváltást hozott létre és új perspektívákat nyitott meg a plakk okozta parodontális megbetegedések értelmezésében. A plakk okozta parodontitis esetében az új osztályozás nemcsak a betegség súlyosságát és mértékét, de a komplexitását és a páciens egyéni kockázatát is számításba veszi. Bölcs döntés volt bizonyítékon alapuló klinikai irányelveket létrehozni a gyakorló fogorvosok számára, mely leírja hogyan kezeljünk egy előrehaladott, I–III. stádiumú fogágybetegségben szenvedő pácienst. Az EFP munkacsoportok konszenzusa alapján a közelmúltban egy nagyon részletes iránymutatást tettek közzé a J. Clinical Periodontology (2020; 47: 4–60) cikkében. Ezek az ajánlások az átfogó parodontális kezelés teljes menetére kiterjednek.A cél: Az EFP protokoll magyar összefoglalásának célja az 55 oldalas EFP S3 szintű klinikai gyakorlati útmutató(S3 Level Clinical Practice Guideline, S3 CPG) rövid összefoglalása a magyar fogorvosok és kutatók számára.Eredmény: Az S3 CPG előre kialakított, lépésenkénti megközelítést alkalmazott a parodontitis I–III stádiumának kezelésére. Konszenzus született az ajánlásokról, amelyek kiterjednek a járulékos beavatkozásokra a terápia minden szakaszában. A kezelés megtervezése a következőkre összpontosít: a) viselkedésbeli változások, supragingivalis biofilm, ínygyulladás és rizikótényezők kontrollja; b) supra- és subgingivalis eszközhasználat kiegészítő terápiákkal vagy anélkül; c) parodontális sebészi beavatkozások különböző típusai; d) a szükséges fenntartó parodontális terápia, hogy az előnyöket hosszú távon tudjuk garantálni. A parodontális ellátás főbb elemeit összefoglalja ez a magyar változat.Következtetés: Ez az S3 irányelv a közzétételkor rendelkezésre álló bizonyítékok alapján összefoglalja a parodontitis kezelésére és a parodontális egészség fenntartására rendelkezésre álló leghatékonyabb módszereket.
Intelligent Search of Values for a Controller Using the Artificial Bee Colony Algorithm to Control the Velocity of Displacement of a Robot
Authors: Villegas José M. , Caraveo Camilo , Mejía David A. , Rodríguez José L. , Vega Yuridia , Cervantes Leticia , Medina-Santiago Alejandro
Published: September 2021

The optimization is essential in the engineering area and, in conjunction with use of meta-heuristics, has had a great impact in recent years; this is because of its great precision in search of optimal parameters for the solution of problems. In this work, the use of the Artificial Bee Colony Algorithm (ABC) is presented to optimize the values for the variables of a proportional integral controller (PI) to observe the behavior of the controller with the optimized Ti and Kp values. It is proposed using a robot built using the MINDSTORMS version EV3 kit. The objective of this work is to demonstrate the improvement and efficiency of the controllers in conjunction with optimization meta-heuristics. In the results section, we observe that the results improve considerably compared to traditional methods. In this work, the main contribution is the implementation of an optimization algorithm (ABC) applied to a controller (PI), and the results are tested to control the movement of a robot. There are many papers where the kit is used in various domains such as education as well as research for science and technology tasks and some real-world problems by engineering scholars, showing the acceptable result.
A Grain Yield Sensor for Yield Mapping with Local Rice Combine Harvester
Authors: Sirikun Chaiyan , Samseemoung Grianggai , Soni Peeyush , Langkapin Jaturong , Srinonchat Jakkree
Published: September 2021

Rice grain yield was estimated from a locally made Thai combine harvester using a specially developed sensing and monitoring system. The yield monitoring and sensing system, mounted on the rice combine harvester, collected and logged grain mass flow rate and moisture content, as well as pertinent information related to field, position and navigation. The developed system comprised a yield meter, GNSS receiver and a computer installed with customized software, which, when assembled on a local rice combine, mapped real-time rice yield along with grain moisture content. The performance of the developed system was evaluated at three neighboring (identically managed) rice fields. ArcGIS® software was used to create grain yield map with geographical information of the fields. The average grain yield values recorded were 3.63, 3.84 and 3.60 t ha−1, and grain moisture contents (w.b.) were 22.42%, 23.50% and 24.71% from the three fields, respectively. Overall average grain yield was 3.84 t ha−1 (CV = 63.68%) with 578.10 and 7761.58 kg ha−1 as the minimum and maximum values, respectively. The coefficients of variation in grain yield of the three fields were 57.44%, 63.68% and 60.41%, respectively. The system performance was evaluated at four different cutter bar heights (0.18, 0.25, 0.35 and 0.40 m) during the test. As expected, the tallest cutter bar height (0.40 m) offered the least error of 12.50% in yield estimation. The results confirmed that the developed grain yield sensor could be successfully used with the local rice combine harvester; hence, offers and ‘up-gradation’ potential in Thai agricultural mechanization.
Use of Dalbavancin in Skin, Bone and Joint Infections: A Real-Life Experience in an Italian Center
Authors: Brescini Lucia , Della Martera Filippo , Morroni Gianluca , Mazzanti Sara , Di Pietrantonio Maria , Mantini Paolo , Candelaresi Bianca , Pallotta Francesco , Olivieri Silvia , Iencinella Valentina , Castelletti Sefora , Cocci Emanuele , Polo Rosaria G. , Veccia Salvatore , Cirioni Oscar , Tavio Marcello , Giacometti Andrea
Published: September 2021

Dalbavancin is a lipoglycopeptide approved for the treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI). The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety in all patients who received at least one administration of dalbavancin. Methods: We carried out a retrospective study of the use of dalbavancin in 55 patients at the Azienda Ospedaliera Ospedali Riuniti Umberto I (Ancona, Italy) from February 2017 to May 2020 and compared “on label” and “off label” use of dalbavancin in ABSSSI and non-ABSSSI. Results: A total of 55 patients were included in the study. The median age was 61 years; 51% had ABSSSI; 24% had prosthetic joint infections, and 14% had osteomyelitis. A total of 53% received a single 1500 mg infusion of dalbavancin, and 18% received a second dose 14 days later; 24% of patients received further doses at 14-day intervals. In 91% of cases, patients achieved clinical objectives with dalbavancin: 96% of patients with ABSSSI and 69% of those with prosthetic joint infections. Conclusions: Dalbavancin was shown to have an excellent tolerability profile and to be a highly successful therapeutic approach even in those cases treated “off-label”.
NRF2 in Viral Infection
Authors: Herengt Angela , Thyrsted Jacob , Holm Christian K.
Published: September 2021

The transcription factor NRF2 is central to redox homeostasis in animal cells and is a well-known driver of chemoresistance in many types of cancer. Recently, new roles have been ascribed to NRF2 which include regulation of antiviral interferon responses and inflammation. In addition, NRF2 is emerging as an important factor in antiviral immunity through interferon-independent mechanisms. In the review, we give an overview of the scientific progress on the involvement and importance of NRF2 in the context of viral infection.
Litholytic Activities of Natural Bioactive Compounds and Their Mechanism Insights
Authors: El Menyiy Naoual , Khouchlaa Aya , El Omari Nasreddine , Zengin Gokhan , Gallo Monica , Montesano Domenico , Bouyahya Abdelhakim
Published: September 2021

Urolithiasis is a disease characterized by the formation of stones, which are crystalline accretions that form in the urinary tract from minerals dissolved in the urine. Moreover, it is considered to be a complex and multifactorial disease, requiring treatment. Unfortunately, current treatments are insufficient or may induce several side effects. In fact, medicinal plants are among the anti-litholytic treatments that are strongly recommended by many studies. Indeed, these natural resources contain bioactive molecules of different natures, such as flavonoids, terpenoids, alkaloids, and phenolic acids, which have recently demonstrated very important anti-litholytic effects. The molecular mechanisms involved are multiple and variable, and can reach cellular and molecular levels. In this review, we have discussed in depth the work that has studied the bioactive molecules of medicinal plants and their major potential against urolithiasis. Scientific databases, including Web of Science, PubMed, and Google Scholar, were searched from their inception until April 2021.The cellular and molecular mechanisms are presented and discussed. Some mechanisms of action related to these bioactive compounds are highlighted. This review could provide a scientific starting point for further studies on urolithiasis and natural bioactive compounds, especially flavonoids.
Assessment of MicroPET Image Quality Based on Reconstruction Methods and Post-Filtering
Authors: Kim Hyeon-Sik , Lee Byeong-il , Ahn Jae-Sung
Published: September 2021

The accuracy of positron emission tomography (PET) imaging is hampered by the partial volume effect (PVE), which causes image blurring and sampling. The PVE produces spillover phenomena, making PET analysis difficult. Generally, the PVE values vary based on reconstruction methods and filtering. Thus, selection of the proper reconstruction and filtering method can ensure accurate and high-quality PET images. This study compared the values of factors (recovery coefficient (RC), uniformity, and spillover ratio (SOR)) associated with different reconstruction and post-filtering methods using a mouse image quality phantom (NEMA NU 4), and we present an effective approach for microPET images. The PET images were obtained using a microPET scanner (Inveon, Siemens Medical Solutions, Malvern, PA, USA). PET data were reconstructed and/or post-filtered. For tumors smaller than 3 mm, iterative reconstruction methods provided better image quality. For tumor sizes bigger than 3 mm, reconstruction methods without post-filtering showed better results.
A Dynamic Methodology for Setting Up Inspection Time Intervals in Conditional Preventive Maintenance
Authors: Assis Rui , Marques Pedro Carmona
Published: September 2021

In periodic condition monitoring, the main problem lies in determining the inspection time intervals. This paper presents a new method for setting an optimum calendar to inspect a critical component that fails due to wear and tear as described by a Weibull probability function. By considering a set of inspection intervals, such that reliability between every two inspections is kept equal or below a pre-set threshold while keeping the total costs of inspection, degraded production, consequences of failure, and repair to a minimum. The resulting calendar may be adjusted dynamically over time as inspections take place and test results are found to be negative, by considering the inspector’s confidence in the test and the likelihood of the method’s yielding false negatives. Consequently, the method becomes self-adjustable as it returns a new calendar after the observations of each test are known and properly interpreted. There are several studies that deal with this issue, but none addresses the concept of safe and unsafe time windows which results from merging two other concepts: descendant inspection time intervals and the time delay between a potential failure and a functional failure (the P–F period).
Autonomous Loading System for Load-Haul-Dump (LHD) Machines Used in Underground Mining
Authors: Tampier Carlos , Mascaró Mauricio , Ruiz-del-Solar Javier
Published: September 2021

This paper describes an autonomous loading system for load-haul-dump (LHD) machines used in underground mining. The loading of fragmented rocks from draw points is a complex task due to many factors including: bucket-rock interaction forces that are difficult to model, humidity that increases cohesion forces, and the possible presence of boulders. The proposed system is designed to integrate all the relevant tasks required for ore loading: rock pile identification, LHD positioning in front of the ore pile, charging and excavating into the ore pile, pull back and payload weighing. The system follows the shared autonomy paradigm: given that the loading process may not be completed autonomously in some cases, it takes into account that the machine/agent can detect this situation and ask a human operator for assistance. The most novel component of the proposed autonomous loading system is the excavation algorithm, and the disclosure of the results obtained from its application in a real underground production environment. The excavation method is based on the way that human operators excavate: while excavating, the bucket is tilted intermittently in order to penetrate the material, and the boom of the LHD is lifted on demand to prevent or correct wheel skidding. Wheel skidding is detected with a patented method that uses LIDAR-based odometry and internal measurements of the LHD. While a complete loading system was designed, the validation had to be divided in two stages. One stage included the rock pile identification and positioning, and the other included the charging, excavation, pull back, and weighting processes. The stage concerning the excavation algorithm was validated using full-scale experiments with a real-size LHD in an underground copper mine in the north of Chile, while the stage concerning the rock pile identification was later validated using real data. The tests showed that the excavation algorithm is able to load the material with an average of 90% bucket fill factor using between three and four attempts (professional human operators required between two and three loading attempts in this mine).
Radiological Risk Assessment of Vehicle Transport Accidents Associated with Consumer Products Containing Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials
Authors: Ramadhan Hilali Hussein , Kim Juyoul
Published: September 2021

Natural and artificial ionizing radiation can be harmful to human health when they come into contact with people and the environment. Transport of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMs) and consumer products containing NORM in the public domain is inevitable owing to their potential applications. This study evaluates the dose and risk to the public from transport accidents of NORM and consumer products. Radiological and physical data were obtained from previous literature. The median and maximum values of radioactivity concentration were applied to consumer products and NORM data, which serve as an input. An external dose rate at 1 m from a transported shipment was calculated using Microshield® Pro version 12.11 code, which serves as input to RADTRAN 6 code. Based on developed transport accident scenarios, a RADTRAN 6 code was used to estimate collective dose and risk. The sensitivity analysis was conducted by considering the variation of release, aerosol, and respirable fractions of radionuclides at 0.1%, 1%, 10%, and 100% from the transported shipment during an accident, respectively. The results of dose and risk to the general public because of the damage of the shipment container following a fire accident are below the annual regulatory limits of 1 man-Sv recommended by IAEA transport regulation of 2018. The sensitivity results of all NORMs and associated consumer products are also below the regulatory limits. Therefore, radiological safety can be ensured in the event of a transport accident involving the transit of NORM and consumer products containing NORM.
Mechanical Properties and Formaldehyde Release of Particleboard Made with Lignin-Based Adhesives
Authors: Balea Paul Gabriela , Timar Maria Cristina , Zeleniuc Octavia , Lunguleasa Aurel , Coșereanu Camelia
Published: September 2021

The aim of this research was to evaluate the potential of magnesium lignosulfonate as adhesive in particleboard manufacturing. Diphenylmethane diisocyanate (PMDI) between 1% and 3% and glucose (1% of the lignosulfonate content) were added as potential cross-linkers in the adhesive formulations. Mixed beech and spruce wood, 30% beech wood and 70% spruce wood, were employed for the configuration of the panel structure. The density, mechanical properties and formaldehyde emission of single-layer particleboard were investigated. Spectroscopic analysis (FTIR) revealed structural changes brought by oxidation that may indicate depolymerization by the splitting of C-O-C bonds and formation of carbonyl groups. Mechanical properties were improved, and the highest average values were recorded for panels having as adhesives oxidized lignin with cross-linkers as follow: 15 N/mm2 (MOR), 3320 N/mm2 (MOE) and 0.48 N/mm2 (IB). The density profile presented higher values for faces in case of oxidized lignin panels. Changes were observed for oxidized lignin with cross-linker panels wherein the core had higher values. The results showed that the panels manufactured with adhesives composed of oxidized lignosulfonate (20% of the dried wood particles weight) and the addition of PMDI and glucose in various percentages have a positive influence on their formaldehyde release and mechanical properties requested by EN 312 (2004) standard.
Determination of the Conservation State of Some Documents Written on Cellulosic Support in the Poni-Cernătescu Museum, Iași City in Romania
Authors: Florescu Oana , Hrițac Robert , Haulică Maria , Sandu Ion , Stănculescu Ioana , Vasilache Viorica
Published: September 2021

An important step in the conservation of old paper documents is the analysis of both the medium and the ink, in an attempt first to determine the extent of deterioration and degradation and then to choose the best preservation and restoration solutions. Our paper focuses on the analysis of three old documents displayed at the ‘Poni-Cernătescu’ Museum in Iaşi City, Romania by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), micro-FTIR spectroscopy and FT-Raman. Thus, the morphology and chemical composition of the paper media and the type of ink, as well as the cellulose crystallinity index were determined. PCA (Principal Component Analysis) was also used while relying on spectra collected by FTIR spectroscopy. We were able to determine the extent of degradation of the documents by corroborating all these findings.
Determination of Eleven Veterinary Drugs in Chicken Meat and Liver
Authors: Barros Amanda , Novo Cauê S. , Feddern Vivian , Coldebella Arlei , Scheuermann Gerson N.
Published: September 2021

Brazil chicken production is around 13 million tons and about a third is exported to over 150 countries, placing Brazil as the world largest chicken meat producer, and therefore it is crucial to follow the legislation of all importer markets. This study conducted a survey by chance in 45 meat industries able to export. Therefore, 2580 chicken meat samples were collected and submitted to 11 analyte extraction and chromatographic verification of compliance in an accredited laboratory. Ten chemical residues (amoxicillin, bacitracin, colistin, dinitolmide + zoalene, spectinomycin, roxarsone, tiamulin, tylosin, trenbolone acetate and virginiamycin) were investigated in chicken meat and one (halofuginone hydrobromide) in chicken liver. The results showed that no compound exceeded the maximum residue limits established by seven legislations. All residue concentrations found were below the method quantification limit, thereby confirming the capability of Brazilian chicken meat industries in complying to foreign markets.
Application of Digital Image Analysis to the Prediction of Chlorophyll Content in Astragalus Seeds
Authors: Xu Yanan , Tu Keling , Cheng Ying , Hou Haonan , Cao Hailu , Dong Xuehui , Sun Qun
Published: September 2021

Chlorophyll fluorescence (CF) has been applied to measure the chlorophyll content of seeds, in order to determine seed maturity, but the high price of equipment limits its wider application. Astragalus seeds were used to explore the applicability of digital image analysis technology to the prediction of seed chlorophyll content and to supply a low cost and alternative method. Our research comprised scanning and extracting the characteristic features of Astragalus seeds, determining the chlorophyll content, and establishing a predictive model of chlorophyll content in Astragalus seeds based on characteristic features. The results showed that the R2 of the MLR prediction model established with multiple features was ≥0.947, and the R2 of the MLP model was ≥0.943. By sorting of two single features, the R and G values, the R2 reached 0.969 and 0.965, respectively. A germination result showed that the lower the chlorophyll content, the higher the quality of the seeds. Therefore, we draw a conclusion that digital image analysis technology can be used to predict effectively the chlorophyll content of Astragalus seeds, and provide a reference for the selection of mature and viable Astragalus seeds.
Tuning the Cell and Biological Tissue Environment through Magneto-Active Materials
Authors: Gonzalez-Rico Jorge , Nunez-Sardinha Emanuel , Valencia Leticia , Arias Angel , Muñoz-Barrutia Arrate , Velasco Diego , Garcia-Gonzalez Daniel
Published: September 2021

This review focuses on novel applications based on multifunctional materials to actuate biological processes. The first section of the work revisits the current knowledge on mechanically dependent biological processes across several scales from subcellular and cellular level to the cell-collective scale (continuum approaches). This analysis presents a wide variety of mechanically dependent biological processes on nervous system behaviour; bone development and healing; collective cell migration. In the second section, this review presents recent advances in smart materials suitable for use as cell substrates or scaffolds, with a special focus on magneto-active polymers (MAPs). Throughout the manuscript, both experimental and computational methodologies applied to the different treated topics are reviewed. Finally, the use of smart polymeric materials in bioengineering applications is discussed.
Human Periodontal Ligament Stem Cells Response to Titanium Implant Surface: Extracellular Matrix Deposition
Authors: Marconi Guya Diletta , Fonticoli Luigia , Della Rocca Ylenia , Rajan Thangavelu Soundara , Piattelli Adriano , Trubiani Oriana , Pizzicannella Jacopo , Diomede Francesca
Published: September 2021

The major challenge for dentistry is to provide the patient an oral rehabilitation to maintain healthy bone conditions in order to reduce the time for loading protocols. Advancement in implant surface design is necessary to favour and promote the osseointegration process. The surface features of titanium dental implant can promote a relevant influence on the morphology and differentiation ability of mesenchymal stem cells, induction of the osteoblastic genes expression and the release of extracellular matrix (ECM) components. The present study aimed at evaluating the in vitro effects of two different dental implants with titanium surfaces, TEST and CTRL, to culture the human periodontal ligament stem cells (hPDLSCs). Expression of ECM components such as Vimentin, Fibronectin, N-cadherin, Laminin, Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) and Integrin beta-1 (ITGB1), and the osteogenic related markers, as runt related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), were investigated. Human PDLSCs cultured on the TEST implant surface demonstrated a better cell adhesion capability as observed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and immunofluorescence analysis. Moreover, immunofluorescence and Western blot experiments showed an over expression of Fibronectin, Laminin, N-cadherin and RUNX2 in hPDLSCs seeded on TEST implant surface. The gene expression study by RT-PCR validated the results obtained in protein assays and exhibited the expression of RUNX2, ALP, Vimentin (VIM), Fibronectin (FN1), N-cadherin (CDH2), Laminin (LAMB1), FAK and ITGB1 in hPDLSCs seeded on TEST surface compared to the CTRL dental implant surface. Understanding the mechanisms of ECM components release and its regulation are essential for developing novel strategies in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Our results demonstrated that the impact of treated surfaces of titanium dental implants might increase and accelerate the ECM apposition and provide the starting point to initiate the osseointegration process.
Identification and Characterization of a Rhodopsin Kinase Gene in the Suckers of Octopus vulgaris: Looking around Using Arms?
Authors: Al-Soudy Al-Sayed , Maselli Valeria , Galdiero Stefania , Kuba Michael J. , Polese Gianluca , Di Cosmo Anna
Published: September 2021

In their foraging behavior octopuses rely on arm search movements outside the visual field of the eyes. In these movements the environment is explored primarily by the suckers that line the entire length of the octopus arm. In this study, for the first time, we report the complete characterization of a light-sensing molecule, Ov-GRK1, in the suckers, skin and retina of Octopus vulgaris. We sequenced the O. vulgaris GRK1 gene, defining a phylogenetic tree and performing a 3D structure model prediction. Furthermore, we found differences in relative mRNA expression in different sucker types at several arm levels, and localized it through in situ hybridization. Our findings suggest that the suckers in octopus arms are much more multimodal than was previously shown, adding the potential for light sensing to the already known mechanical and chemical sensing abilities.
HuD Regulates mRNA-circRNA-miRNA Networks in the Mouse Striatum Linked to Neuronal Development and Drug Addiction
Authors: Dell’Orco Michela , Elyaderani Amir , Vannan Annika , Sekar Shobana , Powell Gregory , Liang Winnie S. , Neisewander Janet L. , Perrone-Bizzozero Nora I.
Published: September 2021

The RNA-binding protein HuD (a.k.a., ELAVL4) is involved in neuronal development and synaptic plasticity mechanisms, including addiction-related processes such as cocaine conditioned-place preference (CPP) and food reward. The most studied function of this protein is mRNA stabilization; however, we have recently shown that HuD also regulates the levels of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in neurons. To examine the role of HuD in the control of coding and non-coding RNA networks associated with substance use, we identified sets of differentially expressed mRNAs, circRNAs and miRNAs in the striatum of HuD knockout (KO) mice. Our findings indicate that significantly downregulated mRNAs are enriched in biological pathways related to cell morphology and behavior. Furthermore, deletion of HuD altered the levels of 15 miRNAs associated with drug seeking. Using these sets of data, we predicted that a large number of upregulated miRNAs form competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks with circRNAs and mRNAs associated with the neuronal development and synaptic plasticity proteins LSAMP and MARK3. Additionally, several downregulated miRNAs form ceRNA networks with mRNAs and circRNAs from MEF2D, PIK3R3, PTRPM and other neuronal proteins. Together, our results indicate that HuD regulates ceRNA networks controlling the levels of mRNAs associated with neuronal differentiation and synaptic physiology.
Current State and Perspectives on Transesterification of Triglycerides for Biodiesel Production
Authors: Salaheldeen Mohammed , Mariod Abdalbasit Adam , Aroua Mohamed Kheireddine , Rahman S. M. Ashrafur , Soudagar Manzoore Elahi M. , Fattah I. M. Rizwanul
Published: September 2021

Triglycerides are the main constituents of lipids, which are the fatty acids of glycerol. Natural organic triglycerides (viz. virgin vegetable oils, recycled cooking oils, and animal fats) are the main sources for biodiesel production. Biodiesel (mono alkyl esters) is the most attractive alternative fuel to diesel, with numerous environmental advantages over petroleum-based fuel. The most practicable method for converting triglycerides to biodiesel with viscosities comparable to diesel fuel is transesterification. Previous research has proven that biodiesel–diesel blends can operate the compression ignition engine without the need for significant modifications. However, the commercialization of biodiesel is still limited due to the high cost of production. In this sense, the transesterification route is a crucial factor in determining the total cost of biodiesel production. Homogenous base-catalyzed transesterification, industrially, is the conventional method to produce biodiesel. However, this method suffers from limitations both environmentally and economically. Although there are review articles on transesterification, most of them focus on a specific type of transesterification process and hence do not provide a comprehensive picture. This paper reviews the latest progress in research on all facets of transesterification technology from reports published by highly-rated scientific journals in the last two decades. The review focuses on the suggested modifications to the conventional method and the most promising innovative technologies. The potentiality of each technology to produce biodiesel from low-quality feedstock is also discussed.
Feature Focus: Towards Explainable and Transparent Deep Face Morphing Attack Detectors
Authors: Seibold Clemens , Hilsmann Anna , Eisert Peter
Published: September 2021

Detecting morphed face images has become an important task to maintain the trust in automated verification systems based on facial images, e.g., at automated border control gates. Deep Neural Network (DNN)-based detectors have shown remarkable results, but without further investigations their decision-making process is not transparent. In contrast to approaches based on hand-crafted features, DNNs have to be analyzed in complex experiments to know which characteristics or structures are generally used to distinguish between morphed and genuine face images or considered for an individual morphed face image. In this paper, we present Feature Focus, a new transparent face morphing detector based on a modified VGG-A architecture and an additional feature shaping loss function, as well as Focused Layer-wise Relevance Propagation (FLRP), an extension of LRP. FLRP in combination with the Feature Focus detector forms a reliable and accurate explainability component. We study the advantages of the new detector compared to other DNN-based approaches and evaluate LRP and FLRP regarding their suitability for highlighting traces of image manipulation from face morphing. To this end, we use partial morphs which contain morphing artifacts in predefined areas only and analyze how much of the overall relevance each method assigns to these areas.
Association of Upper Lip Morphology Characteristics with Sagittal and Vertical Skeletal Patterns: A Cross Sectional Study
Authors: Yan Xinyu , Zhang Xiaoqi , Chen Yiyin , Long Hu , Lai Wenli
Published: September 2021

Background: Upper lip morphology is essential in diagnosis and treatment of orthodontics and orthognathic surgery. This study is aimed to evaluate the association between upper lip characteristics (ULCs) and skeletal patterns (SPs). Methods: 2079 patients were involved and grouped by sagittal and vertical. Class I, II, and III were identified by ANB angle, while normodivergent, hyperdivergent, and hypodivergent were identified by Facial Height Index and Sum of Angles. ULCs were evaluated by superior sulcus depth, nasolabial angle, upper lip length, basic upper lip thickness, and upper lip thickness. Confounders including demography, malocclusion, upper incisors, and upper lips were adjusted by multivariate linear regression to identify the association between ULCs and SPs. Group differences were evaluated with analysis of variance and Chi-square test. Results: The mean value of ULCs and prevalence of SPs were explored in the Western China population. ULCs were significantly different in various sagittal, vertical, and combined SPs. Superior sulcus depth was negatively related to Class II, and positively related to Class III and the hypodivergent pattern after adjusted by confounders. Conclusions: ULCs significantly varied among different SPs, while only superior sulcus depth was independently associated with SPs, indicating superior sulcus depth is the only ULC that might be significantly corrected by intervention of skeletal growth.
MicroRNAs in Hypertrophic, Arrhythmogenic and Dilated Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Chiti Enrica , Paolo Marco , Turillazzi Emanuela , Rocchi Anna
Published: September 2021

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs of about 20 nucleotides in length, involved in the regulation of many biochemical pathways in the human body. The level of miRNAs in tissues and circulation can be deregulated because of altered pathophysiological mechanisms; thus, they can be employed as biomarkers for different pathological conditions, such as cardiac diseases. This review summarizes published findings of these molecular biomarkers in the three most common structural cardiomyopathies: human dilated, arrhythmogenic and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Real Sample Consistency Regularization for GANs
Authors: Zhang Xiangde , Zhang Jian
Published: September 2021

Mode collapse has always been a fundamental problem in generative adversarial networks. The recently proposed Zero Gradient Penalty (0GP) regularization can alleviate the mode collapse, but it will exacerbate a discriminator’s misjudgment problem, that is the discriminator judges that some generated samples are more real than real samples. In actual training, the discriminator will direct the generated samples to point to samples with higher discriminator outputs. The serious misjudgment problem of the discriminator will cause the generator to generate unnatural images and reduce the quality of the generation. This paper proposes Real Sample Consistency (RSC) regularization. In the training process, we randomly divided the samples into two parts and minimized the loss of the discriminator’s outputs corresponding to these two parts, forcing the discriminator to output the same value for all real samples. We analyzed the effectiveness of our method. The experimental results showed that our method can alleviate the discriminator’s misjudgment and perform better with a more stable training process than 0GP regularization. Our real sample consistency regularization improved the FID score for the conditional generation of Fake-As-Real GAN (FARGAN) from 14.28 to 9.8 on CIFAR-10. Our RSC regularization improved the FID score from 23.42 to 17.14 on CIFAR-100 and from 53.79 to 46.92 on ImageNet2012. Our RSC regularization improved the average distance between the generated and real samples from 0.028 to 0.025 on synthetic data. The loss of the generator and discriminator in standard GAN with our regularization was close to the theoretical loss and kept stable during the training process.
Ext4 and XFS File System Forensic Framework Based on TSK
Authors: Kim Hyungchan , Kim Sungbum , Shin Yeonghun , Jo Wooyeon , Lee Seokjun , Shon Taeshik
Published: September 2021

Recently, the number of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, such as artificial intelligence (AI) speakers and smartwatches, using a Linux-based file system has increased. Moreover, these devices are connected to the Internet and generate vast amounts of data. To efficiently manage these generated data and improve the processing speed, the function is improved by updating the file system version or using new file systems, such as an Extended File System (XFS), B-tree file system (Btrfs), or Flash-Friendly File System (F2FS). However, in the process of updating the existing file system, the metadata structure may be changed or the analysis of the newly released file system may be insufficient, making it impossible for existing commercial tools to extract and restore deleted files. In an actual forensic investigation, when deleted files become unrecoverable, important clues may be missed, making it difficult to identify the culprit. Accordingly, a framework for extracting and recovering files based on The Sleuth Kit (TSK) is proposed by deriving the metadata changed in Ext4 file system journal checksum v3 and XFS file system v5. Thereafter, by comparing the accuracy and recovery rate of the proposed framework with existing commercial tools using the experimental dataset, we conclude that sustained research on file systems should be conducted from the perspective of forensics.
A High Bandwidth-Power Efficiency, Low THD2,3 Driver Amplifier with Dual-Loop Active Frequency Compensation for High-Speed Applications
Authors: Fu Ximing , El-Sankary Kamal , Yin Yadong
Published: September 2021

This paper presents a driver amplifier with high bandwidth-power efficiency, high capacitor-driving capacity, and low total harmonic distortion (THD). One complementary differential pair composed of self-cascode transistors is incorporated to obtain a full input voltage swing. Flipped voltage follower (FVF) buffers are applied as second stage to drive the last class-AB output stage. Moreover, a dual-loop active-feedback frequency compensation (DLAFC) is presented, which can stabilize the proposed multistage amplifier and keep the dominant pole on high frequency to obtain high-frequency total harmonic distortion (THD) suppression. To achieve a low-frequency phase margin protection (PMP), one left half-plane (LHP) zero is introduced to compensate for the nondominant pole caused by the load capacitor. Meanwhile, two high-frequency LHP zeros are injected to achieve high-frequency phase margin boosting (PMB) and reduce the amplifier’s settling time and integration area. This proposed amplifier is implemented in a standard DBH 0.18 μm 5 V CMOS process, and it achieves over 115-dB DC gain, 150–300 MHz GBW under 0–100 p load capacitors, ultra-high THD2,3 suppression ranges from 100 kHz to 10 MHz under 1–2 V output swing, and over 250 V/μs average slew rate, by only dissipating 12.5 mW at 5 V power supply.
Antioxidant Effect of Moroccan Pomegranate (Punica granatum L. Sefri Variety) Extracts Rich in Punicalagin against the Oxidative Stress Process
Authors: Benchagra Lamiae , Berrougui Hicham , Islam Mohamed Obaidul , Ramchoun Mhamed , Boulbaroud Samira , Hajjaji Abdelouahed , Fulop Tamas , Ferretti Gianna , Khalil Abdelouahed
Published: September 2021

Natural antioxidants products are widely distributed in food and medicinal plants. These natural antioxidants, especially polyphenols, exhibit a wide range of biological activities including anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and anti-atherosclerosis activities. Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is a rich source of polyphenolic components. The purpose of this study was to characterize the phenolic composition and flavonoids and anthocyanin content of different parts (peel and aril) of the Sefri variety of pomegranate. Our results showed that Peel extract was richer in these compounds than that of the Arils, especially in Punicalagin (A and B). DPPH free radical scavenging, reducing power (FRAP), β-carotene bleaching, and hydrogen peroxide scavenging assays revealed a greater dose-dependent activity of pomegranate peel phenolic extract (PPPE) compared to pomegranate aril phenolic extract (PAPE). PPPE was also more potent than PAPE concerning its ability to inhibit conjugated diene formation and to reduce α-tocopherol disappearance induced by CuSO4-mediated LDL peroxidation. Interestingly, both extracts (PPPE and PAPE) significantly inhibited lipid peroxidation and the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in stressed J82 human bladder cancer cells. These results reflect the protective effects that this Moroccan variety of pomegranate can provide against the development of metabolic disorder, cancer, atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular disease. Given these properties, further studies should be undertaken to investigate possible applications of Sefri pomegranate extracts in the fields of food preservation and health supplements.
The Role of Bioactive Peptides in Diabetes and Obesity
Authors: Chelliah Ramachandran , Wei Shuai , Daliri Eric Banan-Mwine , Elahi Fazle , Yeon Su-Jung , Tyagi Akanksha , Liu Shucheng , Madar Inamul Hasan , Sultan Ghazala , Oh Deog-Hwan
Published: September 2021

Bioactive peptides are present in most soy products and eggs and have essential protective functions. Infection is a core feature of innate immunity that affects blood pressure and the glucose level, and ageing can be delayed by killing senescent cells. Food also encrypts bioactive peptides and protein sequences produced through proteolysis or food processing. Unique food protein fragments can improve human health and avoid metabolic diseases, inflammation, hypertension, obesity, and diabetes mellitus. This review focuses on drug targets and fundamental mechanisms of bioactive peptides on metabolic syndromes, namely obesity and type 2 diabetes, to provide new ideas and knowledge on the ability of bioactive peptide to control metabolic syndromes.
Green Bean, Pea and Mesquite Whole Pod Flours Nutritional and Functional Properties and Their Effect on Sourdough Bread
Authors: González-Montemayor Angela Mariela , Solanilla-Duque José Fernando , Flores-Gallegos Adriana C. , López-Badillo Claudia Magdalena , Ascacio-Valdés Juan Alberto , Rodríguez-Herrera Raúl
Published: September 2021

In this study, proximal composition, mineral analysis, polyphenolic compounds identification, and antioxidant and functional activities were determined in green bean (GBF), mesquite (MF), and pea (PF) flours. Different mixtures of legume flour and wheat flour for bread elaboration were determined by a simplex-centroid design. After that, the proximal composition, color, specific volume, polyphenol content, antioxidant activities, and functional properties of the different breads were evaluated. While GBF and PF have a higher protein content (41–47%), MF has a significant fiber content (19.9%) as well as a higher polyphenol content (474.77 mg GAE/g) and antioxidant capacities. It was possible to identify Ca, K, and Mg and caffeic and enolic acids in the flours. The legume–wheat mixtures affected the fiber, protein content, and the physical properties of bread. Bread with MF contained more fiber; meanwhile, PF and GBF benefit the protein content. With MF, the specific bread volume only decreased by 7%. These legume flours have the potential to increase the nutritional value of bakery goods.
Analysis of the Impact of Positional Accuracy When Using a Block of Pixels for Thematic Accuracy Assessment
Authors: Gu Jianyu , Congalton Russell G.
Published: September 2021

Pixels, blocks (i.e., grouping of pixels), and polygons are the fundamental choices for use as assessment units for validating per-pixel image classification. Previous research conducted by the authors of this paper focused on the analysis of the impact of positional accuracy when using a single pixel for thematic accuracy assessment. The research described here provided a similar analysis, but the blocks of contiguous pixels were chosen as the assessment unit for thematic validation. The goal of this analysis was to assess the impact of positional errors on the thematic assessment. Factors including the size of a block, labeling threshold, landscape characteristics, spatial scale, and classification schemes were also considered. The results demonstrated that using blocks as an assessment unit reduced the thematic errors caused by positional errors to under 10% for most global land-cover mapping projects and most remote-sensing applications achieving a half-pixel registration. The larger the block size, the more the positional error was reduced. However, there are practical limitations to the size of the block. More classes in a classification scheme and higher heterogeneity increased the positional effect. The choice of labeling threshold depends on the spatial scale and landscape characteristics to balance the number of abandoned units and positional impact. This research suggests using the block of pixels as an assessment unit in the thematic accuracy assessment in future applications.
Factors Affecting Attitudes towards Older People in Undergraduate Nursing Students
Authors: López-Hernández Lourdes , Martínez-Arnau Francisco Miguel , Castellano-Rioja Elena , Botella-Navas Marta , Pérez-Ros Pilar
Published: September 2021

Background: The population of older people is increasing worldwide. The social and healthcare systems need many nurses to care for the elderly. Positive attitudes increase the preference to work with older people and improve the quality of care. This study describes attitudes towards the elderly in a sample of nursing students, and analyzes the potential factors influencing these attitudes. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in nursing students during the academic course 2017–2018. Kogan’s Attitude Toward Old People Scale was used to assess student attitudes towards older people. Results: The study included 377 undergraduate nursing students, of which 75.9% were women. The mean age was 22.23 (5.69) years. Attitude proved positive, with a mean Kogan’s score of 131.04 (12.66). Women had higher scores than men, with a mean difference of 7.76 (95% CI: 4.87–10.66; p < 0.001). The male sex, age ≥ 25 years, and previous experience with institutionalized older adults worsened attitudes, while studying the subject of geriatrics, each higher course within the degree, work placements in hospitals and nursing homes, and previous experience with community older adults or with older relatives favored a more positive attitude. Participants with no interest in working with older adults yielded lower scores. Conclusions: Attitudes towards the elderly among nursing students are positive. Women have a more positive attitude. Analyzing the factors that improve attitudes in nursing students is suggested, as it may contribute to improve nursing care.
The Effect of an Alternative Swimming Learning Program on Skills, Technique, Performance, and Salivary Cortisol Concentration at Primary School Ages Novice Swimmers
Authors: Papadimitriou Konstantinos , Loupos Dimitrios
Published: September 2021

The playful training method shows positive effects on sports learning, thus the aim of the present study was to compare the effect of two different swimming learning programs. In an 8-week intervention with a training frequency of three times per week, 23 healthy primary school-aged novice swimmers (13 boys, 10 girls) aged 9.0 ± 0.9 participated. They were split into control (CG) and alternative (AG) groups and evaluated on skills (Start, Sink), backstroke (BK) and breaststroke (BR) technique, performance (Skills time, Kicks Time), and salivary cortisol concentration. According to the results, “Start” had a greater percentage of success in AG, at the first (CG = 9.1% vs. AG = 58.3%, p = 0.027) and third (CG = 63.6% vs. AG = 100%, p = 0.037) measurement. Additionally, greater scores were found in technique for AG in both BK (p = 0.009, η2 = 0.283) and BR (p = 0.020, η2 = 0.231). Salivary cortisol concentration was decreased for both groups (p < 0.001) and greater in CG at the second measurement (p < 0.001). The alternative swimming learning program was found to be more efficient or equally effective, compared with the standardized method in-water skills, swimming technique and performance, and in salivary cortisol concentration.