bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dispersion State and Damage of Carbon Nanotubes and Carbon Nanofibers by Ultrasonic Dispersion: A Review
Authors: Rennhofer Harald , Zanghellini Benjamin
Published: June 2021

Dispersion of carbon nanotubes and carbon nanofibers is a crucial processing step in the production of polymer-based nanocomposites and poses a great challenge due to the tendency of these nanofillers to agglomerate. Besides the well-established three-roll mill, the ultrasonic dispersion process is one of the most often used methods. It is fast, easy to implement, and obtains considerably good results. Nevertheless, damage to the nanofibers due to cavitation may lead to shortening and changes in the surface of the nanofillers. The proper application of the sonicator to limit damage and at the same time enable high dispersion quality needs dedicated knowledge of the damage mechanisms and characterization methods for monitoring nano-particles during and after sonication. This study gives an overview of these methods and indicates parameters to be considered in this respect. Sonication energy rather than sonication time is a key factor to control shortening. It seems likely that lower powers that are induced by a broader tip or plate sonicators at a longer running time would allow for proper dispersions, while minimizing damage.
Local Morphology Effects on the Photoluminescence Properties of Thin CsPbBr3 Nanocrystal Films
Authors: Anni Marco , Cretí Arianna , De Giorgi Maria Luisa , Lomascolo Mauro
Published: June 2021

Lead halide perovskites are emerging as extremely interesting active materials for a wide variety of optoelectronic and photonic devices. A deep understanding of their photophysics is thus fundamental in order to properly understand the origins of the materials active properties and to provide strategies for improving them. In this work, we exploit the local morphological variations in a drop-cast thin CsPbBr3 nanocrystal film to show that the aggregation of NCs has strong effects on the peak wavelengths of PL spectra, the linewidth, and the intensity of dependence on temperature. An analysis based on models that are frequently used in the literature led to completely different conclusions about the intrinsic NC emission properties extracted from spectra measured in points with different contribution of the PL from the aggregates. Our results demonstrate that extreme care has to be used in order to correctly correlate the spectral PL features with the intrinsic emission properties of lead halide perovskite NC films.
Dietary Patterns and the Risk of Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Findings from a Case-Control Study
Authors: Tayyem Reema F. , Qalqili Tamara R. , Ajeen Rawan , Rayyan Yaser M.
Published: June 2021

Scientific evidence shows that dietary patterns are associated with the risk of IBD, particularly among unhealthy and Western dietary patterns. However, Western dietary patterns are not exclusive to Western countries, as Jordanians are steadily moving towards a Western lifestyle, which includes an increased consumption of processed foods. This study aims to investigate the association between dietary patterns and the risk factors for IBD cases among Jordanian adults. This case-control study was conducted between November 2018 and December 2019 in the largest three hospitals in Jordan. Three hundred and thirty-five Jordanian adults aged between 18–68 years were enrolled in this study: one hundred and eighty-five IBD patients who were recently diagnosed with IBD (n = 100 for ulcerative colitis (UC) and n = 85 for Crohn’s disease (CD)) and 150 IBD-free controls. Participants were matched based on age and marital status. In addition, dietary data was collected from all participants using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Factor analysis and principal component analysis were used to determine the dietary patterns. Odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using a multinomial logistic regression model. Two dietary patterns were identified among the study participants: high-vegetable and high-protein dietary patterns. There was a significantly higher risk of IBD with high-protein intake at the third (OR, CI: 2.196 (1.046–4.610)) and fourth (OR, CI: 4.391 (2.67–8.506)) quartiles in the non-adjusted model as well as the other two adjusted models. In contrast, the high-vegetable dietary pattern shows a significant protective effect on IBD in the third and fourth quartiles in all the models. Thus, a high-vegetable dietary pattern may be protective against the risk of IBD, while a high-protein dietary pattern is associated with an increased risk of IBD among a group of the Jordanian population.
Can Physical Activity Influence Human Gut Microbiota Composition Independently of Diet? A Systematic Review
Authors: Dorelli Barbara , Gallè Francesca , De Vito Corrado , Duranti Guglielmo , Iachini Matteo , Zaccarin Matteo , Preziosi Standoli Jacopo , Ceci Roberta , Romano Ferdinando , Liguori Giorgio , Romano Spica Vincenzo , Sabatini Stefania , Valeriani Federica , Cattaruzza Maria Sofia
Published: June 2021

Evidence suggests that physical activity (PA) influences the human gut microbiota composition, but its role is unclear because of dietary interference. The aim of this review is to clarify this issue from this new perspective in healthy individuals. Articles analyzing intestinal microbiota from fecal samples by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing were selected by searching the electronic databases PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science until December 2020. For each study, methodological quality was assessed, and results about microbiota biodiversity indices, phylum and genus composition, and information on PA and diet were considered. From 997 potentially relevant articles, 10 met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Five studies involved athletes, three were performed on active people classified on the basis of habitual PA level, and two among sedentary subjects undergoing exercise interventions. The majority of the studies reported higher variability and prevalence of the phylum Firmicutes (genera Ruminococcaceae or Fecalibacteria) in active compared to inactive individuals, especially in athletes. The assessment of diet as a possible confounder of PA/exercise effects was completed only in four studies. They reported a similar abundance of Lachnospiraceae, Paraprevotellaceae, Ruminococcaceae, and Veillonellaceae, which are involved in metabolic, protective, structural, and histological functions. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings.
Reduction in Maternal Energy Intake during Lactation Decreased Maternal Body Weight and Concentrations of Leptin, Insulin and Adiponectin in Human Milk without Affecting Milk Production, Milk Macronutrient Composition or Infant Growth
Authors: Leghi Gabriela E. , Netting Merryn J. , Lai Ching T. , Narayanan Ardra , Dymock Michael , Rea Alethea , Wlodek Mary E. , Geddes Donna T. , Muhlhausler Beverly S.
Published: June 2021

Maternal diet has the potential to affect human milk (HM) composition, but very few studies have directly assessed the effect of maternal diets on HM composition. The primary aim of this study was to assess the effect of improving dietary quality in lactating women over 2 weeks on the concentrations of macronutrients and metabolic hormones in HM. The secondary aims were to assess the impact of the dietary intervention on 24 h milk production, maternal body composition and infant growth. Fifteen women completed a 1-week baseline period followed by a 2-week dietary intervention phase targeted towards reducing fat and sugar intake. Maternal anthropometric and body composition and infant growth measurements were performed weekly. Total 24 h milk production was measured before and after the dietary intervention, and HM samples were collected daily. Maternal intakes of energy (−33%), carbohydrate (−22%), sugar (−29%), fat (−54%) and saturated fat (−63%) were significantly reduced during the dietary intervention. HM insulin, leptin and adiponectin concentrations were 10–25% lower at the end of the dietary intervention, but HM concentrations of macronutrients were unaffected. Maternal body weight (−1.8%) and fat mass (−6.3%) were significantly reduced at the end of the dietary intervention, but there were no effects on 24 h milk production or infant growth. These results suggest that reducing maternal energy, carbohydrate, fat and sugar intake over a 2-week period is associated with significant reductions in HM insulin, leptin and adiponectin concentrations. These changes may be secondary to decreases in maternal weight and fat mass. The limited studies to date that have investigated the association between metabolic hormone concentrations in HM and infant growth raise the possibility that the changes in HM composition observed in the current study could impact infant growth and adiposity, but further studies are required to confirm this hypothesis.
COVID-19 and School: To Open or Not to Open, That Is the Question. The First Review on Current Knowledge
Authors: Busa Francesco , Bardanzellu Flaminia , Pintus Maria Cristina , Fanos Vassilios , Marcialis Maria Antonietta
Published: June 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an unprecedented closure of schools in terms of duration. The option of school closure, SARS-CoV-2 initially being poorly known, was influenced by the epidemiological aspects of the influenza virus. However, school closure is still under debate and seems unsupported by sure evidence of efficacy in the COVID-19 era. The aim of our narrative review is to discuss the available literature on SARS-CoV-2 spread among children and adolescents, in the school setting, trying to explain why children appear less susceptible to severe disease and less involved in viral spreading. We also tried to define the efficacy of school closure, through an overview of the effects of the choices made by the various countries, trying to identify which preventive measures could be effective for a safe reopening. Finally, we focused on the psychological aspects of such a prolonged closure for children and adolescents. SARS-CoV-2, children, COVID-19, influenza, and school were used as key words in our literature research, updated to 29 March 2021. To our knowledge, this is the first review summarizing the whole current knowledge on SARS-CoV-2 spreading among children and adolescents in the school setting, providing a worldwide overview in such a pandemic context.
Influence of Lactobacillus Biosurfactants on Skin Permeation of Hydrocortisone
Authors: Abruzzo Angela , Parolin Carola , Corazza Elisa , Giordani Barbara , di Cagno Massimiliano Pio , Cerchiara Teresa , Bigucci Federica , Vitali Beatrice , Luppi Barbara
Published: June 2021

One of the most widely used strategies to improve drug diffusion through the skin is the use of permeation enhancers. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of two biosurfactants (BS), produced by Lactobacillus crispatus BC1 and Lactobacillus gasseri BC9, on the skin permeation profile of hydrocortisone (HC, model drug). HC aqueous solubility and in vitro diffusion studies through porcine skin were performed in the presence of BC1-BS and BC9-BS at concentrations below and above critical micellar concentrations (CMC). Moreover, skin hydration tests and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis were performed to further investigate BS interaction with the outermost layer of the skin. Both BS increased HC solubility, especially at concentrations above their CMC. At concentrations below the CMC, drug permeation through the skin was improved, as the result of a dual effect: a) the formation of a superficial lipophilic environment, as confirmed by the reduction in skin hydration and b) the interaction between BS and the stratum corneum (SC), as demonstrated by the DSC curves. From the obtained data, it appears that BC1-BS and BC9-BS could represent new promising green excipients for drug permeation enhancement through the skin.
Residual Birch Wood Lignocellulose after 2-Furaldehyde Production as a Potential Feedstock for Obtaining Fiber
Authors: Puke Maris , Godina Daniela , Kirpluks Mikelis , Rizikovs Janis , Brazdausks Prans
Published: June 2021

From birch wood, it is possible to obtain both acetic acid and 2-furaldehyde as valuable value-added products. The main objective of this study was to develop a new wasteless technology for obtaining 2-furaldehyde, acetic acid, and lignocellulose (LC) residue usable as feedstock in further processing such as thermomechanical (TMP), alkaline peroxide mechanical (APMP), and sulfate pulping processes. To achieve this objective several screening tests were performed, and a further experimental plan was developed using DesignExpert11. Process yields were analyzed both in terms of total yield and at individual time increments. In addition, the obtained LC residue was also characterized. A unique bench-scale reactor system was used to obtain an LC material without pentoses and with maximum preservation of cellulose fiber for further research. Studies on the deacetylation and dehydration of birch wood hemicelluloses of pentose monosaccharides to 2-furaldehyde and acetic acid using orthophosphoric acid as a catalyst were carried out. Results showed that, depending on the used pre-treatment conditions, the 2-furaldehyde yield was from 0.04% to 10.84% oven dry mass (o.d.m.), the acetic acid yield was from 0.51% to 6.50% o.d.m., and the LC residue yield was from 68.13% to 98.07% o.d.m. with minimal content of admixtures. Process optimization using DesignExpert11 revealed that the main pre-treatment process parameters that influenced the yield of 2-furaldehyde in the pre-treatment process were process temperature (53.3%) and process duration (29.8%).
Characteristics of Microcellular Foamed Ceramic Urethane
Authors: Hong Jin , Cho Soo-hyun , Yun Chang-Seok , Kim Dong Hwi , Ryu Youngjae , Cha Sung Woon , Jang Yong Hoon
Published: June 2021

Ceramics are non-metallic inorganic materials fabricated from natural or high-purity raw materials through heating and cooling processes. Urethane is a three-dimensional plastic with both elasticity and chemical resistance; moreover, it is used as a rubber substitute. The use of both materials in various applications is gradually increasing. However, as ceramics and urethane have distinctly different properties, this prompted questions regarding the properties of a material that is fabricated using both materials. Therefore, we studied the characteristics of a composite material fabricated through physical foaming using a batch process. The process was conducted with gas saturation, foaming, cooling, and curing. When a specimen of 2 mm thickness was saturated in 5 MPa of CO2 for 2 h, the solubility was 6.43%; when foaming was carried out at a temperature of 150 °C in boiled glycerin, the foaming ratio, cell size, cell density, and void fraction were found to be 43.62%, 24.40 µm, 9.1 × 10⁷ cells/cm2, and 22.11%, respectively. Furthermore, the volume increased by 102.96%, color changed from dark to light gray, hardness decreased by 24%, thermal diffusivity increased by 0.046 mm2/s at 175 °C, and friction coefficient decreased to 0.203. Thus, the microcellular foamed ceramic urethane exhibits a larger volume, lighter weight, and improved thermal conductivity and friction coefficient.
Attapulgite–MXene Hybrids with Ti3C2Tx Lamellae Surface Modified by Attapulgite as a Mechanical Reinforcement for Epoxy Composites
Authors: Liu Lu , Ying Guobing , Zhao Yinlong , Li Yuexia , Wu Yiran , Wen Dong , Wu Meng , Wang Minghui , Zhou Qingzhong , Wang Xiang , Wang Cheng
Published: June 2021

As a member of two-dimensional (2D) materials, MXene is an ideal reinforcement phase for modified polymers due to its large number of polar functional groups on the surface. However, it is still relatively difficult to modify any functional groups on the surface of MXene at present, which limits its application in enhancing some polymers. Herein, one-dimensional (1D) attapulgite (ATP) nanomaterials were introduced onto the surface of MXene to form ATP–MXene hybrids, which successfully improved the mechanical properties of the epoxy composites. ATP with appropriate content can increase the surface roughness of the MXene lamellae to obtain better interface interaction. Therefore, remarkable enhancement on the mechanical property was achieved by adding M02A025 (0.2 wt % MXene and 0.25 wt % ATP), which is the optimum composition in the hybrids for composite mechanical properties. Compared to neat epoxy, the tensile strength, flexural strength and critical stress intensity factor (KIC) of M02A025/epoxy are increased by 88%, 57%, and 195%, respectively, showing a high application prospect.
Poly(lactic Acid): A Versatile Biobased Polymer for the Future with Multifunctional Properties—From Monomer Synthesis, Polymerization Techniques and Molecular Weight Increase to PLA Applications
Authors: Balla Evangelia , Daniilidis Vasileios , Karlioti Georgia , Kalamas Theocharis , Stefanidou Myrika , Bikiaris Nikolaos D. , Vlachopoulos Antonios , Koumentakou Ioanna , Bikiaris Dimitrios N.
Published: June 2021

Environmental problems, such as global warming and plastic pollution have forced researchers to investigate alternatives for conventional plastics. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA), one of the well-known eco-friendly biodegradables and biobased polyesters, has been studied extensively and is considered to be a promising substitute to petroleum-based polymers. This review gives an inclusive overview of the current research of lactic acid and lactide dimer techniques along with the production of PLA from its monomers. Melt polycondensation as well as ring opening polymerization techniques are discussed, and the effect of various catalysts and polymerization conditions is thoroughly presented. Reaction mechanisms are also reviewed. However, due to the competitive decomposition reactions, in the most cases low or medium molecular weight (MW) of PLA, not exceeding 20,000–50,000 g/mol, are prepared. For this reason, additional procedures such as solid state polycondensation (SSP) and chain extension (CE) reaching MW ranging from 80,000 up to 250,000 g/mol are extensively investigated here. Lastly, numerous practical applications of PLA in various fields of industry, technical challenges and limitations of PLA use as well as its future perspectives are also reported in this review.
Development of a Rapid-Onset, Acid-Labile Linkage Polyplex-Mixed Micellar System for Anticancer Therapy
Authors: Hung Shiou-Fen , Wen Yu-Han , Yu Lu-Yi , Chiu Hsin-Cheng , Chiang Yi-Ting , Lo Chun-Liang
Published: June 2021

In the treatment of cancers, small interfering ribonucleic acids (siRNAs) are delivered into cells to inhibit the oncogenic protein’s expression; however, polyanions, hydrophilicity, and rapid degradations in blood, endosomal or secondary lysosomal degradation hamper clinal applications. In this study, we first synthesized and characterized two copolymers: methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(2-hydroxy methacrylate-ketal-pyridoxal) and methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(methacrylic acid-co-histidine). Afterwards, we assembled two polymers with the focal adhesion kinase (FAK) siRNA, forming polyplex-mixed micelles for the treatment of the human colon cancer cell line HCT116. In terms of the physiological condition, the cationic pyridoxal molecules that were conjugated on the copolymer with ketal bonds could electrostatically attract the siRNA. Additionally, the pyridoxal could form a hydrophobic core together with the hydrophobic deprotonated histidine molecules in the other copolymer and the hydrophilic polyethylene glycol (PEG) shell to protect the siRNA. In an acidic condition, the pyridoxal would be cleaved from the polymers due to the breakage of the ketal bonds and the histidine molecules can simultaneously be protonated, resulting in the endosome/lysosome escape effect. On the basis of our results, the two copolymers were successfully prepared and the pyridoxal derivatives were identified to be able to carry the siRNA and be cleavable by the copolymers in an acidic solution. Polyplex-mixed micelles were prepared, and the micellar structures were identified. The endosome escape behavior was observed using a confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The FAK expression was therefore reduced, and the cytotoxicity of siRNA toward human colon cancer cells was exhibited, rapidly in 24 h. This exceptional anticancer efficiency suggests the potential of the pH-sensitive polyplex-mixed micellar system in siRNA delivery.
Curcumin-Functionalized Gelatin Films: Antioxidant Materials with Modulated Physico-Chemical Properties
Authors: Rubini Katia , Boanini Elisa , Parmeggiani Silvia , Bigi Adriana
Published: June 2021

In this paper we used curcumin as a functionalizing agent of gelatin films with the aim to get antioxidant materials with modulated physico-chemical properties. To this aim, we prepared gelatin films at different contents of curcumin up to about 1.2 wt%. The as-prepared films, as well as glutaraldehyde crosslinked films, were submitted to several tests: swelling, water solubility, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, mechanical tests and curcumin release. The radical scavenging activity of the as-prepared films is similar to that of free curcumin, indicating remarkable antioxidant properties. All the other tested properties vary as a function of curcumin content and/or the presence of the crosslinking agent. In particular, the films exhibit sustained curcumin release in different solvents. Thanks to its biocompatibility, biodegradability and lack of antigenicity, gelatin uses span from food processing to packaging and biomaterials. It follows that the modulated properties exhibited by the functionalized materials developed in this work can be usefully employed in different application fields.
An In-Vitro Evaluation of the Characteristics of Zein-Based Films for the Release of Lactobionic Acid and the Effects of Oleic Acid
Authors: Coroli Alessandro , Romano Roberta , Saccani Andrea , Raddadi Noura , Mele Elisa , Mascia Leno
Published: June 2021

Lactobionic acid (LBA) is widely used in different industrial sectors owing to its biocompatibility characteristics as well as antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. In this study, mixtures of the protein zein with LBA and with the addition of oleic acid (OA) as a ternary system were investigated as drug delivery films for the release of LBA. The chosen combinations exploit the vast difference in water solubility between LBA and the other two components (zein and OA). DSC thermograms and dynamic mechanical spectra, alongside electron microscopy images, were used to describe the microstructural features of the films and were found to provide insights for the release of LBA from the two examined zein-based films immersed in an aqueous physiological solution. For both film systems, a burst release behavior was observed, followed by a rapid and total extraction of LBA. The required immersion time for the total extraction of LBA was greatly reduced when oleic acid was added to the precursor solution mixture for producing the films. The LBA released from the zein-based films was found to exhibit both the expected antioxidant properties as well as exerting bacteriostatic effects towards Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis.
Evaluation of Composition Effects on the Physicochemical and Biological Properties of Polypeptide-Based Hydrogels for Potential Application in Wound Healing
Authors: Giliomee Johnel , du Toit Lisa C. , Kumar Pradeep , Klumperman Bert , Choonara Yahya E.
Published: June 2021

In this study, the effect of crosslinking and concentration on the properties of a new library of low-concentration poly(Lys60-ran-Ala40)-based hydrogels for potential application in wound healing was investigated in order to correlate the hydrogel composition with the desired physicochemical and biofunctional properties to expand the assortment of poly-l-lysine (PLL)-based hydrogels suitable for wound healing. Controlled ring-opening polymerization (ROP) and precise hydrogel compositions were used to customize the physicochemical and biofunctional properties of a library of new hydrogels comprising poly(l-lysine-ran-l-alanine) and four-arm poly(ethylene glycol) (P(KA)/4-PEG). The chemical composition and degree of crosslinking via free amine quantification were analyzed for the P(KA)/4-PEG hydrogels. In addition, the rheological properties, pore morphology, swelling behavior and degradation time were characterized. Subsequently, in vitro cell studies for evaluation of the cytotoxicity and cell adhesion were performed. The 4 wt% 1:1 functional molar ratio hydrogel with P(KA) concentrations as low as 0.65 wt% demonstrated low cytotoxicity and desirable cell adhesion towards fibroblasts and thus displayed a desirable combination of properties for wound healing application.
Fabrication of Reproducible and Selective Ammonia Vapor Sensor-Pellet of Polypyrrole/Cerium Oxide Nanocomposite for Prompt Detection at Room Temperature
Authors: Husain Ahmad , Al-Zahrani Salma Ahmed , Al Otaibi Ahmed , Khan Imran , Mujahid Ali Khan Mohammad , Alosaimi Abeer Mohamed , Khan Anish , Hussein Mahmoud Ali , Asiri Abdullah M. , Jawaid Mohammad
Published: June 2021

Polypyrrole (PPy) and polypyrrole/cerium oxide nanocomposite (PPy/CeO2) were prepared by the chemical oxidative method in an aqueous medium using anhydrous ferric chloride (FeCl3) as an oxidant. The successful formulation of materials was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmittance electron microscopy (TEM). A four-in-line probe device was used for studying DC electrical conductivity and ammonia vapor sensing properties of PPy and PPy/CeO2. The significant improvement in both the conductivity and sensing parameters of PPy/CeO2 compared to pristine PPy reveals some synergistic/electronic interaction between PPy and cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2 NPs) working at molecular levels. The initial conductivity (i.e., conductivity at room temperature) was found to be 0.152 Scm−1 and 1.295 Scm−1 for PPy and PPy/CeO2, respectively. Also, PPy/CeO2 showed much better conductivity retention than pristine PPy under both the isothermal and cyclic ageing conditions. Ammonia vapor sensing was carried out at different concentration (0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5 vol %). The sensing response of PPy/CeO2 varied with varying concentrations. At 0.5 vol % ammonia concentration, the % sensing response of PPy and PPy/CeO2 sensor was found to be 39.1% and 93.4%, respectively. The sensing efficiency of the PPy/CeO2 sensor was also evaluated at 0.4. 0.3, 0.2, 0.1, 0.05, 0.03, and 0.01 vol % ammonia concentration in terms of % sensing response, response/recovery time, reversibility, selectivity as well as stability at room temperature.
Polysaccharide-Based Packaging Functionalized with Inorganic Nanoparticles for Food Preservation
Authors: Anaya-Esparza Luis Miguel , Villagrán-de la Mora Zuamí , Rodríguez-Barajas Noé , Ruvalcaba-Gómez José Martín , Iñiguez-Muñoz Laura Elena , Maytorena-Verdugo Claudia Ivette , Montalvo-González Efigenia , Pérez-Larios Alejandro
Published: May 2021

Functionalization of polysaccharide-based packaging incorporating inorganic nanoparticles for food preservation is an active research area. This review summarizes the use of polysaccharide-based materials functionalized with inorganic nanoparticles (TiO2, ZnO, Ag, SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, Zr, MgO, halloysite, and montmorillonite) to develop hybrid packaging for fruit, vegetables, meat (lamb, minced, pork, and poultry), mushrooms, cheese, eggs, and Ginkgo biloba seeds preservation. Their effects on quality parameters and shelf life are also discussed. In general, treated fruit, vegetables, mushrooms, and G. biloba seeds markedly increased their shelf life without significant changes in their sensory attributes, associated with a slowdown effect in the ripening process (respiration rate) due to the excellent gas exchange and barrier properties that effectively prevented dehydration, weight loss, enzymatic browning, microbial infections by spoilage and foodborne pathogenic bacteria, and mildew apparition in comparison with uncoated or polysaccharide-coated samples. Similarly, hybrid packaging showed protective effects to preserve meat products, cheese, and eggs by preventing microbial infections and lipid peroxidation, extending the food product’s shelf life without changes in their sensory attributes. According to the evidence, polysaccharide-hybrid packaging can preserve the quality parameters of different food products. However, further studies are needed to guarantee the safe implementation of these organic–inorganic packaging materials in the food industry.
A.I. in Religion, A.I. for Religion, A.I. and Religion: Towards a Theory of Religious Studies and Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Reed Randall
Published: May 2021

Artificial intelligence is increasingly used in a variety of fields and disciplines. Its promise is often seen in a variety of tasks, from playing games to driving cars. In this article, I will sketch a theory that opens the door to the use of artificial intelligence in the study of religion. Focusing on the work of Jonathan Z. Smith, I will show that if, following Smith, the study of religion is considered primarily an act of classification, it can be aided by narrow artificial intelligence that excels at classification and prediction. Then, using a web A.I. called EMMA to classify the New Testament texts as Pauline or non-Pauline as a toy example, I will explore the issues that occur in the application of A.I. Finally, I will turn to Bruno Latour and actor–network theory as a way to theorize the larger issues brought up by the productive use of artificial intelligence in the study of religion
Being in Cosmos: Sergei Dykov’s Visual Exploration of the Spirit of Altai
Authors: Rozwadowski Andrzej
Published: June 2021

This article focuses on how shamanism and animism, two important features of Altaic ontology, can be expressed in art. This is discussed by exploring the art of Sergei Dykov, a contemporary Altaic (south Siberian) visual artist, whose art is part of a wider trend in modern Siberian art of rediscovering the conceptual potentials of indigenous Siberian values. Dykov is one of those artists whose fascination with Siberian culture is not limited to formal inspirations but who also seeks how to express these indigenous values in contemporary art forms. Drawing on Altaic folklore, its myths and beliefs, including shamanism, as well as ancient Siberian art forms, Dykov searches for a new visual language capable of expressing the Altaic perception of the world. For him, therefore, painting is significantly an intellectual project involving an attempt to understand the indigenous ontology of being in the world. The key concepts around which his art revolves are thus human-animal transformations, human and non-human beings’ relations, and the interconnectedness of the visible and nonvisible. The study was based on an analysis of a sample of his unpublished artworks.
Novel Model-Based Approaches for Non-Homogenous Atmospheric Compensation of GB-InSAR in the Azimuth and Horizontal Directions
Authors: Liu Jie , Yang Honglei , Xu Linlin , Li Tao
Published: June 2021

Atmospheric disturbance is a main interference for deformation monitoring by GB-InSAR. Most approaches for atmospheric correction are based on the homogenous atmospheric medium assumption that usually does not hold due to complex topography and various environmental factors, leading to low atmospheric correction accuracy. This study proposes two novel model-based approaches for non-homogenous atmospheric compensation in the azimuth and horizontal directions. The conception of a coordinate system is introduced to design the model for the first time. The 2D atmospheric compensation method designed based on the polar coordinate system can address the non-homogenous atmospheric phase screen (APS) correction in the azimuth direction. The 3D atmospheric compensation method based on the rectangular coordinate system deals with the non-homogenous APS in all three directions, and can better address the non-homogenous APS in the elevation direction than the 2D method. Compared with conventional models, the 2D and 3D models consider the other non-homogenous APS conditions in their respective coordinate systems, which helps to broaden the application of model-based approaches. Experiments using different equipment over two study areas are conducted to test the efficiency of the proposed models. The results demonstrate that the proposed approaches can eliminate non-homogenous atmospheric disturbance and enhance the accuracy of GB-InSAR atmospheric compensation, leading to great improvements in slope deformation estimation.
GPR Virtual Guidance System for Subsurface 3D Imaging
Authors: Ching Gabbo P. H. , Chang Ray K. W. , Luo Tess X. H. , Lai Wallace W. L.
Published: June 2021

Three-dimensional GPR imaging requires evenly and densely distributed measurements, ideally collected without the need for ground surface markings, which is difficult to achieve in large-scale surveys. In this study, a guidance system was developed to guide the GPR operator to walk along a predesigned traverse, analogous to the flight path design of an airborne drone. The guidance system integrates an auto-track total station unit (ATTS), and by estimating the real-time offset angle and distance, guidance corrections can be provided to the operator in real time. There are two advantages: (1) reduced survey time as grid marking on the ground is no longer needed and (2) accurate positioning of each traverse. Lab and field experiments were conducted in order to validate the guidance system. The results show that with the guidance system, the survey paths were better defined and followed in terms of feature connectivity and resolution of images, and the C-scans generated were closer to the real subsurface world.
Exploit Direction Information for Remote Ship Detection
Authors: Tan Zhenbiao , Zhang Zekun , Xing Tingzhuang , Huang Xiao , Gong Junbin , Ma Jie
Published: June 2021

Ship detection in remote sensing has been achieving increasing significance recently. In remote sensing, ships are arbitrary oriented and the detector has to learn the object features of arbitrary orientation by rote, which demands a large amount of training data to prevent overfitting. In addition, plenty of ships have a distinct direction from the center point to the head point. However, little attention has been paid to the direction information of ships and previous studies just predict the bow directions of ships. In this paper, we propose to further exploit the ship direction information to solve the arbitrary orientation problem, including direction augmentation, direction prediction, and direction normalization. A Variable-Direction Rotated RoI Align module is designed for direction augmentation and normalization with an additional feature extraction direction as input. The direction augmentation method directly augments the features of ship RRoIs and brings great diversities to the training data set. The direction prediction introduces additional direction information for learning and helps to reduce noise. In the direction normalization method, the predicted ship directions are utilized to normalize the directions of ship features from stern to bow through the VDR RoI Align module, making the ship features present in one orientation and easier to be identified by the detector. On the L1 task of the HRSC2016 data set, the direction augmentation method and direction normalization method boost the RoI Transformer baseline from 86.2% to 90.4% and 90.6%, respectively, achieving the state-of-the-art performance.
Characteristics of Rain-Induced Attenuation over Signal Links at Frequency Ranges of 25 and 38 GHz Observed in Beijing
Authors: Han Congzheng , Feng Liang , Huo Juan , Deng Zhaoze , Zhang Gaoyuan , Ji Baofeng , Zhou Yushu , Bi Yongheng , Duan Shu , Yuan Renmin
Published: June 2021

Wireless communication has become a very important part of our lives, and it is well known that meteorological factors affect the quality of communication links, especially at higher frequencies because the physical dimensions of raindrops, hail stones, and snowflakes are on a similar wavelength to the propagating radio frequency. Millimeter-waves are an important technology for fifth-generation cellular networks which are currently being deployed all over the world. Since atmospheric effects are challenging in millimeter-wave transmissions, in this paper, we conducted line-of-sight field measurements at 25 GHz and 38 GHz. We monitored the received signal during rainfall events and compared the theoretical attenuation and the recorded rain-induced attenuation. We also derived the rain-induced attenuation (A) and rainfall rate (R) relation for stratiform and convective rain, respectively, using local rain drop size distribution (DSD) information at our measurement site collected during the period of two years. Furthermore, opportunistic sensing of atmospheric phenomena using microwave or millimeter-wave communication links in commercial cellular networks has recently attracted more attention in meteorological research worldwide. The accuracy of calculating rainfall rates from microwave links highly depends on the retrieval model and values of coefficients in the model, i.e., a and b of the A-R relation model. Here, the coefficients a and b are estimated based on local DSD measurement, and the performance of the improved A-R model is evaluated using propagated signal power based on measurement data. Compared to the (a, b) coefficients in the International Telecommunication Union Recommendation (ITU-R) P.838 document, the derived coefficients achieved an improved rainfall rate estimation.
Pan–Tilt IR Scanning Method for the Remote Measurement of Mean Radiant Temperatures at Multi-Location in Buildings
Authors: Lee Dong-Seok , Jo Jae-Hun
Published: June 2021

The mean radiant temperature (MRT) is an indicator for evaluating the radiant heat environment near occupants and is determined by the radiant heat exchange between the occupants and their surroundings. To control various heating and cooling systems according to the occupants’ thermal comfort, it is essential to consider MRTs in the real-time evaluation of thermal environment. This study proposes a pan–tilt infrared (IR) scanning method to estimate the MRTs at multiple occupant locations in real buildings. The angle factor was calculated by defining the specific classification criteria for dividing the entire indoor surface into sub-surfaces. The coupling IR camera and pan–tilt motor were applied to enable storing data pairs of IR thermal image frame (IR image frame) and pan–tilt angle so each surface area taken by the IR camera can have its direction information. The measurement method of the mean surface temperature using the pan–tilt IR system was presented. The pan–tilt IR system hardware and MRT monitoring software were developed. An experiment was performed to verify the applicability of the proposed pan–tilt IR scanning method. By comparing the surface temperatures measured using a contact thermometer and the proposed IR system, the contact thermometer could cause inaccurate measurement of surfaces with a non-uniform distribution of temperature. The difference between surface temperatures increased by up to 15 °C and, accordingly, the MRT distributions differed by up to 6 °C within the same space. The proposed IR scanning method showed good applicability in various aspects. This paper reports that the MRT has a significant effect on the occupants’ thermal comfort and also suggests considering MRTs in the real-time evaluation of thermal environment to control various heating and cooling systems appropriately.
Retrieval of Stratospheric HNO3 and HCl Based on Ground-Based High-Resolution Fourier Transform Spectroscopy
Authors: Shan Changgong , Zhang Huifang , Wang Wei , Liu Cheng , Xie Yu , Hu Qihou , Jones Nicholas
Published: June 2021

Vertical profiles and stratospheric HNO3 and HCl columns are retrieved by ground-based high resolution Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) remote sensing measurements at the Hefei site in China. The time series of stratospheric HNO3 and HCl columns from January 2017 to December 2019 showed similar annual variation trends, with an annually decreasing rate of (−9.45 ± 1.20)% yr−1 and (−7.04 ± 0.81)% yr−1 for stratospheric HNO3 and HCl, respectively. The seasonal amplitudes of stratospheric HNO3 and HCl are 2.67 × 1015 molec cm−2 and 4.76 × 1014 molec cm−2 respectively, both reaching their maximum in March and their minimum in September, due to the tropopause height variation. Further, HNO3 and HCl data were used to compare with Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) satellite data. MLS satellite data showed similar seasonal variations and annual rates with FTIR data, and the stratospheric HNO3 and HCl columns of the two datasets have correlation coefficients (r) of 0.87 and 0.88, respectively. The mean bias between satellite and FTIR data of stratospheric HNO3 and HCl columns are (−8.58 ± 12.22)% and (4.58 ± 13.09)%, respectively.
Evaluating the Performance of Hyperspectral Leaf Reflectance to Detect Water Stress and Estimation of Photosynthetic Capacities
Authors: Zhou Jing-Jing , Zhang Ya-Hao , Han Ze-Min , Liu Xiao-Yang , Jian Yong-Feng , Hu Chun-Gen , Dian Yuan-Yong
Published: June 2021

Advanced techniques capable of early, rapid, and nondestructive detection of the impacts of drought on fruit tree and the measurement of the underlying photosynthetic traits on a large scale are necessary to meet the challenges of precision farming and full prediction of yield increases. We tested the application of hyperspectral reflectance as a high-throughput phenotyping approach for early identification of water stress and rapid assessment of leaf photosynthetic traits in citrus trees by conducting a greenhouse experiment. To this end, photosynthetic CO2 assimilation rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Cond) and transpiration rate (Trmmol) were measured with gas-exchange approaches alongside measurements of leaf hyperspectral reflectance from citrus grown across a gradient of soil drought levels six times, during 20 days of stress induction and 13 days of rewatering. Water stress caused Pn, Cond, and Trmmol rapid and continuous decline throughout the entire drought period. The upper layer was more sensitive to drought than middle and lower layers. Water stress could also bring continuous and dynamic changes of the mean spectral reflectance and absorptance over time. After trees were rewatered, these differences were not obvious. The original reflectance spectra of the four water stresses were surprisingly of low diversity and could not track drought responses, whereas specific hyperspectral spectral vegetation indices (SVIs) and absorption features or wavelength position variables presented great potential. The following machine-learning algorithms: random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), gradient boost (GDboost), and adaptive boosting (Adaboost) were used to develop a measure of photosynthesis from leaf reflectance spectra. The performance of four machine-learning algorithms were assessed, and RF algorithm yielded the highest predictive power for predicting photosynthetic parameters (R2 was 0.92, 0.89, and 0.88 for Pn, Cond, and Trmmol, respectively). Our results indicated that leaf hyperspectral reflectance is a reliable and stable method for monitoring water stress and yield increase, with great potential to be applied in large-scale orchards.
Semantic-Guided Attention Refinement Network for Salient Object Detection in Optical Remote Sensing Images
Authors: Huang Zhou , Chen Huaixin , Liu Biyuan , Wang Zhixi
Published: June 2021

Although remarkable progress has been made in salient object detection (SOD) in natural scene images (NSI), the SOD of optical remote sensing images (RSI) still faces significant challenges due to various spatial resolutions, cluttered backgrounds, and complex imaging conditions, mainly for two reasons: (1) accurate location of salient objects; and (2) subtle boundaries of salient objects. This paper explores the inherent properties of multi-level features to develop a novel semantic-guided attention refinement network (SARNet) for SOD of NSI. Specifically, the proposed semantic guided decoder (SGD) roughly but accurately locates the multi-scale object by aggregating multiple high-level features, and then this global semantic information guides the integration of subsequent features in a step-by-step feedback manner to make full use of deep multi-level features. Simultaneously, the proposed parallel attention fusion (PAF) module combines cross-level features and semantic-guided information to refine the object’s boundary and highlight the entire object area gradually. Finally, the proposed network architecture is trained through an end-to-end fully supervised model. Quantitative and qualitative evaluations on two public RSI datasets and additional NSI datasets across five metrics show that our SARNet is superior to 14 state-of-the-art (SOTA) methods without any post-processing.
Track Prediction for HF Radar Vessels Submerged in Strong Clutter Based on MSCNN Fusion with GRU-AM and AR Model
Authors: Zhang Ling , Zhang Jingzhi , Niu Jiong , Wu Q. M. Jonathan , Li Gangsheng
Published: June 2021

High-frequency (HF) surface-wave radar has a wide range of applications in marine monitoring due to its long-distance, wide-area, and all-weather detection ability. However, the accurate detection of HF radar vessels is severely restricted by strong clutter and interference, causing the echo of vessels completely submerged by clutter. As a result, the target cannot be detected and tracked for a period of time under the influence of strong clutter, which causes broken trajectories. To solve this problem, we propose an HF radar-vessel trajectory-prediction method based on a multi-scale convolutional neural network (MSCNN) that combines a gated recurrent unit and attention mechanism (GRU-AM) and a fusion with an autoregressive (AR) model. The vessel’s latitude and longitude information obtained by the HF radar is sent into the convolutional neural network (CNN) with different window lengths in parallel, and feature fusion is performed on the extracted multi-scale features. The deep GRU model is built to learn the time series with the GRU structure to preserve historical information. Different weights are given to the features using the temporal attention mechanism (AM), which helps the network learn the key information. The linear information on latitude and longitude at the current timestep is forecast by combining the AR model with the trajectory output from the AM to achieve a combination of linear and nonlinear prediction models. To make full use of the HF radar tracking information, the broken trajectory prediction is carried out by forward and backward computation using data from before and after the fracture, respectively. Weights are then assigned to the two predicted results by the entropy-value method to obtain the final ship trajectory by weighted summation. Field experiments show that the proposed method can accurately forecast the trajectories of vessels concealed in clutter. In comparison with other mainstream methods, the new method performs better in estimation accuracy for HF radar vessels concealed in clutter.