bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Study on the Influence of Low-Level Jet on the Aerodynamic Characteristics of Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine Rotor Based on the Aerodynamics–Controller Interaction Method
Authors: He Pan , Xia Jian
Published: April 2022

Accurate prediction of the aerodynamic characteristics of wind rotors subjected to various wind profiles is of considerable importance in the aerodynamics and structural design of wind turbines. As a very complex atmospheric phenomenon, the impact of a low-level jet (LLJ) on the aerodynamic characteristics of wind rotors is becoming more and more significant with the increase in wind turbine height. Additionally, during calculating the aerodynamic characteristics of the wind rotor, the known wind speed, rotor speed, and blade-pitch angle are generally required. However, when the wind profile is in the LLJ condition, it is difficult to determine the blade-pitch angle and rotor speed. Therefore, in this paper, the blade-element-momentum (BEM) method is exploited by considering the coupling with the generator-torque controller and blade-pitch controller. In order to solve the problem of the unknown rotor speed and blade-pitch angle under the LLJ condition, a C++ code is developed. Then, the influence of the LLJ on the aerodynamic characteristics of the wind rotor is exclusively examined. The research results show that the calculation method can precisely evaluate the rotor speed, blade-pitch angle, and aerodynamic characteristics of the wind rotor. The influence of the LLJ on the aerodynamic loads of the wind rotor is greater than that of the wind shear. When the LLJ is placed inside the rotor swept area, the aerodynamic loads of the blade exhibit two local maximums and local minimums with the variation of the azimuth angle in a rotation period. The closer the LLJ height is to the hub height, the greater the average aerodynamic loads of the wind rotor are, and the smaller the amplitude of aerodynamic loads of the blade is relative to the average value. When the LLJ height is positioned outside the rotor swept area, the change law of the aerodynamic loads of the blade would be similar to that of the wind subjected to a very strong wind shear inflow. This study provides a crucial reference for a more rational assessment of the aerodynamic characteristics of wind turbines under the action of complex wind profiles, as well as revealing the influence of the LLJ on the aerodynamic characteristics of wind turbines.
Comparative Study of Non-Rare-Earth and Rare-Earth PM Motors for EV Applications
Authors: Wang Yawei , Bianchi Nicola , Qu Ronghai
Published: April 2022

Recently, non-rare-earth motors are attracting more and more attention due to the booming of the electric vehicle (EV) market and, more importantly, the increasing price of the rare-earth magnet material. This paper focuses on the performance comparison among a commercial interior permanent magnet (IPM) motor and two non-rare-earth motors, including a synchronous reluctance motor (SynRM) and a permanent-magnet-assisted synchronous reluctance motor (PMaSynRM). The design procedure to develop a high-torque-density, low-torque-ripple and high-efficiency SynRM is presented. Combined with a developed automatic modeling and simulation procedure, the finite element analysis (FEA)-based differential evolution (DE) algorithm is introduced for the SynRM rotor optimization. In order to fully inspire the potential of the SynRM, a novel method to optimize the motor split ratio is proposed under the constraint of the copper loss. In addition, different slot–pole combinations are investigated to maximize the motor torque, and the rotor structure is also dealt with towards the centrifugal stress at the maximum operating speed. Finally, the motor performance comparison is carried out, and the results show that although the SynRM achieves almost 61% cost savings, its poor torque capability, power factor and flux weakening (FW) capability are non-negligible defects. On the contrary, the PMaSynRM exhibits excellent features for the EV applications in terms of cost, torque density, efficiency and FW capability. This paper presents a novel split ratio optimization method for the optimal SynRM/PMaSynRM design and demonstrates the characteristics of the IPM motors, SynRMs and PMaSynRMs for EV applications.
Energy Optimization in a Paper Mill Enabled by a Three-Site Energy Cooperation
Authors: Hedlund Alexander , Björkqvist Olof , Nilsson Anders , Engstrand Per
Published: April 2022

Although there are opportunities to reduce electrical energy demand in unit processes of mechanical pulp-based paper and paperboard production, this may not be financially beneficial. This is generally because energy optimization opportunities connected to reduced refiner electricity demand in mechanical pulping systems also results in less steam available for the drying of the paper. As modern high consistency refiner systems produce approximately one ton of steam for each MWh of electricity when producing one ton of pulp, a reduction in electric energy demand leads to increased fuel demand in steam boilers to compensate for the steam shortage. In this study, we investigated what the financial and environmental situation would look like if we were to expand the system border from a paper mill to a larger system consisting of a mechanical pulp-based paper or paperboard mill, a district heating system with an incineration boiler and a chemical pulp mill. Mechanical pulp production has a wood to product yield of >90%, a high electric energy demand to separate woodchips to pulp and is a net producer of heat and steam while chemical pulp-based production has a wood to product yield of 50%, a low electric energy demand and is a net heat and electricity producer due to the combustion of dissolved wood polymers. The aim of this research is to create useful and robust models of how to use excess heat from certain industry sites to cover the steam shortage in other industry sites by means of utilizing and optimizing the district heating systems connecting these sites. For this purpose, we used a simulation tool which dynamically allows us to evaluate different scenarios. Our results shows that there is great potential to reduce both carbon dioxide emissions and production costs for industry sites and society by means of these tools.
Extraction and Characterization of Cellulose from Jerusalem Artichoke Residue and Its Application in Blueberry Preservation
Authors: Zhou Xiaotong , Liu Liu , Li Jianke , Wang Lin , Song Xueying
Published: April 2022

The utilization of industrial by-products is becoming more and more important for resource utilization. In this study, soluble dietary fiber (SDF) was extracted from Jerusalem artichoke residue, and a series of characterizations of SDF were carried out. The results showed that SDF had good properties. SDF (0%, 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%, and 0.4%) and chitosan (2%) were further used to prepare the coating that was used for the preservation of blueberry. The chemical structure of the film was obtained by FT-IR and XRD analysis. The microstructure of the film was analyzed by SEM, and the properties of the film were tested. The blueberry fresh-keeping test proved that the SDF-added film could effectively prolong the quality of blueberries in storage for 16 days. After 16 days of storage, compared with the control group, the decay rate of the coating group with 0.2% SDF decreased by 16.3%, the consumption of organic acids decreased by 43.7%, and the content of anthocyanin increased by 29.3%. SDF has a potential application in food preservation.
Experimental Study on Physicochemical Properties of a Shear Thixotropic Polymer Gel for Lost Circulation Control
Authors: Yang Jingbin , Bai Yingrui , Sun Jinsheng , Lv Kaihe , Han Jinliang , Dai Liyao
Published: April 2022

Polymer gel lost circulation control technology is a common and effective technique to control fractured lost circulation. The performance of a lost circulation control agent is the key to the success of lost circulation control techniques. In this study, rheological tests were used to study the physical and chemical properties of a shear thixotropic polymer gel system, such as anti-dilution, high temperature resistance and high salt resistance. The results showed that the shear thixotropic polymer gel system had the ability of anti-dilution, and the gel could be formed under a mixture of 3 times volume of heavy salt water and 3/7 volume white oil, and could keep the structure and morphology stable. Secondly, the gel formation time of shear thixotropic polymer gel system could be controlled and had good injection performance under the condition of 140 °C and different initiator concentrations. Meanwhile, the shear thixotropic polymer gel system had the ability of high temperature and high salt resistance, and the gel formation effect was good in salt water. When the scanning frequency was 4 Hz and the temperature was 140 °C, the storage modulus (G′) of the gel was 4700 Pa. The gel was dominated by elasticity and had excellent mechanical properties. By scanning electron microscope observation, it was found that the shear thixotropic polymer gel system had a stable three-dimensional reticular space skeleton under the condition of high salt, indicating that it had excellent ability to tolerate high salt. Therefore, the shear thixotropic polymer gel had high temperature and high salt resistance, dilution resistance and good shear responsiveness. It is believed that the results presented in this work are of importance for extending real-life applications of shear thixotropic polymer gel systems.
Parallel-Disk Viscometry of a Viscoplastic Hydrogel: Yield Stress and Other Parameters of Shear Viscosity and Wall Slip
Authors: Quan Li , Kalyon Dilhan M.
Published: April 2022

The rheology, i.e., the flow and deformation properties, of hydrogels is generally a very important consideration for their functionality. However, the accurate characterization of their rheological material functions is handicapped by their ubiquitous viscoplasticity and associated wall slip behavior. Here a parallel-disk viscometer was used to characterize the shear viscosity and wall slip behavior of a crosslinked poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) carbomer hydrogel (specifically Carbopol® at 0.12% by weight in water). It was demonstrated that parallel-disk viscometry, i.e., the steady torsional flow in between two parallel disks, can be used to unambiguously determine the yield stress and other parameters of viscoplastic constitutive equations and wall slip behavior. It was specifically shown that torque versus rotational speed information, obtained from parallel-disk viscometry, was sufficient to determine the yield stress of a viscoplastic hydrogel. Additional gap-dependent data from parallel-disk viscometry could then be used to characterize the other parameters of the shear viscosity and wall slip behavior of the hydrogel. To investigate the accuracy of the parameters of shear viscosity and apparent wall slip that were determined, the data were used to calculate the torque values and the velocity distributions (using the lubrication assumption and parallel plate analogy) under different flow conditions. The calculated torques and velocity distributions of the hydrogel agreed very well with experimental data collected by Medina-Bañuelos et al., 2021, suggesting that the methodologies demonstrated here provide the means necessary to understand in detail the steady flow and deformation behavior of hydrogels. Such a detailed understanding of the viscoplastic nature and wall slip behavior of hydrogels can then be used to design and develop novel hydrogels with a wider range of applications in the medical and other industrial areas, and for finding optimum conditions for their processing and manufacturing.
Genomic and Transcriptomic Characterization of Atypical Recurrent Flank Alopecia in the Cesky Fousek
Authors: Neradilová Silvie , Schauer Alexandria M. , Hayward Jessica J. , Brunner Magdalena A. T. , Bohutínská Magdalena , Jagannathan Vidhya , Connell Laurie B. , Boyko Adam R. , Welle Monika M. , Černá Bolfíková Barbora
Published: April 2022

Non-inflammatory alopecia is a frequent skin problem in dogs, causing damaged coat integrity and compromised appearance of affected individuals. In this study, we examined the Cesky Fousek breed, which displays atypical recurrent flank alopecia (aRFA) at a high frequency. This type of alopecia can be quite severe and is characterized by seasonal episodes of well demarcated alopecic areas without hyperpigmentation. The genetic component responsible for aRFA remains unknown. Thus, here we aimed to identify variants involved in aRFA using a combination of histological, genomic, and transcriptomic data. We showed that aRFA is histologically similar to recurrent flank alopecia, characterized by a lack of anagen hair follicles and the presence of severely shortened telogen or kenogen hair follicles. We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using 216 dogs phenotyped for aRFA and identified associations on chromosomes 19, 8, 30, 36, and 21, highlighting 144 candidate genes, which suggests a polygenic basis for aRFA. By comparing the skin cell transcription pattern of six aRFA and five control dogs, we identified 236 strongly differentially expressed genes (DEGs). We showed that the GWAS genes associated with aRFA are often predicted to interact with DEGs, suggesting their joint contribution to the development of the disease. Together, these genes affect four major metabolic pathways connected to aRFA: collagen formation, muscle structure/contraction, lipid metabolism, and the immune system.
Characterization and Expression of Phospholipase D Putatively Involved in Colletotrichummusae Disease Development of Postharvest Banana Fruit
Authors: Yi Ping , Li Li , Sun Jian , He Xuemei , Li Changbao , Sheng Jinfeng , Xin Ming , Ling Dongning , Li Zhichun , Tang Yayuan , Liu Guoming
Published: April 2022

Phospholipase D (PLD) in plants plays an important role in growth, development, and stress response. The effect of hexanal on PLD in banana fruit responding to Colletotrichum musae infection remains poorly understood. In this study, four putative PLD genes, named as MaPLD1, MaPLD2, MaPLD3, and MaPLD4 were identified from banana fruit. The four MaPLDs can be classified into three of the seven known PLD families according to sequence characterization. Their deduced amino acid sequences displayed homology of PLDs from other plant species. Furthermore, the specific expression analysis of PLD genes in banana fruit in response to infection in C. musae was studied and the response relationship between PLD family members and banana fruit under anthracnose stress was clarified. Changes in both the activity of PLD and PLC, and the connection between hexanal and phospholipases in the banana fruit C. musae infection were compared. The results showed that the incidence of disease in banana inoculated with C. musae was dramatically increased after 6 days of storage, the activation of PLD and PLC in infected anthracnose fruit before disease development, and that this activation was inhibited by hexanal treatment, which suggested that both enzymes play a protective role in banana fruit to cope with C. musae infection and the participation of hexanal in their regulation. Of the four MaPLD genes, the anthracnose had a stronger effect on MaPLD1 and MaPLD4. These data demonstrated that hexanal treatment could enhance fruit disease resistance to C. musae, and that PLD could take part in the disease defensive system of harvested banana fruit to C. musae by modulating the metabolism of cell membrane lipids, and thus suppress disease development in C. musae -inoculated banana during storage.
How Does E-mail-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Work for Young Adults (18–28 Years) with Insomnia? Mediators of Changes in Insomnia, Depression, Anxiety, and Stress
Authors: Ubara Ayaka , Tanizawa Noriko , Harata Megumi , Suh Sooyeon , Yang Chien-Ming , Li Xin , Okajima Isa
Published: April 2022

This study examined whether cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for insomnia (CBT-I) improved insomnia severity, by changing sleep-related mediating factors. It also examined whether an improvement in insomnia led to enhanced mental health. This study was a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial of e-mail-delivered CBT-I for young adults with insomnia. The participants were randomized to either CBT-I or self-monitoring. The mental health-related measures were depression, anxiety, and stress. The sleep-related mediating factors were sleep hygiene practices, dysfunctional beliefs, sleep reactivity, and pre-sleep arousal. A total of 41 participants, who completed all the sessions (71% females; mean age 19.71 ± 1.98 years), were included in the analysis. The hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that 53% of the variance in the improvements in insomnia severity was explained by the treatment group (β = −0.53; ΔR2 = 0.25; p < 0.01) and the changes in sleep reactivity (β = 0.39; ΔR2 = 0.28; p < 0.05). Moreover, the mediation analysis showed that the reductions in depression and stress were explained by the changes in insomnia severity; however, anxiety symptoms were not reduced. CBT-I for young adults suggested that sleep reactivity is a significant mediator that reduces insomnia severity, and that the alleviation and prevention of depression and stress would occur with the improvement in insomnia.
The Scale of Intoxications with New Psychoactive Substances over the Period 2014–2020—Characteristics of the Trends and Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Example of Łódź Province, Poland
Authors: Garus-Pakowska Anna , Kolmaga Agnieszka , Gaszyńska Ewelina , Ulrichs Magdalena
Published: April 2022

Legal highs are new psychoactive substances (NPSs) which pose a high risk for human health, and the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has changed peoples’ behaviours, including the demand for NPS. The aim of the study was to assess both the frequency of intoxication with NPS in Łódź province over the period 2014–2020, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on developing this trend. An analysis was carried out of data on intoxications in Łódź province in the years 2014–2020 reported by hospitals. The medical interventions rate (MI) per 100,000 people in the population was calculated. The frequency of intoxications was compared taking sociodemographic variables into account, and the effect of seasonal influence on intoxications was calculated using the Holt–Winter multiplicative seasonal method. In the period considered, there were 7175 acute NPS poisonings in the Łódź province and 25,495 in Poland. The averaged MI rate between 2014–2020 was 9.45 for Poland and 38.53 for the Łódź province, and the lowest value was found during the COVID pandemic in the year 2020 (respectively, 2.1 vs. 16.94). NPS users were mainly young men of 19–24 years old from a big city. Most cases were registered at weekends and in summer months. The majority of intoxications were caused by unidentified psychoactive substances of legal highs (chi2 = 513.98, p < 0.05). The actual number of NPS-related poisonings in the Łódź province in 2020 was lower than the value extrapolated from trend analysis of data between 2014–2019. NPS use in Poland decreased during the pandemic. It should be noted that a decrease in the number of drug-related incidents can have more than one reason, e.g., preventive programs, increased awareness, or changes in the law. This paper advocates that, in addition to monitoring NPS-related intoxications, there is further investigation into the social, cultural, and behavioural determinants of NPS to facilitate targeted prevention programmes and the development of new medical treatments.
The Health Literacy in Pregnancy (HeLP) Program Study Protocol: Development of an Antenatal Care Intervention Using the Ophelia Process
Authors: Meldgaard Maiken , Maimburg Rikke Damkjær , Damm Maiken Fabricius , Aaby Anna , Peeters Anna , Maindal Helle Terkildsen
Published: April 2022

A pregnant woman needs adequate knowledge, motivation, and skills to access, understand, appraise, and apply health information to make decisions related to the health of herself and her unborn baby. These skills are defined as health literacy: an important factor in relation to the woman’s ability to engage and navigate antenatal care services. Evidence shows variation in levels of health literacy among pregnant women, but more knowledge is needed about how to respond to different health literacy profiles in antenatal care. This paper describes the development protocol for the HeLP program, which aims to investigate pregnant women’s health literacy and co-create health literacy interventions through a broad collaboration between pregnant women, partners, healthcare providers, professionals, and other stakeholders using the Ophelia (Optimising Health Literacy and Access) process. The HeLP program will be provided at two hospitals, which provide maternity care including antenatal care: a tertiary referral hospital (Aarhus University Hospital) and a secondary hospital (the Regional Hospital in Viborg). The Ophelia process includes three process phases with separate objectives, steps, and activities leading to the identification of local strengths, needs and issues, co-design of interventions, and implementation, evaluation, and ongoing improvement. No health literacy intervention using the Ophelia process has yet been developed for antenatal care.
Temporal Dimensions of Job Quality and Gender: Exploring Differences in the Associations of Working Time and Health between Women and Men
Authors: Franklin Paula , Zwysen Wouter , Piasna Agnieszka
Published: April 2022

Research shows strong links between working time organization and workers’ health outcomes. Working time is also known to be highly gendered, with men and women working to different schedules. This article merges these two strands of research and takes a gender-based approach to investigating the relationship between temporal job quality and self-reported health in Europe. First, the sixth European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) is used to establish the relationship between temporal dimensions of job quality and health and well-being outcomes for employed women and men. This is then corroborated using larger samples and more restricted measures of job quality drawn from micro-data from the 2019–2020 EU Labor Force Survey (LFS). The analyses show that good temporal job quality is positively associated with health and subjective well-being for both women and men, but this effect is significantly stronger for women, who are also at a greater risk of exposure to low control over working time and time under-employment. The findings highlight the importance of studying the impact of working and employment conditions on health from gender perspective, and the need for further exploration of job quality due to changes in the spatio-temporal organization of work during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
Examining the Potential Scaling Law in Urban PM2.5 Pollution Risks along with the Nationwide Air Environmental Effort in China
Authors: Yao Lei , Xu Wentian , Xu Ying , Sun Shuo
Published: April 2022

Urban scaling law provides a quantitative understanding of the fundamental nonlinear properties of how cities work. Addressing this, this study intended to examine the potential scaling law that may lie in urban air pollution. With ground-monitored PM2.5 data and statistical socioeconomic factors in 265 Chinese cities (2015–2019), a targeted analysis, based on the scaling power-law model and scale-adjusted metropolitan indicator (SAMI) was conducted. The main findings of this study were summarized as follows: (1) A significant sublinear scaling relationship between PM2.5 and urban population size indicated that air quality degradation significantly lagged behind urban growth, affirming the remarkable effectiveness of national efforts on atmospheric environment improvement. (2) SAMI analysis expressed the relative conflict risk between PM2.5 pollution and urbanization and showed significant spatial cluster characteristics. Cities in central China showed higher potential risk than other regions, and there was a clear southward tendency for the city clusters with increasing SAMIs during the study period. (3) During the study period, urbanization was not the reason affecting the human-land conflict in terms of air pollution. This study is significant in that it marked the first innovative incorporation of the scaling law model into an urban environmental risk study. It also offered a new perspective from which to reframe the urban PM2.5 pollution risk, along with the nationwide air environmental effort in China, which will benefit future research on multi-types of urban environmental issues.
Accessibility to Occupational Therapy Services for Hereditary Transthyretin Amyloidosis
Authors: Gayà-Barroso Aina , González-Moreno Juan , Rodríguez Adrián , Ripoll-Vera Tomás , Losada-López Inés , Gili Margarita , Cisneros-Barroso Eugenia
Published: April 2022

This study was designed to investigate the global utilization of occupational therapy (OT) services by patients with hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTRv) in Spain. The main objective was to find out whether these patients have access to OT services and the types of interventions being offered to them, together with their satisfaction and real benefits as users. We developed an online questionnaire which was distributed to patients with ATTRv in Spain through patient associations. Seventy-four patients with a diagnosis of ATTRv residing in Spain participated in the study. Thirteen had already used OT services at least once, felt that OT interventions improved their quality of life, would recommend OT services to others, and would return to see an occupational therapist. However, 61 had never used this type of service before. Of these, 35 knew what OT is and 13 declared that they considered that OT interventions in ATTRv could be positive for them. The results suggest that the use of OT services by ATTRv patients is low, mainly because of the lack of information about the occupational profile of individuals with this disease. The low response rate obtained for the survey limits generalization, and thus further research to confirm these preliminary findings is needed.
Impact of the Menstrual Cycle Phases on the Movement Patterns of Sub-Elite Women Soccer Players during Competitive Matches
Authors: Igonin Pierre-Hugues , Rogowski Isabelle , Boisseau Nathalie , Martin Cyril
Published: April 2022

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of the menstrual cycle phases on the movement patterns of sub-elite women soccer players during competitive matches over three consecutive seasons. Individual movement data were analyzed and compared in eight players from the second French League at the early follicular (EF), late follicular (LF) and mid-luteal (ML) phases of their menstrual cycle, determined by the calendar method. The movement patterns, expressed as meters per minute, were recorded during competitive matches using devices placed on the player’s ankle. Our results showed significantly lower distances covered at moderate and high velocity in the EF phase than in the LF and ML phases (Cohen’s d effect size = 1.03 and 0.79, respectively). The total distance covered during matches and the number of sprints also were reduced during EF compared with LF (d = 0.78 and 0.7, respectively). Overall, the total distance and distance covered at low velocity were significantly lower during the second half-time of the matches (d = 1.51), but no menstrual cycle phase × game period interaction was noted. In conclusion, our study suggests that EF may impact the movement pattern of sub-elite women soccer players during competitive matches, without any modulation of this effect by the playing time. Despite the low sample size, these results can be useful for coaches and support staff to modulate training loads and player rotation during soccer games.
Evaluation of Street Space Quality Using Streetscape Data: Perspective from Recreational Physical Activity of the Elderly
Authors: Du Ying , Huang Wei
Published: April 2022

The quality of street space has attracted attention. It is important to understand the needs of different population groups for street space quality, especially the rapidly growing elderly group. Improving the quality of street space is conducive to promoting the physical leisure activities of the elderly to benefit to their health. Therefore, it is important to evaluate street space quality for the elderly. The existing studies, on the one hand, are limited by the sample size of traditional survey data, which is hard to apply on a large scale; on the other hand, there is a lack of consideration for factors that reveal the quality of street space from the perspective of the elderly. This paper takes Guangzhou as an example to evaluate the quality of street space. First, the sample street images were scored by the elderly on a small scale; then the regression analysis was used to extract the street elements that the elderly care about. Last, the street elements were put into the random forest model to assess street space quality io a large scale. It was found that the green view rate and sidewalks are positively correlated with satisfaction, and the positive effect increases in that order. Roads, buildings, sky, vehicles, walls, ceilings, glass windows, runways, railings, and rocks are negatively correlated with satisfaction, and the negative effect increases in that order. The mean satisfaction score of the quality of street space for the elderly’s recreational physical activities in three central districts of Guangzhou (Yuexiu, Liwan, and Haizhu) is 2.6, among which Xingang street gets the highest quality score (2.92), and Hailong street has the lowest quality score (2.32). These findings are useful for providing suggestions to governors and city designers for street space optimization.
Incorporating Spatial Autocorrelation in Machine Learning Models Using Spatial Lag and Eigenvector Spatial Filtering Features
Authors: Liu Xiaojian , Kounadi Ourania , Zurita-Milla Raul
Published: April 2022

Applications of machine-learning-based approaches in the geosciences have witnessed a substantial increase over the past few years. Here we present an approach that accounts for spatial autocorrelation by introducing spatial features to the models. In particular, we explore two types of spatial features, namely spatial lag and eigenvector spatial filtering (ESF). These features are used within the widely used random forest (RF) method, and their effect is illustrated on two public datasets of varying sizes (Meuse and California housing datasets). The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) is used to determine the best subset of spatial features, and nested cross-validation is used for hyper-parameter tuning and performance evaluation. We utilize Moran’s I and local indicators of spatial association (LISA) to assess how spatial autocorrelation is captured at both global and local scales. Our results show that RF models combined with either spatial lag or ESF features yield lower errors (up to 33% different) and reduce the global spatial autocorrelation of the residuals (up to 95% decrease in Moran’s I) compared to the RF model with no spatial features. The local autocorrelation patterns of the residuals are weakened as well. Compared to benchmark geographically weighted regression (GWR) models, the RF models with spatial features yielded more accurate models with similar levels of global and local autocorrelation in the prediction residuals. This study reveals the effectiveness of spatial features in capturing spatial autocorrelation and provides a generic machine-learning modelling workflow for spatial prediction.
Advances in Immunomodulation and Immune Engineering Approaches to Improve Healing of Extremity Wounds
Authors: Muire Preeti J. , Thompson Marc A. , Christy Robert J. , Natesan Shanmugasundaram
Published: April 2022

Delayed healing of traumatic wounds often stems from a dysregulated immune response initiated or exacerbated by existing comorbidities, multiple tissue injury or wound contamination. Over decades, approaches towards alleviating wound inflammation have been centered on interventions capable of a collective dampening of various inflammatory factors and/or cells. However, a progressive understanding of immune physiology has rendered deeper knowledge on the dynamic interplay of secreted factors and effector cells following an acute injury. There is a wide body of literature, both in vitro and in vivo, abstracted on the immunomodulatory approaches to control inflammation. Recently, targeted modulation of the immune response via biotechnological approaches and biomaterials has gained attention as a means to restore the pro-healing phenotype and promote tissue regeneration. In order to fully realize the potential of these approaches in traumatic wounds, a critical and nuanced understanding of the relationships between immune dysregulation and healing outcomes is needed. This review provides an insight on paradigm shift towards interventional approaches to control exacerbated immune response following a traumatic injury from an agonistic to a targeted path. We address such a need by (1) providing a targeted discussion of the wound healing processes to assist in the identification of novel therapeutic targets and (2) highlighting emerging technologies and interventions that utilize an immunoengineering-based approach. In addition, we have underscored the importance of immune engineering as an emerging tool to provide precision medicine as an option to modulate acute immune response following a traumatic injury. Finally, an overview is provided on how an intervention can follow through a successful clinical application and regulatory pathway following laboratory and animal model evaluation.
ASTool: An Easy-to-Use Tool to Accurately Identify Alternative Splicing Events from Plant RNA-Seq Data
Authors: Qi Huan , Guo Xiaokun , Wang Tianpeng , Zhang Ziding
Published: April 2022

Alternative splicing (AS) is an essential co-transcriptional regulatory mechanism in eukaryotes. The accumulation of plant RNA-Seq data provides an unprecedented opportunity to investigate the global landscape of plant AS events. However, most existing AS identification tools were originally designed for animals, and their performance in plants was not rigorously benchmarked. In this work, we developed a simple and easy-to-use bioinformatics tool named ASTool for detecting AS events from plant RNA-Seq data. As an exon-based method, ASTool can detect 4 major AS types, including intron retention (IR), exon skipping (ES), alternative 5′ splice sites (A5SS), and alternative 3′ splice sites (A3SS). Compared with existing tools, ASTool revealed a favorable performance when tested in simulated RNA-Seq data, with both recall and precision values exceeding 95% in most cases. Moreover, ASTool also showed a competitive computational speed and consistent detection results with existing tools when tested in simulated or real plant RNA-Seq data. Considering that IR is the most predominant AS type in plants, ASTool allowed the detection and visualization of novel IR events based on known splice sites. To fully present the functionality of ASTool, we also provided an application example of ASTool in processing real RNA-Seq data of Arabidopsis in response to heat stress.
Transcriptome and Metabolome Profiling Reveal the Resistance Mechanisms of Rice against Brown Planthopper
Authors: Zhang Qian , Li Tianzhu , Gao Mingyang , Ye Meng , Lin Manxia , Wu Di , Guo Jianping , Guan Wei , Wang Jing , Yang Ke , Zhu Lili , Cheng Yichen , Du Bo , He Guangcun
Published: April 2022

Brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens Stål, BPH) is one of the most destructive insects affecting rice production. To better understand the physiological mechanisms of how rice responds to BPH feeding, we analyzed BPH-induced transcriptomic and metabolic changes in leaf sheaths of both BPH-susceptible and -resistant rice varieties. Our results demonstrated that the resistant rice reduced the settling, feeding and growth of BPH. Metabolic analyses indicated that BPH infestation caused more drastic overall metabolic changes in the susceptible variety than the resistant rice. Differently accumulated metabolites (DAMs) belonging to flavonoids were downregulated in the susceptible rice but upregulated in resistant variety. Transcriptomic analyses revealed more differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in susceptible rice than resistant rice, and DEGs related to stimulus were significantly upregulated in resistant rice but downregulated in susceptible rice. Combined analyses of transcriptome and metabolome showed that many DEGs and DAMs were enriched in phenylpropane biosynthesis, flavonoid biosynthesis, and plant hormone signal transduction. We conducted correlation analyses of DEGs and DAMs in these pathways and found a high correlation between DEGs and DAMs. Then, we found that the contents of endogenous indole 3-acetic acid (IAA) in resistant rice was lower than that of susceptible rice after BPH feeding, while the salicylic acid (SA) content was the opposite. For functional analysis, an exogenous application of IAA decreased rice resistance to BPH, but the exogenous application of SA increased resistance. In addition, biochemical assessment and quantitative PCR analysis showed that the lignin content of resistant accession was constitutively higher than in susceptible accession. By adding epigallocatechin, the substrate of anthocyanidin reductase (ANR), to the artificial diet decreased the performance of BPH. We first combined a transcriptome-metabolome-wide association study (TMWAS) on rice resistance to BPH in this study. We demonstrated that rice promoted resistance to BPH by inducing epigallocatechin and decreasing IAA. These findings provided useful transcriptomic and metabolic information for understanding the rice-BPH interactions.
Asthmatic Eosinophils Alter the Gene Expression of Extracellular Matrix Proteins in Airway Smooth Muscle Cells and Pulmonary Fibroblasts
Authors: Janulaityte Ieva , Januskevicius Andrius , Rimkunas Airidas , Palacionyte Jolita , Vitkauskiene Astra , Malakauskas Kestutis
Published: April 2022

The impaired production of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins by airway smooth muscle cells (ASMC) and pulmonary fibroblasts (PF) is a part of airway remodeling in asthma. This process might be influenced by eosinophils that migrate to the airway and abundantly secrete various cytokines, including TGF-β. We aimed to investigate the effect of asthmatic eosinophils on the gene expression of ECM proteins in ASMC and PF. A total of 34 study subjects were recruited: 14 with allergic asthma (AA), 9 with severe non-allergic eosinophilic asthma (SNEA), and 11 healthy subjects (HS). All AA patients underwent bronchial allergen challenge with D. pteronyssinus. The peripheral blood eosinophils were isolated using high-density centrifugation and magnetic separation. The individual cell cultures were made using hTERT ASMC and MRC-5 cell lines and the subjects’ eosinophils. The gene expression of ECM and the TGF-β signaling pathway was analyzed using qRT-PCR. We found that asthmatic eosinophils significantly promoted collagen I, fibronectin, versican, tenascin C, decorin, vitronectin, periostin, vimentin, MMP-9, ADAM33, TIMP-1, and TIMP-2 gene expression in ASMC and collagen I, collagen III, fibronectin, elastin, decorin, MMP-2, and TIMP-2 gene expression in PF compared with the HS eosinophil effect. The asthmatic eosinophils significantly increased the gene expression of several canonical and non-canonical TGF-β signaling pathway components in ASMC and PF compared with the HS eosinophil effect. The allergen-activated AA and SNEA eosinophils had a greater effect on these changes. In conclusion, asthmatic eosinophils, especially SNEA and allergen-activated eosinophils, imbalanced the gene expression of ECM proteins and their degradation-regulating proteins. These changes were associated with increased gene expression of TGF-β signaling pathway molecules in ASMC and PF.
Elastic Fibre Proteins in Elastogenesis and Wound Healing
Authors: Zhang Xinyang , Alanazi Yasmene F. , Jowitt Thomas A. , Roseman Alan M. , Baldock Clair
Published: April 2022

As essential components of our connective tissues, elastic fibres give tissues such as major blood vessels, skin and the lungs their elasticity. Their formation is complex and co-ordinately regulated by multiple factors. In this review, we describe key players in elastogenesis: fibrillin-1, tropoelastin, latent TGFβ binding protein-4, and fibulin-4 and -5. We summarise their roles in elastogenesis, discuss the effect of their mutations on relevant diseases, and describe their interactions involved in forming the elastic fibre network. Moreover, we look into their roles in wound repair for a better understanding of their potential application in tissue regeneration.
Resveratrol Inhibition of the WNT/β-Catenin Pathway following Discogenic Low Back Pain
Authors: Genovese Tiziana , Impellizzeri Daniela , D’Amico Ramona , Cordaro Marika , Peritore Alessio Filippo , Crupi Rosalia , Gugliandolo Enrico , Cuzzocrea Salvatore , Fusco Roberta , Siracusa Rosalba , Di Paola Rosanna
Published: April 2022

Low back pain (LBP) management is an important clinical issue. Inadequate LBP control has consequences on the mental and physical health of patients. Thus, acquiring new information on LBP mechanism would increase the available therapeutic tools. Resveratrol is a natural compound with many beneficial effects. In this study, we investigated the role of resveratrol on behavioral changes, inflammation and oxidative stress induced by LBP. Ten microliters of Complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA) was injected in the lumbar intervertebral disk of Sprague Dawley rats to induce degeneration, and resveratrol was administered daily. Behavioral analyses were performed on day zero, three, five and seven, and the animals were sacrificed to evaluate the molecular pathways involved. Resveratrol administration alleviated hyperalgesia, motor disfunction and allodynia. Resveratrol administration significantly reduced the loss of notochordal cells and degenerative changes in the intervertebral disk. From the molecular point of view, resveratrol reduced the 5th/6th lumbar (L5–6) spinal activation of the WNT pathway, reducing the expression of WNT3a and cysteine-rich domain frizzled (FZ)8 and the accumulation of cytosolic and nuclear β-catenin. Moreover, resveratrol reduced the levels of TNF-α and IL-18 that are target genes strictly downstream of the WNT/β-catenin pathway. It also showed important anti-inflammatory activities by reducing the activation of the NFkB pathway, the expression of iNOS and COX-2, and the levels of PGE2 in the lumbar spinal cord. Moreover, resveratrol reduced the oxidative stress associated with inflammation and pain, as shown by the observed reduced lipid peroxidation and increased GSH, SOD, and CAT activities. Therefore, resveratrol administration controlled the WNT/β-catenin pathway and the related inflammatory and oxidative alterations, thus alleviating the behavioral changes induced by LBP.
Entropy Perspectives of Molecular and Evolutionary Biology
Authors: Sabater Bartolomé
Published: April 2022

Attempts to find and quantify the supposed low entropy of organisms and its preservation are revised. The absolute entropy of the mixed components of non-living biomass (approximately −1.6 × 103 J K−1 L−1) is the reference to which other entropy decreases would be ascribed to life. The compartmentation of metabolites and the departure from the equilibrium of metabolic reactions account for reductions in entropy of 1 and 40–50 J K−1 L−1, respectively, and, though small, are distinctive features of living tissues. DNA and proteins do not supply significant decreases in thermodynamic entropy, but their low informational entropy is relevant for life and its evolution. No other living feature contributes significantly to the low entropy associated with life. The photosynthetic conversion of radiant energy to biomass energy accounts for most entropy (2.8 × 105 J K−1 carbon kg−1) produced by living beings. The comparatively very low entropy produced in other processes (approximately 4.8 × 102 J K−1 L−1 day−1 in the human body) must be rapidly exported outside as heat to preserve low entropy decreases due to compartmentation and non-equilibrium metabolism. Enzymes and genes are described, whose control minimizes the rate of production of entropy and could explain selective pressures in biological evolution and the rapid proliferation of cancer cells.
Nutraceutical Concepts and Dextrin-Based Delivery Systems
Authors: Hoti Gjylije , Matencio Adrián , Rubin Pedrazzo Alberto , Cecone Claudio , Appleton Silvia Lucia , Khazaei Monfared Yousef , Caldera Fabrizio , Trotta Francesco
Published: April 2022

Nutraceuticals are bioactive or chemical compounds acclaimed for their valuable biological activities and health-promoting effects. The global community is faced with many health concerns such as cancers, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, etc. The effect of nutraceuticals is similar to pharmaceuticals, even though the term nutraceutical has no regulatory definition. The usage of nutraceuticals, to prevent and treat the aforementioned diseases, is limited by several features such as poor water solubility, low bioavailability, low stability, low permeability, low efficacy, etc. These downsides can be overcome by the application of the field of nanotechnology manipulating the properties and structures of materials at the nanometer scale. In this review, the linear and cyclic dextrin, formed during the enzymatic degradation of starch, are highlighted as highly promising nanomaterials- based drug delivery systems. The modified cyclic dextrin, cyclodextrin (CD)-based nanosponges (NSs), are well-known delivery systems of several nutraceuticals such as quercetin, curcumin, resveratrol, thyme essential oil, melatonin, and appear as a more advanced drug delivery system than modified linear dextrin. CD-based NSs prolong and control the nutraceuticals release, and display higher biocompatibility, stability, and solubility of poorly water-soluble nutraceuticals than the CD-inclusion complexes, or uncomplexed nutraceuticals. In addition, the well-explored CD-based NSs pathways, as drug delivery systems, are described. Although important progress is made in drug delivery, all the findings will serve as a source for the use of CD-based nanosystems for nutraceutical delivery. To sum up, our review introduces the extensive literature about the nutraceutical concepts, synthesis, characterization, and applications of the CD-based nano delivery systems that will further contribute to the nutraceutical delivery with more potent nanosystems based on linear dextrins.