bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Africanization of Christianity: Henry Venn’s indigenization of Christianity
Authors: Ekpenyong Ekpenyong Obo , Okoi Ibiang Obono
Published: December 2021

The history of Christianity has always been a two-way process of transformation in any given culture. Christianity and paganism are reciprocal; Christianity is necessary for revelation to be fulfilled, but the actual quality of this fulfillment depends upon the quality of the religious man transformed by revelation. Christianity, as a result of this, needs a natural religion, the same way it needs all human realities as the sole mission is to save what has first been created. The link between Gospel and culture is that Gospel whenever its introduced and established in a new culture, is “transposed” in a particular way a sweet melody into a new key. Moreover, the Gospel, when transposed from its biblical world to other cultural worlds, undergoes change itself as well as causing these other worlds to change. Crowther created an astonishing impact and contribution after his consecration in 1864; as he strived to indigenize or Africanize Christianity to make it possible for the Christian faith to be accepted by Africans without having to give up or disown their cultural values. This work seeks to find what part Henry Venn, the dynamic and accomplished secretary of the Church Missionary Society, played to see how Christian faith can go well together or combine with African beliefs and practices to produce Christianity which may become a religion for Africans. This work has shown that Henry Venn's ideas on native Church organization include: the native Church needs the ablest native pastors for its fuller development and that it should be under a native bishop and that a native Church is organized as a national institution. This work adopted a qualitative method that used historical and content analysis. This work concluded that for the Africanization of Christianity to be actualized, African Church must have its liturgy or incorporate what was good of the native religions to develop an authentically African Christianity. And that reducing the various African vernaculars into writing and developing native literature was a first step in the reforming movement toward Africanization of Christianity; just as Venn urged Crowther to undertake the translation of the Bible into Yoruba and to preach in Yoruba even while still at Freetown.
Sentiment Evolution Analysis and Association Rule Mining for COVID-19 Tweets
Authors: Drias Yassine , Drias Habiba
Published: December 2021

This article presents a data mining study carried out on social media users in the context of COVID-19 and offers four main contributions. The first one consists in the construction of a COVID-19 dataset composed of tweets posted by users during the first stages of the virus propagation. The second contribution offers a sample of the interactions between users on topics related to the pandemic. The third contribution is a sentiment analysis, which explores the evolution of emotions throughout time, while the fourth one is an association rule mining task. The indicators determined by statistics and the results obtained from sentiment analysis and association rule mining are eloquent. For instance, signs of an upcoming worldwide economic crisis were clearly detected at an early stage in this study. Overall results are promising and can be exploited in the prediction of the aftermath of COVID-19 and similar crisis in the future.
Teaching techniques adapted for online delivery to achieve course learning outcomes in a virtual environment
Authors: Moşteanu Narcisa
Published: December 2021

Today we are moving from traditional learning to e-learning via digital means. The entire humanity learned how to adapt overnight to digital life and leave the traditional doing things behind. Digitization has been around for several years, but its use has become a necessity with the Covid-19 pandemic. The blockade forced us to work remotely overnight, to use digital networks to communicate, make payments, learn, all sectors of activity had to adapt to the digital age in one night. This paper shows how the teaching and learning approaches need to adapt to new communication requirements and students' needs to achieve course learning outcomes in a virtual environment. This paper uses both a quantitative and qualitative method to analyze the professors and students’ perspectives on the techniques of online teaching-learning, during the isolation period and after, and what are the best methods recommended to be used for online learning taking into consideration how students can maintain their class’s attention and how can get actively involved in a learning process. The value of this study is to develop a holistic image of online teaching-learning-assessment activities, to ensure the efficiency and quality of the educational process in the university environment.
The effects of different genres of music on passersby
Authors: Rao Aditya , Rao Sanjana , Nugent Connie , Nugent Kenneth
Published: December 2021

Music preferences reflect both experience and societal or cultural influences. The characteristics of the music genre include both structural style and societal connotations. This study investigated reactions to different types of music. The behavior of passersby was observed as music from two stereotypically “opposite” genres, hip-hop and classical, was played by the researcher while jogging past them. It was hypothesized that due to societal stereotypes and reputations of these genres’ participants would react negatively toward hip-hop and favorably toward classical. As the study was conducted, participants were observed during six different outings over a three-week period. The researcher jogged at the same time of day and over the same route with either hip-hop or classical music playing. Passersby were observed on their facial expressions, any changes in behavior, and their body language to determine their overall reaction to the music, as being “positive”, “negative”, or “neutral.” The results indicate that older passersby responded negatively to hip-hop and positively to classical music. Younger age groups often had opposite reactions. This study provides insight into different populations’ responses to opposite genres of music and how societal stereotypes may have affected these responses.
Existing in Etherium: The autographic ontology of
the non-fungible token artwork
Authors: Kovacs Elizabeth
Published: December 2021

This paper examines the concept that legitimate autographic identity may be granted to digital images created as a non-fungible token (NFT). The blockchain technology coded permanently into minted NFT’s keep track of the legitimacy of authorship and ownership, keeping them from being duplicated and removing them from the realm of allographic art. Questions arise of what ‘legitimacy’ and ‘ownership’ for a digital image—which are so easily reproduced and circulated—even look like. The main question that must be answered is whether the backend coding of a digital file is sufficient to alter its ontology into a token of one-of-a-kind autographic work, or if it only what is visible to the viewer of the image matters for its replicability and allographic ontological nature.
Transcriptome Analysis of the Central Nervous System of Sea Slug (Onchidium reevesii) Exposed to Low-Frequency Noise
Authors: Tu Zhihan , Tang Liusiqiao , Zhang Xiaoming , Jia Jingjing , Shen Heding
Published: December 2021

Low-frequency noise has become a marine pollutant that cannot be ignored, but most studies have focused on the behavioral and physiological effects on marine vertebrates, with few studies in marine mollusks. Therefore, sea slug was used in this study to investigate the effect of low-frequency noise on its physiological aspects. This experiment was designed with different low-frequency noise (0, 100, 300, and 500 Hz) and different stimulation times (0, 6, and 12 h) to measure superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), and catalase (CAT) activities in hemolymph and transcriptomics in the control (C) and 6 and 12 h groups (L1 and L2) with 500 Hz noise. The results showed a positive correlation between antioxidant enzyme activity and low-frequency noise frequency (P< 0.05) and no correlation with time (P> 0.05). In central nervous system (CNS) transcriptomics, 2,460 and 3,268 genes had upregulated expression and 2,765 and 2,783 genes had downregulated expression in the L1 and L2 groups, respectively, compared to the C group. According to Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis, low-frequency noise mainly affects signaling pathways such as cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, the FoxO signaling pathway, natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity, apoptosis immune-related pathways, and energy metabolic pathways such as glycolysis, the TCA cycle, and glycerophospholipid metabolism, as well as neurological pathways such as GABAergic synapses, the synaptic vesicle cycle, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurological pathways. This study would provide valuable reference information on the potential response of mollusks to low-frequency noise stress.
Neuronal Loss of the Glutamate Transporter GLT-1 Promotes Excitotoxic Injury in the Hippocampus
Authors: Rimmele Theresa S. , Li Shaomin , Andersen Jens Velde , Westi Emil W. , Rotenberg Alexander , Wang Jianlin , Aldana Blanca Irene , Selkoe Dennis J. , Aoki Chiye J. , Dulla Chris G. , Rosenberg Paul Allen
Published: December 2021

GLT-1, the major glutamate transporter in the mammalian central nervous system, is expressed in presynaptic terminals that use glutamate as a neurotransmitter, in addition to astrocytes. It is widely assumed that glutamate homeostasis is regulated primarily by glutamate transporters expressed in astrocytes, leaving the function of GLT-1 in neurons relatively unexplored. We generated conditional GLT-1 knockout (KO) mouse lines to understand the cell-specific functions of GLT-1. We found that stimulus-evoked field extracellular postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs) recorded in the CA1 region of the hippocampus were normal in the astrocytic GLT-1 KO but were reduced and often absent in the neuronal GLT-1 KO at 40 weeks. The failure of fEPSP generation in the neuronal GLT-1 KO was also observed in slices from 20 weeks old mice but not consistently from 10 weeks old mice. Using an extracellular FRET-based glutamate sensor, we found no difference in stimulus-evoked glutamate accumulation in the neuronal GLT-1 KO, suggesting a postsynaptic cause of the transmission failure. We hypothesized that excitotoxicity underlies the failure of functional recovery of slices from the neuronal GLT-1 KO. Consistent with this hypothesis, the non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist MK801, when present in the ACSF during the recovery period following cutting of slices, promoted full restoration of fEPSP generation. The inclusion of an enzymatic glutamate scavenging system in the ACSF conferred partial protection. Excitotoxicity might be due to excess release or accumulation of excitatory amino acids, or to metabolic perturbation resulting in increased vulnerability to NMDA receptor activation. Previous studies have demonstrated a defect in the utilization of glutamate by synaptic mitochondria and aspartate production in the synGLT-1 KOin vivo, and we found evidence for similar metabolic perturbations in the slice preparation. In addition, mitochondrial cristae density was higher in synaptic mitochondria in the CA1 region in 20–25 weeks old synGLT-1 KO mice in the CA1 region, suggesting compensation for loss of axon terminal GLT-1 by increased mitochondrial efficiency. These data suggest that GLT-1 expressed in presynaptic terminals serves an important role in the regulation of vulnerability to excitotoxicity, and this regulation may be related to the metabolic role of GLT-1 expressed in glutamatergic axon terminals.
Attribution Model of Travel Intention to Internet Celebrity Spots: A Systematic Exploration Based on Psychological Perspective
Authors: Yi Kui , Wang Qingqing , Xu Jun , Liu Bin
Published: December 2021

Previous studies have shown that the empathy process is the main driving factor that triggers tourists’ intention to visit Internet celebrity spots. However, the academic community has not yet formed a unified understanding of the concrete mechanism. Based on this, this study combines the connotations of meme theory and empathy theory and applies Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to empirically analyze 340 valid samples of Internet celebrity spots visitors to explore the influence mechanism of attributional factors on travel intention. The result shows that mechanism of travel intention can be presented as a psychological model in which travel attribution of tourists to visit Internet celebrity spots is the independent variable, the travel intention is the dependent variable, and the empathy process is the intermediary variable. The influence intensity of internal attribution on affective empathy is higher than that of external attribution, while the influence intensity of external attribution on cognitive empathy has a comparative advantage, and there is a significant difference between them. Empathy process has a significant mediating effect on the relationship between travel attribution and travel intention of tourists to visit Internet celebrity spots, and the mediating effect of affective empathy is significantly greater than that of cognitive empathy. Overall, this study reveals the segmentation elements with strong explanatory power in the behavior of “internet celebrity spots punch in,” examines the practical effect of empathy process in the behavioral intention of traveling, and provides a theoretical reference for the transformation and upgrading of tourist destinations and marketing planning of online communication in the future.
Effects of Difficult Coworkers on Employees’ Responses in Macao’s Public Organizations—The Mediating Role of Perceived Stress
Authors: To Wai-Ming , Yu Billy T. W.
Published: December 2021

Difficult coworkers can be found in almost every workplace, including public and private organizations. This paper investigates the effects of difficult coworkers on employees’ responses including intention to leave and mental health through attitude towards difficult coworkers and perceived stress in public organizations. Data were collected from 307 public sector employees in Macao SAR, China. Results of partial least squares–structural equation modeling indicated that difficult coworkers significantly influenced their coworkers’ attitude towards them. Additionally, perceived stress partially mediated the relationship between employees’ attitudes towards difficult coworkers and intention to leave, while employees’ attitudes towards difficult coworkers did not have a significant effect on mental health. The study’s findings shed light on how difficult coworkers impacted employees’ attitudes, perceptions, and responses in Chinese public organizations.
The Analysis of Wheat Yield Variability Based on Experimental Data from 2008–2018 to Understand the Yield Gap
Authors: Wójcik-Gront Elżbieta , Iwańska Marzena , Wnuk Agnieszka , Oleksiak Tadeusz
Published: December 2021

Among European countries, Poland has the largest gap in the grain yield of winter wheat, and thus the greatest potential to reduce this yield gap. This paper aims to recognize the main reasons for winter wheat yield variability and shed the light on possible reasons for this gap. We used long-term datasets (2008–2018) from individual commercial farms obtained by the Laboratory of Economics of Seed and Plant Breeding of Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute (IHAR)-National Research Institute (Poland) and the experimental fields with high, close to potential yield, in the Polish Post-Registration Variety Testing System in multi-environmental trials. We took into account environment, management and genetic variables. Environment was considered through soil class representing soil fertility. For the crop management, the rates of mineral fertilization, the use of pesticides and the type of pre-crop were considered. Genotype was represented by the independent variable year of cultivar registration or year of starting its cultivation in Poland. The analysis was performed using the CART (Classification and Regression Trees). The winter wheat yield variability was mostly dependent on the amount of nitrogen fertilization applied, soil quality, and type of pre-crop. Genetic variable was also important, which means that plant breeding has successfully increased genetic yield potential especially during the last several years. In general, changes to management practices are needed to lower the variability of winter wheat yield and possibly to close the yield gap in Poland.
Milk Production of Dairy Cows Fed Grass-Clover Silage Pulp
Authors: Sousa Dannylo , Larsson Matilda , Nadeau Elisabet
Published: December 2021

Silage pulp (SP) is a byproduct from biorefinary of silage that can be used as forage source for ruminants. However, there is a lack of information regarding the complete replacement of dietary silage for SP on performance of dairy cows. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the complete substitution of dietary grass-clover silage for SP on milk production of dairy cows. Grass-clover mixture was harvested, wilted, and ensiled in bunker silos. The silage was screw pressed in a biorefinery for solid (SP) and liquid (protein-rich juice) separation. Seventy-two lactating cows were used in a completely randomized block design, receiving either the original silage- or SP-based diets. The SP-based diet had lower concentrations of water-soluble carbohydrates and crude protein but greater fibre concentration compared to the silage-based diet. Milk yield and energy corrected milk were generally greater for cows receiving the silage-based diet compared to the SP-based diet. Cows receiving the silage-based diet had a greater yields of milk protein and milk fat, and tended to have a greater yield of milk lactose than cows receiving the SP-based diet. Milk composition, body condition score and body weight were not affected by diets. The complete substitution of silage for SP reduced the lactation performance of dairy cows over time.
Exploratory Study on Modelling Agricultural Carbon Emissions in Ireland
Authors: Madden Sinéad M. , Ryan Alan , Walsh Patrick
Published: December 2021

In 2020 Ireland missed its EU climate emissions target and without additional measures will not be on the right trajectory towards decarbonisation in the longer 2030 and 2050 challenges. Agriculture remains the single most significant contributor to overall emissions in Ireland. In the absence of effective mitigating strategies, agricultural emissions have continued to rise. The purpose of the review is to explore current research conducted in Ireland regarding environmental modelling within agriculture to identify research gap areas for further research. 10 models were selected and reviewed regarding modelling carbon emissions from agriculture in Ireland, the GAINS (Air pollution Interactions and Synergies) model used for air pollutants, the JRC-EU-TIMES, (Joint Research Council-European Union-The Integrated MARKAL-EFOM System) and the Irish TIMES model used for energy, the integrated modelling project Ireland (GAINS & TIMES), the environmental, economic model ENV-Linkages and ENV-Growth along with the IE3 and AGRI-I models. The review found that data on greenhouse gas emissions for 2019 reveals that emissions can be efficiently lowered if the right initiatives are taken. More precise emission factors and adaptable inventories are urgently needed to improve national CO2 reporting and minimise the agricultural sector’s emissions profile in Ireland. The Climate Action Delivery Act is a centrally driven monitoring and reporting system for climate action delivery that will help in determining optimal decarbonisation from agriculture in Ireland. Multi-modelling approaches will give a better understanding of the technology pathways that will be required to meet decarbonisation ambitions.
An Agile AI and IoT-Augmented Smart Farming: A Cost-Effective Cognitive Weather Station
Authors: Faid Amine , Sadik Mohamed , Sabir Essaid
Published: December 2021

Internet of Things (IoT) can be seen as the electricity of 21st century. It has been reshaping human life daily during the last decade, with various applications in several critical domains such as agriculture. Smart farming is a real-world application in which Internet of Things (IoT) technologies like agro-weather stations can have a direct impact on humans by enhancing crop quality, supporting sustainable agriculture, and eventually generating steady growth. Meanwhile, most agro-weather solutions are neither customized nor affordable for small farmers within developing countries. Furthermore, due to the outdoor challenges, it is often a challenge to develop and deploy low-cost yet robust systems. Robustness, which is determined by several factors, including energy consumption, portability, interoperability, and system’s ease of use. In this paper, we present an agile AI-Powered IoT-based low-cost platform for cognitive monitoring for smart farming. The hybrid Multi-Agent and the fully containerized system continuously surveys multiple agriculture parameters such as temperature, humidity, and pressure to provide end-users with real-time environmental data and AI-based forecasts. The surveyed data is ensured through several heterogeneous nodes deployed within the base station and in the open sensing area. The collected data is transmitted to the local server for pre-processing and the cloud server for backup. The system backbone communication is based on heterogeneous protocols such as MQTT, NRF24L01, and WiFi for radio communication. We also set up a user-friendly web-based graphical user interface (GUI) to support different user profiles. The overall platform design follows an agile approach to be easy to deploy, accessible to maintain, and continuously modernized.
Worldwide Traceability of Antibiotic Residues from Livestock in Wastewater and Soil: A Systematic Review
Authors: Robles-Jimenez Lizbeth E. , Aranda-Aguirre Edgar , Castelan-Ortega Octavio A. , Shettino-Bermudez Beatriz S. , Ortiz-Salinas Rutilio , Miranda Marta , Li Xunde , Angeles-Hernandez Juan C. , Vargas-Bello-Pérez Einar , Gonzalez-Ronquillo Manuel
Published: December 2021

The use of antibiotics in animal production are widely used for disease treatment, health protection, and as growth promoters. Common antibiotics used in veterinary medicine are excreted and eliminated through the sewage system, contaminating water and soil with negative effects on agricultural activities. This systematic review focuses on the trend of research works on antibiotic residues, evaluating antibiotics used in livestock production and their excretion in animal products and in environmental matrices such as water and soil. Our database was composed of 165 articles, reporting the concentration of antibiotic residues found in the environment, livestock (cow, sheep, pig, horse, chicken, rabbit, goat), aquatic and terrestrial animal tissues, animal products (milk and eggs), wastewater, and soil. The documents were obtained from Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, and Oceania. A descriptive analysis of antibiotic residues found worldwide was analyzed according to each of the variables used such as antibiotic family, name, concentration (% and mg/kg or ppm), and country and continent where the residue was found. The descriptive analysis was carried out using the “describe” function of psych package and pirate plots were drawn. According to our study, the main antibiotics used worldwide in animal production are sulfonamides, tetracyclines, quinolones, penicillin, and cephalosporins. At present, despite the trends of increased regulations on the use of antibiotics worldwide, antibiotics are still utilized in food animal production, and are present in water and soil, then, there is still the misuse of antibiotics in many countries. We need to become aware that antibiotic contamination is a global problem, and we are challenged to reduce and improve their use.
Expression of Renal Vitamin D and Phosphatonin-Related Genes in a Sheep Model of Osteoporosis
Authors: Dittmer Keren E. , Chernyavtseva Anastasia , Marshall Jonathan C. , Cabrera Diana , Wolber Frances M. , Kruger Marlena
Published: December 2021

Osteoporosis is a significant public health issue around the world, with post-menopausal osteoporosis due to estrogen deficiency resulting in approximately ¾ of cases. In this study, 18 aged Merino ewes were ovariectomized, and 10 were controls. Three of the ovariectomized ewes were treated weekly with 400 mg of methylprednisolone for 5 months and three were treated weekly for 2 months, followed by a 3-month recovery period. At 2 months, five control animals and six ovariectomized animals were euthanized. At 5 months, all the remaining ewes were euthanized. Kidney samples were collected postmortem for qPCR analysis of NPT1, PTH1R, NPT2a, NPT2c, Klotho, FGFR1IIIc, VDR, CYP24A1, CYP27B1, TRPV5, TRPV6, CalD9k, CalD28k, PMCA and NCX1. Ovariectomized sheep had significantly greater VDR expression compared with other groups. Ovariectomized sheep treated with glucocorticoids for 2 months followed by euthanasia at 5 months showed significant differences in TRPV5, CYP24A1 and klotho gene expression compared to other groups. Differences in klotho expression were most marked after adjustment for repeated measures (p = 0.1). Klotho is known as the “anti-aging” hormone and is involved in calcium and phosphorus metabolism. Klotho may be involved in the recovery of bone mineral density in ovariectomized sheep treated with glucocorticoids for 2 months followed by euthanasia at 5 months. Further research on the role of klotho is recommended.
PEG-Functionalized Magnetite Nanoparticles for Modulation of Microbial Biofilms on Voice Prosthesis
Authors: Caciandone Mara , Niculescu Adelina-Gabriela , Roșu Aurelian Radu , Grumezescu Valentina , Negut Irina , Holban Alina Maria , Oprea Ovidiu , Vasile Bogdan Ștefan , Bîrcă Alexandra Cătălina , Grumezescu Alexandru Mihai , Stan Miruna Silvia , Anghel Alina Georgiana , Anghel Ion
Published: December 2021

This study reports the fabrication of nanostructured coatings based on magnetite, polyethyleneglycol, and biologically active molecule (polymyxin B-PM) for producing biofilm-resistant surfaces (voice prosthesis). Magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) have been synthesized and functionalized using a co-precipitation method and were further deposited into thin coatings using the matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) technique. The obtained nanoparticles and coatings were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis with differential scanning calorimetry (TGA-DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy with selected area electron diffraction (TEM-SAED), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and infrared microscopy (IRM). Their antibiofilm activity was tested against relevant Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterial strains. The Fe3O4@PEG/PM surface of modified voice prosthesis sections reduced the number of CFU/mL up to four orders of magnitude in the case of S. aureus biofilm. A more significant inhibitory effect is noticed in the case of P. aeruginosa up to five folds. These results highlight the importance of new Fe3O4@PEG/PM in the biomedical field.
Vitamin C Deficiency May Delay Diet-Induced NASH Regression in the Guinea Pig
Authors: Skat-Rørdam Josephine , Pedersen Kamilla , Skovsted Gry Freja , Gregersen Ida , Vangsgaard Sara , Ipsen David H. , Latta Markus , Lykkesfeldt Jens , Tveden-Nyborg Pernille
Published: December 2021

Oxidative stress is directly linked to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and the progression to steaotohepatitis (NASH). Thus, a beneficial role of antioxidants in delaying disease progression and/or accelerating recovery may be expected, as corroborated by recommendations of, e.g., vitamin E supplementation to patients. This study investigated the effect of vitamin C deficiency—often resulting from poor diets low in fruits and vegetables and high in fat—combined with/without a change to a low fat diet on NAFLD/NASH phenotype and hepatic transcriptome in the guinea pig NASH model. Vitamin C deficiency per se did not accelerate disease induction. However, the results showed an effect of the diet change on the resolution of hepatic histopathological hallmarks (steatosis, inflammation, and ballooning) (p < 0.05 or less) and indicated a positive effect of a high vitamin C intake when combined with a low fat diet. Our data show that a diet change is important in NASH regression and suggest that a poor vitamin C status delays the reversion towards a healthy hepatic transcriptome and phenotype. In conclusion, the findings support a beneficial role of adequate vitamin C intake in the regression of NASH and may indicate that vitamin C supplementation in addition to lifestyle modifications could accelerate recovery in NASH patients with poor vitamin C status.
Nitric Oxide as a Remedy against Oxidative Damages in Apple Seeds Undergoing Accelerated Ageing
Authors: Ciacka Katarzyna , Tyminski Marcin , Gniazdowska Agnieszka , Krasuska Urszula
Published: December 2021

Seed ageing is associated with a high concentration of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) seeds belong to the orthodox type. Due to a deep dormancy, they may be stored in dry condition at 5 °C for a long time, without viability loss. In the laboratory, artificial ageing of apple seeds is performed by imbibition in wet sand at warm temperature (33 °C). The aim of the work was to study nitric oxide (NO) as a seed vigour preservation agent. Embryos isolated from apple seeds subjected to accelerated ageing for 7, 14, 21 or 40 days were fumigated with NO. Embryo quality was estimated by TTC and MDA tests. ROS level was confirmed by NBT staining. We analysed the alteration in transcript levels of CAT, SOD and POX. NO fumigation of embryos of seeds aged for 21 days stimulated germination and increased ROS level which correlated to the elevated expression of RBOH. The increased total antioxidant capacity after NO fumigation was accompanied by the increased transcript levels of genes encoding enzymatic antioxidants, that could protect against ROS overaccumulation. Moreover, post-aged NO application diminished the nitro-oxidative modification of RNA, proving NO action as a remedy in oxidative remodelling after seeds ageing.
Antioxidant for Neurological Diseases and Neurotrauma and Bioengineering Approaches
Authors: Rizwana Nasera , Agarwal Vipul , Nune Manasa
Published: December 2021

Antioxidants are a class of molecules with an innate affinity to neutralize reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are known to cause oxidative stress. Oxidative stress has been associated with a wide range of diseases mediated by physiological damage to the cells. ROS play both beneficial and detrimental roles in human physiology depending on their overall concentration. ROS are an inevitable byproduct of the normal functioning of cells, which are produced as a result of the mitochondrial respiration process. Since the establishment of the detrimental effect of oxidative stress in neurological disorders and neurotrauma, there has been growing interest in exploring antioxidants to rescue remaining or surviving cells and reverse the neurological damage. In this review, we present the survey of different antioxidants studied in neurological applications including neurotrauma. We also delve into bioengineering approaches developed to deliver antioxidants to improve their cellular uptake in neurological applications.
A Practical and Efficient Node Blind SignCryption Scheme for the IoT Device Network
Authors: Chen Ming-Te , Huang Hsuan-Chao
Published: December 2021

In recent years, Internet of Things (IoT for short) research has become one of the top ten most popular research topics. IoT devices also embed many sensing chips for detecting physical signals from the outside environment. In the wireless sensing network (WSN for short), a human can wear several IoT devices around her/his body such as a smart watch, smart band, smart glasses, etc. These IoT devices can collect analog environment data around the user’s body and store these data into memory after data processing. Thus far, we have discovered that some IoT devices have resource limitations such as power shortages or insufficient memory for data computation and preservation. An IoT device such as a smart band attempts to upload a user’s body information to the cloud server by adopting the public-key crypto-system to generate the corresponding cipher-text and related signature for concrete data security; in this situation, the computation time increases linearly and the device can run out of memory, which is inconvenient for users. For this reason, we consider that, if the smart IoT device can perform encryption and signature simultaneously, it can save significant resources for the execution of other applications. As a result, our approach is to design an efficient, practical, and lightweight, blind sign-cryption (SC for short) scheme for IoT device usage. Not only can our methodology offer the sensed data privacy protection efficiently, but it is also fit for the above application scenario with limited resource conditions such as battery shortage or less memory space in the IoT device network.
Removal of Copper, Nickel, and Zinc Ions from an Aqueous Solution through Electrochemical and Nanofiltration Membrane Processes
Authors: Kumar Jagdeesh , Joshi Himanshu , Malyan Sandeep K.
Published: December 2021

Heavy metal contamination in water is a major health concern, directly related to rapid growth in industrialization, urbanization, and modernization in agriculture. Keeping this in view, the present study has attempted to develop models for the process optimization of nanofiltration (NF) membrane and electrocoagulation (EC) processes for the removal of copper, nickel, and zinc from an aqueous solution, employing the response surface methodology (RSM). The variable factors were feed concentration, temperature, pH, and pressure for the NF membrane process; and time, solution pH, feed concentration, and current for the EC process, respectively. The central composite design (CCD), the most commonly used fractional factorial design, was employed to plan the experiments. RSM models were statistically analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA). For the NF membrane, the rejection of Zn, Ni, and Cu was observed as 98.64%, 90.54%, and 99.79% respectively; while the removal of these through the EC process was observed as 99.81%, 99.99%, and 99.98%, respectively. The above findings and a comparison with the conventional precipitation and adsorption processes apparently indicate an advantage in employing the NF and EC processes. Further, between the two, the EC process emerged as more efficient than the NF process for the removal of the studied metals.
CarFree: Hassle-Free Object Detection Dataset Generation Using Carla Autonomous Driving Simulator
Authors: Jang Jaesung , Lee Hyeongyu , Kim Jong-Chan
Published: December 2021

For safe autonomous driving, deep neural network (DNN)-based perception systems play essential roles, where a vast amount of driving images should be manually collected and labeled with ground truth (GT) for training and validation purposes. After observing the manual GT generation’s high cost and unavoidable human errors, this study presents an open-source automatic GT generation tool, CarFree, based on the Carla autonomous driving simulator. By that, we aim to democratize the daunting task of (in particular) object detection dataset generation, which was only possible by big companies or institutes due to its high cost. CarFree comprises (i) a data extraction client that automatically collects relevant information from the Carla simulator’s server and (ii) a post-processing software that produces precise 2D bounding boxes of vehicles and pedestrians on the gathered driving images. Our evaluation results show that CarFree can generate a considerable amount of realistic driving images along with their GTs in a reasonable time. Moreover, using the synthesized training images with artificially made unusual weather and lighting conditions, which are difficult to obtain in real-world driving scenarios, CarFree significantly improves the object detection accuracy in the real world, particularly in the case of harsh environments. With CarFree, we expect its users to generate a variety of object detection datasets in hassle-free ways.
Quantitative Geochemical Prediction from Spectral Measurements and Its Application to Spatially Dispersed Spectral Data
Authors: Rodger Andrew , Laukamp Carsten
Published: December 2021

The efficacy of predicting geochemical parameters with a 2-chain workflow using spectral data as the initial input is evaluated. Spectral measurements spanning the approximate 400–25000 nm spectral range are used to train a workflow consisting of a non-negative matrix function (NMF) step, for data reduction, and a random forest regression (RFR) to predict eight geochemical parameters. Approximately 175,000 spectra with their corresponding chemical analysis were available for training, testing and validation purposes. The samples and their spectral and chemical parameters represent 9399 drillcore. Of those, approximately 20,000 spectra and their accompanying analysis were used for training and 5000 for model validation. The remaining pairwise data (150,000 samples) were used for testing of the method. The data are distributed over two large spatial extents (980 km2 and 3025 km2, respectively) and allowed the proposed method to be tested against samples that are spatially distant from the initial training points. Global R2 scores and wt.% RMSE on the 150,000 validation samples are Fe (0.95/3.01), SiO2 (0.96/3.77), Al2O3 (0.92/1.27), TiO (0.68/0.13), CaO (0.89/0.41), MgO (0.87/0.35), K2O (0.65/0.21) and LOI (0.90/1.14), given as Parameter (R2/RMSE), and demonstrate that the proposed method is capable of predicting the eight parameters and is stable enough, in the environment tested, to extend beyond the training sets initial spatial location.
Synthesis and Critical View on the Structure-Activity Relationships of N-(Substituted phenyl)-/N-Diphenylmethyl-piperazine-Based Conjugates as Antimycobacterial Agents
Authors: Čurillová Jana , Pecháčová Mária , Padrtová Tereza , Pecher Daniel , Mascaretti Šárka , Jampílek Josef , Pašková Ľudmila , Bilka František , Kováč Gustáv , Malík Ivan
Published: December 2021

This research focused on a three-step synthesis, analytical, physicochemical, and biological evaluation of hybrid molecules 6a–g, containing a lipophilic 3-trifluoromethylphenyl moiety, polar carbamoyloxy bridge, 2-hydroxypropan-1,3-diyl chain and 4-(substituted phenyl)-/4-diphenylmethylpiperazin-1-ium-1-yl fragment. The estimation of analytical and physicochemical descriptors (m/zmeasured via HPLC-UV/HR-MS, log ε2 (Ch–T) from UV/Vis spectrophotometry and log kw via RP-HPLC) as well as in vitro antimycobacterial and cytotoxic screening of given compounds were carried out (i.e., determination of MIC and IC50 values). These highly lipophilic molecules (log kw = 4.1170–5.2184) were tested against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra ATCC 25177 (Mtb H37Ra), M. kansasii DSM 44162 (MK), M. smegmatis ATCC 700084 (MS), and M. marinum CAMP 5644 (MM). The impact of the 6a–g set on the viability of human liver hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells was also investigated. 1-[2-Hydroxypropyl-{(3-trifluoromethyl)- phenyl}carbamoyloxy]-4-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)piperazin-1-ium chloride (6e) and 1-[2-hydroxy- propyl-{(3-trifluoromethyl)phenyl}carbamoyloxy]-4-(4-diphenylmethyl)piperazin-1-ium chloride (6g) most effectively inhibited the growth of Mtb H37Ra (MIC < 3.80 μM). The substance 6g also showed interesting activity against MM (MIC = 8.09 μM). All obtained data served as input values for structure-activity relationship evaluations using statistical principal component analysis. In fact, the toxicity of both 6e (IC50 = 29.39 μM) and 6g (IC50 = 22.18 μM) in HepG2 cells as well as selectivity index (SI) values (SI < 10.00) prevented to consider these promising antimycobacterials safe.
Effect of Heat Input on LMHMW Joint of Carbon Steel
Authors: Zhou Shujun , Yan Tingyan , Muneer Waqas , Yin Xuan , Gao Qiyu , Zhan Xiaohong
Published: December 2021

Laser-MIG hybrid multi-layer welding (LMHMW) technology has been employed in paraxial configuration with laser leading for the welding of 20 mm thick Q235 carbon steel plates to exploit the hybridization effect that addresses the shortcomings of the individual process as well as to compliment their merits. The bilateral effects of arc augmented laser welding have resulted in complete joint penetration, process efficiency, stability and gap bridge ability. Samples welded under varying heat inputs in multiple passes have been analyzed for their microstructure evaluation using an optical microscope followed by tensile and Vickers hardness testing in various regions of the weld zones. This process was conducted to characterize the effect of heat input on the mechanical properties of the welded joints. The experimental results illustrate that different heat inputs have significant effects on the microstructure, heat affected zone width and mechanical properties of welded joints. The microhardness near the fusion line decreases dramatically due to the influence of the phase transformation process, and the highest microhardness value is obtained in the center of the weld seam. By using reasonable process parameters, the strength of the welded joint can obtain 458.5 MPa.
Influences of High-Speed Train Speed on Tunnel Aerodynamic Pressures
Authors: Du Jianming , Fang Qian , Wang Jun , Wang Gan
Published: December 2021

To comprehensively investigate the characteristics of aerodynamic pressures on a tunnel caused by the whole tunnel passage of a high-speed train at different speeds, we conduct a series of three-dimensional numerical simulations. Based on the field test results obtained by other researchers, the input parameters of our numerical simulation are determined. The process of a high-speed train travelling through a railway tunnel is divided into three stages according to the spatial relationship between the train and tunnel. Stage I: before train nose enters the entrance; Stage II: while the train body runs inside the tunnel; Stage III: after the train tail leaves the exit. The influences of high-speed train speed on the tunnel aerodynamic pressures of these three stages are systematically investigated. The results show that the maximum peak pressure value decreases with increasing distance from the entrance and increases with increasing train speed in Stage I. There is an approximately linear relationship between the three types of maximum peak pressure (positive peak, negative peak, and peak-to-peak pressures) and the power of the train speed in Stage II. These three types of maximum peak pressure values of the points near tunnel portals increase with increasing train speed in Stage III. Moreover, these three types of maximum peak pressure in the tunnel’s middle section at different train speeds are more complex than those near the tunnel portals, and there is one or more turning points due to the superimposed effects of different pressure waves.
Prognostic Significance of SATB1, SMAD3, Ezrin and β-Catenin in Patients with Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Durślewicz Justyna , Klimaszewska-Wiśniewska Anna , Domanowska Ewa , Skoczylas-Makowska Natalia , Antosik Paulina , Zielińska Wioletta , Gzil Arkadiusz , Czajkowska Paulina , Mikołajczyk Klaudia , Grzanka Dariusz
Published: December 2021

The present study aimed to explore the role of SATB1, SMAD3, Ezrin and β-catenin as individual and combined biomarkers for the survival prediction in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAC). Notably, this study distinguished for the first time a potential prognostic value of SATB1 corresponding to its subcellular localization in PAC. Immunohistochemical staining on tissue macroarrays, as well as RNA-seq data from public sources, were investigated, and the results correlated with overall survival (OS) and clinicopathological features. The connectivity between the examined factors, as well as their common signaling pathways, were demonstrated by the functional enrichment analysis. Herein, the prognostic ability of cytoplasmic SATB1 in OS analysis was even superior to nuclear SATB1. Both staining patterns tended to have opposite roles in the prognosis of PAC: SATB1c was an independent prognostic factor for poor OS, whereas SATB1n expression reached no statistical significance, but Kaplan–Meier curves separated patients with low expression and adverse prognosis from patients with high expression and favorable prognosis. High levels of SATB1 mRNA appeared as an independent prognostic indicator for better OS. Furthermore, individual expression of SMAD3 or Ezrin, as well as combined expression of SATB1/SMAD3/Ezrin/β-catenin, were associated with OS independently of conventional risk factors, both in our cohort and TCGA dataset. In our series, patients with tumors harboring combined expression of SATB1n-high/SMAD3low/Ezrinlow/β-cateninlow experienced the highest survival rates, while those with SATB1c-present/SMAD3high/Ezrinhigh/β-cateninhigh had the worst survival. In conclusion, protein and/or mRNA expression levels of SATB1, SMAD3, Ezrin and β-catenin may serve as potential prognostic biomarkers for PAC, both as single predictors and even better when combined.
Molecular Dynamic (MD) Simulations of Organic Modified Montmorillonite
Authors: Cukrowicz Sylwia , Goj Paweł , Stoch Paweł , Bobrowski Artur , Tyliszczak Bożena , Grabowska Beata
Published: December 2021

This study complements the knowledge about organobentonites, which are intended to be new binders in foundry technology. In the developed materials, acrylic polymers act as mineral modifying compounds. Modification of montmorillonite in bentonite was carried out in order to obtain a composite containing a polymer as a lustrous carbon precursor. The polymer undergoes thermal degradation during the casting process, which results in the formation of this specific carbon form, ensuring the appropriate quality of the casting surface without negative environmental impact. The present paper reports the results of computational simulation studies (LAMMPS software) aimed at broadening the knowledge of interactions of organic molecules in the form of acrylic acid and acrylate anions (from sodium acrylate) near the montmorillonite surface, which is a simplified model of bentonite/acrylic polymer systems. It has been proven that the –COOH group promotes the adsorption of acrylic acid (AA) to the mineral surface, while acrylate ions tend to be unpredictably scattered, which may be related to the electrostatic repulsion between anions and negatively charged clay surfaces. The simulation results are consistent with the results of structural tests carried out for actual organobentonites. It has been proven that the polymer mainly adsorbs on the mineral surface, although it also partially intercalates into the interlayer spaces of the montmorillonite. This comprehensive research approach is innovative in the engineering of foundry materials. Computer simulation methods have not been used in the production of new binding materials in molding sand technology so far.