bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A biodigestão como ferramenta para a sustentabilidade avícola – uma revisão
Authors: Dornelas Karoline Carvalho , Schneider Roselene Maria , Amaral Adriana Garcia do , Ton Ana Paula Silva , Mascarenhas Nágela Maria Henrique
Published: September 2021

A avicultura é uma atividade bem desenvolvida e importante para o Brasil. Porém, é uma atividade geradora resíduos, principalmente os sólidos, como a cama. Como alternativa para reduzir o impacto ambiental e os custos produtivos da atividade, muitos avicultores empregam a reutilização da cama por vários lotes consecutivos. Sabendo-se que a reutilização da cama se dá por alguns lotes apenas, tem-se que é preciso em algum momento realizar o descarte da cama. Uma das possíveis formas para tratamento (redução do risco de poluição) é o processo de biodigestão. Dessa forma, objetivou-se com a execução desta revisão uma abordagem sobre a biodigestão como alternativa para sustentabilidade da avicultura de corte nacional. Utilizou-se como método uma revisão no campo bibliográfico de caráter exploratório sobre o resíduo gerado na atividade, o processo de biodigestão, o emprego de inóculo e os tipos de biodigestores predominantes. Conclui-se que, por meio da biodigestão da cama de frango, o produtor produz combustível para geração de energia a baixo custo, gerencia de forma correta o resíduo da granja, além de colaborar ambientalmente, reduzindo os possíveis impactos ambientais produzidos na atividade avícola, tornando a atividade um modelo de produção sustentável, sem perda de produção de carne.
The experience of the Professional Qualification Course in Environmental Health Surveillance: a polytechnical education proposal for SUS in Brazil
Authors: Oliveira Marcio Sacramento de , Viana Diego Mendonça , Santana Maria de Fátima Ebole de
Published: September 2021

One of the main difficulties and challenges for the consolidation and operationalization of the environmental health policy in the Brazil’s Unified Public Health System (SUS) is the establishment of both processes and pedagogical strategies for training and professional education at high school and undergraduate levels that are capable to answer the demands and needs of this area. This study aimed to discuss the importance of the formative processes of the Professional Qualification Course in Environmental Health Surveillance and its relevance as a qualification strategy for the SUS. The methodology consisted in the qualitative analysis on the teaching-learning dimensions involved in the establishment of this formative strategy. The observed results indicate to the force of technical qualification in the development of skills and competencies with a purpose to criticality in working with the SUS. It was concluded that this course brought significant learning to the strategy of training workers attentive to the determinants and conditioning factors in health.
The increase in absolute theta power and the inhibition of light stimulus in cybersickness
Authors: Freitas Flávia , Galeno Kelma , Bittencourt Juliana , Magalhães Francisco , Silva Valécia Natália Carvalho da , Fernandes Thayaná Ribeiro Silva , Oliveira Antonio Thomaz de , Fernandes Jacks Renan Neves , Castro Valéria de Fátima Veras de , Bastos Victor Hugo do Vale , Teixeira Silmar Silva
Published: September 2021

Cybersickness results from the visual vestibule conflict, that is, the incoherence between the sensations related to real movement, in the virtual environment, and the visual stimuli. In response to the virtual environment, one can observe discomforts such as nausea, difficulty in concentrating, and headaches, among others. There are no studies in the literature that analyze the inhibition control of light stimuli in individuals sensitive to Cybersickness. Therefore, this study looked at the control of light stimulus inhibition in Cybersickness. The Sickness Susceptibility Questionnaire was used to divide the subjects into experimental and control groups, and quantify the signs and symptoms, comparing them before and after 3D virtual immersion and. Participants in both groups were examined with EEGq for absolute theta band power in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex during the light stimulus inhibition task before and after participants watched the 3D video. The partial results showed that there was an increase in the absolute theta band power in both groups comparing the moments before and after, as well as a significant difference in the experimental group compared to the control, for the same moment. Thus, it was observed that individuals who were exposed to 3D virtual reality and developed Cybersikness, showed greater absolute theta band power in the areas studied.
A sexualidade e os aspectos influenciadores na perspectiva de estudantes universitários
Authors: Marinho Débora Fernanda Sousa , Spindola Thelma , Antunes Rômulo Frutuoso , Costa Cristiane Maria Amorim , Woodtli Raquel Ramos , Moerbeck Nathália dos Santos Trindade
Published: September 2021

Objetivo: Compreender a percepção de jovens universitários sobre sexualidade, e descrever os fatores influenciadores da sexualidade na concepção dos estudantes. Método: Estudo descritivo, qualitativo, realizado numa universidade pública. Participaram 27 universitários, de ambos os gêneros, idades entre 18-29 anos. Foram realizados três grupos focais onde se discutiram aspectos sociais, culturais, condutas sexuais e prevenção de infecções sexualmente transmissíveis. Na análise dos dados empregou-se a técnica de análise de conteúdo, emergindo três categorias. Resultados: A sexualidade na ótica dos jovens e fatores influenciadores da sexualidade na perspectiva dos universitários foram categorias com maior representatividade (54%). O conceito de sexualidade está relacionado ao autorreconhecimento, atração física, desejo e liberdade de expressão, e a influência da cultura e religiosidade na sexualidade dos jovens. Conclusão: O comportamento sexual sofre influência de aspectos culturais, sociais, religiosos, relacionamentos interpessoais e afetivos, sendo modulado pelo grupo de pertença dos jovens.
Implicações da pandemia de COVID-19 para o agravamento da insegurança alimentar no Brasil
Authors: Moura Lucas de Almeida , Ferreira Assel Muratovna Shigayeva , Alves Igor Mikhail Marcelino
Published: September 2021

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo analisar as implicações da pandemia de COVID-19 para o agravamento da insegurança alimentar no Brasil. Para tanto, realizou-se um estudo de revisão integrativa da literatura, cuja busca de artigos foi realizada no portal da Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde, em junho de 2020, utilizando os seguintes descritores: COVID-19; Food Insecurity; Brazil; Food; Coronavirus Infection. Foram definidos elegíveis artigos  originais, com  abordagem  quantitativa  e/ou  qualitativa,  realizados  no  Brasil, publicados de janeiro de 2020 a junho de 2021, disponíveis gratuitamente em texto completo, nos idiomas inglês, português ou espanhol e que contemplassem a questão norteadora proposta. Os  dados extraídos  foram:  título,  autor/ano,  objetivo geral,  metodologia e conclusões  de cada estudo. Os resultados sugerem que a pandemia de COVID-19 tem agravado a situação de insegurança alimentar e nutricional vivenciada pela população brasileira, sobretudo pelas parcelas mais vulneráveis, e isto tem sido associado a fatores diversos, mas, principalmente, a um panorama de instabilidade política e resistência a tomada de decisão, bem como aos cortes orçamentários e desconstrução de políticas e programas fundamentais para a manutenção do DHAA e da segurança alimentar e nutricional no país, os quais antecedem a pandemia e contribuem para o aumento da miséria e fome. Diante disto, apesar de serem necessários estudos de maior abrangência para melhor avaliar as implicações da pandemia de COVID-19 na insegurança alimentar da população, entretanto, é imprescindível o fortalecimento de políticas, programas e ações que atuam diretamente com o intuito de promover a segurança alimentar da população.
Efeitos do método Pilates em diástase abdominal após período gestacional
Authors: Castro Kaellen Rodrigues de , Oliveira Wênia Caetano de , Lourenço Lécia Kristine
Published: September 2021

A diástase abdominal fisiológica, acomete a maioria das mulheres durante o período gestacional devido ao aumento da circunferência do abdômen, necessário para que ocorra o desenvolvimento do feto, contudo, caso a separação dos retos abdominais se torne exacerbada, a diástase abdominal passa a classificar-se como patológica e pode resultar em agravos à saúde e à autoestima da mulher. Portanto, o objetivo deste artigo é apresentar o método Pilates como tratamento na diástase abdominal após período gestacional, por meio de pesquisas realizadas nas plataformas do Google Acadêmico, PubMed e Scientific Electronic Library Online (Scielo), em busca de artigos científicos publicados entre os anos de 2015 e 2021. Mediante às pesquisas executadas, obtém-se que o método Pilates através de seus princípios e técnicas, com ênfase na contração da musculatura nomeada power house, é capaz de reduzir a distância entre os feixes musculares dos músculos retos abdominais, podendo assim, ser um importante recurso no tratamento da diástase abdominal após o período gestacional.
Traveller's Tales: Rudyard Kipling's Gothic Short Fiction
Authors: Vuohelainen Minna
Published: September 2021

Between 1884 and 1936, Rudyard Kipling wrote over 300 short stories, most of which were first published in colonial and cosmopolitan periodicals before being reissued in short-story collections. This corpus contains a number of critically neglected Gothic stories that fall into four groups: stories that belong to the ghost-story tradition; stories that represent the colonial encounter through gothic tropes of horror and the uncanny but do not necessarily include any supernatural elements; stories that develop an elegiac and elliptical Gothic Modernism; and stories that make use of the First World War and its aftermath as a gothic environment. This essay evaluates Kipling's contribution to the critically neglected genre of the Gothic short story, with a focus on the stories' persistent preoccupation with spatial tropes of travel, disorientation and displacement.
Challenging Stereotypes through Visual Narratives: The Figure of the Grandfather in Children's Picturebooks and Graphic Narratives
Authors: Valentová Kateřina
Published: September 2021

Positive attitudes towards older people can be developed over time, and it is of paramount importance to build realistic perceptions from an early age. This article focuses on the figure of the grandfather portrayed in children's literature, comics, and graphic novels, which may all successfully contribute to avoiding cultural stereotypes related with ageing. The selected narratives have a high emotional impact on their readers, enhancing more positive representations of intergenerational relationships.
Connecting Community and Citizen Science to Stewardship Action Planning Through Scenarios Storytelling
Authors: Spellman Katie V. , Cost Douglas , Villano Christine P.
Published: September 2021

Community and citizen science on climate change-influenced topics offers a way for participants to actively engage in understanding the changes and documenting the impacts. As in broader climate change education, a focus on the negative impacts can often leave participants feeling a sense of powerlessness. In large scale projects where participation is primarily limited to data collection, it is often difficult for volunteers to see how the data can inform decision making that can help create a positive future. In this paper, we propose and test a method of linking community and citizen science engagement to thinking about and planning for the future through scenarios story development using the data collected by the volunteers. We used a youth focused wild berry monitoring program that spanned urban and rural Alaska to test this method across diverse age levels and learning settings. Using qualitative analysis of educator interviews and youth work samples, we found that using a scenario stories development mini-workshop allowed the youth to use their own data and the data from other sites to imagine the future and possible actions to sustain berry resources for their communities. This process allowed youth to exercise key cognitive skills for sustainability, including systems thinking, futures thinking, and strategic thinking. The analysis suggested that youth would benefit from further practicing the skill of envisioning oneself as an agent of change in the environment. Educators valued working with lead scientists on the project and the experience for youth to participate in the interdisciplinary program. They also identified the combination of the berry data collection, analysis and scenarios stories activities as a teaching practice that allowed the youth to situate their citizen science participation in a personal, local and cultural context. The majority of the youth groups pursued some level of stewardship action following the activity. The most common actions included collecting additional years of berry data, communicating results to a broader community, and joining other community and citizen science projects. A few groups actually pursued solutions illustrated in the scenario stories. The pairing of community and citizen science with scenario stories development provides a promising method to connect data to action for a sustainable and resilient future.
Case Report: Complete Maternal Uniparental Disomy of Chromosome 2 With a Novel UNC80 Splicing Variant c.5609-4G> A in a Chinese Patient With Infantile Hypotonia With Psychomotor Retardation and Characteristic Facies 2
Authors: Tao Yilun , Han Dong , Wei Yiju , Wang Lihong , Song Wenxia , Li Xiaoze
Published: September 2021

Background: Infantile hypotonia with psychomotor retardation and characteristic facies 2 (IHPRF2) is a rare autosomal recessive neurodevelopmental disorder caused by mutations in the UNC80 gene. It is characterized by severe global developmental delay, poor or absent speech and absent or limited walking abilities. The current study explored a case of a Chinese patient with IHPRF2 caused by a novel splicing variant of UNC80.

Case Report: The proband is a 8-year-old Chinese male manifested with global developmental delay, severe truncal hypotonia, absent speech and intellectual disability. SNP array analysis revealed a uniparental isodisomy of the entire chromosome 2 [UPD(2)] in the proband. Whole exome sequencing (WES) subsequently identified a novel mutation c.5609-4G>A in the UNC80 gene, which was inherited from his mother and was confirmed by Sanger sequencing, indicating that UPD(2) was of maternal origin.

Conclusion: A novel UNC80 homozygous splicing variant c.5609-4G>A associated with maternal UPD(2) was identified. These findings indicate that UPD poses a high risk of autosomal recessive diseases, and provides information on the variant spectrum for UNC80. Our findings elucidate on understanding of the genotype-phenotype associations that occur in IHPRF2 patients.
Novel Immune Infiltrating Cell Signature Based on Cell Pair Algorithm Is a Prognostic Marker in Cancer
Authors: Zhang Hao , Wang Zeyu , Dai Ziyu , Wu Wantao , Cao Hui , Li Shuyu , Zhang Nan , Cheng Quan
Published: September 2021

Tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) have become an important source of markers for predicting the clinical outcomes of cancer patients. However, measurements of cellular heterogeneity vary due to the frequently updated reference genomes and gene annotations. In this study, we systematically collected and evaluated the infiltration pattern of 65 immune cells. We constructed the Immune Cell Pair (ICP) score based on the cell pair algorithm in 3,715 samples and across 12 independent cancer types, among which, the ICP score from six cancer types was further validated in 2,228 GEO samples. An extensive tumorigenic and immunogenomic analysis was subsequently conducted. As a result, the ICP score showed a robust reliability and efficacy in predicting the survival of patients with gliomas, in pan-cancer samples, and six independent cancer types. Notably, the ICP score was correlated with the genomic alteration features in gliomas. Moreover, the ICP score exhibited a remarkable association with multiple immunomodulators that could potentially mediate immune escape. Finally, the ICP score predicted immunotherapeutic responses with a high sensitivity, allowing a useful tool for predicting the overall survival and guiding immunotherapy for cancer patients.
Discrimination Between Invasive and In Situ Melanomas Using Clinical Close-Up Images and a De Novo Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Polesie Sam , Gillstedt Martin , Ahlgren Gustav , Ceder Hannah , Dahlén Gyllencreutz Johan , Fougelberg Julia , Johansson Backman Eva , Pakka Jenna , Zaar Oscar , Paoli John
Published: September 2021

Background: Melanomas are often easy to recognize clinically but determining whether a melanoma is in situ (MIS) or invasive is often more challenging even with the aid of dermoscopy. Recently, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have made significant and rapid advances within dermatology image analysis. The aims of this investigation were to create a de novo CNN for differentiating between MIS and invasive melanomas based on clinical close-up images and to compare its performance on a test set to seven dermatologists.

Methods: A retrospective study including clinical images of MIS and invasive melanomas obtained from our department during a five-year time period (2016–2020) was conducted. Overall, 1,551 images [819 MIS (52.8%) and 732 invasive melanomas (47.2%)] were available. The images were randomized into three groups: training set (n = 1,051), validation set (n = 200), and test set (n = 300). A de novo CNN model with seven convolutional layers and a single dense layer was developed.

Results: The area under the curve was 0.72 for the CNN (95% CI 0.66–0.78) and 0.81 for dermatologists (95% CI 0.76–0.86) (P < 0.001). The CNN correctly classified 208 out of 300 lesions (69.3%) whereas the corresponding number for dermatologists was 216 (72.0%). When comparing the CNN performance to each individual reader, three dermatologists significantly outperformed the CNN.

Conclusions: For this classification problem, the CNN was outperformed by the dermatologist. However, since the algorithm was only trained and validated on 1,251 images, future refinement and development could make it useful for dermatologists in a real-world setting.
Mining RNA-Seq Data to Depict How Penicillium digitatum Shapes Its Transcriptome in Response to Nanoemulsion
Authors: Yang Ruopeng , Chen Xiu , Huang Qiang , Chen Chuying , Rengasamy Kannan R. R. , Chen Jinyin , Wan Chunpeng (Craig)
Published: September 2021

Penicillium digitatum is the most severe pathogen that infects citrus fruits during storage. It can cause fruit rot and bring significant economic losses. The continuous use of fungicides has resulted in the emergence of drug-resistant strains. Consequently, there is a need to develop naturally and efficiently antifungal fungicides. Natural antimicrobial agents such as clove oil, cinnamon oil, and thyme oil can be extracted from different plant parts. They exhibited broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties and have great potential in the food industry. Here, we exploit a novel cinnamaldehyde (CA), eugenol (EUG), or carvacrol (CAR) combination antifungal therapy and formulate it into nanoemulsion form to overcome lower solubility and instability of essential oil. In this study, the antifungal activity evaluation and transcriptional profile of Penicillium digitatum exposed to compound nanoemulsion were evaluated. Results showed that compound nanoemulsion had a striking inhibitory effect on P. digitatum in a dose-dependent manner. According to RNA-seq analysis, there were 2,169 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between control and nanoemulsion-treated samples, including 1,028 downregulated and 1,141 upregulated genes. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis indicated that the DEGs were mainly involved in intracellular organelle parts of cell component: cellular respiration, proton transmembrane transport of biological process, and guanyl nucleotide-binding molecular function. KEGG analysis revealed that metabolic pathway, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, and glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism were the most highly enriched pathways for these DEGs. Taken together, we can conclude the promising antifungal activity of nanoemulsion with multiple action sites against P. digitatum. These outcomes would deepen our knowledge of the inhibitory mechanism from molecular aspects and exploit naturally, efficiently, and harmlessly antifungal agents in the citrus postharvest industry.
The Effect of Prolonged Duration of Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
Authors: Hua Yi-Jun , Ou-Yang Yan-Feng , Zou Xiong , Xia Le , Luo Dong-Hua , Chen Ming-Yuan
Published: September 2021

Purpose

Radiotherapy is the most important primary treatment for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Generally, the treatment duration of radiotherapy takes six or six and half weeks with 30 to 33 fractions. The current study was conducted to evaluate the association between prognosis and the duration of radiotherapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients.

Methods

Patients with primary nasopharyngeal carcinoma who were treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy and concurrent cisplatin-based chemotherapy, with or without induction chemotherapy between January, 2008 and December, 2013 at a single institution were retrospectively reviewed.

Results

In total, 1292 patients were included. At a median follow-up of 71.0 months (range 2.0–126.0 months), locoregional recurrence, distant failure and death were observed in 8.8%, 12.2% and 15.6% of all patients, respectively. Estimated 5-year locoregional relapse–free survival, distant metastasis–free survival, progression-free survival and overall survival in patients with radiation ≤ 7 weeks versus patients with radiation >7 weeks were: 93.2% versus 87.0% (P < 0.001), 89.4% versus 84.4% (P = 0.016), 79.8% versus 70.6% (P < 0.001) and 87.2% versus 78.4% (P < 0.001), respectively.

Conclusions

Prolonged duration of radiotherapy with a significantly higher risk of distant metastasis and death in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients. Understanding this point, healthcare providers should make efforts to avoid prolonged duration of radiotherapy to minimize the risk of treatment failure.
Potential Role of Exercise Induced Extracellular Vesicles in Prostate Cancer Suppression
Authors: Zhang Ying , Kim Jin-Soo , Wang Tian-Zhen , Newton Robert U. , Galvão Daniel A. , Gardiner Robert A. , Hill Michelle M. , Taaffe Dennis R.
Published: September 2021

Physical exercise is increasingly recognized as a valuable treatment strategy in managing prostate cancer, not only enhancing supportive care but potentially influencing disease outcomes. However, there are limited studies investigating mechanisms of the tumor-suppressive effect of exercise. Recently, extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been recognized as a therapeutic target for cancer as tumor-derived EVs have the potential to promote metastatic capacity by transferring oncogenic proteins, integrins, and microRNAs to other cells and EVs are also involved in developing drug resistance. Skeletal muscle has been identified as an endocrine organ, releasing EVs into the circulation, and levels of EV-containing factors have been shown to increase in response to exercise. Moreover, preclinical studies have demonstrated the tumor-suppressive effect of protein and microRNA contents in skeletal muscle-derived EVs in various cancers, including prostate cancer. Here we review current knowledge of the tumor-derived EVs in prostate cancer progression and metastasis, the role of exercise in skeletal muscle-derived EVs circulating levels and the alteration of their contents, and the potential tumor-suppressive effect of skeletal muscle-derived EV contents in prostate cancer. In addition, we review the proposed mechanism of exercise in the uptake of skeletal muscle-derived EVs in prostate cancer.
Efficacy Analysis of Day Surgery A1 Pulley Release for Pediatric Trigger Thumb
Authors: Linhua Yan , Linjun Jiang , Xiangyang Qu , Xing Liu , Ming Li , Jun Wu
Published: September 2021

Objective: To investigate clinical application of day surgery A1 pulley release for pediatric trigger thumb.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 1,642 children with trigger thumb who were treated with day surgery A1 pulley release at our hospital, including satisfaction surveys, functional recovery, and complications.

Results: The operative time for unilateral and bilateral tenolysis was 4.8 ± 3.1 and 9.2 ± 3.8 min, respectively. Three children had postoperative fever and were discharged on the 2nd day after surgery. The rest of the children were discharged on the day of surgery. All incisions healed primarily, and no complications of vascular and nerve injury were reported. The patients' degree of satisfaction with the medical treatment process, diagnosis and treatment workflow, treatment effectiveness, length of hospital stay and hospitalization cost, and discharge guidance were 97.9, 96.1, 99.3, 91.1, and 98.5%, respectively. The follow-up period was between 5 months and 3 years and 1 month. Four children experienced symptom relapse after the operation, and re-tenolysis was performed in one of them. At the final follow-up, the appearance and function of the thumb had recovered well in all cases.

Conclusion: Day surgery A1 pulley release can effectively release tendon sheaths and has a short operative time, no complications of vascular and nerve injury, and good recovery of thumb function. It is a safe and reliable procedure with high patient satisfaction, and it is worthy of clinical promotion.
Psycho-Linguistic Changes Associated With Historical Celebrities in Henan Using Classical Chinese Big Data
Authors: Zhao Yanan , Xing Fugui , Fan Miaorong , Li Hua , Zhu Tingshao
Published: September 2021

Chinese civilization has a long history, and the Central Plains, with Henan as the core, is one of its birthplaces. Understanding the psycho-linguistic changes in Henan is of great significance for understanding the evolution and formation of national cultural psychology. The traditional method is mainly qualitative or speculative, which makes the consistency among the research results low. Moreover, because most of the research are conducted in a specific period or on a specific figure, they are relatively scattered and unsystematic. To systematically and quantitatively study the psychological changes in the Central Plains represented by Henan Province, this article aimed to examine the self-reported discourses of historical celebrities in Henan in official history and their psycho-linguistic changes based on the classical Chinese Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (classical Chinese LIWC, CC-LIWC) psycholinguistic dictionary and the classical Chinese words segmentation system, using big data. The research found that the frequency of male words in Henan historical celebrities (F = 2.938, p < 0.05), of differ words (F = 4.767, p < 0.01), of motion words (F = 4.042, p < 0.01), and of time words (F = 5.412, p < 0.01) are significantly different among the five dynasties. The conclusion is that during the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States periods, 100 schools of thought contended, and the status of “scholars” in Henan rose. The frequency of male and differ words was at that point significantly higher than during the other dynasties. From “The Contention of a Hundred Schools of Thought” to “The Supremacy of Confucianism,” the scholars in Henan were in decline, and differential cognitive tendencies had diminished since the Han dynasty. During the period of the Three Kingdoms and Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties, political powers and territories changed, and the historical celebrities in Henan show a remarkable tendency that were related to time and space. The psycho-linguistic changes found in this study are highly consistent with the development of social history, which indicates that the guidance of the social, political, and cultural environment has an important influence on the psycho-linguistic changes of social class. This is the first time that the text analysis system has been applied in classical Chinese to carry out quantitative research on the psycho-linguistic changes of ancient Chinese people, which provides new ideas and new methods for humanistic research.
Sound-Action Symbolism
Authors: Vainio Lari , Vainio Martti
Published: September 2021

Recent evidence has shown linkages between actions and segmental elements of speech. For instance, close-front vowels are sound symbolically associated with the precision grip, and front vowels are associated with forward-directed limb movements. The current review article presents a variety of such sound-action effects and proposes that they compose a category of sound symbolism that is based on grounding a conceptual knowledge of a referent in articulatory and manual action representations. In addition, the article proposes that even some widely known sound symbolism phenomena such as the sound-magnitude symbolism can be partially based on similar sensorimotor grounding. It is also discussed that meaning of suprasegmental speech elements in many instances is similarly grounded in body actions. Sound symbolism, prosody, and body gestures might originate from the same embodied mechanisms that enable a vivid and iconic expression of a meaning of a referent to the recipient.
Remaining Useful Life Prediction of Lithium-Ion Batteries Based on Deep Learning and Soft Sensing
Authors: Wang Zhuqing , Ma Qiqi , Guo Yangming
Published: September 2021

The Remaining useful life (RUL) prediction is of great concern for the reliability and safety of lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles (EVs), but the prediction precision is still unsatisfactory due to the unreliable measurement and fluctuation of data. Aiming to solve these issues, an adaptive sliding window-based gated recurrent unit neural network (GRU NN) is constructed in this paper to achieve the precise RUL prediction of LIBs with the soft sensing method. To evaluate the battery degradation performance, an indirect health indicator (HI), i.e., the constant current duration (CCD), is firstly extracted from charge voltage data, providing a reliable soft measurement of battery capacity. Then, a GRU NN with an adaptive sliding window is designed to learn the long-term dependencies and simultaneously fit the local regenerations and fluctuations. Employing the inherent memory units and gate mechanism of a GRU, the designed model can learn the long-term dependencies of HIs to the utmost with low computation cost. Furthermore, since the length of the sliding window updates timely according to the variation of HIs, the model can also capture the local tendency of HIs and address the influence of local regeneration. The effectiveness and advantages of the integrated prediction methodology are validated via experiments and comparison, and a more precise RUL prediction result is provided as well.
Ultrastructure of Antennal Sensilla in Adults of Dioryctria rubella Hampson (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)
Authors: Xu Jin , Deng Caiping , Lu Wenfeng , Wu Sanan
Published: September 2021

Antennal sensilla play an essential role in insect life because they receive environmental cues. Dioryctria rubella is an important pine pest in China, but information on the morphology and distribution of its sensilla is limited. To elucidate the mechanism of insect-plant chemical communication, we examined the insect antennae and sensilla by scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the antennae of D. rubella were filiform and consisted of a basal scape, a pedicel, and a flagellum with tapered flagellomeres. We identified seven types of sensilla, including trichodea, coeloconica, auricillica, basiconica, styloconica (two subtypes), Böhm’s bristles, and squamiformia, all of which were distributed on the antennae of both sexes. Nevertheless, some sensilla exhibited various degrees of sexual dimorphism; for instance, sensilla trichodea, squamiformia, and basiconica were more abundant in males than in females. Many pores were observed on the surface of the cuticular wall in sensilla trichodea and auricillica, and their biological function may be related to olfaction. This study presented a thorough inventory of sensilla on the antennae of D. rubella and laid a solid foundation for future functional studies.
Density-Based Descriptors of Redox Reactions Involving Transition Metal Compounds as a Reality-Anchored Framework: A Perspective
Authors: Koch Daniel , Chaker Mohamed , Ihara Manabu , Manzhos Sergei
Published: September 2021

Description of redox reactions is critically important for understanding and rational design of materials for electrochemical technologies, including metal-ion batteries, catalytic surfaces, or redox-flow cells. Most of these technologies utilize redox-active transition metal compounds due to their rich chemistry and their beneficial physical and chemical properties for these types of applications. A century since its introduction, the concept of formal oxidation states (FOS) is still widely used for rationalization of the mechanisms of redox reactions, but there exists a well-documented discrepancy between FOS and the electron density-derived charge states of transition metal ions in their bulk and molecular compounds. We summarize our findings and those of others which suggest that density-driven descriptors are, in certain cases, better suited to characterize the mechanism of redox reactions, especially when anion redox is involved, which is the blind spot of the FOS ansatz.
Preliminary Evaluation of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extracted Dabai Pulp Oleoresin as a New Alternative Fat
Authors: Kadir Noor Atiqah Aizan Abdul , Azlan Azrina , Abas Faridah , Ismail Intan Safinar
Published: September 2021

There has been growing interest among food scientists in producing a toxin-free fat as an end product with varying physical or nutritional properties of interest to the food industry. Oleoresin is a rich source of bioactive compounds which consumers can easily add to a large variety of food. Dabai (Canarium odontophyllum) pulp oleoresin (DPL) was extracted using supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) extraction, a green extraction technology. This study investigates the quality of SC-CO2 extracted DPL in discovering its potential as a new alternative fat. The extraction experiment was carried out at a pressure of 40 MPa and a temperature of 40 °C. DPL is a saturated fatty acid (SFA)-rich fat due to its high SFA composition (47.72 ± 0.01%). In addition, the low content of peroxide value (PV) (5.60 ± 0.09 mEq/kg) and free fatty acids (FFA) (3.40 ± 0.03%) indicate the quality and stability of DPL for various applications besides food consumption. DPL also has a low slip melting point (SMP) (20.20 ± 0.03 °C), and HPLC-FID revealed that DPL contained 0.13 ± 0.02 mg/100 g of vitamin E (α-tocopherol), indicating its potential application as a solid fat with a bioactive compound. This present work demonstrates the possible prospect of DPL in the formulation of end products for food industries.
Oxidative C-H/C-H Coupling of Dipyrromethanes with Azines by TiO2-Based Photocatalytic System. Synthesis of New BODIPY Dyes and Their Photophysical and Electrochemical Properties
Authors: Trestsova Maria A. , Utepova Irina A. , Chupakhin Oleg N. , Semenov Maksim V. , Pevtsov Dmitry N. , Nikolenko Lyubov M. , Tovstun Sergey A. , Gadomska Anna V. , Shchepochkin Alexander V. , Kim Gregory A. , Razumov Vladimir F. , Dorosheva Irina B. , Rempel Andrey A.
Published: September 2021

Oxidative C-H/C-H coupling reactions of dipyrromethanes with azines in the presence of a heterophase oxidative photocatalytic system (O2/TiO2/visible light irradiation) were carried out. As a result of cyclization of obtained compounds with boron trifluoride etherate, new hetaryl-containing derivatives of 4,4-difluoro-4-boron-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene were synthesized. For the obtained compounds, absorption and luminescence spectra, quantum yields of luminescence as well as cyclic volt-amperograms were measured.
Protective Effects and Mechanisms of Procyanidins on Parkinson’s Disease In Vivo and In Vitro
Authors: Chen Juan , Chen Yixuan , Zheng Yangfan , Zhao Jiawen , Yu Huilin , Zhu Jiajin , Li Duo
Published: September 2021

This research assessed the molecular mechanism of procyanidins (PCs) against neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) and its metabolite 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+) induced Parkinson’s disease (PD) models. In vitro, PC12 cells were incubated with PCs or deprenyl for 24 h, and then exposed to 1.5 mM MPP+ for 24 h. In vivo, zebrafish larvae (AB strain) 3 days post-fertilization (dpf) were incubated with deprenyl or PCs in 400 μM MPTP for 4 days. Compared with MPP+/MPTP alone, PCs significantly improved antioxidant activities (e.g., glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT)), and decreased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA). Furthermore, PCs significantly increased nuclear Nrf2 accumulation in PC12 cells and raised the expression of NQO1, HO-1, GCLM, and GCLC in both PC12 cells and zebrafish compared to MPP+/MPTP alone. The current study shows that PCs have neuroprotective effects, activate the nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/antioxidant response element (ARE) pathway and alleviate oxidative damage in MPP+/MPTP-induced PD models.
In Vitro Tests for a Rapid Evaluation of Antidiabetic Potential of Plant Species Containing Caffeic Acid Derivatives: A Validation by Two Well-Known Antidiabetic Plants, Ocimum gratissimum L. Leaf and Musanga cecropioides R. Br. ex Tedlie (Mu) Stem Bark
Authors: Awwad Abdulmomem , Poucheret Patrick , Idres Yanis A. , Tshibangu Damien S. T. , Servent Adrien , Ferrare Karine , Lazennec Françoise , Bidel Luc P. R. , Cazals Guillaume , Tousch Didier
Published: September 2021

Plant bioactive extracts represent a major resource for identifying drugs and adjuvant therapy for type 2 diabetes. To promote early screening of plants’ antidiabetic potential, we designed a four in vitro tests strategy to anticipate in vivo bioactivity. Two antidiabetic plants were studied: Ocimum gratissimum L. (Oc) leaf extract and Musanga cecropoides R. Br. ex Tedlie (Mu) stem bark extract. Chemical compositions were analyzed by LCMS and HPLC. Antidiabetic properties were measured based on (1) INS-1 cells for insulin secretion, (2) L6 myoblast cells for insulin sensitization (Glut-4 translocation), (3) L6 myoblast cells for protection against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) oxidative stress (cell mortality), and (4) liver microsomial fraction for glucose-6-phosphastase activity (G6P). Oc extract increased insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity, whereas it decreased oxidative stress-induced cell mortality and G6P activity. Mu extract decreased insulin secretion and had no effect on insulin sensitivity or G6P activity, but it increased oxidative stress-induced cell mortality. Results were compared with NCRAE, an antidiabetic plant extract used as reference, previously characterized and reported with increased insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity, protection against oxidative stress, and decreased G6P activity. The proposed set of four in vitro tests combined with chemical analysis provided insight into the interest in rapid early screening of plant extract antidiabetic potential to anticipate pharmaco-toxicological in vivo effects.
Nano-Drug Design Based on the Physiological Properties of Glutathione
Authors: Li Wenhua , Li Minghui , Qi Jing
Published: September 2021

Glutathione (GSH) is involved in and regulates important physiological functions of the body as an essential antioxidant. GSH plays an important role in anti-oxidation, detoxification, anti-aging, enhancing immunity and anti-tumor activity. Herein, based on the physiological properties of GSH in different diseases, mainly including the strong reducibility of GSH, high GSH content in tumor cells, and the NADPH depletion when GSSH is reduced to GSH, we extensively report the design principles, effect, and potential problems of various nano-drugs in diabetes, cancer, nervous system diseases, fluorescent probes, imaging, and food. These studies make full use of the physiological and pathological value of GSH and develop excellent design methods of nano-drugs related to GSH, which shows important scientific significance and prominent application value for the related diseases research that GSH participates in or responds to.
Optimal Procurement Strategy for Supply Chain with Trade Credit and Backorder under CVaR Criterion
Authors: Wu Gaoke , Feng Bo , Guo Libin
Published: September 2021

Some capital-constrained and risk-averse retailers may unable to obtain financing from banks due to insufficient collateral and high loan costs, so some retailers tend to use trade credit financing to ease their financial pressure. For the two echelon supply chain composed of a well-funded supplier and a capital-constrained retailer with risk-averse preference, a trade credit strategy model with the supplier-led is established in this paper. By analyzing both parties’ benefits, we derive the model solution and provide optimal decisions to all petitioners. The results obtained in this paper show that the optimum order quantity under the Conditional Value-at-Risk (CVaR) criterion declines w.r.t. the confidence level, and the wholesale price of the supplier increases w.r.t. the confidence level. The reason is that when the retailer makes fewer orders, the supplier will correspondingly increase the wholesale price to maximize their profit. On the other hand, the ordering policy with allowing backorder will make the retailer place fewer orders. Finally, the proposed model is indicated by the given numerical experiments.
Fiber-Reinforced Sand-Fixing Board Based on the Concept of “Sand Control with Sand”: Experimental Design, Testing, and Application
Authors: Ding Bosong , Cheng Jianjun , Xia Duotian , Wu Xiao , Gao Li , Ma Benteng , Li Dongsheng , Lin Zhujie
Published: September 2021

Harsh conditions, such as the lack of raw materials and high transportation costs, impede the construction of desert railway sand control projects. Against this background, aeolian sand along the desert railway was used in a study on “sand control with sand.” According to the mechanical properties and durability tests, as well as field observations, the enhancement effect of fiber (cloth) on the performance of a sand-fixing board made of aeolian sand was analyzed. Based on the results, the mechanical strength of the sand-fixing board increased with increasing fiber content and length, and the maximum increase in compressive strength and flexural strength reached 2.15 and 0.59 times, respectively. The addition of fiber significantly improved the frost resistance, effectively reducing the mass loss rate of the board by an average of 60%. With increasing fiber content and length, the improvement effect of the freeze–thaw strength loss rate of the sand-fixing board first decreased and then increased. The results show that the performance of sand-fixing boards reached the engineering application standard under the reinforcement of the fiber (cloth), successfully establishing the concept of “sand control with sand.”
Hide Defects of Feedlot Cattle: Assessment of Cattle Management, Breed Type, Sex, Live Market Weight, and Source Factors on Hide Quality
Authors: Wright W. T. , Richardson C. R. , Bonds M. A. , Pollard G. V. , Sudharkaran P. O. , Gonzalez A. M. , Martinez S. P.
Published: September 2021

Twenty groups of finished feedlot cattle (thirteen steer groups, seven heifer groups) of known origin, breed type, sex and implant status were studied after marketing to determine the type and extent of hide defects as related to days on feed, live market weight, and hot carcass weight. Origin of cattle did not significantly influence the five hide characteristics evaluated (hide defects score, hide vein score, healed scratches, ringworm, and warts). Live weight and sex influenced the weight of the hides (P < 0.05), with steers being heavier and having heavier hides. Days on feed increased (P = 0.06) the amount of vein damage observed on the hides but was not sex related. Results from this study indicate that under typical commercial cattle feeding practices in Texas, hide defects differ among cattle under the same management and are related to the days on feed in the feedlot, which influences final market weight and degree of finish.
Tanning Performance of a Novel Chrome-Free Complex Tanning Agent: Penetration and Distribution
Authors: Wang Zhen , Wang Ya-nan , Yu Yue , Shi Bi
Published: September 2021

Penetration of tanning agent in leather plays an important role in tanning performance and properties of finished leather. A novel complex tanning agent composed of Al–Zr salts and highly-oxidized starch ligand, named TWLZ, was used for chrome-free tanning. The masking effect of highly-oxidized starch reduced the electropositivity of metal complexes, which should help penetration of TWLZ and moderate its fixation during tanning. The effects of tanning agent dosage, basification method and pretreatment method on the distribution of TWLZ in leather were investigated. Using 8% TWLZ and basifying with magnesium oxide benefited the penetration and distribution of TWLZ throughout the cross-section of leather. Pretreatment with an amphoteric organic tanning agent could regulate the charge state of the hide, balance the penetration and fixation of TWLZ, and thus show uniform distribution and satisfactory tanning performance. This work will guide the establishment of TWLZ chrome-free tanning system.
Analytical Predictions on Flexural Strengthening of Reinforced Concrete Beams with Hybrid FRP Laminate
Authors:   Research Scholar, Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar., Pradeeba K. , Rajasekaran A. ,   Professor, Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar.
Published: September 2021

This paper presents the predicted regression equation for the study parameters of Reinforced Concrete (RC) beams strengthened with Hybrid Fibre Reinforced Polymer (HyFRP) laminate at the soffit of beam. To study the effectiveness of HyFRP laminate on flexural strengthening a total of five beams were cast and tested.The variable parameters are thickness, elastic modulus and tensile strength of HyFRP laminates. Four combinations of HyFRP laminates precisely, 90% Glass fibre + 10% Basalt fibre of thickness, 80% Glass fibre + 20% Basalt fibre, 70% Glass fibre + 30% Basalt fibre, 60% Glass fibre + 40% Basalt fibre, and their corresponding thickness were 2.78, 3.24, 3.86 and 4.24mm respectively.The test results concluded that reinforced concrete beams strengthened with 70%Glass + 30%Basalt HyFRP laminate enhance the ultimate load carrying capacity of 68.97% with respect to control beam. The values reached through the predicted regression equation showed equitable accuracy with those of experimental values.
Supply Chain Modelling Based on Twelve Related Features: A Novel Iteration Feature Selection Method
Authors:   Girne American University, Girne, North Cyprus., Alsteif Hussein , Akkaya Murat ,   Girne American University, Girne, North Cyprus.
Published: September 2021

Real-time prediction of hour-based order entry has been lacking in literature. Compared to previous research on supply chain problems, our proposed approach overcomes the constraints of operations management with longer time periods such as weekly and monthly by developing a novel iteration model. We performed experiments on 100 products with high cumulative volume over time. Using 3 different dataset, our proposed model proved efficient in forecasting skewed demand signals with lot of noise in supply chains.