bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Metal Nanoparticles in Agriculture: A Review of Possible Use
Authors: Kaningini Amani Gabriel , Nelwamondo Aluwani Mutanwa , Azizi Shohreh , Maaza Malik , Mohale Keletso Cecilia
Published: October 2022

Deterioration of soils over the years has led to a decline in crop yields and nutritional qualities, resulting from the oversupply of conventional fertilizers, which are unsustainable, costly and pose a threat to the environment. Nanoparticles are gaining a reputation in the field of agriculture for the remediation of soil degradation in a sustainable way. Recently, they have been recognized as potential fertilizers with properties that make them more absorbable and readily available for plant use than their bulk counterpart. However, there is less literature elaborating on the use of nanoparticles as agro-inputs for crop nutrition and protection. This review, therefore, provides insights into the application of nanoscaled nutrient elements such as silver, zinc, copper, iron, titanium, magnesium and calcium as fertilizers. In addition, the review explains the need for utilizing green synthesized nanomaterials as one of the ways to palliate the use of environmentally toxic chemicals in the cropping system and discusses the various benefits of nanoparticles, ranging from plant growth stimulation to defence against pathogens.
Effect of Gamma Radiation on Structural and Optical Properties of ZnO and Mg-Doped ZnO Films Paired with Monte Carlo Simulation
Authors: Duinong Mivolil , Rasmidi Rosfayanti , Chee Fuei Pien , Moh Pak Yan , Salleh Saafie , Mohd Salleh Khairul Anuar , Ibrahim Sofian
Published: October 2022

In space, geostationary electronics located within the outer van Allen radiation belt are vulnerable to gamma radiation exposure. In terms of application, implementing an electronic system in a high radiation environment is impossible via conventional engineering materials such as metal alloys as they are prone to radiation damage. Exposure to such radiation causes degradation and structural defects within the semiconductor component, significantly changing their overall density. The changes in the density will then cause electronic failure, known as the single event phenomena. Thus, the radiation response of material must be thoroughly investigated before the material is applied in a harsh radiation environment, specifically for flexible space borne electronic application. In this work, potential candidates for space-borne application devices: zinc oxide (ZnO) and Mg-doped ZnO thin film with a film thickness of 300 nm, were deposited onto an indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate via radio frequency (RF) sputtering method. The fabricated films were then irradiated by Co-60 gamma ray at a dose rate of 2 kGy/hr. The total ionizing dose (TID) effect of ZnO and Mg-doped ZnO thin films were then studied. From the results obtained, degradation towards the surface morphology, optical properties, and lattice parameters caused by increasing TID, ranging from 10 kGy–300 kGy, were evaluated. The alteration can be observed on the morphological changes due to the change in the roughness root mean square (RMS) with TID, while structural changes show increased strain and decreased crystallite size. For the optical properties, band gap tends to decrease with increased dose in response to colour centre (Farbe centre) effects resulting in a decrease in transmittance spectra of the fabricated films.
Editorial for Special Issue Cement and Construction Materials
Authors: Hosseini Payam , Han Baoguo
Published: October 2022

Cement-based materials have always been the main choice for the construction of civil engineering infrastructures [...]
Anomalous In Vitro Corrosion Behaviour of Rolled Mg-1 wt. % Zn Alloy Due to Buffer-Microstructure Interactions
Authors: Wilkes Ryan N. , Dias George , Staiger Mark P.
Published: October 2022

In this study, the influence of microstructure and buffer system on the corrosion behaviour of Mg-1 wt. % Zn is examined. The grain size of the alloy was refined from 700 µm to under 15 µm by rolling with varying reduction percentages per pass. The effects of the rolling procedure on the resulting corrosion profile were analysed with immersion and electrochemical methods. Though the rolling procedure resulted in significant grain refinement, the as-cast samples had the lowest corrosion rate of 2.8 mm/yr, while those of the rolled samples were as high as 15.8 mm/yr. The HEPES buffer system did not control the pH or support the formation of insoluble precipitates as well as the NaHCO3/CO2 buffer system, leading to more severe localised pitting corrosion in samples immersed in HEPES buffered media. While reducing grain size generally corresponds to a lower corrosion rate in Mg alloys, this study provides evidence that other factors such as texture and buffer system must also be considered to accurately test candidate alloys for biodegradable orthopaedic applications.
A Perspective of the Human–Grey Wolf (Canis lupus) Conflicts in Kumrat Valley, Northern Pakistan
Authors: Khattak Romaan Hayat , Teng Liwei , Mehmood Tahir , Ahmad Shakeel , Rehman Ejaz Ur , Basak Sayantani M. , Liu Zhensheng
Published: October 2022

In developing countries, long-term conservation goals are hindered by the high economic costs of human–wildlife conflicts. The grey wolf is one of the prominent species indulged in these incidents. We investigated human–wolf conflicts (HWCs) by interviewing 104 respondents from five villages in Kumrat Valley, northern Pakistan. The respondents declared the grey wolf a common and highly dangerous carnivore. The grey wolf was found implicated in livestock predation, inflicting a yearly economic loss of USD 9225 (USD 88.70 per household (with monthly average income of 119 USD)). Our results confirmed that livestock predation was the main reason for the community’s hostile attitude (65.38%) and perception of the grey wolf. Concerning occupation, farmers have the most significant negative attitude (p = 0.040) towards the grey wolf, yet employees (p = 0.025) and students (p = 0.030) showed a positive attitude. In addition, the other factors contributing to the negative attitude towards the grey wolf were the grey wolf sightings and livestock predation (p = 0.016 and p = 0.006), respectively. Based on the findings, we believe that predation compensation and livestock vaccination programs (as done in Gilgit-Baltistan Province of northern Pakistan as a measure of snow leopard conservation, to prevent mass mortalities of livestock due to diseases and in turn safeguarding the predator from retaliatory killing by locals in case of livestock predation) educating the populous can be very promising in minimizing the HWCs in the study area. We also recommend robust and continuous coordination between the local communities and the concerned departments.
Classification Framework for Medical Diagnosis of Brain Tumor with an Effective Hybrid Transfer Learning Model
Authors: Samee Nagwan Abdel , Mahmoud Noha F. , Atteia Ghada , Abdallah Hanaa A. , Alabdulhafith Maali , Al-Gaashani Mehdhar S. A. M. , Ahmad Shahab , Muthanna Mohammed Saleh Ali
Published: October 2022

Brain tumors (BTs) are deadly diseases that can strike people of every age, all over the world. Every year, thousands of people die of brain tumors. Brain-related diagnoses require caution, and even the smallest error in diagnosis can have negative repercussions. Medical errors in brain tumor diagnosis are common and frequently result in higher patient mortality rates. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is widely used for tumor evaluation and detection. However, MRI generates large amounts of data, making manual segmentation difficult and laborious work, limiting the use of accurate measurements in clinical practice. As a result, automated and dependable segmentation methods are required. Automatic segmentation and early detection of brain tumors are difficult tasks in computer vision due to their high spatial and structural variability. Therefore, early diagnosis or detection and treatment are critical. Various traditional Machine learning (ML) techniques have been used to detect various types of brain tumors. The main issue with these models is that the features were manually extracted. To address the aforementioned insightful issues, this paper presents a hybrid deep transfer learning (GN-AlexNet) model of BT tri-classification (pituitary, meningioma, and glioma). The proposed model combines GoogleNet architecture with the AlexNet model by removing the five layers of GoogleNet and adding ten layers of the AlexNet model, which extracts features and classifies them automatically. On the same CE-MRI dataset, the proposed model was compared to transfer learning techniques (VGG-16, AlexNet, SqeezNet, ResNet, and MobileNet-V2) and ML/DL. The proposed model outperformed the current methods in terms of accuracy and sensitivity (accuracy of 99.51% and sensitivity of 98.90%).
Multimodality Imaging of Benign Primary Cardiac Tumor
Authors: Lin Yixia , Wu Wenqian , Gao Lang , Ji Mengmeng , Xie Mingxing , Li Yuman
Published: October 2022

Primary cardiac tumors (PCTs) are rare, with benign PCTs being relatively common in approximately 75% of all PCTs. Benign PCTs are usually asymptomatic, and they are found incidentally by imaging. Even if patients present with symptoms, they are usually nonspecific. Before the application of imaging modalities to the heart, our understanding of these tumors is limited to case reports and autopsy studies. The advent and improvement of various imaging technologies have enabled the non-invasive evaluation of benign PCTs. Although echocardiography is the most commonly used imaging examination, it is not the best method to describe the histological characteristics of tumors. At present, cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and cardiac computed tomography (CCT) are often used to assess benign PCTs providing detailed information on anatomical and tissue features. In fact, each imaging modality has its own advantages and disadvantages, multimodality imaging uses two or more imaging types to provide valuable complementary information. With the widespread use of multimodality imaging, these techniques play an indispensable role in the management of patients with benign PCTs by providing useful diagnostic and prognostic information to guide treatment. This article reviews the multimodality imaging characterizations of common benign PCTs.
Isolation and Quantification of Plasma Cell-Free DNA Using Different Manual and Automated Methods
Authors: Polatoglou Eleni , Mayer Zsuzsanna , Ungerer Vida , Bronkhorst Abel J. , Holdenrieder Stefan
Published: October 2022

Plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) originates from various tissues and cell types and can enable minimally invasive diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of cancer and other diseases. Proper extraction of cfDNA is critical to obtain optimal yields and purity. The goal of this study was to compare the performance of six commercial cfDNA kits to extract pure, high-quality cfDNA from human plasma samples and evaluate the quantity and size profiles of cfDNA extracts—among them, two spin-column based, three magnetic bead-based and two automatic magnetic bead-based methods. Significant differences were observed in the yield of DNA among the different extraction kits (up to 4.3 times), as measured by the Qubit Fluorometer and Bioanalyzer. All kits isolated mostly small fragments corresponding to mono-nucleosomal sizes. The highest yield and reproducibility were obtained by the manual QIAamp Circulating Nucleic Acid Kit and automated MagNA Pure Total NA Isolation Kit. The results highlight the importance of standardizing preanalytical conditions depending on the requirements of the downstream applications.
Use of a Small Car-Mounted Magnetic Resonance Imaging System for On-Field Screening for Osteochondritis Dissecans of the Humeral Capitellum
Authors: Ikeda Kazuhiro , Okamoto Yoshikazu , Ogawa Takeshi , Terada Yasuhiko , Kajiwara Michiru , Miyasaka Tomoki , Michinobu Ryuhei , Hara Yuki , Yoshii Yuichi , Nakajima Takahito , Yamazaki Masashi
Published: October 2022

Mobile magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using a car is a recent advancement in imaging technology. Specifically, a car-mounted mobile MRI system is expected to be used for medical check-ups; however, this is still in the research stage. This study demonstrated the practicality of a small car-mounted mobile MRI in on-field screening for osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the humeral capitellum. In the primary check-up, we screened the throwing elbows of 151 young baseball players using mobile MRI and ultrasonography. We definitively diagnosed OCD at the secondary check-up using X-ray photography and computed tomography or MRI. We investigated the sensitivity and specificity of mobile MRI and ultrasonography for OCD. Six patients were diagnosed with OCD. The sensitivity was 83.3% for mobile MRI and 66.7% for ultrasonography, with specificity of 99.3% vs. 100%, respectively. One patient was detected using ultrasonography but was missed by mobile MRI due to poor imaging quality at the first medical check-up. Following this false-negative case, we replaced a damaged radio frequency coil to improve the image quality, and the mobile MRI could detect all subsequent OCD cases. Two patients were diagnosed by mobile MRI only; ultrasonography missed cases lacking subchondral bone irregularity, such as a healing case, and an early-stage case. Mobile MRI could screen for OCD from the very early stages through the healing process and is therefore a practical tool for on-field screening.
Emotion Dysregulation and Conspiracy Beliefs about COVID-19: The Moderating Role of Critical Social Media Use
Authors: Scandurra Cristiano , Pizzo Rosa , Pinto Luca Emanuel , Cafasso Claudia , Pellegrini Renata , Cafaggi Federica , D’Anna Oriana , Muzii Benedetta , Bochicchio Vincenzo , Maldonato Nelson Mauro
Published: October 2022

As COVID-19 has spread worldwide, conspiracy theories have proliferated rapidly on social media platforms, adversely affecting public health. For this reason, media literacy interventions have been highly recommended, although the impact of critical social media use on the development of COVID-19 conspiracy theories has not yet been empirically studied. Moreover, emotional dysregulation may play another crucial role in the development of such theories, as they are often associated with stress, anxiety, lack of control, and other negative emotions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that emotion dysregulation would be positively associated with conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 and that critical use of social media would attenuate this association. Data from 930 Italian participants (339 men and 591 women) were collected online during the third wave of the COVID-19 outbreak. A moderated model was tested using the PROCESS Macro for SPSS. Results showed that: (1) emotion dysregulation and critical social media use accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19; and (2) critical social media use moderated the effect of emotion dysregulation on conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19. Implications for preventing the spread of conspiracy theories are discussed.
Area- and Power-Efficient Reconfigurable Architecture for Multifunction Evaluation
Authors: Zheng Sifan , Zhao Guodong , Wang Yu , Lyu Fei , Wang Yuxuan , Pan Hongbing , Luo Yuanyong
Published: October 2022

In this paper, we propose an area- and power-efficient reconfigurable architecture for multifunction evaluation based on an optimized piecewise linear (PWL) method. The proposed segmentor automatically divides nonlinear functions into the fewest segments with a predefined maximum absolute error (MAE) and fractional bit width of the slope. In addition, a multiplier was optimized via Booth encoding to reduce the number of rows in the partial product matrix. Compressors were used to shorten the critical path. The results of application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) implementation reveal that all metrics of the proposed architecture are improved for single functions, without any compromise. Moreover, reconfigurable technology was introduced for implementing multiple functions while reusing computing resources. Compared to a corresponding architecture without reuse, the area and power of this reconfigurable architecture are reduced by 37.48% and 45.60%, respectively, at the same frequency.
Research on Speech Emotion Recognition Based on the Fractional Fourier Transform
Authors: Huang Lirong , Shen Xizhong
Published: October 2022

Speech emotion recognition is an important part of human–computer interaction, and the use of computers to analyze emotions and extract speech emotion features that can achieve high recognition rates is an important step. We applied the Fractional Fourier Transform (FrFT), and then constructed it to extract MFCC and combined it with a deep learning method for speech emotion recognition. Since the performance of FrFT depends on the transform order p, we utilized an ambiguity function to determine the optimal order for each frame of speech. The MFCC was extracted under the optimal order of FrFT for each frame of speech. Finally, combining the deep learning network LSTM for speech emotion recognition. Our experiment was conducted on the RAVDESS, and detailed confusion matrices and accuracy were given for analysis. The MFCC extracted using FrFT was shown to have better performance than ordinal FT, and the proposed model achieved a weighting accuracy of 79.86%.
Industrial Ergonomics Risk Analysis Based on 3D-Human Pose Estimation
Authors: Paudel Prabesh , Kwon Young-Jin , Kim Do-Hyun , Choi Kyoung-Ho
Published: October 2022

Ergonomics is important for smooth and sustainable industrial operation. In the manufacturing industry, due to poor workstation design, workers frequently and repeatedly experience uncomfortable postures and actions (reaching above their shoulders, bending at awkward angles, bending backwards, flexing their elbows/wrists, etc.). Incorrect working postures often lead to specialized injuries, which reduce productivity and increase development costs. Therefore, examining workers’ ergonomic postures becomes the basis for recognizing, correcting, and preventing bad postures in the workplace. This paper proposes a new framework to carry out risk analysis of workers’ ergonomic postures through 3D human pose estimation from video/image sequences of their actions. The top-down network calculates human body joints when bending, and those angles are compared with the ground truth body bending data collected manually by expert observation. Here, we introduce the body angle reliability decision (BARD) method to calculate the most reliable body-bending angles to ensure safe working angles for workers that conform to ergonomic requirements in the manufacturing industry. We found a significant result with high accuracy in the score for ergonomics we used for this experiment. For good postures with high reliability, we have OWAS score 94%, REBA score 93%, and RULA score 93% accuracy. Similarly, for occluded postures we have OWAS score 83%, REBA score 82%, and RULA score 82%, compared with expert’s occluded scores. For future study, our research can be a reference for ergonomics score analysis with 3D pose estimation of workers’ postures.
Transformer-Based Multimodal Infusion Dialogue Systems
Authors: Liu Bo , He Lejian , Liu Yafei , Yu Tianyao , Xiang Yuejia , Zhu Li , Ruan Weijian
Published: October 2022

The recent advancements in multimodal dialogue systems have been gaining importance in several domains such as retail, travel, fashion, among others. Several existing works have improved the understanding and generation of multimodal dialogues. However, there still exists considerable space to improve the quality of output textual responses due to insufficient information infusion between the visual and textual semantics. Moreover, the existing dialogue systems often generate defective knowledge-aware responses for tasks such as providing product attributes and celebrity endorsements. To address the aforementioned issues, we present a Transformer-based Multimodal Infusion Dialogue (TMID) system that extracts the visual and textual information from dialogues via a transformer-based multimodal context encoder and employs a cross-attention mechanism to achieve information infusion between images and texts for each utterance. Furthermore, TMID uses adaptive decoders to generate appropriate multimodal responses based on the user intentions it has determined using a state classifier and enriches the output responses by incorporating domain knowledge into the decoders. The results of extensive experiments on a multimodal dialogue dataset demonstrate that TMID has achieved a state-of-the-art performance by improving the BLUE-4 score by 13.03, NIST by 2.77, image selection Recall@1 by 1.84%.
Dental Manifestations and Oral Management of X-Linked Hypophosphatemia
Authors: Okawa Rena , Nakano Kazuhiko
Published: October 2022

X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) is the most common genetic form of rickets and osteomalacia and is characterized by growth retardation, deformities of the lower limbs, and bone and muscular pain. Spontaneous dental abscesses caused by endodontic infections due to dentin dysplasia are well-known dental manifestations. When dentin affected by microcracks or attrition of the enamel is exposed to oral fluids, oral bacteria are able to invade the hypomineralized dentin and pulp space, leading to pulp necrosis, followed by the formation of a periapical gingival abscess. Without appropriate dental management, this dental manifestation results in early loss of teeth and deterioration in the patient’s quality of life. Early specific dental intervention and oral management in collaboration with medical personnel are strongly recommended for XLH patients. Importantly, dental manifestations sometimes appear before the diagnosis of XLH. Dentists should be alert for this first sign of XLH and refer affected children to a pediatrician for early diagnosis. A humanized monoclonal antibody for FGF23 (burosumab) is a promising new treatment for XLH; however, the effects on the dental manifestations remain to be elucidated. The establishment of fundamental dental therapy to solve dental problems is still underway and is eagerly anticipated.
Prediction of Static Bending Properties of Eucalyptus Clones Using Stress Wave Measurements on Standing Trees, Logs and Small Clear Specimens
Authors: Van Duong Doan , Schimleck Laurence
Published: October 2022

In this study, we used both nondestructive and destructive methods for assessing solid wood properties in six Vietnamese grown Eucalyptus clones at 6 years after planting. We measured stress wave velocity in standing sample trees (SWVT), logs (SWVL), and small clear specimens (SWVS) obtained from the trees and logs, and to measure static properties, we used MOE—modulus of elasticity and MOR—modulus of rupture. The highest average MOE and MOR were detected in clones 3 and 5, suggesting that these clones might be more appropriate for breeding programs focused on improving wood quality of Eucalyptus grown in Vietnam. Mean MOE and MOR of the lumber had significant (p < 0.001) relationships with SWVT (r = 0.61 and 0.53, respectively) and SWVL (r = 0.76 and 0.71, respectively). Stress wave velocity measurements of both standing trees and logs can be useful for further segregating Vietnam’s Eucalyptus timber resource based on MOE and MOR. For the small clear specimens, the best prediction of stiffness (dynamic modulus of elasticity (MOEd)) was obtained when both SWVS and air-dry density (AD) were used. The coefficient of correlation between MOE and MOEd was 0.93.
Assessment of the Effects of Artificial Fungi Inoculations on Agarwood Formation and Sap Flow Rate of Aquilaria malaccensis Lam. Using Sonic Tomography (SoT) and Sap Flow Meter (SFM)
Authors: Jalil Abd-Majid , Abdul-Hamid Hazandy , Sahrim-Lias  , Anwar-Uyup Mohd-Khairun , Md-Tahir Paridah , Mohd-Razali Sheriza , Mohd-Noor Ahmad-Azaruddin , Syazwan Samsuddin Ahmad , Shamsul-Anuar Alliesya-Shamelia , Mohamad Kasim Mohamad Roslan , Mohamed Johar , Abiri Rambod
Published: October 2022

Agarwood is a valuable aromatic resinous wood that is biosynthesised when a fungal attack injures the healthy wood tissue of the Aquilaria tree. The magnitude of infection related to sap flow (SF) is one of the most critical functional traits to evaluate the tree’s response to various adverse conditions. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the reliability of sonic tomography (SoT) and sap flow meter (SFM) in studying the influence of inoculation fungi Pichia kudriavzevii Boidin, Pignal and Besson, and Paecilomyces niveus Stolk and Samson, on deteriorated wood (Dt) and SF rate in Aquilaria malaccensis Lam. A. malaccensis trees with small, medium, and large diameters were inoculated with each fungus separately at the bottom, middle, and top positions of the tree and the area of sapwood was measured after 6, 12, and 24 months to stimulate the agarwood formation. Furthermore, the SF rate was assessed using SFM in the position of the selected trees. There was a significant difference (p ≤ 0.05) in Dt% and SF rate between inoculated and uninoculated trees. The Dt percentage in trees inoculated with P. kudriavzevii, P. niveus, and control trees was 25.6%, 25.7%, and 15.0%, respectively. The SF rate was lower in P. kudriavzevii, with 207.7 cm3/h, than in the control trees, with 312.9 cm3/h in the small-diameter class. In summary, the results of this study emphasise the importance of inoculation duration (24 months) and the effects of water conductivity, especially tree diameter class (small), on the biosynthetic response of resinous substance.
Bat Assemblages Are Shaped by Land Cover Types and Forest Age: A Case Study from Eastern Ukraine
Authors: Vlaschenko Anton , Kravchenko Kseniia , Yatsiuk Yehor , Hukov Vitalii , Kramer-Schadt Stephanie , Radchuk Viktoriia
Published: October 2022

Eastern European broadleaved forests north of the 50th degree of latitude serve as a core breeding area for most migratory bat species wintering in Eastern and Central Europe. The southern border of this region has faced an increase in clear-cutting intensity in recent decades. We conducted a standardized mist-netting survey on eleven heterogeneous oak forest plots in order to assess how land cover types and forest age affect abundance, diversity and the breeding of bats. We found that abundance indices and species richness increased from upland plots surrounded by agricultural lands to riverine or waterside plots with high forest cover. Particularly large mature forests older than 90 years positively affected the breeding activity of bats, their abundance indices and overall species richness. Regarding species associations with specific habitats, we found that Myotis brandtii, Nyctalus leisleri and Pipistrellus pygmaeus were mainly found in mature deciduous forest stands, while Plecotus auritus appeared to be the only species tolerating clearcuts and young stands. Forest-dwelling species such as Nyctalus noctula and Pipistrellus nathusii were additionally associated with water habitats. Thus, the combination of mature forests and water sources is essential in shaping Eastern European assemblages of forest bat species.
Phenotypic Variation and Diversity in Fruit, Leaf, Fatty Acid, and Their Relationships to Geoclimatic Factors in Seven Natural Populations of Malania oleifera Chun et S.K. Lee
Authors: Li Hongguo , Wang Ruizhen , Tian Zuwei , Xu Jihuang , Sun Wensheng , Duan Runmei , Fu Hao , Li Yunmu , Zhang Yalin , Dong Leiming
Published: October 2022

Malania oleifera Chun et S.K. Lee is an endangered woody oil tree that produces nervonic acid, which is closely related to brain development. The phenotypic variation and diversity in some representative traits in natural populations are poorly understood. To investigate phenotypic variation, diversity and their relationship with geoclimatic factors, we evaluated 21 traits of 97 sampled individuals from seven natural populations. Coefficient of variation for 21 traits widely ranged from 0.05 (shape index of fruit) to 0.62 (water content of dry kernel), with an average of 0.18. The Shannon–Wiener indices ranged from 1.91 (water content of dry kernel) to 2.06 (leaf length and leaf width), with an average of 1.94. The variation of 20 traits was significantly influenced by the population effect (p < 0.05). The 21 traits were reduced to six principal components, which collectively accounted for 86.64% of the total phenotypic variation. The seven population was mainly divided into two groups: Group I, which included four populations distributed throughout the southern region and having wider and shorter leaves, larger fruit transverse diameters, and higher content of fatty acid and nervonic acid in the kernel, and Group II included the left populations with relative opposite characteristics to those in Group I. Trees with shorter leaves tend to produce oblate shape and heavier dried kernel, yielding more fatty acid and nervonic acids, and population-level pairwise kernel morphological distance were positively correlated with fatty acid distance (Mantel r = 0.39, p < 0.05). Annual average humidity was strongly positively correlated with leaf index (length/width, r = 0.78) but had a negative correlation with the kernel dry weight (r = −0.84). The shape of the kernel gradually altered from oblate to globose as longitude and rainfall increased. The environment became colder as latitude increased, resulting in a steady decrease in fatty acid content. No significant isolation by climatic and geographical distance was found for morphological and fatty acid variability. These results can have an important implication for genetic improvement, diversity conservation and resource management of the species in the future.
Occurrence Prediction of Pine Wilt Disease Based on CA–Markov Model
Authors: Liu Deqing , Zhang Xiaoli
Published: October 2022

Pine wilt disease (PWD) has become a devastating disease that impacts China’s forest management. It is of great significance to accurately predict PWD on a geospatial scale to prevent its spread. Using the Cellular Automata (CA)–Markov model, this study predicts the occurrence area of PWD in Anhui Province in 2030 based on PWD-relevant factors, such as weather, terrain, population, and traffic. Using spatial autocorrelation analysis, direction analysis and other spatial analysis methods, we analyze the change trend of occurrence data of PWD in 2000, 2010, 2020 and 2030, reveal the propagation law of PWD disasters in Anhui Province, and warn for future prevention and control direction and measures. The results show the following: (1) the overall accuracy of the CA–Markov model for PWD disaster prediction is 93.19%, in which the grid number accuracy is 95.19%, and the Kappa coefficient is 0.65. (2) In recent 20 years and the next 10 years, the occurrence area of PWD in Anhui Province has a trend of first decreasing and then increasing. From 2000 to 2010, the occurrence area of disasters has a downward trend. From 2010 to 2020, the disaster area has increased rapidly, with an annual growth rate of 140%. In the next 10 years, the annual growth rate of disasters will slow down, and the occurrence area of PWD will reach 270,632 ha. (3) In 2000 and 2010, the spatial aggregation and directional distribution characteristics of the map spots of the PWD pine forest were significant. In 2020 and 2030, the spatial aggregation is still significant after the expansion of the susceptible area, but the directional distribution is no longer significant. (4) The PWD center in Anhui Province shows a significant trend of moving southward. From 2010 to 2020, the PWD center moved from Chuzhou to Anqing. (5) PWD mainly occurs in the north slope area below 700 m above sea level and below 20° slope in Anhui Province. The prediction shows that the PWD disaster will break through the traditional suitable area in the next 10 years, and the distribution range will spread to high altitude, high slope, and sunny slope. The results of this study can provide scientific support for the prevention and control of PWD in the region and help the effective control of PWD in China.
Prediction of Road Transport of Wood in Uruguay: Approach with Machine Learning
Authors: Almeida Rodrigo Oliveira , Munis Rafaele Almeida , Camargo Diego Aparecido , da Silva Thamires , Sasso Júnior Valier Augusto , Simões Danilo
Published: October 2022

Among the activities that burden capital in the supply chain of forest-based industries, the activity of road transport of wood deserves to be highlighted. Machine learning techniques are applied the knowledge extracted from real data, and support strategies that aim to maximize the resources destined for it. Based on variables inherent to the wood transport activity, we verified whether machine learning models can act as predictors of the volume of wood to be transported and support strategic decision-making. The database came from companies in the pulp and paper segments, which totaled 26,761 data instances. After the data wrangling process, machine learning algorithms were used to build models, which were optimized from the hyperparameter adjustment and selected to compose the blended learning hierarchy. In addition to belonging to different methodological basis, a CatBoost Regressor, Decision Tree Regressor, and K Neighbors Regressor were selected mainly for providing minimal values to errors metrics and maximal values to determination coefficient. The learning by stack stands out, with a coefficient of determination of 0.70 and an average absolute percentage error of 6% in the estimation of the volume of wood to be transported. Based on variables inherent to the wood transport process, we verified that machine learning models can act in the prediction of the volume of wood to be transported and support strategic decision-making.
Improve Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Lignocellulosic Biomass by Modifying Lignin Structure via Sulfite Pretreatment and Using Lignin Blockers
Authors: Huang Caoxing , Li Ruolin , Tang Wei , Zheng Yayue , Meng Xianzhi
Published: October 2022

Even traditional pretreatments can partially remove or degrade lignin and hemicellulose from lignocellulosic biomass for enhancing its enzymatic digestibility, the remaining lignin in pretreated biomass still restricts its enzymatic hydrolysis by limiting cellulose accessibility and lignin-enzyme nonproductive interaction. Therefore, many pretreatments that can modify lignin structure in a unique way and approaches to block the lignin’s adverse impact have been proposed to directly improve the enzymatic digestibility of pretreated biomass. In this review, recent development in sulfite pretreatment that can transform the native lignin into lignosulfonate and subsequently enhance saccharification of pretreated biomass under certain conditions was summarized. In addition, we also reviewed the approaches of the addition of reactive agents to block the lignin’s reactive sites and limit the cellulase-enzyme adsorption during hydrolysis. It is our hope that this summary can provide a guideline for workers engaged in biorefining for the goal of reaching high enzymatic digestibility of lignocellulose.
Advances of Rumen Functional Bacteria and the Application of Micro-Encapsulation Fermentation Technology in Ruminants: A Review
Authors: Wei Wenjun , Zhen Yongkang , Wang Yusu , Shahzad Khuram , Wang Mengzhi
Published: October 2022

Rumen functional bacteria are crucial for the homeostasis of rumen fermentation and micro-ecology. Cellulolytic bacteria, amylolytic bacteria, protein- and fat-degrading bacteria, lactic acid-producing bacteria, lactic acid-consuming bacteria, methanogens, and others can all be found in the rumen flora and help the host and other microorganisms convert feed into energy. For instance, Ruminococcus flavefaciens, Ruminococcus albus, and Fibrobacter succinogenes are the three most prevalent fiber-degrading bacteria. The digestion and metabolism of various nutrients and the absorption in rumen epithelium can greatly enhance host defense mechanisms and health production in ruminants. However, directly feeding live bacteria is prone to negative environmental effects. Therefore, the micro-encapsulation of film-forming and acid-resistant wall materials can become a great means of encapsulating naked bacteria into tiny particles. It can maintain the activity of functional flora, boost the function of the intestinal barrier, and improve its capacity for colonization on the surface of the rumen and colon mucosa. Therefore, the present review evaluates the latent progress of main functional bacteria and the applied techniques of micro-encapsulation in the rumen, in order to provide more references for the development and application of rumen-functional bacteria.
Helichrysum italicum (Roth) G. Don and Helichrysum arenarium (L.) Moench Infusion Consumption Affects the Inflammatory Status and the Composition of Human Gut Microbiota in Patients with Traits of Metabolic Syndrome: A Randomized Comparative Study
Authors: Petelin Ana , Šik Novak Karin , Hladnik Matjaž , Bandelj Dunja , Baruca Arbeiter Alenka , Kramberger Katja , Kenig Saša , Jenko Pražnikar Zala
Published: October 2022

Helichrysum italicum (Roth) G. Don (HI) and Helichrysum arenarium (L.) Moench (HA) are rich in polyphenols and their infusions have beneficial effects for patients with metabolic syndrome. To investigate whether these effects are mediated by the gut microbiota, we analysed the effects of daily consumption of HI or HA infusion on the composition of gut microbiota, inflammatory status, and zonulin, a marker of gut barrier permeability. The study was a randomized, double-blind comparative trial. Thirty participants were randomly assigned to two groups and received either HA or HI tea filter bags, each containing 1 g of dried plant material, for daily consumption lasting 4 weeks. The results show that consumption of both infusions resulted in a reduction of some genera belonging to Firmicutes and in a slight but significant reduction in Shannon diversity index. Consumption of HI infusion significantly reduced serum levels of proinflammatory markers and zonulin alongside with the observed trend of Proteobacteria reduction. It can therefore be concluded that the HI and HA infusions could act as prebiotics and thus improve the intestinal environment. In addition, HI infusion has a positive impact on microbial dysbiosis and gut barrier dysfunction that occur in obesity and metabolic syndrome.
Radio Frequency Drying Behavior in Porous Media: A Case Study of Potato Cube with Computer Modeling
Authors: Chen Xiangqing , Liu Yu , Zhang Ruyi , Zhu Huacheng , Li Feng , Yang Deyong , Jiao Yang
Published: October 2022

To study the mechanism of heat and mass transfer in porous food material and explore its coupling effect in radio frequency (RF) drying processes, experiments were conducted with potato cubes subjected to RF drying. COMSOL Multiphysics® package was used to establish a numerical model to simulate the heat and mass transfer process in the potato cube and solved with finite element method. Temperature history at the sample center and the heating pattern after drying was validated with experiment in a 27.12 MHz RF heating system. Results showed the simulation results were in agreement with experiments. Furthermore, the temperature distribution and water vapor concentration distribution were correspondent with water distribution in the sample after RF drying. The water concentration within the food volume was non-uniform with a higher water concentration than the corner, the maximum difference of which was 0.03 g·cm−3. The distribution of water vapor concentration in the sample was similar to that of water content distribution since a pressure gradient from center to corner allowed the mass transfer from the sample to the surrounding in the drying process. In general, the moisture distribution in the sample affected the temperature and water vapor concentration distribution since the dielectric properties of the sample were mainly dependent on its moisture content during a drying process. This study reveals the mechanism of RF drying of porous media and provides an effective approach for analyzing and optimizing the RF drying process.
Factors Influencing Acceptance of Grasshoppers and Other Insects as Food: A Comparison between Two Cities in Malaysia
Authors: Lim See Meng , Thien Chai Nei , Toure Abdoul Karim , Poh Bee Koon
Published: October 2022

Entomophagy has recently sparked widespread attention worldwide. Although entomophagy is not a foreign dietary practice in Malaysia, acceptance of insects as food among Malaysians is still unclear. This study aimed to determine the acceptance of insects as food and its influencing factors among adults living in Klang Valley (Peninsular Malaysia) and Kuching, Sarawak (East Malaysia). A cross-sectional survey was conducted involving 292 adults from Klang Valley (n = 144) and Kuching (n = 148). Data was collected through self-administrated online questionnaires. Although most respondents (96.7%) had prior knowledge of people eating insects, only 30.1% of respondents accepted insects as food, and only 18.2% reported that they would be willing to include insects in their daily diet. There was no statistically significant difference in acceptance rates between Klang Valley and Kuching. The main factors influencing respondents’ acceptance of insects as food were insect texture, food safety issues and aversion toward insects. In conclusion, the acceptance of insects as food among adults in Klang Valley and Kuching is still low, with sensory characteristics, food safety and sentiments of distaste being the main barriers. Future studies involving insect tasting and in-depth focus group discussion are needed for deeper insights into the acceptance of insects as food.
Mixed-Strain Fermentation Conditions Screening of Polypeptides from Rapeseed Meal and the Microbial Diversity Analysis by High-Throughput Sequencing
Authors: Huang Wei , Xu Haining , Pan Jiayin , Dai Chunhua , Mintah Benjamin Kumah , Dabbour Mokhtar , Zhou Rong , He Ronghai , Ma Haile
Published: October 2022

Conventional fermentation of rapeseed meal has disadvantages such as sterilization requirement, high energy consumption and low efficiency, as well as poor action of single bacteria. To overcome these drawbacks, mixed-strain fermentation of unsterilized rapeseed meal was investigated. Mixed-fermentation of unsterilized rapeseed meal (ratio of solid–liquid 1:1.2 g/mL) using Bacillus subtilis, Pediococcus acidilactici and Candida tropicalis (at 40 °C, for 3 days, with inoculation amount of 15% (w/w)) substantially increased the polypeptide content in rapeseed meal by 814.5% and decreased the glucosinolate content by 46.20%. The relationship between microbial diversity and physicochemical indicators showed that the improvement in polypeptide content was mainly caused by C. tropicalis (on the first day of fermentation) and B. subtilis (on the second day). Compared to raw rapeseed meal, the microbial diversity following the fermentation was significantly reduced, indicating that mixed-strain fermentation can inhibit the growth of miscellaneous bacteria. The study findings suggest that mixed-strain fermentation could be used to considerably increase the polypeptide content of unsterilized rapeseed meal, increasing the potential of rapeseed meal.
New Strategies in Production and Product Quality Control of Fresh Meat
Authors: Juárez Manuel
Published: October 2022

Meat consumption continues to increase worldwide, especially in developing countries, and this trend is expected to persist in the future, as the per capita income of the countries continues to grow [...]
Controllability and Hyers–Ulam Stability of Fractional Systems with Pure Delay
Authors: Almarri Barakah , Wang Xingtao , Elshenhab Ahmed M.
Published: October 2022

Linear and nonlinear fractional-delay systems are studied. As an application, we derive the controllability and Hyers–Ulam stability results using the representation of solutions of these systems with the help of their delayed Mittag–Leffler matrix functions. We provide some sufficient and necessary conditions for the controllability of linear fractional-delay systems by introducing a fractional delay Gramian matrix. Furthermore, we establish some sufficient conditions of controllability and Hyers–Ulam stability of nonlinear fractional-delay systems by applying Krasnoselskii’s fixed-point theorem. Our results improve, extend, and complement some existing ones. Finally, numerical examples of linear and nonlinear fractional-delay systems are presented to demonstrate the theoretical results.
Maximum Principles for Fractional Differential Inequalities with Prabhakar Derivative and Their Applications
Authors: Al-Refai Mohammed , Nusseir Ameina , Al-Sharif Sharifa
Published: October 2022

This paper is devoted to studying a class of fractional differential equations (FDEs) with the Prabhakar fractional derivative of Caputo type in an analytical manner. At first, an estimate of the Prabhakar fractional derivative of a function at its extreme points is obtained. This estimate is used to formulate and prove comparison principles for related fractional differential inequalities. We then apply these comparison principles to derive pre-norm estimates of solutions and to obtain a uniqueness result for linear FDEs. The solution of linear FDEs with constant coefficients is obtained in closed form via the Laplace transform. For linear FDEs with variable coefficients, we apply the obtained comparison principles to establish an existence result using the method of lower and upper solutions. Two well-defined monotone sequences that converge uniformly to the actual solution of the problem are generated.
Magnetically Activated Piezoelectric 3D Platform Based on Poly(Vinylidene) Fluoride Microspheres for Osteogenic Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Authors: Guillot-Ferriols Maria , García-Briega María Inmaculada , Tolosa Laia , Costa Carlos M. , Lanceros-Méndez Senentxu , Gómez Ribelles José Luis , Gallego Ferrer Gloria
Published: October 2022

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) osteogenic commitment before injection enhances bone regeneration therapy results. Piezoelectric stimulation may be an effective cue to promote MSCs pre-differentiation, and poly(vinylidene) fluoride (PVDF) cell culture supports, when combined with CoFe2O4 (CFO), offer a wireless in vitro stimulation strategy. Under an external magnetic field, CFO shift and magnetostriction deform the polymer matrix varying the polymer surface charge due to the piezoelectric effect. To test the effect of piezoelectric stimulation on MSCs, our approach is based on a gelatin hydrogel with embedded MSCs and PVDF-CFO electroactive microspheres. Microspheres were produced by electrospray technique, favouring CFO incorporation, crystallisation in β-phase (85%) and a crystallinity degree of around 55%. The absence of cytotoxicity of the 3D construct was confirmed 24 h after cell encapsulation. Cells were viable, evenly distributed in the hydrogel matrix and surrounded by microspheres, allowing local stimulation. Hydrogels were stimulated using a magnetic bioreactor, and no significant changes were observed in MSCs proliferation in the short or long term. Nevertheless, piezoelectric stimulation upregulated RUNX2 expression after 7 days, indicating the activation of the osteogenic differentiation pathway. These results open the door for optimising a stimulation protocol allowing the application of the magnetically activated 3D electroactive cell culture support for MSCs pre-differentiation before transplantation.