bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Secondary Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Diseases
Authors: Sobh Mahmoud M. , Abdalbary Mohamed , Elnagar Sherouk , Nagy Eman , Elshabrawy Nehal , Abdelsalam Mostafa , Asadipooya Kamyar , El-Husseini Amr
Published: April 2022

Fragility fracture is a worldwide problem and a main cause of disability and impaired quality of life. It is primarily caused by osteoporosis, characterized by impaired bone quantity and or quality. Proper diagnosis of osteoporosis is essential for prevention of fragility fractures. Osteoporosis can be primary in postmenopausal women because of estrogen deficiency. Secondary forms of osteoporosis are not uncommon in both men and women. Most systemic illnesses and organ dysfunction can lead to osteoporosis. The kidney plays a crucial role in maintaining physiological bone homeostasis by controlling minerals, electrolytes, acid-base, vitamin D and parathyroid function. Chronic kidney disease with its uremic milieu disturbs this balance, leading to renal osteodystrophy. Diabetes mellitus represents the most common secondary cause of osteoporosis. Thyroid and parathyroid disorders can dysregulate the osteoblast/osteoclast functions. Gastrointestinal disorders, malnutrition and malabsorption can result in mineral and vitamin D deficiencies and bone loss. Patients with chronic liver disease have a higher risk of fracture due to hepatic osteodystrophy. Proinflammatory cytokines in infectious, autoimmune, and hematological disorders can stimulate osteoclastogenesis, leading to osteoporosis. Moreover, drug-induced osteoporosis is not uncommon. In this review, we focus on causes, pathogenesis, and management of secondary osteoporosis.
Are EPA and DHA Derivatives Involved in IBD Remission?
Authors: Kikut Justyna , Drozd Arleta , Mokrzycka Małgorzata , Grzybowska-Chlebowczyk Urszula , Ziętek Maciej , Szczuko Małgorzata
Published: April 2022

Recently, an increase in the incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been observed among children and adolescents. Although the pathogenesis of IBD is not fully elucidated currently, actual research focuses on the occurrence of imbalance between pro- and anti-inflammatory molecules and future identification of the role of cytokines in IBD therapy. The purpose of this study was to compare the concentrations of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid derivatives during both phases of Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). The study included 64 adolescent patients with CD (n = 34) and UC (n = 30) aged 13.76 ± 2.69 and 14.15 ± 3.31, respectively. Biochemical analysis was performed on a liquid chromatography apparatus. A statistically significant lower concentration of resolvin E1 (RvE1) was observed in the CD group relative to UC. In the active phase of CD, a statistically significantly higher concentration of protectin DX (PDX) was observed relative to remission CD. Comparing the active phase of both diseases, a statistically significantly higher concentration of resolvin E1 (RvE1) was observed in UC relative to CD. Comparing the remission phase of both diseases showed statistically significantly higher PDX levels in CD relative to UC. Our study adds to the knowledge on the involvement of anti-inflammatory lipid mediators in both IBD entities. In conclusion, it seems that the marker differentiating both disease entities in the active phase may be RvE1, while in the remission phase, PDX. In CD remission, the greatest involvement was observed towards PDX, whereas in UC, MaR1, RvE1 and 18RS-HEPE seem to be the most involved in remission.
Impact of COPD Treatment on Survival in Patients with Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Jo Hyunji , Park Sojung , Kim Nam Eun , Park So Young , Ryu Yon Ju , Chang Jung Hyun , Lee Jin Hwa
Published: April 2022

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with a poor prognosis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the impact of COPD treatment on the survival of patients with advanced NSCLC remains uncertain. We retrospectively investigated COPD patients among patients newly diagnosed with advanced NSCLC between September 2005 and August 2019 at a university hospital. The clinical characteristics, lung function, and survival outcomes were analyzed and compared between patients who did and did not receive COPD treatment. Among 221 patients with advanced NSCLC and COPD, 124 patients received treatment for COPD and 97 patients did not receive treatment for COPD. Forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) % predicted value was greater in the no-treatment group than in the COPD treatment group (p < 0.001). The median overall survival (OS) of the treatment group was 10.7 months, while that of the no-treatment group was 8.7 months (p = 0.007). In the multivariate analysis, COPD treatment was independently associated with improved OS (hazard ratio 0.71, 95% confidence interval 0.53–0.95, and p = 0.021). COPD treatment was associated with improved OS in patients with advanced NSCLC and COPD. Therefore, pretreatment spirometry and maximal treatment for COPD may offer a chance of optimal management for patients with advanced NSCLC.
Incidence, Size and Orientation of Maxillary Sinus Septa—A Retrospective Clinical Study
Authors: Schiller Laura Andreea , Barbu Horia Mihail , Iancu Stefania Andrada , Brad Silviu
Published: April 2022

Background: The purpose of this study is to analyze if there is any statistical correlation between the surgery’s complexity (easy to difficult—depending on the anatomical conditions) and the patient’s sex, type of edentulism, and left or right side of the maxilla. Methods: Cone beam computed tomography records of 1192 maxillary sinuses were evaluated, measured, and statistically analyzed with respect to patient sex, type of edentulism, and left or right side, taking into consideration Wen’s proposed sinus septum classification. Results: Our research suggests that most sinus augmentation procedures in patients presenting antral septum fall into the Moderate A category (31.94%) and that there is not a correlation between the surgery’s complexity (easy to difficult) and the patient’s sex, type of edentulism and left or right side of the maxilla. Conclusion: We suggest a minor modification to Wen’s classification in view of the fact that our findings revealed a combination of medio-lateral and antero-posterior septa that we could not classify in one of the existing categories.
Ship Target Identification via Bayesian-Transformer Neural Network
Authors: Kong Zhan , Cui Yaqi , Xiong Wei , Yang Fucheng , Xiong Zhenyu , Xu Pingliang
Published: April 2022

Ship target identification is of great significance in both military and civilian fields. Many methods have been proposed to identify the targets using tracks information. However, most of existing studies can only identify two or three types of targets, and the accuracy of identification needs to be further improved. Meanwhile, they do not provide a reliable probability of the identification result under a high-noise environment. To address these issues, a Bayesian-Transformer Neural Network (BTNN) is proposed to complete the ship target identification task using tracks information. The aim of the research is improving the ability of ship target identification to enhance the maritime situation awareness and strengthen the protection of maritime traffic safety. Firstly, a Bayesian-Transformer Encoder (BTE) module that contains four different Bayesian-Transformer Encoders is used to extract discriminate features of tracks. Then, a Bayesian fully connected layer and a SoftMax layer complete the classification. Benefiting from the superiority of the Bayesian neural network, BTNN can provide a reliable probability of the result, which captures both aleatoric uncertainty and epistemic uncertainty. The experiments show that the proposed method can successfully identify nine types of ship targets. Compared with traditional methods, the identification accuracy of BTNN increases by 3.8% from 90.16%. In addition, compared with non-Bayesian Transformer Neural Network, the BTNN can provide a more reliable probability of the identification result under a high-noise environment.
A Hybrid Analytic Hierarchy Process and Likert Scale Approach for the Quality Assessment of Medical Education Programs
Authors: Ponsiglione Alfonso Maria , Amato Francesco , Cozzolino Santolo , Russo Giuseppe , Romano Maria , Improta Giovanni
Published: April 2022

The quality assessment of training courses is of utmost importance in the medical education field to improve the quality of the training. This work proposes a hybrid multicriteria decision-making approach based on two methodologies, a Likert scale (LS) and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), for the quality assessment of medical education programs. On one hand, the qualitative LS method was adopted to estimate the degree of consensus on specific topics; on the other hand, the quantitative AHP technique was employed to prioritize parameters involved in complex decision-making problems. The approach was validated in a real scenario for evaluating healthcare training activities carried out at the Centre of Biotechnology of the National Hospital A.O.R.N. “A. Cardarelli” of Naples (Italy). The rational combination of the two methodologies proved to be a promising decision-making tool for decision makers to identify those aspects of a medical education program characterized by a lower user satisfaction degree (revealed by the LS) and a higher priority degree (revealed by the AHP), potentially suggesting strategies to increase the quality of the service provided and to reduce the waste of resources. The results show how this hybrid approach can provide decision makers with helpful information to select the most important characteristics of the delivered education program and to possibly improve the weakest ones, thus enhancing the whole quality of the training courses.
Statistical Inference of Dynamic Conditional Generalized Pareto Distribution with Weather and Air Quality Factors
Authors: Huang Chunli , Zhao Xu , Cheng Weihu , Ji Qingqing , Duan Qiao , Han Yufei
Published: April 2022

Air pollution is a major global problem, closely related to economic and social development and ecological environment construction. Air pollution data for most regions of China have a close correlation with time and seasons and are affected by multidimensional factors such as meteorology and air quality. In contrast with classical peaks-over-threshold modeling approaches, we use a deep learning technique and three new dynamic conditional generalized Pareto distribution (DCP) models with weather and air quality factors for fitting the time-dependence of the air pollutant concentration and make statistical inferences about their application in air quality analysis. Specifically, in the proposed three DCP models, a dynamic autoregressive exponential function mechanism is applied for the time-varying scale parameter and tail index of the conditional generalized Pareto distribution, and a sufficiently high threshold is chosen using two threshold selection procedures. The probabilistic properties of the DCP model and the statistical properties of the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) are investigated, simulating and showing the stability and sensitivity of the MLE estimations. The three proposed models are applied to fit the PM2.5 time series in Beijing from 2015 to 2021. Real data are used to illustrate the advantages of the DCP, especially compared to the estimation volatility of GARCH and AIC or BIC criteria. The DCP model involving both the mixed weather and air quality factors performs better than the other two models with weather factors or air quality factors alone. Finally, a prediction model based on long short-term memory (LSTM) is used to predict PM2.5 concentration, achieving ideal results.
Psychosis Associated with Acquired Porencephaly—Cause or Incidental Finding? Case Report and Review of Literature
Authors: Puiu Maria Gabriela , Dionisie Vlad , Filip Alexandru Cristian , Manea Mirela
Published: April 2022

Porencephaly, a rare disease affecting the central nervous system, is represented by a cerebrospinal fluid-filled cavity in the brain. There are two types of porencephalic cavities: congenital and acquired. Porencephaly is mainly associated with neurological and developmental consequences. Associated psychotic symptoms were reported in a few cases, and due to this fact, there is a knowledge gap regarding the diagnostic and therapeutic approach to such cases. We present the case of a 32-year-old male diagnosed with a psychotic disorder associated with acquired porencephaly. The porencephalic cystic lesions were most probably due to a traumatic brain injury at the age of 6 years old. The psychotic symptomatology consisted of interoceptive/visceral hallucinations, delusions with persecutory and religious/magic content and disorganised behaviour. The porencephalic cavity was confirmed by a computed tomography scan. The patient was treated over the course of time with risperidone, olanzapine and zuclopenthixol. The existing literature regarding other cases of psychosis associated with porencephaly is discussed. In conclusion, even though porencephaly was asymptomatic for a long period of time, we argue that there is a causal relationship between the chronic psychotic symptoms and the porencephalic cyst in our case.
Essential Oils Biofilm Modulation Activity and Machine Learning Analysis on Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolates from Cystic Fibrosis Patients
Authors: Artini Marco , Papa Rosanna , Sapienza Filippo , Božović Mijat , Vrenna Gianluca , Tuccio Guarna Assanti Vanessa , Sabatino Manuela , Garzoli Stefania , Fiscarelli Ersilia Vita , Ragno Rino , Selan Laura
Published: April 2022

The opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa is often involved in airway infections of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. It persists in the hostile CF lung environment, inducing chronic infections due to the production of several virulence factors. In this regard, the ability to form a biofilm plays a pivotal role in CF airway colonization by P. aeruginosa. Bacterial virulence mitigation and bacterial cell adhesion hampering and/or biofilm reduced formation could represent a major target for the development of new therapeutic treatments for infection control. Essential oils (EOs) are being considered as a potential alternative in clinical settings for the prevention, treatment, and control of infections sustained by microbial biofilms. EOs are complex mixtures of different classes of organic compounds, usually used for the treatment of upper respiratory tract infections in traditional medicine. Recently, a wide series of EOs were investigated for their ability to modulate biofilm production by different pathogens comprising S. aureus, S. epidermidis, and P. aeruginosa strains. Machine learning (ML) algorithms were applied to develop classification models in order to suggest a possible antibiofilm action for each chemical component of the studied EOs. In the present study, we assessed the biofilm growth modulation exerted by 61 commercial EOs on a selected number of P. aeruginosa strains isolated from CF patients. Furthermore, ML has been used to shed light on the EO chemical components likely responsible for the positive or negative modulation of bacterial biofilm formation.
Structure–Function Relationship Studies of Multidomain Levansucrases from Leuconostocaceae Family
Authors: García-Paz Flor de María , Martínez-Bahena Salvador , Olvera Clarita
Published: April 2022

Levansucrase LevS from Leuconostoc mesenteroides B-512F is a multidomain fructansucrase (MD-FN) that contains additional domains (ADs) to the catalytic domain. However, the understanding of the effect that these ADs have on enzyme activity remains vague. To this aim, structure-function relationship studies of these LevS ADs were performed by evaluating both biochemical properties and the enzymatic capacity of truncated versions of LevS. Joint participation of the N- and C-terminal domains is essential for stability, activity, specificity, and polymerization processes. Specifically, the N-terminal region is involved in stability, while the transition region plays an essential role in the transfructosylation reaction and polymer elongation. Based on our results, we suggest that ADs interact with each other, adopting a U-shaped topology. The importance of these ADs observed in the MD-FN of the Leuconostocaceae family is not shared by the Lactobacillaceae family. Phylogenetic analysis of LevS AD suggests that MD-FN from Lactobacillaceae and Leuconostocaceae have different evolutionary origins. This is the first study on the structure-function relationship of multidomain levansucrases from the Leuconostocaceae family. Our results point towards the functional role of AD in MD-FN and its involvement in fructan synthesis.
The Raman Spectroscopy Approach to Different Freshwater Microplastics and Quantitative Characterization of Polyethylene Aged in the Environment
Authors: Rytelewska Sylwia , Dąbrowska Agnieszka
Published: April 2022

The aim of this paper is to contribute to the investigation of microplastics reaching the Baltic Sea with freshwater input. The scope of the paper was to analyze samples from several locations with different environmental characteristics. First, samples from urban areas differing in their degree of urbanization, a forest, a river and its watercourse were examined. Secondly, the ageing quantitative and qualitative characterization is discussed. Spectral techniques are crucial in identifying polymers, but the signal itself constitutes a valuable source of the crystallinity and density parameters of the polyethylene materials. The study indicates that polypropylene, polyethylene, polycarbonate and polystyrene are the most common types of microplastics in the investigated areas.
An Approach to Minimize Tumour Proliferation by Reducing the Formation of Components for Cell Membrane
Authors: de Dios-Pérez Inmaculada , González-Garcinuño Álvaro , Martín del Valle Eva María
Published: April 2022

Isoprenoids are natural compounds essential for a great number of cellular functions. One of them is farnesol (FOH), which can reduce cell proliferation, but its low solubility in aqueous solvents limits its possible clinical use as a pharmacological tool. One alternative is the use of cyclodextrins (CDs) which house hydrophobic molecules forming inclusion complexes. To assess FOH potential application in anticancer treatments, Sulfobutylated β-cyclodextrin Sodium Salt (SBE-β-CD) was selected, due to it has high solubility, approbation by the FDA, and numerous studies that ensure its safety to be administered parenterally or orally without nephrotoxicity associated. The therapeutic action of farnesol and complex were studied in different carcinoma cells, compared with a normal cell line. Farnesol showed selectivity, affecting the viability of colon and liver cancer cells more than in breast cancer cells and fibroblasts. All cells suffered apoptosis after being treated with 150 μM of free FOH, but the complex reduced their cell viability between 50 and 75%. Similar results were obtained for both types of isomers, and the addition of phosphatidylcholine reverses this effect. Finally, cell cycle analysis corroborates the action of FOH as inducer of a G0/G1 phase; when the cells were treated using the complex form, this viability was reduced, reaching 50% in the case of colon and liver, 60% in fibroblasts, and only 75% in breast cancer.
Applications of Heterogeneous Photocatalysis to the Degradation of Oxytetracycline in Water: A Review
Authors: Pelosato Renato , Bolognino Isabella , Fontana Francesca , Sora Isabella Natali
Published: April 2022

Photocatalytic processes are being studied extensively as potential advanced wastewater treatments for the removal of pharmaceuticals, pesticides and other recalcitrant micropollutants from the effluents of conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Oxytetracycline (OTC) is a widespread antibiotic which is frequently detected in surface water bodies as a recalcitrant and persistent micropollutant. This review provides an update on advances in heterogeneous photocatalysis for the degradation of OTC in water under UV light, sunlight and visible-light irradiation. Photocatalysts based on pure semiconducting oxides are rarely used, due to the problem of rapid recombination of electron–hole pairs. To overcome this issue, a good strategy could be the coupling of two different semiconducting compounds with different conduction and valence bands. Several methods are described to enhance the performances of catalysts, such as doping of the oxide with metal and/or non-metal elements, surface functionalization, composites and nano-heterojunction. Furthermore, a discussion on non-oxidic photocatalysts is briefly provided, focusing on the application of graphene-based nanocomposites for the effective treatment of OTC.
Striatal Isolated from Cyathus striatus Extracts Induces Apoptosis in Human Pancreatic Cancer Cells
Authors: Fares Fuad , Khatib Soliman , Vaya Jacob , Sharvit Lital , Eizenberg Einav , Wasser Solomon
Published: April 2022

The aim of the present study was to identify the structure of active compounds in Cyathus stratus that previously demonstrated anti-pancreatic cancer activity. The active compounds were purified from a crude extract by a series of RP-18 preparative chromatography using homemade octadecyl silica gel column. HPLC injection of the crude extract revealed a chromatogram with three main peaks with retention times (RT) 15.6, 18.2, and 22.5 min. Each fraction that exhibited promising activity in vitro was further separated using various available chromatographic techniques. The purified compound with the ultimate anti-cancer activity appeared at RT of 15.8 in the HPLC chromatogram with more than 90% purity. The main peak at the mass spectra appeared at m/z = 446.2304 with the calculated molecular formula of C25H34O7. One- and two-dimensional NMR analyses indicated that the structure of the active molecule (peak 15.8 min in HPLC) was identified as striatal C. Exposure of human pancreatic cancer cells to purified striatal C resulted in induction of apoptosis. Further studies are needed in order to develop a method for the synthesis of striatal in order to use it in clinical studies for treatment of cancer.
Measures of Perceived Neighborhood Food Environments and Dietary Habits: A Systematic Review of Methods and Associations
Authors: Yamaguchi Miwa , Praditsorn Panrawee , Purnamasari Sintha Dewi , Sranacharoenpong Kitti , Arai Yusuke , Sundermeir Samantha M. , Gittelsohn Joel , Hadi Hamam , Nishi Nobuo
Published: April 2022

Access to healthy food is a necessity for all people. However, there is still a lack of reviews on the assessment of respondent-based measures of neighborhood food environments (perceived food environments). The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the measurement tools for perceived food environments by five dimensions of food access and to obtain the overview of their associations with dietary habits among people aged 18 years and older in middle- and high-income countries. Observational studies using perceived food environment measures were identified through a systematic review based on two databases for original studies published from 2010 to 2020. A total of 19 final studies were extracted from totally 2926 studies. Pertaining to the five dimensions of food access, 12 studies dealt with accessibility, 13 with availability, 6 with affordability, 10 with acceptability, 2 with accommodation, and 8 with a combination of two or more dimensions. Perceived healthy food environments were positively associated with healthy dietary habits in 17 studies, but 8 of them indicated statistically insignificant associations. In conclusion, this review found accessibility and availability to be major dimensions of perceived food environments. The relationship between healthy food environments and healthy diets is presumably positive and weak.
Parapoxvirus Interleukin-10 Homologues Vary in Their Receptor Binding, Anti-Inflammatory, and Stimulatory Activities
Authors: Naqash Amreen , Stuart Gabriella , Kemp Roslyn , Wise Lyn
Published: April 2022

Homologues of interleukin (IL)-10, a pleiotropic immunomodulatory cytokine, have been identified in the Parapoxvirus genus. The first identified, Orf virus (ORFV) IL-10, greatly enhanced infection of its host, exhibiting immune modulatory effects equivalent to human IL-10. IL-10-like genes were then identified in Bovine papular stomatitis virus (BPSV), Pseudocowpox virus (PCPV), Red deerpox virus (RDPV) and Grey sealpox virus (GSPV). This study aimed to produce and characterise recombinant parapoxvirus IL-10s, then quantitatively compare their receptor binding and immunomodulatory activities. Recombinant IL-10s were expressed, purified, then characterised using bioinformatic, biochemical and enzymatic analyses. Anti-inflammatory effects were assessed in lipoteichoic acid-activated THP-1 monocytes, and stimulatory effects in MC/9 mast cells. IL-10 receptor (IL-10R)1 binding was detected in a competitive displacement assay. BPSV IL-10 inhibited production of monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, IL-8 and IL-1β, induced mast cell proliferation, and bound IL-10R1 similarly to ORFV IL-10. PCPV IL-10 showed reduced MCP-1 inhibition, mast cell proliferation, and IL-10R1 binding. RDPV IL-10 displayed reduced inhibition of IL-8 and MCP-1 production. GSPV IL-10 showed limited inhibition of IL-1β production and stimulation of mast cell proliferation. These findings provide valuable insight into IL-10 receptor interactions, and suggest that the parapoxvirus IL-10s play similar pathogenic roles during infection of their hosts.
Can Grafting Manage Fusarium Wilt Disease of Cucumber and Increase Productivity under Heat Stress?
Authors: Shalaby Tarek A. , Taha Naglaa A. , Rakha Mohamed T. , El-Beltagi Hossam S. , Shehata Wael F. , Ramadan Khaled M. A. , El-Ramady Hassan , Bayoumi Yousry A.
Published: April 2022

Cucumber production is considered a crucial problem under biotic and abiotic stress, particularly in arid and semi-arid zones. The current study investigated the impact of grafted cucumber plants on five cucurbit rootstocks under infection with Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum alone and in combination with heat stress in two different locations (i.e., Kafr El-Sheikh and Sidi Salem) during the year of 2021. The rootstock of VSS-61 F1 displayed the highest level of resistance with values 20.8 and 16.6% for wilt incidence and 79.2 and 83.4% for the wilt reduction, respectively for both locations. This rootstock showed the lowest disease severity of fusarium wilt (15.3 and 12%), and high grafting efficiency (85 and 88%), respectively in both locations. Grafting also improved plant vigor and cucumber production under heat stress (40–43 °C). The rootstocks VSS-61 F1, Ferro and Super Shintoza significantly increased the total yield of cucumber plants compared to non-grafted cucumber and the rootstock Bottle gourd in both locations. Further studies are needed on grafted plants under multiple stresses in terms of plant biological levels, including physiological, biochemical and genetic attributes.
Marker-Assisted Improvement of Bread Wheat Variety HD2967 for Leaf and Stripe Rust Resistance
Authors: Mallick Niharika , Jha Shailendra K. , Agarwal Priyanka , Mall Anchal , M. Niranjana , Kumar Sachin , Choudhary Manish K. , Bansal Shreshtha , Saharan M. S. , Sharma J. B. , Vinod
Published: April 2022

The mega wheat variety HD2967 was improved for leaf and stripe rust resistance by marker-assisted backcross breeding. After its release in 2011, HD2967 became susceptible to stripe rust and moderately susceptible to leaf rust. The leaf rust resistance gene LrTrk was transferred into HD2967 from the durum wheat genotype Trinakria. Then, HD2967 was crossed with Trinakria to produce F1 plant foreground selection for LrTrk and background selection for the recurrent parent genotype was carried out in BC1F1, BC2F1 and BC2F2 generations. Foreground selection was carried out with the linked marker Xgwm234, while polymorphic SSR markers between parents were used for background selection. Background selection resulted in the rapid recovery of the recurrent parent genome. A morphological evaluation of 6 near isogenic lines (NILs)—2 resistant to leaf and stripe rust, and 4 resistant to leaf rust only—showed no significant differences in yields among NILs and the recurrent parent HD2967. All of the 6 NILs showed the presence of 2NS/2AS translocation, carrying the linked genes Lr37/Sr38/Yr17 present in HD2967 and the targeted leaf rust resistance gene LrTrk. Two NILs also showed additional resistance to stripe rust. Therefore, these NILs with rust resistance and an at par yielding ability of H2967 can replace the susceptible cultivar HD2967 to reduce yield losses due to disease.
Contamination of Heavy Metals in Sediments from an Estuarine Bay, South China: Comparison with Previous Data and Ecological Risk Assessment
Authors: Zhang Zaiwang , Jin Jianchao , Zhang Jiqiang , Zhao Deyong , Li He , Yang Changping , Huang Yingbang
Published: April 2022

Heavy metal contamination is an elevating threat to the aquatic environment of estuarine bays. In the present study, surface sediments from Shantou Bay in South China were collected and detected for the concentrations of heavy metals including copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) using ICP-MS. Spatial distribution, temporal trend, and potential ecological risks for the metal pollution were discussed. The results showed that levels of metals generally decreased by the order of Zn > Pb > Cr > Cu > Ni > Cd. Spatial variation of metal contents was observed with an order of Rongjiang River > Niutian Bay > Shanthou Harbor for Zn and Cd. Sediments of the Niutian Bay were observed with higher levels of Cu, Cr, Ni, and Pb. Compared with reported data from the same region at different sampling periods, a low–high–low trend was observed for the concentrations of the six elements, suggesting a great improvement of sediment quality in Shantou Bay. The average Igeo values suggested moderate pollution of Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd. The potential ecological risks of Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, and Cr were in low levels. More attention should be paid to the Cd pollution, considering its great values of potential ecological risk index. Our findings provided better understanding of heavy metal pollution in estuarine environments.
Quantitative Design Method for Grouting in Sand Layers: Practice in Qingdao Metro Line 2
Authors: Li Zhipeng , Zhang Lianzhen , Sun Dayong , Zhang Qingsong , Wang Deming , Wang Lige
Published: April 2022

Grouting is an effective method to reduce permeability and improve the mechanical performance of sand layers, preventing a disastrous inrush of sand and water. A scientific grouting design scheme is the premise for satisfying grouting reinforcement requirements. Due to a lack of theoretical basis for current grouting designs, grouting projects are conducted empirically and blindly. This paper presents a quantitative design method for grouting in sand layers. Based on this method, a quantitative design is realized for judgment of the grouting mode, determination of grouting range and calculation of grouting reinforcement effect. Moreover, for the fracture–compaction grouting mode, a theoretical model is proposed to calculate the grouting process, considering the coupling effect of grout flow and sand layer deformation. Meanwhile, a calculation method for reinforcement is put forward, which can connect macroscopic performance of the grouted body and individual performance of grout veins, compacted sand and undisturbed sand. In order to verify the efficiency of the grouting design method, it has been used in a sand grouting project in Qingdao Metro Line 2. In this project, judgment of the grouting mode, selection of grouting type and determination of grouting parameters have been completed based on the design method. Several inspection approaches have been performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the grouting design, showing that engineering stability was guaranteed after the grouting operation.
Three-Level Distributed Real-Time Monitoring of Construction near Underground Infrastructure Using a Combined Intelligent Method
Authors: Zhou Biao , Gui Yingbin , Wang Xiaojian , Xie Xiongyao
Published: April 2022

With the rapid development of underground infrastructure and the uncertainty of its location, the possibility of damage due to nearby construction has increased. Thus, for the early warning of dangerous construction behaviors around underground facilities, this paper proposes a novel real-time distributed monitoring method with three levels, comprised of the terminal node, relay node, and server. Corresponding to these three monitoring levels, a vibration-based intelligent solution for recognizing the construction source is presented and compared with the traditional method. First, the blind source separation method was used to separate collected signals into a limited number of monitoring object sources; this helped to minimize the number of required classification categories and reduce the recognition uncertainty caused by signal mixing. Then, the mutual information (MI) method was used to select suitable vibration features, which were used as the input matrix for the resulting intelligent recognition. Finally, the construction behaviors were identified at the server based on returned features. Guided by this method, a sample dataset including pile-driving, train-operation, and environment-vibration signals was constructed and combined with a multi-layer perceptron (MLP) and a long short-term memory (LSTM) network. The effects of blind source separation and the MI method are discussed in depth in this paper.
Development and Calibration of Pressure-Temperature-Humidity (PTH) Probes for Distributed Atmospheric Monitoring Using Unmanned Aircraft Systems
Authors: Ladino Karla S. , Sama Michael P. , Stanton Victoria L.
Published: April 2022

Small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are increasingly being used for meteorology and atmospheric monitoring. The ease of deployment makes distributed sensing of parameters such as barometric pressure, temperature, and relative humidity in the lower atmospheric boundary layer feasible. However, constraints on payload size and weight, and to a lesser extent power, limit the types of sensors that can be deployed. The objective of this work was to develop a miniature pressure-temperature-humidity (PTH) probe for UAS integration. A set of eight PTH probes were fabricated and calibrated/validated using an environmental chamber. An automated routine was developed to facilitate calibration and validation from a large set of temperature and relative humidity setpoints. Linear regression was used to apply temperature and relative humidity calibrations. Barometric pressure was calibrated using a 1-point method consisting of an offset. The resulting PTH probes were less than 4 g in mass and consumed less than 1 mA when operated from a 5 VDC source. Measurements were transmitted as a formatted string in ASCII format at 1 Hz over a 3.3 V TTL UART. Prior to calibration, measurements between individual PTH probes were significantly different. After calibration, no significant differences in temperature measurements across all PTH probes were observed, and the level of significance between PTH probes was reduced. Actual differences between calibrated PTH probes were likely to be negligible for most UAS-based applications, regardless of significance. RMSE across all calibrated PTH probes for the pressure, temperature, and relative humidity was less than 31 Pa, 0.13 °C, and 0.8% RH, respectively. The resulting calibrated PTH probes will improve the ability to quantify small variations in ambient conditions during coordinated multi-UAS flights.
Panoramic/Dual-Surface Digital Image Correlation Measurement Using a Single Camera
Authors: Zhu Kaiyu , Pan Bing
Published: April 2022

We propose a cost-effective and simple-to-implement mirror-assisted single-camera panoramic digital image correlation (DIC) method for panoramic/dual-surface profile and deformation measurement. Specifically, two planar mirrors and a single camera attached with a four-mirror adapter are used to capture stereo images of the front and rear surfaces of a test object. These stereo images can be processed by regular stereo-DIC to retrieve shape and kinematics fields of each surface. Further, with the speckle patterns prefabricated on the mirrors, reflection transformation matrices are obtained and applied to transform all reconstructed surfaces into a common world coordinate system. As such, panoramic/dual-surface shape and deformation measurements can be realized. For validation, a high-resolution smartphone camera and an industrial camera were, respectively, used to construct mirror-assisted single-camera panoramic DIC systems. Real experiments, including panoramic shape measurement of an aluminum cylinder, dual-surface shape measurement of an aluminum plate and uniaxial tensile tests of aluminum sheet specimens, were performed, confirming the feasibility and accuracy of the method. Since only a single camera and a few auxiliary reflective mirrors are required, the proposed method provides a cost-effective and convenient way for taking panoramic/dual-surface shape and deformation measurements of regular-sized cylindrical and bar samples.
Mapping Tree Canopy in Urban Environments Using Point Clouds from Airborne Laser Scanning and Street Level Imagery
Authors: Rodríguez-Puerta Francisco , Barrera Carlos , García Borja , Pérez-Rodríguez Fernando , García-Pedrero Angel M.
Published: April 2022

Resilient cities incorporate a social, ecological, and technological systems perspective through their trees, both in urban and peri-urban forests and linear street trees, and help promote and understand the concept of ecosystem resilience. Urban tree inventories usually involve the collection of field data on the location, genus, species, crown shape and volume, diameter, height, and health status of these trees. In this work, we have developed a multi-stage methodology to update urban tree inventories in a fully automatic way, and we have applied it in the city of Pamplona (Spain). We have compared and combined two of the most common data sources for updating urban tree inventories: Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) point clouds combined with aerial orthophotographs, and street-level imagery from Google Street View (GSV). Depending on the data source, different methodologies were used to identify the trees. In the first stage, the use of individual tree detection techniques in ALS point clouds was compared with the detection of objects (trees) on street level images using computer vision (CV) techniques. In both cases, a high success rate or recall (number of true positive with respect to all detectable trees) was obtained, where between 85.07% and 86.42% of the trees were well-identified, although many false positives (FPs) or trees that did not exist or that had been confused with other objects were always identified. In order to reduce these errors or FPs, a second stage was designed, where FP debugging was performed through two methodologies: (a) based on the automatic checking of all possible trees with street level images, and (b) through a machine learning binary classification model trained with spectral data from orthophotographs. After this second stage, the recall decreased to about 75% (between 71.43 and 78.18 depending on the procedure used) but most of the false positives were eliminated. The results obtained with both data sources were robust and accurate. We can conclude that the results obtained with the different methodologies are very similar, where the main difference resides in the access to the starting information. While the use of street-level images only allows for the detection of trees growing in trafficable streets and is a source of information that is usually paid for, the use of ALS and aerial orthophotographs allows for the location of trees anywhere in the city, including public and private parks and gardens, and in many countries, these data are freely available.
PERSONAL BRAND ORIENTATION: AN EXPLORATION OF ITS ANTECEDENTS AND CONSEQUENCES
Authors: Yansen Eddy , Widjaja Anton W. , Bernato Innocentius
Published: April 2022

Personal brand orientation has become a critical issue, enabling SMEs to gain a significant competitive advantage, particularly in markets where personalities influence followers’ actions on social media commerce. This study proposes and empirically validates a theoretically structured approach for assessing personal brand orientation, its antecedents, and implications for the performance of digital firms. The model distinguishes between personal characteristics of SMEs owners such as narcissism, vision, and educational background as antecedents of personal brand orientation and correlates them with the performance of digital firms in social commerce in Indonesia. A purposive sample of 355 respondents completed an online survey questionnaire, with each respondent representing one SME organization. Owner narcissism, owner vision, owner education background, personal brand orientation, and digital firm performance were all included in the questionnaire, which was adapted from previous studies. A five-point Likert scale was used to evaluate each item. To test the proposed research hypotheses, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used. Later confirmation of this study’s positive relationship between owner vision and owner education for personal brand orientation based on upper echelon theory. On the other hand, owner narcissism was found to have a detrimental effect on personal brand orientation. This study discovered a significant correlation between personal brand orientation and the performance of digital firms. This notion implies that SMEs that rely on their owner’s social media popularity can improve their performance by effectively communicating their vision to their team, leveraging the owner’s relevant education and expertise, and increasing personal brand-related strategies at the marketing level within the organization.
Şeyhülislâm Yahyâ Dîvân'ının Yeni Tespit Edilen Nüshaları ve Şairin Neşredilmemiş Şiirleri
Authors: BOZYİĞİT Esra
Published: April 2022

XVI. yüzyılın ikinci yarısında dünyaya gelen Şeyhülislâm Yahyâ (ö. 1644), yaşadığı devrin önde gelen âlimlerinden ve seçkin şairlerinden biridir. Onun pek çok araştırmaya konu olan Dîvân’ı, biri Arap harfleriyle olmak üzere üç kez neşredilmiştir. Söz konusu neşirler incelendiğinde, bu çalışmalarda Dîvân’ın kimi nüshalarına başvurulmadığı görülmüştür. Makalede, Dîvân neşirlerinde yer almayan nüshalar tespit edilmeye çalışılmış; ulaşılabilenler incelenerek nüshaların muhtevalarıyla ilgili bilgiler verilmiş ve şairin daha evvel neşredilmemiş şiirleri ortaya koyulmuştur.
Makalede öncelikle Şeyhülislâm Yahyâ Dîvân’ı neşirleri tanıtılmış; daha sonra Dîvân’ın neşirlerde bulunmayan nüshaları, “Şeyhülislâm Yahyâ Dîvân’ının Kütüphanelerde Taşlıcalı Yahyâ Bey Adına Kayıtlı Nüshaları” ve “Şeyhülislâm Yahyâ Dîvân’ının Neşirlerde Başvurulmayan Diğer Nüshaları” başlıkları altında okuyucuya sunulmuştur. Çalışmanın sonraki aşamasında nüshalarda tespit edilen şiirlerin ilk mısralarının kayıt altına alındığı, şiirlerin nüshalardaki yerini gösteren tablolar bulunmaktadır. Yahyâ’nın yeni tespit edilen nüshalarda bulunan ve daha önce neşredilmemiş şiirlerinin transkribe edilmiş metinleri, çalışma sonunda verilmiştir.
The Correlation Between Sexual Dysfunction and Marital Dissatisfaction in Women With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Cross-sectional Study
Authors: Gholami Soraya , Kamalifard Mahin , Sattarzadeh Jahdi Niloufar , Babapour Jalil , Yousefi Foad
Published: April 2022

Objectives: The prevalence of sexual dysfunction and marital dissatisfaction is higher in women with type 2 diabetes mellitus than in the general population. However, the correlation between sexual dysfunction and marital dissatisfaction in diabetic women is debated. The present study investigated the correlation between sexual dysfunction and sexual dissatisfaction in diabetic women. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 126 women with type 2 diabetes mellitus, referring to Sanandaj Diabetes Center, Sanandaj, Iran, were compared to 126 randomly selected non-diabetic women referring to Health Centers of Sanandaj, Iran. Women’s sexual function was appraised through the female sexual function index (FSFI), and their marital satisfaction was compared using ENRICH (Evaluation and Nurturing Relationship Issues, Communication and Happiness) Marital Satisfaction Scale. Results: There was a positive significant relationship between sexual function and marital satisfaction (P<0.01, r = 0.675) in diabetic women. In other words, marital satisfaction improved sexual function increases. Conclusions: Marital satisfaction in diabetic women with sexual dysfunction is more unfavorable than in healthy women. Therefore, maximum attention should be paid to the role of sexual dysfunction in the marital relationship of people with diabetes mellitus.
Comparison of Oral Paracetamol with Oral Ibuprofen in Closing Patent Ductus Arteriosus in Premature Neonates: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Samadi Mahmoud , Mirnia Kayvan , Nabaie Zahra , Salek Maghsoudi Armin , Aliakbari Khoei Reza , Parizad Razieh
Published: April 2022

Objectives: Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is one of the most common congenital heart diseases. Physiologically, the closure of the ductus arteriosus occurs within 48-72 hours after birth in healthy term neonates. This study aimed to compare oral paracetamol and oral ibuprofen in the closure of PDA in preterm neonates. Materials and Methods: This study is a single-blind randomized clinical trial. A total of 90 preterm neonates with a gestational age of less than 32 weeks were divided into two groups of oral ibuprofen and oral paracetamol. Oral ibuprofen was administered at a dose of 10 mg/kg on the first day and 5 mg/kg on the second and the third days. Oral paracetamol was administered at a dose of 10 mg/kg every 6 hours for 3 consecutive days. The primary outcome measure was the closure of the ductus arteriosus. The secondary outcome measure was the assessment of any type of complications following the administration of oral paracetamol. Results: The DA closure rate was 82.2% in the oral paracetamol group and it was 91.41% in the oral ibuprofen group P<0.65, (odds ratio [OR] = 2.22, 95% CI = 0.62-7.97). We did not see any unwanted complication during treatment with oral paracetamol. Conclusions: The present study showed that oral paracetamol is effective in the closure of PDA. On the other hand, it does not cause any unwanted side effects on the patient.