bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Femoral Head Autograft to Manage Acetabular Bone Loss Defects in THA for Crowe III Hips by DAA: Retrospective Study and Surgical Technique
Authors: Faldini Cesare , Brunello Matteo , Pilla Federico , Geraci Giuseppe , Stefanini Niccolò , Tassinari Leonardo , Di Martino Alberto
Published: January 2023

Introduction: The pathologic anatomy of Crowe III is characterized by the erosion of the superior rim of acetabulum, with a typical bone defect in its supero–lateral portion. The performance of a total hip arthroplasty requires the management of the acetabular bone defect, and femoral head autograft can be a valid option to optimize implant coverage. Material and Methods: In all, eight Crowe III patients (nine hips), seven of which having unilateral hip affected, and one with bilateral involvement by secondary osteoarthritis in DDH; maximum limb length discrepancy (LLD) of 3.5 cm in unilateral patients. All were operated on by direct anterior approach. Patients were evaluated in terms of clinical, surgical, and radiological (center-edge, horizontal coverage, cup inclination) parameters. Results: Cup placement was implanted with a mean of 39.5 ± 7.5°. Stem alignment showed average 1.5 ± 2.3° in valgus. LLD showed an overall average preoperative of −29.5 ± 10.5 mm at the affected side, with a significant improvement to −2.5 ± 6.4 mm (p = 0.023). The mean initial coverage evaluated like a percentage of the horizontal bone host was 52.1 ± 7.1%, while the mean final coverage at the last post-operative X-ray from femoral autograft bone was 97.0 ± 4.5% with an average improvement of 44.5%. Average CE improved from −9.5 ± 5.2° (CE I) to the immediate post-operative (CE II) of 40.6 ± 8.2°. At the final follow up, CE III showed a mean of 38.6 ± 6.2°, with an average decrease of 2.0°. Discussion: Acetabular bone defect in Crowe III DDH patients undergoing THA by DAA, can be efficiently managed by massive autograft femoral head, which allowed an adequate and long-lasting coverage of the implant, with cup positioning at the native acetabulum.
Significance of Sandwich Panel’s Core and Design on Its Impact Resistance under Blast Load
Authors: AlAhmed Yaqoub S. , Hassan Noha M. , Bahroun Zied
Published: January 2023

Extensive research is conducted on enhancing the blast mitigation performance of the sandwich panels by examining different design parameters, and core geometries. Nevertheless, there is no direct comparison between those alternatives to evaluate their contribution to maximizing energy absorption. In this research, three core designs honeycomb, mushroom, and tubular were compared to determine the influence of core shape on the panel’s impact resistance against blast load. In addition to varying core shapes, the effect of plate thickness and the spacing between the core shapes are also examined. Finite element analysis was used to evaluate the performance of these designs. Twenty-seven numerical experiments were performed and then analyzed using regression analysis. Results reveal that the tubular sandwich panel exhibited minimum deformation, and least damage and contributed to the highest kinetic energy dissipation. On the other hand, honeycomb core structures recorded the highest internal energy dissipation, largest deformation, and damage. Despite those differences, core shape and core spacing were not as influential in resisting blast load compared to plate thickness. Facade plate thickness was the most significant factor. Results suggest that more research needs to be targeted toward enhancing façade plate stiffness for better mitigation of blast load.
Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Analyses—JETA: A New Open Access Journal for Highlighting the Results of Multidisciplinary Analyses in Science, Technology, and Engineering
Authors: Rossi Marco
Published: January 2023

As Editor-in-Chief, I am pleased to introduce Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Analyses—JETA [...]
Experimental Inactivation of Microalgae in Marine Ballast Water by Microbubbles Generated through Hydrodynamic Cavitation
Authors: Wang Baojun , Lu Hao , Zhang Hongpeng , Li Wei , Hong Jiaju , Cui Mingsheng
Published: January 2023

This paper presents a novel approach to microbubble technology for the treatment of aquatic invasive organisms in ship ballast water. The microbubbles are produced by hydrodynamic cavitation with a sudden and dramatic water pressure drop. The air and ozone microbubbles, respectively, verified the bioavailability of ship ballast water treatment using marine microalgae as an indicator. Besides the effects of an ozone injection dose, the morphological changes of cells and the effluent toxicity were investigated. Compared with the ozone microbubble treatment, the inactivation of marine microalgae by air microbubbles required a long treatment time. In the storage experiment, it was found that air microbubbles did not inhibit the growth of microalgae cells, and that the injection of active matter such as ozone was still necessary to ensure the validity of biological invasion. However, even with very low doses of ozone, the inactivation effect of ozone microbubbles was still very evident. Overall, it helps to minimize the use of active matter to reduce the toxicity of treated water, and this has the capability to develop into an environmentally acceptable and practical ballast water treatment technology.
Analysis of Demand and Supply for Mobile Payments in the UAE during COVID-19
Authors: Ghandour Ahmad , Al-Srehan Hussein , Almutairi Alhanof
Published: January 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted many if not all aspects of our lives, including the way we handle money. This paper takes mobile payments as an example to show how COVID-19 affected the United Arab Emirates. Many researchers rushed into writing their first impressions in response to the pandemic to produce early study results. This paper uses these early electronic articles and blogs as valuable data sources for a first-level analysis. It attempts to assess the impact of COVID-19 on mobile payment services in the post-pandemic world from the demand and supply perspective in the UAE. The previous literature has been reviewed to understand the scope of the services present in the UAE before the onset of the pandemic. Further, an online questionnaire with open- and closed-ended questions was used to gather data from 125 vendors capable of receiving mobile payments. Regression analysis with two time periods has been included to develop a better perception of mobile payment services before and after the spread of the coronavirus. It was found that COVID-19 has created a suitable environment for mobile payments, with significant positive relationship in both periods. The reasons for using mobile payments during the pandemic were to apply social distancing and to avoid physical touch, a requirement in the COVID-19 period, resulting in a move towards creating a positive attitude towards a cashless society.
Acknowledgment to the Reviewers of JSAN in 2022
Authors:   JSAN Editorial Office
Published: January 2023

High-quality academic publishing is built on rigorous peer review [...]
Impacts of Rice Cropping System Changes on Paddy Methane Emissions in Southern China
Authors: Jiang Min , Li Xiubin , Xin Liangjie , Tan Minghong , Zhang Wen
Published: January 2023

Rice paddies are one of the main sources of anthropogenic terrestrial CH4. In recent decades, the substitution of single-cropping rice (SCR) for double-crop rice (DCR) has become more common in southern China. However, the concomitant impacts on CH4 emissions have not been quantified. We incorporated high-resolution rice cropping system maps into the CH4MOD model to calculate changes in CH4 emissions in southern China due to DCR conversion to SCR over the period 1990 to 2015. We find that a total planting area of 253.64 ×104 ha was converted from DCR to SCR. This conversion resulted in a 451.94 Gg reduction in CH4 emissions, accounting for 8.4% of CH4 emissions from paddies in China in 2015. The largest reduction was in the Middle–Lower Yangtze plain with high labor pressures. As urbanization continues, we project that the total CH4 emissions have the potential to decrease by between 17.1% and 9.2% under DCR conversion to SCR in southern China in the extreme and most likely scenarios, respectively. As farmers voluntarily move to SCR in response to labor scarcity, making full use of the land-use change trend of DCR to SCR may be an opportunity to reduce agricultural methane emissions, which is important for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and should be given more attention.
Seasonal Variations of Dissolved Organic Matter in Urban Rivers of Northern China
Authors: Wen Yanan , Xiao Min , Chen Zhaochuan , Zhang Wenxi , Yue Fujun
Published: January 2023

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is ubiquitously present in aquatic environments, playing an important role in the global carbon cycle and water quality. It is necessary to reveal the potential sources and explore spatiotemporal variation of DOM in rivers, especially in urban zones impacted by human activities. It was designed to aim to explore spatiotemporal variations of DOM in urban rivers and ascertain the influencing factors. In this study, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations, UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, and 3D fluorescence spectroscopy combined with parallel factor analysis were utilized to characterize DOM composition in urban rivers (the Jiyun, Chaobai, and Yongding rivers) in Tianjin city, northern China. The results showed that DOC (1.28 to 25.85 mg·L−1), generally, was at its highest level in spring, followed by summer, and lowest in autumn and winter, and that the absorption parameters E250:365 (condensation degree/molecular weight, 7.88), SUVA254 (aromaticity, 3.88 L mg C−1 m−1), a355 (content of chromophores, 4.34 m−1), a260 (hydrophobicity, 22.02 m−1), and SR (molecular weight, 1.08) of CDOM (chromophoric DOM) suggested that DOM is mainly composed of low-molecular-weight fulvic acid and protein-like moieties, and had the capability of participating in pollutant migrations and transformations. The results demonstrated significant seasonal differences. Generally, high DOC content was detected in rivers in urban suburbs, due to anthropogenic inputs. Three fluorescence components were identified, and the fluorescence intensity of the protein class reached the highest value, 294.47 QSU, in summer. Different types of land use have different effects on the compositions of riverine DOM; more protein-like DOM was found in sections of urban rivers. The correlation between DOC concentration and the CDOM absorption coefficient was found to be unstable due to deleterious input from industrial and agricultural wastewater and from domestic sewage from human activities. HIX and BIX elucidated that the source of CDOM in three river watersheds was influenced by both terrestrial and autochthonous sources, and the latter prevailed over the former. Geospatial data analysis indicated that CDOM in autumn was sourced from plant detritus degradation from forest land or from the urban green belt; construction land had a great influence on DOC and CDOM in riparian buffer areas. It was revealed that DOM in the watershed is highly impacted by nature and human activities through land use, soil erosion, and surface runoff/underground percolation transport; domestic sewage discharge constituted the primary source and was the greatest determiner among the impacts.
2,3-Bis((E)-4-hydroxybenzylidene)-N1,N4-bis(4-methylbenzyl)succinamide
Authors: Sciacca Claudia , Cardullo Nunzio , Muccilli Vera
Published: January 2023

Lignans and neolignans are dimeric natural products with an extraordinary variety of structures and biological properties. Diphenylbutadienes are a subclass of lignans rarely found in nature with cannabisin G being the most representative example. This lignan, found in Cannabis sativa seed, has shown anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity among other biological properties. Different methodologies have been reported for the synthesis of cannabis G to be employed in new biological studies. We report herein a green and concise procedure based on the use of Trametes versicolor laccase for the synthesis of a new diphenylbutadiene. The developed procedure may be employed for the synthesis of cannabisin G and other analogues.
Influence of Cryogenic Treatment on the Corrosion Properties of 42CrMo Low Alloy Steel
Authors: Chen Zhi , Li Chao , Su Hang , Huang Yao , Yan Xianguo
Published: January 2023

In this paper, the effect of deep cryogenic treatment on the corrosion resistance of 42CrMo low alloy steel is investigated and compared with conventional heat-treated counterparts. The low-temperature treatments of the cryogenic process are −120 °C, −160 °C, and −190 °C, respectively. Electrochemical corrosion tests show that the self-corrosion current density of −120 °C, −160 °C and −190 deep-cooled specimens is reduced by 38%, 20% and 30% respectively compared to the usual heat-treated specimens. Scanning electron microscope analysis shows that the precipitation of fine carbides on the surface of the samples treated at −120 °C has improved their corrosion resistance. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy also shows that the samples treated with −120 °C cryogenic treatment have the smallest corrosion tendency. At a −160 °C deep-cooling process, the precipitated carbide aggregation limits the corrosion resistance of the material. The corrosion resistance of the samples in the −190 °C process group is between the two. The simulation results also express a similar trend to the electrochemical corrosion results.
A Two-Step Femtosecond Laser-Based Deposition of Robust Corrosion-Resistant Molybdenum Oxide Coating
Authors: Ali Asghar , Piatkowski Piotr , Nawaz Tahir , Ahmad Shahbaz , Ibrahim Taleb , Khamis Mustafa , Alnaser Ali S.
Published: January 2023

A two-step femtosecond-pulsed laser deposition (fs-PLD) process is reported for the rapid development of uniform, poreless, crack-free, and well-adhering amorphous coatings of source materials with a high melting point. The first step comprises a high-rate raw deposition of the source material via fs-PLD, followed by a second step of scanning the raw sample with fs laser pulses of optimized fluence and scan parameters. The technique is applied to develop substoichiometric molybdenum oxide (MoOx, x < 3) coatings on mild steel. The thickness of the layer was ~4.25 μm with roughness around 0.27 μm. Comprehensive surface characterization reveals highly uniform and relatively moderate roughness coatings, implying the potential of these films as robust corrosion-resistant coats. Corrosion measurements in an aqueous NaCl environment revealed that the coated mild steel samples possess an average corrosion inhibition efficiency of around 95% relative to polished mild steel.
Investigation of the Functional Ageing of Conductive Coated Fabrics under Simulated Washing Conditions
Authors: Biermaier Christian , Petz Phillip , Bechtold Thomas , Pham Tung
Published: January 2023

Conductive textiles play an important role in recent electronics development; however, one of the major challenges remains their machine-washing durability. For the investigation of the basic wash ageing mechanisms, we used copper-plated polyamide 66 and cellulose fabrics and developed a wet and dry operable flex tester with online resistance recording. The evaluation was supported by abrasion tests, cyclic elongation tests and tribological investigation of dry and wet textile–textile friction. It was found that the contribution of mechanical and chemical ageing to wash ageing strongly depends on the substrate material. A bad adhesion of copper on polyamide 66 leads to early fatigue while better stability of the copper on cellulose leads to a stronger resistance against ageing. For both substrates, the delamination of the copper layer was the root cause of the fatigue, which is facilitated by the washing solution. Finally, a cumulative fatigue model was developed and the determination of the end of lifetime by the intended use is discussed.
Precise Dynamic Consensus under Event-Triggered Communication
Authors: Perez-Salesa Irene , Aldana-Lopez Rodrigo , Sagues Carlos
Published: January 2023

This work addresses the problem of dynamic consensus, which consists of estimating the dynamic average of a set of time-varying signals distributed across a communication network of multiple agents. This problem has many applications in robotics, with formation control and target tracking being some of the most prominent ones. In this work, we propose a consensus algorithm to estimate the dynamic average in a distributed fashion, where discrete sampling and event-triggered communication are adopted to reduce the communication burden. Compared to other linear methods in the state of the art, our proposal can obtain exact convergence under continuous communication even when the dynamic average signal is persistently varying. Contrary to other sliding-mode approaches, our method reduces chattering in the discrete-time setting. The proposal is based on the discretization of established exact dynamic consensus results that use high-order sliding modes. The convergence of the protocol is verified through formal analysis, based on homogeneity properties, as well as through several numerical experiments. Concretely, we numerically show that an advantageous trade-off exists between the maximum steady-state consensus error and the communication rate. As a result, our proposal can outperform other state-of-the-art approaches, even when event-triggered communication is used in our protocol.
Acknowledgment to the Reviewers of Macromol in 2022
Authors:   Macromol Editorial Office
Published: January 2023

High-quality academic publishing is built on rigorous peer review [...]
A Particle Reinforced Gradient Honeycomb Sandwich Panel for Broadband Sound Insulation
Authors: Shi Geman , Wu Xiaoxun , Jiang Renjie , Li Shande
Published: January 2023

The sound insulation capacity of traditional sound insulation boards is limited by the law of mass, and any improvement in sound insulation capacity contradicts the demand for light weight. In order to overcome this shortcoming, a lightweight particle reinforced gradient honeycomb sandwich panel is proposed to achieve lightweight sound insulation. The sound insulation of the particle reinforced honeycomb sandwich panel is calculated based on the transfer matrix method. The accuracy of the theory is verified through finite element simulation, and the influence of material and structural parameters on the sound insulation performance of the sandwich panel is analyzed. The results show that the sound insulation of the honeycomb sandwich panel can be significantly improved by adding reinforcement particles to the aluminum matrix, and the sound insulation also increases as the particle mass fraction of the reinforcement increases. In addition, the valley value of the sound insulation curve moves towards the low frequency direction, which indicates that the sound insulation performance of the sandwich plate at low frequencies is effectively improved.
Modeling the Impact of Overcoming the Green Walls Implementation Barriers on Sustainable Building Projects: A Novel Mathematical Partial Least Squares—SEM Method
Authors: Kineber Ahmed Farouk , Oke Ayodeji Emmanuel , Hamed Mohammed Magdy , Rached Ehab Farouk , Elmansoury Ali
Published: January 2023

The sustainable building concept must be implemented throughout the project lifecycle to achieve the highest proceeds without lowering the standard. Although implementing green walls in emerging nations is partial, such studies have concentrated on drivers for implementing green walls. Conversely, there is less proof to comprehensively study the impact of implementing green walls’ overall sustainable success (OSS) concerning the lifecycle of projects. This research focuses on the green wall adoption barriers in construction projects in third-world nations. It assesses the effect of addressing green wall (GW) adoption obstacles on OSS throughout the project lifespan. Therefore, a broader review of the literature is needed for conceptual model development. Structural equation modelling and partial least square (SEM-PLS) have been developed employing a survey evaluation tool (i.e., questionnaire). Information was derived from one hundred and five building professionals in Nigeria. The model output revealed that eradicating GWs barriers had a slight to intermediate influence on OSS during the construction scheme’s lifespan. These results offer the foundation for policymaking in third-world nations regarding successful project completion through evading barriers to green wall adoption. Similarly, green walls implementation will enhance the building project’s success.
A New Insight into Entropy Based on the Fuzzy Operators, Applied to Useful Information Extraction from Noisy Time-Frequency Distributions
Authors: Dombi József , Vranković Lacković Ana , Lerga Jonatan
Published: January 2023

In this paper, we study the connections between generalized mean operators and entropies, where the mean value operators are related to the strictly monotone logical operators of fuzzy theory. Here, we propose a new entropy measure based on the family of generalized Dombi operators. Namely, this measure is obtained by using the Dombi operator as a generator function in the general solution of the bisymmetric functional equation. We show how the proposed entropy can be used in a fuzzy system where the performance is consistent in choosing the best alternative in the Multiple Attribute Decision-Making Problem. This newly defined entropy was also applied to the problem of extracting useful information from time-frequency representations of noisy, nonstationary, and multicomponent signals. The denoising results were compared to Shannon and Rényi entropies. The proposed entropy measure is shown to significantly outperform the competing ones in terms of denoising classification accuracy and the F1-score due to its sensitivity to small changes in the probability distribution.
Three Mathematical Models for COVID-19 Prediction
Authors: Martínez-Fernández Pelayo , Fernández-Muñiz Zulima , Cernea Ana , Fernández-Martínez Juan Luis , Kloczkowski Andrzej
Published: January 2023

The COVID-19 outbreak was a major event that greatly impacted the economy and the health systems around the world. Understanding the behavior of the virus and being able to perform long-term and short-term future predictions of the daily new cases is a working field for machine learning methods and mathematical models. This paper compares Verhulst’s, Gompertz´s, and SIR models from the point of view of their efficiency to describe the behavior of COVID-19 in Spain. These mathematical models are used to predict the future of the pandemic by first solving the corresponding inverse problems to identify the model parameters in each wave separately, using as observed data the daily cases in the past. The posterior distributions of the model parameters are then inferred via the Metropolis–Hastings algorithm, comparing the robustness of each prediction model and making different representations to visualize the results obtained concerning the posterior distribution of the model parameters and their predictions. The knowledge acquired is used to perform predictions about the evolution of both the daily number of infected cases and the total number of cases during each wave. As a main conclusion, predictive models are incomplete without a corresponding uncertainty analysis of the corresponding inverse problem. The invariance of the output (posterior prediction) with respect to the forward predictive model that is used shows that the methodology shown in this paper can be used to adopt decisions in real practice (public health).
The Influence of Winter Swimming on Oxidative Stress Indicators in the Blood of Healthy Males
Authors: Wesołowski Roland , Mila-Kierzenkowska Celestyna , Pawłowska Marta , Szewczyk-Golec Karolina , Saletnik Łukasz , Sutkowy Paweł , Woźniak Alina
Published: January 2023

Baths in cold water are a popular physical activity performed to improve health. This study aimed to determine whether repeated cold-water exposure leads to the up-regulation of antioxidant defenses and whether or not this leads to a reduction in basal and/or acute pulses of oxidative distress in humans. The study group consisted of 28 healthy male members of the WS club (average age 39.3 ± 6.1 years). The study sessions occurred at the beginning and the end of the WS season. During the WS season, the participants took 3-min cold-water baths in a cold lake once a week. Blood samples were collected three times during each session: before the bath, 30 min after the bath, and 24 h after the bath. The activity of selected antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), as well as the concentration of lipid peroxidation (LPO) products, including thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) and conjugated dienes (CD), were determined in erythrocytes. The concentration of TBARS, CD, retinol, and α-tocopherol were determined in the blood plasma, whereas the level of other LPO products, including 4-hydroxynonenal and 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α, were determined in the blood serum. The repeated cold exposure up-regulated most antioxidant defenses, and this led to an attenuation of most indicators of oxidative stress at the baseline and acute pulses in response to cold exposure. In conclusion, due to regular cold exposure, the antioxidant barrier of winter swimmers was stimulated. Thus, short cold-bath sessions seem to be an effective intervention, inducing promoting positive adaptive changes such as the increased antioxidant capacity of the organism.
Multidrug-Resistant Enterococcal Infection in Surgical Patients, What Surgeons Need to Know
Authors: Farsi Soroush , Salama Ibrahim , Escalante-Alderete Edgar , Cervantes Jorge
Published: January 2023

Enterococci are organisms that can be found in the normal intestinal and skin microbiota and show remarkable ability to acquire antibiotic resistance. This is an enormous challenge for surgeons when faced with surgical site infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) Enterococci. Due to an increase in the prevalence of MDR Enterococcus within the last few decades, there has been a major decrease in therapeutic options, because the majority of E. faecium isolates are now resistant to ampicillin and vancomycin and exhibit high-level resistance to aminoglycosides, traditionally three of the most useful anti-enterococcal antibiotics. There is limited data regarding the magnitude and pattern of multidrug resistance among the enterococcal genus causing surgical site infections in hospitalized patients. The scope of the review is to summarize the most recent findings in the emergence of postoperative MDR Enterococci and discuss recent mechanisms of resistance and the best treatment options available.
Immunomodulatory and Antioxidant Properties of a Novel Potential Probiotic Bacillus clausii CSI08
Authors: Khokhlova Ekaterina , Colom Joan , Simon Annie , Mazhar Shahneela , García-Lainez Guillermo , Llopis Silvia , Gonzalez Nuria , Enrique-López María , Álvarez Beatriz , Martorell Patricia , Tortajada Marta , Deaton John , Rea Kieran
Published: January 2023

Spore-forming bacteria of the Bacillus genus have demonstrated potential as probiotics for human use. Bacillus clausii have been recognized as efficacious and safe agents for preventing and treating diarrhea in children and adults, with pronounced immunomodulatory properties during several in vitro and clinical studies. Herein, we characterize the novel strain of B. clausii CSI08 (Munispore®) for probiotic attributes including resistance to gastric acid and bile salts, the ability to suppress the growth of human pathogens, the capacity to assimilate wide range of carbohydrates and to produce potentially beneficial enzymes. Both spores and vegetative cells of this strain were able to adhere to a mucous-producing intestinal cell line and to attenuate the LPS- and Poly I:C-triggered pro-inflammatory cytokine gene expression in HT-29 intestinal cell line. Vegetative cells of B. clausii CSI08 were also able to elicit a robust immune response in U937-derived macrophages. Furthermore, B. clausii CSI08 demonstrated cytoprotective effects in in vitro cell culture and in vivo C. elegans models of oxidative stress. Taken together, these beneficial properties provide strong evidence for B. clausii CSI08 as a promising potential probiotic.
Development and Application of an Assay to Evaluate the Anti-Parasitic Effect of Humoral Responses against Trypanosoma cruzi
Authors: Martinez-Peinado Nieves , Gabaldon-Figueira Juan Carlos , Martinez-Añon Ignacio , Rodríguez-Gordo Cristian , Robleda-Castillo Raquel , Pinazo Maria-Jesus , Bigey Pascal , Gascon Joaquim , Alonso-Padilla Julio
Published: January 2023

Mounting a balanced and robust humoral immune response is of utmost importance for reducing the infectivity of Trypanosoma cruzi. While the role of such a response in controlling the infection is well known, there is a lack of tools that can be used to quickly evaluate it. We developed a serum parasite inhibition assay (to evaluate changes in the parasite infection after exposing infective T. cruzi trypomastigotes to serum samples from infected patients). It is based on Vero cells as the hosts and the Tulahuen β-galactosidase parasite strain, genetically engineered to be quantifiable by spectrophotometry. In parallel, we developed an in-house ELISA to correlate the anti-T. cruzi antibody titres of the clinical samples with their observed anti-parasitic effect in the serum parasite inhibition assay. Serum samples from chronically T. cruzi-infected patients significantly inhibited parasite invasion in a titre-dependant manner, regardless of the patient’s clinical status, compared to samples from the non-infected controls. In addition, there was a clear correlation between the reactivity of the samples to the whole-parasite lysates by ELISA and the inhibitory effect. The results of this work confirm the previously described anti-parasitic effect of the serum of individuals exposed to T. cruzi and present a framework for its large-scale evaluation in further studies. The serum parasite inhibition assay represents a reproducible way to evaluate the intensity and anti-parasitic effect of humoral responses against T. cruzi, which could be applied to the evaluation of candidate antigens/epitopes in the design of Chagas disease vaccine candidates.
Nanoscale Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Investigation of a Polyphenol-Based Plasmonic Nanovector
Authors: Nisini Giacomo , Scroccarello Annalisa , Ripanti Francesca , Fasolato Claudia , Cappelluti Francesco , Capocefalo Angela , Della Pelle Flavio , Compagnone Dario , Postorino Paolo
Published: January 2023

The demand for next-generation multifunctional nanovectors, combining therapeutic effects with specific cellular targeting, has significantly grown during the last few years, pursuing less invasive therapy strategies. Polyphenol-conjugated silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) appear as potential multifunctional nanovectors, integrating the biorecognition capability and the antioxidant power of polyphenols, the antimicrobial activity of silver, and the drug delivery capability of NPs. We present a spectroscopic and microscopic investigation on polyphenol-synthesized AgNPs, selecting caffeic acid (CA) and catechol (CT) as model polyphenols and using them as reducing agents for the AgNP green synthesis, both in the presence and in the absence of a capping agent. We exploit the plasmonic properties of AgNPs to collect Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) spectra from the nanosized region next to the Ag surface and to characterize the molecular environment in the proximity of the NP, assessing the orientation and tunable deprotonation level of CA, depending on the synthesis conditions. Our results suggest that the SERS investigation of such nanovectors can provide crucial information for their perspective biomedical application.
Acknowledgment to the Reviewers of Nitrogen in 2022
Authors:   Nitrogen Editorial Office
Published: January 2023

High-quality academic publishing is built on rigorous peer review [...]
Acknowledgment to the Reviewers of Parasitologia in 2022
Authors:   Parasitologia Editorial Office
Published: January 2023

High-quality academic publishing is built on rigorous peer review [...]
Potential Use of Brazilian Green Propolis Extracts as New Photosensitizers for Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy against Cariogenic Microorganisms
Authors: de Oliveira Analú Barros , Ferrisse Túlio Morandin , França Gabriela Gomes , de Annunzio Sarah Raquel , Kopp Willian , Fontana Carla Raquel , Brighenti Fernanda Lourenção
Published: January 2023

The synergic effect of Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans increases dental caries severity. Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) is a non-invasive treatment for antimicrobial aspects. However, the current photosensitizers (PS) have many downsides for dental applications. This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of two different Brazilian green propolis (BGP-AF and BGP-AG) as PS for aPDT against these microorganisms. A single-species biofilm was irradiated with crude extracts and their fractions and controls. Such extracts showed the best results and were evaluated in dual-species biofilms. Photodegradation, reactive oxygen species (ROS), cytotoxicity, and color stability assays were also investigated. Reductions higher than 3 log10 CFU/mL (p < 0.0001) occurred for crude BGP in single- and dual-species biofilms. Singlet oxygen was produced in BGP (p < 0.0001). BGP-mediated aPDT delayed S. mutans and C. albicans regrowth after 24 h of treatment (p < 0.0001). Both BGP did not change the color of dental materials (p > 0.05). BGP-AF-mediated aPDT showed 72.41% of oral keratinocyte viability (p < 0.0001). BGP extracts may be used in aPDT against S. mutans and C. albicans. Specifically, BGP-AF may represent a promising PS for dental applications.
Polarization-Dependent Absorption and Transmission Metasurfaces for Linearly and Circularly Polarized Light in Terahertz Band
Authors: Yang Bowei , Ouyang Mingzhao , Ren Hang , Wu Jinshuang , Zhang Yixin , Fu Yuegang
Published: January 2023

Polarization detection is an important part of many polarization applications such as polarization imaging, wireless communication, and circular dichroism spectroscopy. In this paper, two polarization-dependent terahertz wave absorption and transmission metasurface for linearly and circularly polarized light are proposed and proved by numerical simulations. Polarization filtering and polarization absorption are integrated on a single cell, and the orthogonal polarization component is transmitted and absorbed, respectively. The linearly polarization-dependent transmission and absorption structure can obtain a transmission extinction ratio of 11.5 dB and an absorption extinction ratio of over 270 dB at 3 THz. Moreover, the circularly polarization-dependent structure can obtain a transmission extinction ratio of 8.1 dB and an absorption extinction ratio of 4.66 dB at 2.8 THz. Our design facilitates the acquisition of full Stokes parameters and the high-resolution imaging.
Trichoderma Species: Our Best Fungal Allies in the Biocontrol of Plant Diseases—A Review
Authors: Guzmán-Guzmán Paulina , Kumar Ajay , de los Santos-Villalobos Sergio , Parra-Cota Fannie I. , Orozco-Mosqueda Ma. del Carmen , Fadiji Ayomide Emmanuel , Hyder Sajjad , Babalola Olubukola Oluranti , Santoyo Gustavo
Published: January 2023

Biocontrol agents (BCA) have been an important tool in agriculture to prevent crop losses due to plant pathogens infections and to increase plant food production globally, diminishing the necessity for chemical pesticides and fertilizers and offering a more sustainable and environmentally friendly option. Fungi from the genus Trichoderma are among the most used and studied microorganisms as BCA due to the variety of biocontrol traits, such as parasitism, antibiosis, secondary metabolites (SM) production, and plant defense system induction. Several Trichoderma species are well-known mycoparasites. However, some of those species can antagonize other organisms such as nematodes and plant pests, making this fungus a very versatile BCA. Trichoderma has been used in agriculture as part of innovative bioformulations, either just Trichoderma species or in combination with other plant-beneficial microbes, such as plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB). Here, we review the most recent literature regarding the biocontrol studies about six of the most used Trichoderma species, T. atroviride, T. harzianum, T. asperellum, T. virens, T. longibrachiatum, and T. viride, highlighting their biocontrol traits and the use of these fungal genera in Trichoderma-based formulations to control or prevent plant diseases, and their importance as a substitute for chemical pesticides and fertilizers.
Ascophyllum nodosum and Silicon-Based Biostimulants Differentially Affect the Physiology and Growth of Watermelon Transplants under Abiotic Stress Factors: The Case of Salinity
Authors: Bantis Filippos , Koukounaras Athanasios
Published: January 2023

Salinization of cultivated soils is a global phenomenon mainly caused by agricultural practices and deteriorates plant production. Biostimulants are products which can be applied exogenously to enhance the plants’ defense mechanism and improve their developmental characteristics, also under abiotic stresses. We studied the potential of two biostimulants, Ascophyllum nodosum (Asc) seaweed and a silicon-based (Si), to alleviate the saline conditions endured by watermelon transplants. Three salinity (0 mM, 50 mM, and 100 mM NaCl) treatments were applied in watermelon seedlings transplanted in pots, while the two biostimulants were sprayed in the foliar in the beginning of the experiment. Relative water content was improved by Asc in the high salinity level. The plant area, leaf number, and shoot dry weight deteriorated in relation to the salinity level. However, the root system (total root length and surface area) was enhanced by 50 mM salt, as well as Asc in some cases. The OJIP transient of the photosynthetic apparatus was also evaluated. Some OJIP parameters diminished in the high salinity level after Asc application. It is concluded that after salt stress Asc provoked a positive phenotypic response, while Si did not alleviate the salinity stress of transplanted watermelon.
Soil Quality Enhances Seed Germination Success in Ephedra major—A Pilot Experiment
Authors: Cianfaglione Kevin , Crișan Florin , Gafta Dan
Published: January 2023

There are currently knowledge gaps in the environmental context related to successful seed germination of Ephedra major. Therefore, we herein explore the influence of soil quality and water availability on the germination performance through a garden experiment that mimics natural site conditions. One hundred seeds were extracted from fifty ripe strobili collected randomly from the ramets of a single female plant. Ten seeds per pot were sown in ten pots, which were equally split by receiving different watering treatments (watered versus control) and soil types (S0–shallow and stony; S1–like S0 but slightly deeper; S2–like S0 but even deeper and rich in woodland humus; S3–clay-layered alluvial; S4–anthropogenic). No significant interaction effect was detected between the two manipulated factors. Watering only had a marginal effect on the germination rate, but the latter was significantly higher in S2 when compared to the other soil types. These outcomes suggest that soil quality is more important than moisture for the germination success. Its rate is expected to be higher under the open canopy of woodlands compared to open rupicolous habitats, since seeds can benefit from higher humus availability and reduced evapotranspiration.
Parametric Analysis and Optimization Design of the Twin-Volute for a New Type of Dishwasher Pump
Authors: Sun Haichao , Xu Hui , Li Yanjun , Wang Xikun , Li Yalin
Published: January 2023

To improve the hydraulic performance of a new type of dishwasher pump and solve the multi-parameter optimization problem, a genetic algorithm was introduced to optimize the special design of the twin-volute structure. Six curvature radii of the twin-volute structure were defined as the optimization parameters, and 100 groups of design samples were generated based on the Latin hypercube sampling (LHS) method. The pump head and the efficiency were taken as the optimization objectives, i.e., to improve the efficiency as much as possible while ensuring that the head would not be lower than 2 m. The important parameters were identified via sensitivity analysis, and the optimization problem was solved in detail by using the multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA). The results showed that the external profile of the first to the fourth section of the twin-volute structure had the most significant effect on the pump head and efficiency. The response surface method (RSM) was used to select the intervals of optimization, and a comparative simulation of the pump schemes before and after optimization was performed. The head curve did not significantly change before and after optimization. By contrast, the efficiency of the dishwasher pump significantly increased, showing an increase of 2.7% under the design point. Compared with the original model, the impeller of the optimal model pump had a lower overall distribution of turbulent kinetic energy, reduced the vorticity in the twin-volute inlet area, and increased the pressure in the flow channel. Our research results confirm that the combination of RSM and MOGA can effectively solve the problem of optimization for new types of dishwashers and can provide a reference for the development of subsequent hydraulic models.
Special Issue on “Particulate Processes in the Formulation of Pharmaceuticals, Nutraceuticals and Bioactive Compounds”
Authors: Nikolakakis Ioannis
Published: January 2023

Introduction [...]
NADES-Based Cork Extractives as Green Ingredients for Cosmetics and Textiles
Authors: Rocha Diana , Freitas David S. , Magalhães Jéssica , Fernandes Mariana , Silva Sónia , Noro Jennifer , Ribeiro Artur , Cavaco-Paulo Artur , Martins Madalena , Silva Carla
Published: January 2023

The demand for products based on natural ingredients is increasing among cosmetic and textile consumers. Cork extracts contain components of interest with special properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial activities, that might improve the effectiveness of cosmetic formulations currently on the market and may impart new characteristics to textiles. The main goal of this work was to investigate the effect of the incorporation of three cork extracts into two commercial cosmetic formulations (formulation A and B) and evaluate their role as textile dyeing agents. The extracts (E1, E2, and E3) were obtained from cork powder using natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) (E1-NADES 1: lactic acid:glycerol, E2-NADES 2: lactic acid:glycine, and E3-NADES 3: lactic acid:sodium citrate) and applied in combination with the solvent. The impact of the extracts on the cosmetic formulations’ properties was evaluated in terms of pH, viscosity, antioxidant activity, transdermal permeation capacity, cytotoxicity, and organoleptic characteristics (odor, color, and appearance). The results demonstrated that the cork extracts improved the antioxidant performance of the formulations (90% reduction in DPPH (1,1-difenil-2-picril-hidrazil)). Moreover, low concentrations (5 mg/mL and 10 mg/mL) of extract did not present a cytotoxic effect on keratinocytes. Cotton fabrics were efficiently dyed with the NADES-based cork extracts which conferred to these substrates antioxidant (78% in DPPH reduction) and antibacterial abilities (inhibition halos: 12–15 mm). The application of cork extracts as ingredients in cosmetics or as dyeing/coloration agents for textile coloration is revealed to be a promising and green route to replace harmful ingredients normally used in industry.
Numerical Simulation Research on the Effect of Artificial Barrier Properties on Fracture Height
Authors: Zou Jian , Zhang Ying , Zhang Liping , Jing Jiyun , Fu Yangyang , Wang Yunjin , Zhang Guchang , Zhou Fujian
Published: January 2023

Hydraulic fracturing is an important measurement for the stimulation of oil and gas wells and is widely used in the development of low-permeability and ultra-low-permeability reservoirs. However, fractures can pass through barriers with poor properties during fracturing, resulting in fractures that do not reach the pre-designed length. In a worse situation, it is possible to communicate with the water layer and cause sudden water flooding, resulting in the failure of the fracturing construction. In order to improve the efficiency of fracturing construction, an effective way to control the height of fractures is by laying diverting agents to form artificial barriers. In this study, we established a three-dimensional numerical calculation model of fracture propagation, considering artificial barriers in the finite element analysis framework; the fracture propagation is governed by a cohesive zone model. The influence of artificial barriers with different Young’s modulus and different permeability on the fracture height was simulated and calculated. Different fracture geometries under different pumping injection rates were also considered. The simulation results show that the smaller the Young’s modulus of the artificial barrier, the smaller the extension in the direction of the fracture height: when its Young’s modulus is 28 GPa, the half fracture height is about 25 m, while when Young’s modulus increases to 36 GPa, the half fracture height increases by about 10m. When the fracture does not penetrate the artificial barrier area, the larger the Young’s modulus, the smaller the fracture width and the larger the fracture height. With the change in the permeability of the artificial barrier, the change in the fracture width direction of the fracturing fracture is only about 0.5 m, but the inhibition on the fracture height direction is more obvious; in the case of maximum permeability and minimum permeability, the fracture height change is 10 m. The influence of pumping injection rates on the width and height of the fracture is obvious: with the increase in the pumping rates, both the height and width of the fractures increase. However, when the pumping rate increases from 0.12 m3/s to 0.14 m3/s, the change in the direction of fracture height is no longer significant, and the increase is only 0.6 m. This study investigates the role of artificial barrier properties and pumping rates in controlling fracture height extension, clarifies the feasibility of artificial barriers to control fracture height technology, and provides guidance for the selection of diverting agents and the determination of the pumping rate in the process of fracturing construction.
The Double-Edged Proteins in Cancer Proteomes and the Generation of Induced Tumor-Suppressing Cells (iTSCs)
Authors: Li Kexin , Huo Qingji , Li Bai-Yan , Yokota Hiroki
Published: January 2023

Unlike a prevalent expectation that tumor cells secrete tumor-promoting proteins and stimulate the progression of neighboring tumor cells, accumulating evidence indicates that the role of tumor-secreted proteins is double-edged and context-dependent. Some of the oncogenic proteins in the cytoplasm and cell membranes, which are considered to promote the proliferation and migration of tumor cells, may inversely act as tumor-suppressing proteins in the extracellular domain. Furthermore, the action of tumor-secreted proteins by aggressive “super-fit” tumor cells can be different from those derived from “less-fit” tumor cells. Tumor cells that are exposed to chemotherapeutic agents could alter their secretory proteomes. Super-fit tumor cells tend to secrete tumor-suppressing proteins, while less-fit or chemotherapeutic agent-treated tumor cells may secrete tumor-promotive proteomes. Interestingly, proteomes derived from nontumor cells such as mesenchymal stem cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells mostly share common features with tumor cell-derived proteomes in response to certain signals. This review introduces the double-sided functions of tumor-secreted proteins and describes the proposed underlying mechanism, which would possibly be based on cell competition.