bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assisted-Driven Design of Customized Maintenance Plans for Industrial Plants
Authors: Rodríguez-Padial Néstor , Marín Marta M. , Domingo Rosario
Published: July 2022

Current production systems that respond to market demands with high rates of production change and customization use complex systems. These systems are machines with a high capacity for communication, sensing and self-diagnosis, although they are susceptible to failures, breakdowns and a loss of reliability. The amount of data they provide as a productive system and, individually, as a machine can be treated to improve customized maintenance plans. The objective of this work, with an operational scope, is to collect and exploit the knowledge acquired in the industrial plant on failures and breakdowns based on its historical data. The acquisition of the aforementioned data is channeled through the human intellectual capital of the work groups formed for this purpose. Once this knowledge is acquired and available in a worksheet format according to the Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) methodology, it is implemented using Case-Based Reasoning algorithms in a Java application developed for this purpose to carry out the process of RCM, accessing a base of similar cases that can be adapted. This operational definition allows for the control of the maintenance function of an industrial plant in the short term, with a weekly horizon, to design a maintenance plan adjusted to the reality of the plant in its current operating context, which may differ greatly from the originally projected plan or from any other plan caused by new production requirements. This new plan designed as such will apply changes to the equipment, which make up the production system, as a consequence of the adaptation to the changing market demand. As a result, a computer application has been designed, implemented and validated that allows, through the incorporation of RCM cases already successfully carried out on the productive system of the plant, for the development of a customized maintenance plan through an assistant, which, in a conductive way, guides the plant maintenance engineer through their design process, minimizing human error and design time and leveraging existing intellectual capital.
Analysis of Load-Settlement Curve Based on Load Transfer at Pile-Soil Interface
Authors: Ma Danan , Zhang Maohua , Shi Yijie , Zhu Wenbo
Published: July 2022

A field pile loading test was carried out on the Peshawar–Karachi Motorway (PKM) project in Pakistan to show the settling mechanism of bored pile foundation in pulverized soil and the force characteristics of frictional resistance at the pile-soil interface. The changes in pile lateral frictional resistance and pile settlement during the loading-unloading process of test piles were measured and analyzed, as well as the load-settlement distribution characteristics of test piles in different soil layers, the distribution of test pile internal forces, and the changes in pile-soil relative displacement. It was established that there was considerable deterioration of pile lateral frictional resistance and residual deformation of pile tip displacement throughout the test pile load-settlement process, and the association between the pile-soil interface frictional resistance and pile-soil relative displacement was addressed. The results reveal that the frictional resistance at the pile-soil interface is directly connected to the nature of the soil layer, with a positive connection between the natural density, specific gravity, compression deformation, and the plastic index under immediate load, and a negative correlation between the natural moisture content, compression coefficient, and settlement variations after unloading. The load-settlement of the pile rose in a non-linear proportion during the loading-unloading operation, with a maximum settlement value at the pile top of 8.14 mm and a residual deformation at the pile bottom of 1.94 mm. The frictional resistance of the pile perimeter was distributed non-linearly throughout the pile depth, and the frictional resistance of the pile-soil interface was severely deteriorated at an embedded depth of 15 m, with the degradation degree of the silty soil layer being significantly smaller than that of the silty clay soil. The relative pile-soil displacement was positively linked with the lateral frictional resistance of the pile under the same load, and the correlation coefficient in silty soil was much greater than that in sandy soil.
Comparative Assessment of Shear Demand for RC Beam-Column Joints under Earthquake Loading
Authors: Marchisella Angelo , Muciaccia Giovanni
Published: July 2022

This paper focuses on the evaluation of bi-axial shear demand for reinforced concrete (RC) beam–column joints assuming: (i) the SPEAR frame as a benchmark; and (ii) different structural analysis methods which share the same seismic input. A numerical model was implemented using lumped plasticity. The joints were modeled as rigid offsets of beams and columns. The shear demand at a joint is evaluated as a post-process of the beam’s nodal moment. The discussion focuses on the differences between the estimated shear demand considering modal-response-spectrum analysis (MRSA), non-linear static analysis (NLSA) and non-linear time history (NLTH). Strength assessment of joints is discussed as well. Significant strength differences were recognized by using different building codes targeted to existing structures which, in general, behaved on the safe side. The elliptical shear strength domain resulted in being conservative when compared to NLTH shear demand orbits. NLSA, using modal combination, proved to estimate the larger shear demand with respect to MRSA and NLTH.
Dynamic Reduction-Based Virtual Models for Digital Twins—A Comparative Study
Authors: Maulik Soumya , Riordan Daniel , Walsh Joseph
Published: July 2022

Digital models are the foundation of digital twins, which form the basis of autonomous off-road vehicles. Developing virtual models of off-road vehicles using dynamic reduction techniques is one of several approaches. The article commences with a comprehensive overview of the most widely used dynamic reduction methods and then introduces performance metrics for assessing their efficacies in the context of digital twins. The paper additionally includes a detailed mathematical derivation of the state-space representation for reduced-order finite element models. The state-space representation of the reduced finite element models facilitates their export to problem-solving environments for dynamic analysis. The state-space models are eventually solved utilizing the built-in libraries of numerical solvers in textual and graphical programming platforms. In addition, the article identifies the set of solvers that best suit the simulation of virtual models for off-road vehicles. This article also includes an evaluation of the simulation results for digital models with modes ranging from 0 to 30 Hz. In addition, the article demonstrates the lower bound of the frequency range necessary and sufficient to be retained in off-road vehicle virtual models. Finally, the paper presents the simulation outcomes for digital models of commercial off-road vehicles with custom-built virtual modules of powertrain, electrical, and control systems in a problem-solving environment.
Evaluating the Benefits of Collaborative VR Review for Maintenance Documentation and Risk Assessment
Authors: Heinonen Hanna , Burova Alisa , Siltanen Sanni , Lähteenmäki Jussi , Hakulinen Jaakko , Turunen Markku
Published: July 2022

Technical documentation creation is a collaborative process involving several departments in R&D. Even though virtual reality (VR) has been demonstrated to facilitate industrial collaboration and advance the product development lifecycle in earlier studies, it has not been utilized for technical documentation review and risk assessment processes in industrial companies. This article presents a case study where the benefits of VR to maintenance documentation reviews and risk assessments were studied. The virtual reality environment was tested by nine domain experts from an industrial company in a user study that replicated their actual real-life industrial collaboration tasks. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected during the study. Our findings show that collaborative VR has the potential to enhance the documentation review and risk assessment processes. Overall, the concept of using virtual reality for documentation review and risk assessment processes was rated positively by participants, and even though further development is needed for the review tools, VR was viewed as a concept that facilitates collaboration, enhances the current review practices, and increases spatial understanding. The benefits of VR are evident, especially for geographically scattered teams that rarely meet face-to-face or do not have access to the actual physical equipment. In cases where traditional means of communication are not enough, process improvements are needed for documentation review and risk assessment processes, and our proposed solution is VR.
The Protein-Rich Powdered Beverages Stabilized with Flax Seeds Gum—Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Properties of the Potentially Bioaccessible Fraction
Authors: Bochnak-Niedźwiecka Justyna , Szymanowska Urszula , Świeca Michał
Published: July 2022

The functional beverages market is one of the fastest-growing sectors of functional food production. An innovative recipe for powdered fruit and vegetable drinks fortified with lentil proteins (AGF) and stabilized with flax seed gums (FSG) was developed. The study focused on the analysis of potentially bioaccessible fractions from the produced beverages in terms of their antioxidant, antiproliferative activities and physicochemical properties. The contents of bioactive components were tailored by the incorporation of lyophilized fruits and vegetables, the FSG and the AGF. Digestion in vitro effectively released phenolics from all matrices. The highest contents of potentially bioavailable polyphenols were recorded for the AGF based beverages enriched with 5% of FSG and green-leafy vegetables (58 mg/100 mL) and those with lyophilized fruit (54 mg/100 mL). The reducing power of the beverages was mainly affected by the presence of the AGF, while the FSG and lyophilized fruit improved the chelating power. The digests applied in the concentrations mimicking physiological concentrations showed antiproliferative properties against gastric and colon adenocarcinoma—they seemed to be tailored by bioactive peptides and phenolics, respectively. The addition of the FSG improved the stability of the beverages increasing the time required for a reduction of 20% of the initial optical density by 16- and 28-times in the beverages without additives or enriched with vegetables. Both, the AGF and FSG stabilize the beverages after rehydration and are sources of bioaccessible antioxidant and anticancer components, which create their functionality.
Mechanical Behaviour and Failure Mode Analysis of Penetrated Mortise–Tenon Joint with Neighbouring Gaps Based on Full-Scale Experiments
Authors: Wang Juan , He Jun-Xiao , Yuan Yu-Jing , Yang Na
Published: July 2022

The penetrated mortise–tenon joint (PMT) connecting column and beam in traditional timber structures often has neighbouring gaps between connected structural members due to initial manufacture errors and damage accumulated over years. Influences of the neighbouring gaps on the mechanical properties of the PMT joint have been analysed based on a full-scale experimental study. Four typical gap values are determined according to the probability analysis of on-site survey results of a Chinese traditional timber structure. Four full-scale models of PMT joints with varied gap values have been established. Failure modes and deformation characteristics have been studied by quasi-static tests. Results show that the failure modes are the tearing of wood fiber along the grain at variable cross-sections. The loose penetrated mortise–tenon (LPMT) joints all have high deformability. The slip distance of tenon grows as the gap value increases. Limit angles of the loose joints lag with the increasing degree of loosening. The bending bearing capacity and rotational stiffness of LPMT joints decrease as the gap value increases, and the limitation value of the gap is analysed. The resisting capacities of LJ-2, LJ-3 and LJ-4 are much lower than that of LJ-1. The changing ratios are 18.5%, 55.4% and 70.4%, respectively. A three-parameter power function model of the mortise–tenon joint with consideration of the neighboring gap is presented. Research results provide important references on the condition assessments of the existing traditional timber structures.
Lung Cancer Diagnosis System Based on Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) Profile Measured in Exhaled Breath
Authors: Shaffie Ahmed , Soliman Ahmed , Eledkawy Amr , Fu Xiao-An , Nantz Michael H. , Giridharan Guruprasad , van Berkel Victor , El-Baz Ayman
Published: July 2022

Lung cancer is one of the world’s lethal diseases and detecting it at an early stage is crucial and difficult. This paper proposes a computer-aided lung cancer diagnosis system using volatile organic compounds (VOCs) data. A silicon microreactor, which consists of thousands of micropillars coated with an ammonium aminooxy salt, is used to capture the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the patients’ exhaled breath by means of oximation reactions. The proposed system ranks the features using the Pearson correlation coefficient and maximum relevance–minimum redundancy (mRMR) techniques. The selected features are fed to nine different classifiers to determine if the lung nodule is malignant or benign. The system is validated using a locally acquired dataset that has 504 patients’ data. The dataset is balanced and has 27 features of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Multiple experiments were completed, and the best accuracy result is 87%, which was achieved using random forest (RF) either by using all 27 features without selection or by using the first 17 features obtained using maximum relevance–minimum redundancy (mRMR) while using an 80–20 train-test split. The correlation coefficient, maximum relevance–minimum redundancy (mRMR), and random forest (RF) importance agreed that C4H8O (2-Butanone) ranks as the best feature. Using only C4H8O (2-Butanone) for training, the accuracy results using the support vector machine, logistic regression, bagging and neural network classifiers are 86%, which approaches the best result. This shows the potential for these volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to serve as a significant screening tests for the diagnosis of lung cancer.
Sentiment Analysis of Chinese E-Commerce Product Reviews Using ERNIE Word Embedding and Attention Mechanism
Authors: Huang Weidong , Lin Miao , Wang Yuan
Published: July 2022

The development of e-commerce has ushered in a golden age. E-commerce product reviews are remarks initiated by online shopping users to evaluate the quality and service of the products they purchase; these reviews help consumers learn the reality of the product. The sentiment polarity of e-commerce product reviews is the best way to obtain customer feedback on products. Therefore, sentiment analysis of product reviews on e-commerce platforms is greatly significant. However, the challenges of sentiment analysis of Chinese e-commerce product reviews lie in dimension mapping, disambiguation of sentiment words, and polysemy of Chinese words. To solve the above problems, this paper proposes a sentiment analysis model ERNIE-BiLSTM-Att (EBLA). Here, the dynamic word vector generated using the Enhanced Representation through Knowledge Integration (ERNIE) word embedding model is input into the Bidirectional Long Short-term Memory (BiLSTM) to extract text features. Then, the Attention Mechanism (Att) is used to optimize the weight of the hidden layer. Finally, softmax is used as the output layer for sentiment classification. The experimental results on the JD.com Chinese e-commerce product review dataset show that the proposed model achieves more than 0.87 in precision, recall, and F1 values, which is superior to classic deep learning models proposed by other researchers; it has strong practicability in sentiment analysis of Chinese e-commerce product reviews.
A Hybrid Firefly–JAYA Algorithm for the Optimal Power Flow Problem Considering Wind and Solar Power Generations
Authors: Alghamdi Ali S.
Published: July 2022

Optimal power flow (OPF) is widely used in power systems. This problem involves adjusting variables such as online capacity, generator output, power stability, and bus voltage to reduce production costs. This paper presents HFAJAYA, a combined evolution method using the Firefly and JAYA algorithms to solve the OPF problem effectively and efficiently. While considering renewable energy, including solar energy and wind energy systems, the problem is regarded as a single-objective and multi-objective function. It considers power losses, emissions, emissions taxes, the total cost of fuel, and voltage deviation as objective functions of the problem. I have successfully implemented all simulations with different scenarios on a standard 30-bus IEEE network. A comparison of the results obtained from the HFAJAYA simulation with results from other well-known works has been undertaken to confirm the efficiency of the recommended HFAJAYA method.
Position Control of a Mobile Robot through Deep Reinforcement Learning
Authors: Quiroga Francisco , Hermosilla Gabriel , Farias Gonzalo , Fabregas Ernesto , Montenegro Guelis
Published: July 2022

This article proposes the use of reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms to control the position of a simulated Kephera IV mobile robot in a virtual environment. The simulated environment uses the OpenAI Gym library in conjunction with CoppeliaSim, a 3D simulation platform, to perform the experiments and control the position of the robot. The RL agents used correspond to the deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG) and deep Q network (DQN), and their results are compared with two control algorithms called Villela and IPC. The results obtained from the experiments in environments with and without obstacles show that DDPG and DQN manage to learn and infer the best actions in the environment, allowing us to effectively perform the position control of different target points and obtain the best results based on different metrics and indices.
BIOPEP-UWM Virtual—A Novel Database of Food-Derived Peptides with In Silico-Predicted Biological Activity
Authors: Minkiewicz Piotr , Iwaniak Anna , Darewicz Małgorzata
Published: July 2022

The novel BIOPEP-UWM Virtual database is designed as a repository of peptide sequences whose bioactivity or taste information was the result of in silico predictions. It is a tool complementary to the existing BIOPEP-UWM database summarizing the results of experimental data on bioactive peptides. The layout and organization of the new database are identical to those of the existing BIOPEP-UWM database of bioactive peptides. The peptide data record includes the following information: name; sequence and function information (understood as information about the predicted target biomacromolecule); bibliographic data with the reference paper describing the peptide; additional information, including the peptide structure, annotated using chemical codes as well as the specification of the method used for bioactivity prediction; information about other activities discovered experimentally or predicted using computational methods; peptide taste (if available); and a database reference tab providing information about compound annotations in other databases (if available).
Ultraviolet Laser Sintering of Printed Nickel Oxide Nanoparticles for Thin-Film Thermistor via Aerosol Jet Printing Technology
Authors: Chang Yi-Tse , Hung Kuan-Yi , Chien Chih-Hsuan , Young Hong-Tsu , Hsiao Wen-Tse , Li Kuan-Ming
Published: July 2022

In this study, nickel oxide (NiO) thin films were printed by an aerosol jet printer, which is capable of fabricating thin films on the curve substrate via air stream. To approach high efficiency fabricating thin film thermistors in small batch sizes, the printed NiO nanoparticle thin films were sintered by using a 355 nm wavelength ultraviolet (UV) laser; this novel fabrication method reduced several steps of the conventional manufacturing process of the thermistor. Compared with furnace heat treatments of the NiO thermistor in previous studies, the UV laser sintering not only significantly improved the electrical properties but decreased the treatment time from an hour to a second. Since the resistance declined, the thermistor has been operated at an ambient temperature, which provides ready measurement. The resistance and morphology of the thin films were analyzed for evaluating the effect of the laser treatment. To identify the proper UV laser parameters, three laser parameters, including laser output energy, frequency, and scanning speed, were studied. Due to the laser-sintering parameters, namely, 2 W, 150 mm/s, 90 kHz, and a B value of 4683 K, the resistance has been reduced from 106.8 MΩ to 6.15 MΩ at 100 °C. The experiments exhibited a series of analyses for sintering states and defects of printed NiO nanoparticle thin film, which were sintered by UV laser. For NiO nanoparticles, UV laser has higher absorption energy than that of other wavelength lasers, when excess laser output was applied to the NiO thin film, cracks were observed on the surface. It was found that the crystal plane distances were not affected by recrystallization, but the cracks were based on the XRD analysis. Based on the analysis, there were obvious regional compressive stains before the appearance of cracks, and the uneven shrinking strains caused the cracks on the surface as energy irradiation increased.
Flexible Design of the Connecting Plate in Pneumatic Soft Manipulators
Authors: Dong Hui , Yang Lei , Li Jingyi , Sun Hao , Yao Ligang
Published: July 2022

This paper presents a novel connecting plate for achieving a flexible connection in a soft manipulator. The main material used in the connecting plate is silicone, which functions similarly to the bionic oblique muscle (BOM) of an octopus arm and takes over the two actuator segments. Each segment of the actuator consists of three chambers, and the chambers are assembled with the connecting plate via bolts and loops to be a manipulator. By using a flexible plate instead of a rigid one, the manipulator achieves more dexterous movements. This paper establishes a nonlinear model for analyzing the shear and compression deformation of a silicone connecting plate. Additionally, finite element method was used to analyze the mechanical performance of the connecting plate. The deformation of a soft material can reduce the stress concentration during movement of the manipulator. Therefore, in the experiment, the BOM exhibited better motion performance compared with the rigid connection plate.
Accurate Evaluation of Feature Contributions for Sentinel Lymph Node Status Classification in Breast Cancer
Authors: Lombardi Angela , Amoroso Nicola , Bellantuono Loredana , Bove Samantha , Comes Maria Colomba , Fanizzi Annarita , La Forgia Daniele , Lorusso Vito , Monaco Alfonso , Tangaro Sabina , Zito Francesco Alfredo , Bellotti Roberto , Massafra Raffaella
Published: July 2022

The current guidelines recommend the sentinel lymph node biopsy to evaluate the lymph node involvement for breast cancer patients with clinically negative lymph nodes on clinical or radiological examination. Machine learning (ML) models have significantly improved the prediction of lymph nodes status based on clinical features, thus avoiding expensive, time-consuming and invasive procedures. However, the classification of sentinel lymph node status represents a typical example of an unbalanced classification problem. In this work, we developed a ML framework to explore the effects of unbalanced populations on the performance and stability of feature ranking for sentinel lymph node status classification in breast cancer. Our results indicate state-of-the-art AUC (Area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve) values on a hold-out set (67%) while providing particularly stable features related to tumor size, histological subtype and estrogen receptor expression, which should therefore be considered as potential biomarkers.
Photoplethysmography-Based Pulse Rate Variability and Haemodynamic Changes in the Absence of Heart Rate Variability: An In-Vitro Study
Authors: Mejía-Mejía Elisa , Kyriacou Panicos A.
Published: July 2022

Pulse rate variability (PRV), measured from pulsatile signals such as the photoplethysmogram (PPG), has been largely used in recent years as a surrogate of heart rate variability (HRV), which is measured from electrocardiograms (ECG). However, different studies have shown that PRV does not always replicate HRV as there are multiple factors that could affect their relationship, such as respiration and pulse transit time. In this study, an in-vitro model was developed for the simulation of the upper-circulatory system, and PPG signals were acquired from it when haemodynamic changes were induced. PRV was obtained from these signals and time-domain, frequency-domain and non-linear indices were extracted. Factorial analyses were performed to understand the effects of changing blood pressure and flow on PRV indices in the absence of HRV. Results showed that PRV indices are affected by these haemodynamic changes and that these may explain some of the differences between HRV and PRV. Future studies should aim to replicate these results in healthy volunteers and patients, as well as to include the HRV information in the in-vitro model for a more profound understanding of these differences.
An Efficient UV-C Disinfection Approach and Biological Assessment Strategy for Microphones
Authors: Vignali Valentina , Hoff Tobi , de Vries-Idema Jacqueline J. , Huckriede Anke L. W. , van Dijl Jan Maarten , van Rijn Patrick
Published: July 2022

Hygiene is a basic necessity to prevent infections, and though it is regarded as vital in general, its importance has been stressed again during the pandemic. Microbes may spread through touch and aerosols and thereby find their way from host to host. Cleaning and disinfection of possibly contaminated surfaces prevents microbial spread, thus reducing potential illnesses. One item that is used by several people in a way that promotes close contact by touch and aerosol formation is the microphone. A microphone is a complex piece of equipment with respect to shape and various materials used to fabricate it and, hence, its disinfection is challenging. A new device has been developed to efficiently sterilize microphones by using UV-C and a biological assessment has been done to identify its efficacy and translatability. For this investigation, a contamination procedure was developed by using M13 bacteriophage as a model to illustrate the effectiveness of the disinfection. The susceptibility to UV-C irradiation of M13 in solution was compared to that of the PR8 H1N1 influenza virus, which has a similar UV-C susceptibility as SARS-CoV-2. It was found that 10 min of UV-C treatment reduced the percentage of infectious M13 by 99.3% based on whole microphone inoculation and disinfection. UV-C susceptibility of M13 and influenza in suspension were found to be very similar, indicating that the microphone sterilization method and device function are highly useful and broadly applicable.
Connectivity Alterations in Vascular Parkinsonism: A Structural Covariance Study
Authors: Novellino Fabiana , Salsone Maria , Riccelli Roberta , Chiriaco Carmelina , Argirò Giuseppe , Quattrone Andrea , Madrigal José L. M. , Ferini Strambi Luigi , Quattrone Aldo
Published: July 2022

This study aimed to investigate the structural covariance between the striatum and large-scale brain regions in patients with vascular parkinsonism (VP) compared to Parkinson’s disease (PD) and control subjects, and then explore the relationship between brain connectivity and the clinical features of our patients. Forty subjects (13 VP, 15 PD, and 12 age-and-sex-matched healthy controls) were enrolled in this study. They each underwent a careful clinical and neuropsychological evaluation, DAT-SPECT scintigraphy and 3T MRI scan. While there were no differences between PD and VP in the disease duration and severity, nor in terms of the DAT-SPECT evaluations, VP patients had a reduction in structural covariance between the bilateral corpus striatum (both putamen and caudate) and several brain regions, including the insula, thalamus, hippocampus, anterior cingulate cortex and orbito-frontal cortex compared to PD and controls. VP patients also showed lower scores on several neuropsychological tests. Interestingly, in the VP group, structural connectivity alterations were significantly related to cognitive evaluations exploring executive functions, memory, anxiety and depression. This compelling evidence suggests that structural disconnection in the basal ganglia circuits spreading in critical cortical regions may be involved in the pathophysiology of cognitive impairment in VP.
Characterization of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) Farming Intensities in Liberia
Authors: Hinneh Mandela Klon-Yan , Liti Mbeva D. , Matolla Geraldine
Published: July 2022

Fish farming is a rapidly growing food sector in developing nations. Liberia is an example of a least developed country with a large population facing high poverty levels. This has led to the adoption of aquaculture as one of the most important strategies for solving malnutrition and food security problems. However, since the introduction of fish farming, fish yields have been persistently low. To address the shortcomings in fish yields in Liberia, a study was conducted to provide information on fish farming intensities, types, and quality of feeds used by farmers in the culture of O. niloticus in Bong, Lofa, Nimba, and Grande Gedeh counties. Using stratified purposive sampling, 120 farmers were interviewed, and their fish feeds were sampled for proximate nutrient analyses. The results demonstrated that fish farming of O. niloticus in Liberia is mostly semi-extensive (81.6%), mainly practiced in paddy, barrage, and earthen ponds. On average, farmers produce 165.7 kg ha−1 of O. niloticus annually, translating to USD 414.25. Farmers use mixed feeding regimes, comprising farmer-made, kitchen waste, and blended commercial feeds. Farmers, on average, spend 43% of their operation cost on feeds, which makes it unsustainable to maintain semi-intensive systems. The main feed ingredients used by Liberian fish farmers are rice bran, wheat bran, corn, palm kernel, and fishmeal. Crude protein levels in feed ingredients are as follows: rice bran (3.7 ± 1.3%), wheat bran (16.4 ± 1.5%), corn (6.3 ± 1.1%), palm kernel cake (14.8 ± 1.4%), and fishmeal (63.8 ± 1.3%). Crude proteins were low in formulated feeds, ranging from 8–15% CP. From this study, poor yields and the slow growth of O. niloticus can be attributed to low-protein diets, rendering farming ventures unprofitable and unsustainable for resource-poor farmers in Liberia.
Graded Many-Valued Modal Logic and Its Graded Rough Truth
Authors: Li Jiansheng , Gong Zengtai
Published: July 2022

Much attention is focused on the relationship between rough sets and many-valued modal logic to deal with approximate reasoning. This paper discusses the graded modal logic and puts forward the graded many-valued modal logic G(S5). Secondly, by employing the graded operators that correspond to graded modal operations in G(S5), we introduce the concept of graded upper and lower rough truth degrees of a logical formula. Then, we propose the graded upper and lower conditional rough truth degrees. Several basic interesting properties are addressed. Finally, in order to make a distinction between any two rough formulas in graded many-valued modal logic, the graded upper and lower rough similarity degrees between two graded modal formulas are established in a very natural way.
Highly Flexible Stencil Printed Alkaline Ag2O-Zn Battery for Wearable Electronics
Authors: Kota Akash , Kum Lenin W. , Vallurupalli Kavya , Gogia Ashish , Neidhard-Doll Amy T. , Chodavarapu Vamsy P.
Published: July 2022

Flexible power sources such as batteries are essential to realize wearable and conformable electronic devices. The mechanical stability of the electrodes plays an important role in determining the overall flexibility of the battery. Styrene block copolymers-based elastomers have the potential to be used as binder materials in the electrodes for retaining their structural integrity under flexing during regular use. In this work, we demonstrate a stencil-printed flexible primary Ag2O-Zn battery on a nonconductive nylon mesh substrate that uses styrene-butadiene rubber as the anodic binder. A polyacrylic acid-based alkaline polymer gel is used as an electrolyte. The flexible alkaline battery achieved discharge capacities of 2.5 mAh and 1.6 mAh without and with a bend radius of 0.8 cm, respectively, under a constant current load condition of 0.1 mA.
Analysis of the Destructive Effect of the Halyomorpha halys Saliva on Tomato by Computer Tomographical Imaging and Antioxidant Capacity Measurement
Authors: Keszthelyi Sándor , Gibicsár Szilvia , Jócsák Ildikó , Fajtai Dániel , Donkó Tamás
Published: July 2022

Qualitative and quantitative parameters of tomatoes are impaired by Halyomorpha halys Stål (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), which cause severe economic losses worldwide. Our aims were to assess H. halys-induced tissue damage in tomatoes via computer tomography and to confirm the results of imaging obtained by analytical methods. Our examination confirmed the intensification of the change in the inner structure of damaged tomatoes as a function of time. The tendency of this destruction triggered by bug saliva grew exponentially from the exocarp layer to the inner placenta. The destruction of the plant tissue was aggravated by an increase in the number of bugs, as it was unequivocally evinced by the shell thickness assays. The results of the assessment of the antioxidant capacity of tomato mesocarp showed a distinct decrease in the antioxidant capacity of the samples obtained from H. halys-infested tomatoes. This indicates that the ferric-reducing antioxidant power value was related to the degradation processes of the mesocarp tissue in tomato fruit caused by the watery saliva released by H. halys. The presented experimental method can be suitable for the qualitative control of the vegetable items intended for trade, which can help for the isolation of tomatoes damaged by bugs immediately after harvest.
Infection Rate of Respiratory Viruses in the Pandemic SARS-CoV-2 Period Considering Symptomatic Patients: Two Years of Ongoing Observations
Authors: Costanza Gaetana , Paba Pierpaolo , Ciotti Marco , Ombres Domenico , Di Carlo Stefano , Marcuccilli Fabbio , Bertoli Ada , Di Traglia Loide , Mozzani Marcello , Piredda Lucia , Petrone Vita , Fanelli Marialaura , Paganelli Carla , Cortese Barbara , Balestrieri Emanuela , Bernardini Sergio , Andreoni Massimo , Matteucci Claudia , Minutolo Antonella , Grelli Sandro
Published: July 2022

Background: In the last two years, the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has determined radical changes in human behaviors and lifestyles, with a drastic reduction in socialization due to physical distancing and self-isolation. These changes have also been reflected in the epidemiological patterns of common respiratory viruses. For this reason, early discrimination of respiratory viruses is important as new variants emerge. Methods: Nasopharyngeal swabs of 2554 patients, with clinically suspected Acute Respiratory Infections (ARIs) from October 2019 to November 2021, were collected to detect 1 or more of the 23 common respiratory pathogens, especially viruses, via BioFilmArray RP2.1plus, including SARS-CoV-2. Demographical characteristics and epidemiological analyses were performed as well as a laboratory features profile of positive patients. Results: An observational study on 2300 patients (254 patients were excluded because of missing data) including 1560 men and 760 women, median age of 64.5 years, was carried out. Considering the respiratory virus research request, most of the patients were admitted to the Emergency Medicine Department (41.2%, of patients), whereas 29.5% were admitted to the Infectious Diseases Department. The most frequently detected pathogens included SARS-CoV-2 (31.06%, 707/2300, from March 2020 to November 2021), InfA-B (1.86%, 43/2300), HCoV (2.17% 50/2300), and HSRV (1.65%, 38/2300). Interestingly, coinfection rates decreased dramatically in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic period. The significative decrease in positive rate of SARS-CoV-2 was associated with the massive vaccination. Conclusion: This study represents a dynamic picture of the epidemiological curve of common respiratory viruses during the two years of pandemic, with a disregarded trend for additional viruses. Our results showed that SARS-CoV-2 had a preferential tropism for the respiratory tract without co-existing with other viruses. The possible causes were attributable either to the use of masks, social isolation, or to specific respiratory receptors mostly available for this virus, external and internal lifestyle factors, vaccination campaigns, and emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Concurrent Change in Serum Cholinesterase Activity and Midregional-Proadrennomedullin Level Could Predict Patient Outcome following Liver Transplantation
Authors: Decker Sebastian O. , Krüger Albert , Wilk Henryk , Uhle Florian , Bruckner Thomas , Hofer Stefan , Weigand Markus A. , Brenner Thorsten , Zivkovic Aleksandar R.
Published: July 2022

Background: After liver transplantation (LTX), patients are susceptible to opportunistic infections resulting in reduced outcomes within the early post-transplantation period. The postoperative monitoring of LTX patients has gained much importance in recent years. However, reliable plasmatic markers predicting 90-day outcomes are still lacking. Methods: In the post hoc analysis of a prospective, observational study, butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), mid-regional proadrenomedullin (MR-proADM), as well as conventional inflammatory markers (procalcitonin, C-reactive protein) were evaluated in 93 patients at seven consecutive timepoints within the first 28 days following LTX. Results: Persistently reduced activity of BChE and elevated MR-proADM levels indicated reduced 90-day survival following LTX. Furthermore, reduced BChE and increased MR-proADM activity could indicate early post-transplantation bacterial infections, whereas conventional inflammatory biomarkers showed no diagnostic efficacy within the observation period. Conclusion: Concurrent assessment of BChE and MR-proADM activity might serve as a bedside diagnostic tool for early bacterial infections following liver transplantation. Thus, a combined utilization of the two biomarkers may be a useful tool in the risk evaluation of patients following liver transplantation.
Development of a Multi-Enzymatic Approach for the Modification of Biopolymers with Ferulic Acid
Authors: Giannakopoulou Archontoula , Tsapara Georgia , Troganis Anastassios N. , Koralli Panagiota , Chochos Christos L. , Polydera Angeliki C. , Katapodis Petros , Barkoula Nektaria-Marianthi , Stamatis Haralambos
Published: July 2022

A series of polymers, including chitosan (CS), carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and a chitosan–gelatin (CS–GEL) hybrid polymer, were functionalized with ferulic acid (FA) derived from the enzymatic treatment of arabinoxylan through the synergistic action of two enzymes, namely, xylanase and feruloyl esterase. Subsequently, the ferulic acid served as the substrate for laccase from Agaricus bisporus (AbL) in order to enzymatically functionalize the above-mentioned polymers. The successful grafting of the oxidized ferulic acid products onto the different polymers was confirmed through ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, attenuated total reflectance (ATR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Additionally, an enhancement of the antioxidant properties of the functionalized polymers was observed according to the DDPH and ABTS protocols. Finally, the modified polymers exhibited strong antimicrobial activity against bacterial populations of Escherichia coli BL21DE3 strain, suggesting their potential application in pharmaceutical, cosmeceutical and food industries.
Programmable Polyproteams of Tyrosine Ammonia Lyases as Cross-Linked Enzymes for Synthesizing p-Coumaric Acid
Authors: Jia Mingyu , Luo Zhiyuan , Chen Haomin , Ma Bianqin , Qiao Li , Xiao Qinjie , Zhang Pengfei , Wang Anming
Published: July 2022

Ideal immobilization with enhanced biocatalyst activity and thermostability enables natural enzymes to serve as a powerful tool to yield synthetically useful chemicals in industry. Such an enzymatic method strategy becomes easier and more convenient with the use of genetic and protein engineering. Here, we developed a covalent programmable polyproteam of tyrosine ammonia lyases (TAL-CLEs) by fusing SpyTag and SpyCatcher peptides into the N-terminal and C-terminal of the TAL, respectively. The resulting circular enzymes were clear after the spontaneous isopeptide bonds formed between the SpyTag and SpyCatcher. Furthermore, the catalytic performance of the TAL-CLEs was measured via a synthesis sample of p-Coumaric acid. Our TAL-CLEs showed excellent catalytic efficiency, with 98.31 ± 1.14% yield of the target product—which is 4.15 ± 0.08 times higher than that of traditional glutaraldehyde-mediated enzyme aggregates. They also showed over four times as much enzyme-activity as wild-type TAL does and demonstrated good reusability, and so may become a good candidate for industrial enzymes.
Fifty Years of the Fluid–Mosaic Model of Biomembrane Structure and Organization and Its Importance in Biomedicine with Particular Emphasis on Membrane Lipid Replacement
Authors: Nicolson Garth L. , Ferreira de Mattos Gonzalo
Published: July 2022

The Fluid–Mosaic Model has been the accepted general or basic model for biomembrane structure and organization for the last 50 years. In order to establish a basic model for biomembranes, some general principles had to be established, such as thermodynamic assumptions, various molecular interactions, component dynamics, macromolecular organization and other features. Previous researchers placed most membrane proteins on the exterior and interior surfaces of lipid bilayers to form trimolecular structures or as lipoprotein units arranged as modular sheets. Such membrane models were structurally and thermodynamically unsound and did not allow independent lipid and protein lateral movements. The Fluid–Mosaic Membrane Model was the only model that accounted for these and other characteristics, such as membrane asymmetry, variable lateral movements of membrane components, cis- and transmembrane linkages and dynamic associations of membrane components into multimolecular complexes. The original version of the Fluid–Mosaic Membrane Model was never proposed as the ultimate molecular description of all biomembranes, but it did provide a basic framework for nanometer-scale biomembrane organization and dynamics. Because this model was based on available 1960s-era data, it could not explain all of the properties of various biomembranes discovered in subsequent years. However, the fundamental organizational and dynamic aspects of this model remain relevant to this day. After the first generation of this model was published, additional data on various structures associated with membranes were included, resulting in the addition of membrane-associated cytoskeletal, extracellular matrix and other structures, specialized lipid–lipid and lipid–protein domains, and other configurations that can affect membrane dynamics. The presence of such specialized membrane domains has significantly reduced the extent of the fluid lipid membrane matrix as first proposed, and biomembranes are now considered to be less fluid and more mosaic with some fluid areas, rather than a fluid matrix with predominantly mobile components. However, the fluid–lipid matrix regions remain very important in biomembranes, especially those involved in the binding and release of membrane lipid vesicles and the uptake of various nutrients. Membrane phospholipids can associate spontaneously to form lipid structures and vesicles that can fuse with various cellular membranes to transport lipids and other nutrients into cells and organelles and expel damaged lipids and toxic hydrophobic molecules from cells and tissues. This process and the clinical use of membrane phospholipid supplements has important implications for chronic illnesses and the support of healthy mitochondria, plasma membranes and other cellular membrane structures.
Fibrinogen, Fibrinogen-like 1 and Fibrinogen-like 2 Proteins, and Their Effects
Authors: Sulimai Nurul H. , Brown Jason , Lominadze David
Published: July 2022

Fibrinogen (Fg) and its derivatives play a considerable role in many diseases. For example, increased levels of Fg have been found in many inflammatory diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and cancer. Although associations of Fg, Fg chains, and its derivatives with various diseases have been established, their specific effects and the mechanisms of actions involved are still unclear. The present review is the first attempt to discuss the role of Fg, Fg chains, its derivatives, and other members of Fg family proteins, such as Fg-like protein 1 and 2, in inflammatory diseases and their effects in immunomodulation.
Effects of Lipid Lowering Therapy Optimization by PCSK9 Inhibitors on Circulating CD34+ Cells and Pulse Wave Velocity in Familial Hypercholesterolemia Subjects without Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease: Real-World Data from Two Lipid Units
Authors: Scicali Roberto , Mandraffino Giuseppe , Scuruchi Michele , Lo Gullo Alberto , Di Pino Antonino , Ferrara Viviana , Morace Carmela , Aragona Caterina Oriana , Squadrito Giovanni , Purrello Francesco , Piro Salvatore
Published: July 2022

Background: Circulating CD34+ progenitor cells (CD34+CPCs) are characterized by pronounced tissue regeneration activity. Dyslipidemic subjects seemed to have reduced CD34+CPCs, and statin therapy appeared to restore their levels. We aimed to evaluate the effects of PCSK9 inhibitors (PCSK9-i) on CD34+CPCs and pulse wave velocity (PWV) in a cohort of heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) subjects. Methods: We determined CD34+ cell count and its change after PCSK9-i in 30 selected HeFH subjects and 30 healthy controls. Lipid profile and PWV were evaluated at baseline (T0), 6 months after intensive lipid lowering strategy (statin plus ezetimibe, T1), and after 6 months of optimized therapy with PCSK9-i (T2); CD34+ cell count was reported at T1 and T2. Results: At T1, the median value of CD34+ cells was not significantly different between HeFH subjects and controls, and the same result was obtained at T2. PWV was significantly reduced at T1 (ΔPWV − 14.8%, p < 0.001 vs. T0) and T2 (ΔPWV − 10.96%, p < 0.001 vs. T1). Dividing HeFH subjects into two groups of high- and low-CD34+ cell count, CD34+CPCs appeared to be polarized with a significant difference between the two groups (1.2 (0.46) vs. 4.74 (1.92), p < 0.001), also with respect to controls (both p < 0.001). This polarization was no longer observed at T2, and neither with respect to controls. ΔCD34+ was +67.4% in the low-CD34+ group and −39.24% in the high-CD34+ group (p < 0.001). Lastly, we found a significant correlation between ΔCD34+ cell number and ΔPWV in HeFH subjects (rho = −0.365, p < 0.05), particularly in the low-CD34+ group (rho = −0.681, p < 0.001). Conclusion: PCSK9-i exhibited favorable effects on CD34 + CPCs as was on PWV values in a cohort of FH subjects. Our preliminary findings suggest a possible positive role of this novel lipid-lowering strategy on vascular homeostasis.