bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diversity, Abundance and Impact of Insect Visitors in Litchi chinensis Production
Authors: Kumari Pooja , Rana Shagun , Bhargava Bhavya , Reddy S. G. Eswara
Published: January 2023

Litchi chinensis is the “queen of fruits”, and pollination is an essential requirement for fruit set and production. The present study was conducted in litchi orchards to study the diversity/abundance of insect visitors, the impact of pollination on quantitative parameters, and different modes of pollination. The results showed that 75 insect species during flowering were reported including Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera, and Coleoptera. In natural pollination, the abundance of insect visitors of Hymenoptera was more during morning and evening (50.25% and 44.89%, respectively) compared to Lepidoptera (21.83 and 26.67%) and Diptera (24.37 and 23.33%). Similarly, natural pollination with one Apis mellifera colony also showed higher abundance of insect visitors of Hymenoptera during morning and evening (50.15 and 57.31%, respectively) as compared to Lepidoptera and Diptera. The Dipteran insect visitors under natural pollination showed significant positive correlation with temperature, wind speed and UV. The fruit/seed size, peel weight, juice pH, pulp weight, moisture, and total soluble solids were higher in natural pollination with A. mellifera. The percentage of fruit set and fruit weight (g) was significantly higher in natural pollination with A. mellifera (23.24 ± 1.40% and 1.60 ± 0.11 g, respectively). There was no fruit set observed in bagged panicles with nylon mesh.
Agrivoltaics: The Environmental Impacts of Combining Food Crop Cultivation and Solar Energy Generation
Authors: Wagner Moritz , Lask Jan , Kiesel Andreas , Lewandowski Iris , Weselek Axel , Högy Petra , Trommsdorff Max , Schnaiker Marc-André , Bauerle Andrea
Published: January 2023

The demand for food and renewable energy is increasing significantly, whereas the availability of land for agricultural use is declining. Agrivoltaic systems (AVS), which combine agricultural production with solar energy generation on the same area, are a promising opportunity with the potential to satisfy this demand while avoiding land-use conflicts. In the current study, a Consequential Life-Cycle Assessment (CLCA) was conducted to holistically assess the environmental consequences arising from a shift from single-use agriculture to AVS in Germany. The results of the study show that the environmental consequences of the installation of overhead AVS on agricultural land are positive and reduce the impacts in 15 of the 16 analysed impact categories especially for climate change, eutrophication and fossil resource use, as well as in the single score assessment, mainly due to the substitution of the marginal energy mix. It was demonstrated that, under certain conditions, AVS can contribute to the extension of renewable energy production resources without reducing food production resources. These include maintaining the agricultural yields underneath the photovoltaic (PV) modules, seeking synergies between solar energy generation and crop production and minimising the loss of good agricultural land.
Identification Method of Corn Leaf Disease Based on Improved Mobilenetv3 Model
Authors: Bi Chunguang , Xu Suzhen , Hu Nan , Zhang Shuo , Zhu Zhenyi , Yu Helong
Published: January 2023

Corn is one of the main food crops in China, and its area ranks in the top three in the world. However, the corn leaf disease has seriously affected the yield and quality of corn. To quickly and accurately identify corn leaf diseases, taking timely and effective treatment to reduce the loss of corn yield. We proposed identifying corn leaf diseases using the Mobilenetv3 (CD-Mobilenetv3) model. Based on the Mobilenetv3 model, we replaced the model’s cross-entropy loss function with a bias loss function to improve accuracy. Replaced the model’s squeeze and excitation (SE) module with the efficient channel attention (ECA) module to reduce parameters. Introduced the cross-layer connections between Mobile modules to utilize features synthetically. Then we Introduced the dilated convolutions in the model to increase the receptive field. We integrated a hybrid open-source corn leaf disease dataset (CLDD). The test results on CLDD showed the accuracy reached 98.23%, the precision reached 98.26%, the recall reached 98.26%, and the F1 score reached 98.26%. The test results are improved compared to the classic deep learning (DL) models ResNet50, ResNet101, ShuffleNet_x2, VGG16, SqueezeNet, InceptionNetv3, etc. The loss value was 0.0285, and the parameters were lower than most contrasting models. The experimental results verified the validity of the CD-Mobilenetv3 model in the identification of corn leaf diseases. It provides adequate technical support for the timely control of corn leaf diseases.
Diet Induced Variation in Gut Microbiota Is Linked to the Growth Performance of an Agricultural Pest Chilo suppressalis
Authors: Zhu Peipei , Mamdouh Beshoy , Magdy Mahmoud , Chen Jingnan , Ma Weihua , Xu Letian
Published: January 2023

Chilo suppressalis is a major global host-specific pest of rice and water oat crops, having caused severe yield damage and great economic loss. The pest occasionally feeds on other plants, preventing them from completing a full life cycle. Dietary differences may shape the gut microbiota of the pest and may further influence its performance. In order to test this hypothesis, an assembly of the gut bacterial community of C. suppressalis larvae reared on rice, water oat, corn, and an artificial diet were investigated using an amplicon-based next-generation sequencing approach. The larval body size and feeding rate on each diet type were analyzed in parallel. We found that the size and feeding rate of C. suppressalis varied among the different dietary regimes, as a low feeding rate was found for rice and corn diets, whereas rice-fed larvae had the biggest body size and corn-fed larvae had the lowest body size. Further high-throughput sequencing results showed that the artificial-diet-fed larvae had the lowest bacterial diversity among all the samples, and the corn-fed larvae presented the most diversified microbial community. Further analysis revealed that the bacterial genera Enterococcus, Sphingobacterium, Klebsiella, Gluconobacter, Serratia, and Lactococcus possessed high abundance in C. suppressalis larvae, and the varied abundances contributed to the differences in community structure. The microbial function classification suggested that metabolic function categories significantly increased while the larvae were feeding on their preferred diet (rice and water oat) and decreased when on an artificial diet. This study expands our understanding of the microbe–insect interaction of C. suppressalis larvae in response to changes in diet, and is an essential step towards the future development of potential microbial-based pest management strategies.
Influence of Hermetia illucens Larvae Meal Dietary Inclusion on Growth Performance, Gut Histological Traits and Stress Parameters in Sparus aurata
Authors: Di Rosa Ambra Rita , Caccamo Letteria , Pansera Lidia , Oteri Marianna , Chiofalo Biagina , Maricchiolo Giulia
Published: January 2023

This study provided new data and knowledge on the potential use of Hermetia illucens meal (HIM) as a new sustainable ingredient for Sparus aurata diet. The effect of HIM dietary inclusion on fish growth performance, stress indicators and gut histology was studied. For 131 days, 312 fish were fed a basal diet containing fishmeal as animal protein source, and three diets containing 25%, 35% and 50% HIM as a partial replacement for fishmeal. The main findings indicated that fishmeal can be replaced by HIM up to 110 g/kg of substitution (35% of inclusion in diet) without negative effects on growth performance, stress parameters or histological traits of the posterior gut tract, and with positive effects (p < 0.05) on the histological and morphometric characteristics of the anterior gut tract. At the same time, the results showed that the effect of Hermetia illucens meal at 50% inclusion level caused morphometric and histopathological alterations in the anterior gut tract of seabream. In conclusion, this preliminary study suggested that the dietary inclusion level of HIM35 was the most tolerated by fish showing the best gut morphometric parameters and histological conditions, with fewer signs of inflammation, as well as good nutritional and health status.
Characterization of Active MMP9 in Chronic Inflammatory Diseases Using a Novel Anti-MMP9 Antibody
Authors: Velasquez Maile , O’Sullivan Chris , Brockett Robert , Mikels-Vigdal Amanda , Mikaelian Igor , Smith Victoria , Greenstein Andrew E.
Published: January 2023

Matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9), a protease implicated in multiple diseases, is secreted as an inactive zymogen and requires proteolytic removal of the pro-domain for activation. The relative levels and functionality of the pro- and active-MMP9 isoforms in tissues are not characterized. We generated a specific antibody that distinguishes an active form of MMP9, F107-MMP9, from the inactive pro-MMP9 isoform. Using multiple in vitro assays and specimen types, we show that F107-MMP9 expression is localized and disease-specific compared with its more abundant parental pro-form. It is detected around sites of active tissue remodeling, including fistulae of inflammatory bowel and dermal fissures in hidradenitis suppurativa, and is expressed by myeloid cells, including macrophages and neutrophils. Together, our findings provide insights into the distribution and potential role of MMP9 in inflammatory diseases.
Green Synthesis of Characterized Silver Nanoparticle Using Cullen tomentosum and Assessment of Its Antibacterial Activity
Authors: Asong John Awungnjia , Frimpong Ebenezer Kwabena , Seepe Hlabana Alfred , Katata-Seru Lebogang , Amoo Stephen Oluwaseun , Aremu Adeyemi Oladapo
Published: January 2023

Plants serve as an important source of medicine and provide suitable candidate compounds to produce eco-friendly therapeutic agents. They also represent a source of bio-reducer and stabilizer for the development of nanoparticles for downstream applications. This study focused on the green synthesis of silver nanoparticle (CTAgNP) using Cullen tomentosum (Thunb.) J.W. Grimes acetone extract and the evaluation of the antibacterial activity of the plant extract and biogenic nanoparticles against two Gram-positive bacteria strains, namely Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus. In addition, the phytochemical profile of C. tomentosum was established using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The antibacterial effect of the extract and CTAgNP was moderate based on the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values obtained. The MIC values of 2.6 mg/mL and 3.1 mg/mL were recorded for C. tomentosum extract against B. cereus and S. aureus, respectively. On the other hand, the CTAgNP had MIC values of 1.5 mg/mL and 2.6 mg/mL against B. cereus and S. aureus, respectively. The nanoparticle exhibited surface charge of −37 ± 7.67 mV and average hydro-dynamic size of 145 nm. X-ray diffraction illustrates that metallic nanoparticles were formed and had a face-centered cubic structure. Microscopic and spectroscopic techniques revealed that the CTAgNP was covered by a protective shell layer constituted of organic compounds originating from the plant extract. The acetone extract of C. tomentosum could be useful to the bio-pharma industries in the large-scale manufacture of nanoparticle-based medications to fight against microbes that constitute a threat to the survival of humanity.
Disodium Fumarate Alleviates Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress, Mitochondrial Damage, and Oxidative Stress Induced by the High-Concentrate Diet in the Mammary Gland Tissue of Hu Sheep
Authors: Meng Meijuan , Zhao Xu , Huo Ran , Li Xuerui , Chang Guangjun , Shen Xiangzhen
Published: January 2023

The long-term feeding of the high-concentrate diet (HC) reduced rumen pH and induced subacute rumen acidosis (SARA), leading to mammary gland tissue damage among ruminants. Disodium fumarate enhanced rumen bufferation and alleviated a decrease in rumen pH induced by the HC diet. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether disodium fumarate could alleviate endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, mitochondrial damage, and oxidative stress induced by the high-concentrate diet in the mammary gland tissue of Hu sheep. In this study, 18 Hu sheep in mid-lactation were randomly divided into three groups: one fed with a low-concentrate diet (LC) diet, one fed with a HC diet, and one fed with a HC diet with disodium fumarate (AHC). Each sheep was given an additional 10 g of disodium fumarate/day. The experiment lasted for eight weeks. After the experiment, rumen fluid, blood, and mammary gland tissue were collected. The results show that, compared with the LC diet, the HC diet could reduce rumen pH, and the pH below 5.6 was more than 3 h, and the LPS content of blood and rumen fluid in HC the diet was significantly higher than in the LC diet. This indicates that the HC diet induced SARA in Hu sheep. However, the supplementation of disodium fumarate in the HC diet increased the rumen pH and decreased the content of LPS in blood and rumen fluid. Compared with the LC diet, the HC diet increased Ca2+ content in mammary gland tissue. However, the AHC diet decreased Ca2+ content. The HC diet induced ER stress in mammary gland tissue by increasing the mRNA and protein expressions of GRP78, CHOP, PERK, ATF6, and IRE1α. The HC diet also activated the IP3R-VDAC1-MCU channel and lead to mitochondrial damage by inhibiting mitochondrial fusion and promoting mitochondrial division, while disodium fumarate could alleviate these changes. In addition, disodium fumarate alleviated oxidative stress induced by the HC diet by activating Nrf2 signaling and reducing ROS production in mammary gland tissue. In conclusion, the supplementation of disodium fumarate at a daily dose of 10 g/sheep enhanced rumen bufferation by maintaining the ruminal pH above 6 and reduced LPS concentration in ruminal fluid and blood. This reaction avoided the negative effect observed by non-supplemented sheep that were fed with a high-concentrate diet involving endoplasmic reticulum stress, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial damage in the mammary gland tissue of Hu sheep.
IGF-1 Controls Metabolic Homeostasis and Survival in HEI-OC1 Auditory Cells through AKT and mTOR Signaling
Authors: García-Mato Ángela , Cervantes Blanca , Rodríguez-de la Rosa Lourdes , Varela-Nieto Isabel
Published: January 2023

Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is a trophic factor for the nervous system where it exerts pleiotropic effects, including the regulation of metabolic homeostasis. IGF-1 deficiency induces morphological alterations in the cochlea, apoptosis and hearing loss. While multiple studies have addressed the role of IGF-1 in hearing protection, its potential function in the modulation of otic metabolism remains unclear. Here, we report that “House Ear Institute-organ of Corti 1” (HEI-OC1) auditory cells express IGF-system genes that are regulated during their differentiation. Upon binding to its high-affinity receptor IGF1R, IGF-1 activates AKT and mTOR signaling to stimulate anabolism and, concomitantly, to reduce autophagic catabolism in HEI-OC1 progenitor cells. Notably, IGF-1 stimulation during HEI-OC1 differentiation to mature otic cells sustained both constructive metabolism and autophagic flux, possibly to favor cell remodeling. IGF1R engagement and downstream AKT signaling promoted HEI-OC1 cell survival by maintaining redox balance, even when cells were challenged with the ototoxic agent cisplatin. Our findings establish that IGF-1 not only serves an important function in otic metabolic homeostasis but also activates antioxidant defense mechanisms to promote hair cell survival during the stress response to insults.
Combining Human Parsing with Analytical Feature Extraction and Ranking Schemes for High-Generalization Person Reidentification
Authors: Gabdullin Nikita
Published: January 2023

Person reidentification (re-ID) has been receiving increasing attention in recent years due to its importance for both science and society. Machine learning (particularly Deep Learning (DL)) has become the main re-ID tool that has allowed to achieve unprecedented accuracy levels on benchmark datasets. However, there is a known problem of poor generalization in respect of DL models. That is, models that are trained to achieve high accuracy on one dataset perform poorly on other ones and require re-training. In order to address this issue, we present a model without trainable parameters. This, in turn, results in a great potential for high generalization. This approach combines a fully analytical feature extraction and similarity ranking scheme with DL-based human parsing wherein human parsing is used to obtain the initial subregion classification. We show that such combination, to a high extent, eliminates the drawbacks of existing analytical methods. In addition, we use interpretable color and texture features that have human-readable similarity measures associated with them. In order to verify the proposed method we conduct experiments on Market1501 and CUHK03 datasets, thus achieving a competitive rank-1 accuracy comparable with that of DL models. Most importantly, we show that our method achieves 63.9% and 93.5% rank-1 cross-domain accuracy when applied to transfer learning tasks, while also being completely re-ID dataset agnostic. We also achieve a cross-domain mean average precision (mAP) that is higher than that of DL models in some experiments. Finally, we discuss the potential ways of adding new features to further improve the model. We also show the advantages of interpretable features for the purposes of constructing human-generated queries from verbal descriptions in order to conduct searches without a query image.
Sliding-Mode Active Disturbance Rejection Control for Electromagnetic Driven Compliant Micro-Positioning Platform
Authors: Zhang Aihua , Song Jiqiang , Lai Leijie
Published: January 2023

At the field of nanometer positioning and machining, high-precision tracking is a key technology of the micro-positioning platform which is driven by a voice coil motor. To improve the tracking accuracy and response speed, the sliding-mode active disturbance rejection control is proposed. The mathematical model of the micro-positioning platform control system is established, in which the perturbation and spring-damping force are set as the unknown terms, and an extended state observer is used to estimate and compensate for the unknown terms. To improve the robustness of the system, the equivalent sliding-mode term is constructed to replace the PD control term in the conventional active disturbance rejection. Further, the stability of the system is proved by the Lyapunov stability theory, and compared with the conventional sliding-mode controller, the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy is verified by simulation.
Simulation of Elastic Wave Propagation Based on Meshless Generalized Finite Difference Method with Uniform Random Nodes and Damping Boundary Condition
Authors: Liu Siqin , Zhou Zhusheng , Zeng Weizu
Published: January 2023

When the grid-based finite difference (FD) method is used for elastic wavefield forward modeling, it is inevitable that the grid divisions will be inconsistent with the actual velocity interface, resulting in problems related to the stepped grid diffraction and inaccurate travel time of reflected waves. The generalized finite difference method (GFDM), which is based on the Taylor series expansion and weighted least square fitting, solves these problems. The partial derivative of the unknown parameters in the differential equation is represented by the linear combination of the function values of adjacent nodes. In this study, the Poisson disk node generation algorithm and the centroid Voronoi node adjustment algorithm were combined to obtain an even and random node distribution. The generated nodes fit the internal boundary more accurately for model discretization, without the presence of diffracted waves caused by the stepped grid. To avoid the instability caused by the introduction of boundary conditions, a Cerjan damping boundary condition was proposed for boundary reflection processing. The test results generated by the different models showed that the generalized finite difference method can effectively solve the problems related to inaccurate travel time of reflection waves and stepped grid diffraction.
Research on the Structure of an Underground Irrigation Composite Pipe-Forming Device
Authors: Yang Jie , Guan Yang , Gu Dongdong , Zhang Yuzhong , Zhang Zheng , Shi Jinfa
Published: January 2023

In order to promote the comprehensive utilization of corn straw and the development of field water-saving irrigation technologies, a kind of underground irrigation composite pipe-forming device mixed with soil extrusion molding was designed. The key extrusion-forming components affecting the forming rate of composite pipe were optimized by taking the diameter of the winch blade, the shaft diameter of the winch, and the winch pitch as variables and the forming rate and the output power of the winch shaft as test indices. The best structural parameters of the extrusion-forming components were obtained by using the weight normalization method; the diameter of the winch blade was 430 mm, the shaft diameter of the winch was 86 mm, the winch pitch was 387 mm, the forming rate was 1.37 kg/s, and the forming rate of the composite pipe was increased by 41%. Field tests were conducted to verify the simulation test results, and the relative error between the forming rate of composite pipe and the simulation test value was 5.88%, which verified the reliability of the simulation test. The average density of the extruded composite tube was 1.92 g/cm3, meeting the requirements for composite tube formation.
Denoising Method for Seismic Co-Band Noise Based on a U-Net Network Combined with a Residual Dense Block
Authors: Cai Jianxian , Wang Li , Zheng Jiangshan , Duan Zhijun , Li Ling , Chen Ning
Published: January 2023

To address the problem of waveform distortion in the existing seismic signal denoising method when removing co-band noise, further improving the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of seismic signals and enhancing their quality, this paper designs a seismic co-band denoising model Atrous Residual Dense Block U-Net (ARDU), which uses a U-shaped convolutional neural network (U-Net) as a basic framework and combines atrous convolution and the residual dense block (RDB). In the ARDU model, atrous convolution is connected with residual dense blocks to form the feature extraction unit of the model encoder. Among them, the residual dense blocks can deepen the network’s depth and enhance the feature extraction ability of the network on the premise of mitigating the gradient-vanishing and gradient-exploding problem. Atrous convolution can enlarge receptive fields, reduce waveform distortion, and protect effective signals without increasing network parameters. To test the denoising performance of the ARDU model, the Stanford Global Seismic dataset was used to construct a training set and a test set and the model was trained and tested on it. The experimental results of the ARDU model for different types of seismic co-band noise showed that this model can effectively remove seismic co-band noise, protect effective signals, improve the SNR of seismic signals, and enhance the quality of seismic signals. To further verify the denoising effect of the model, this model was compared with the wavelet threshold denoising U-Net model and the denoising residual dense block (DnRDB) model, and the results showed that the ARDU model has the best SNR, r (correlation coefficient), and root-mean-square error (RMSE) and the least distortion of the seismic signal waveform.
A Study on Pine Larva Detection System Using Swin Transformer and Cascade R-CNN Hybrid Model
Authors: Lee Sang-Hyun , Gao Gao
Published: January 2023

Pine trees are more vulnerable to diseases and pests than other trees, so prevention and management are necessary in advance. In this paper, two models of deep learning were mixed to quickly check whether or not to detect pine pests and to perform a comparative analysis with other models. In addition, to select a good performance model of artificial intelligence, a comparison of the recall values, such as Precision (AP), Intersection over Union (IoU) = 0.5, and AP (IoU), of four models including You Only Look Once (YOLOv5s)_Focus+C3, Cascade Region-Based Convolutional Neural Networks (Cascade R-CNN)_Residual Network 50, Faster Region-Based Convolutional Neural Networks, and Faster R-CNN_ResNet50 was performed, and in addition to the mixed model Swin Transformer_Cascade R-CNN proposed in this paper, they were evaluated. As a result of this study, the recall value of the YOLOv5s_Focus+C3 model was 66.8%, the recall value of the Faster R-CNN_ResNet50 model was 91.1%, and the recall value of the Cascade R-CNN_ResNet50 model was 92.9%. The recall value of the model that mixed the Cascade R-CNN_Swin Transformer proposed in this study was 93.5%. Therefore, as a result of comparing the recall values of the performances of the four models in detecting pine pests, the Cascade R-CNN_Swin Transformer mixed model proposed in this paper showed the highest accuracy.
The Interaction of Methyl Formate with Proton-Bound Solvent Clusters in the Gas Phase and the Unimolecular Chemistry of the Reaction Products
Authors: Diedhiou Malick , Mayer Paul M.
Published: January 2023

Ion–molecule reactions between neutral methyl formate (MF) and proton-bound solvent clusters W2H+, W3H+, M2H+, E2H+, and E3H+ (W = water, M = methanol, and E = ethanol) showed that the major reaction product is a solvent molecule loss from the initial encounter complex, followed by the formation of protonated methyl formate (MFH+). Collision-induced dissociation breakdown curves of the initially formed solvent-MF proton-bound pairs and trimers were obtained as a function of collision energy and modeled to extract relative activation energies for the observed channels. Density functional theory calculations (B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p)) of the solvent loss reaction were consistent with barrierless reactions in each case. The MF(M)H+ ion also exhibited loss of CH4 at higher collision energies. The reaction was calculated to proceed via the migration of the MF methyl group to form a loosely bound complex between neutral CH4 and an ion comprising (CH3OH)(CO2)H+. Overall, the results indicate that the interaction of methyl formate with atmospheric water can form stable encounter complexes that will dissociate to form protonated methyl formate.
General Analytical Method to Predict the Spatial–Temporal Distribution of Extreme Pressure in High-Speed Railway Tunnels in the Post-Train Stage
Authors: Lv Wenchao , Li Angui , Cui Haihang , Chen Li
Published: January 2023

Long-duration aerodynamic pressure fluctuation in high-speed railway tunnels in the post-train stage causes fatigue damage to tunnel structures and facilities. It increases the risk of accidents and requires in-depth research. This complex phenomenon is caused by the superposition of multiple pressure waves generated successively when a train enters/leaves a tunnel. In this study, the spatial–temporal distribution of the pressure state (SDPS) model was developed, and general equations describing the transient pressure state distribution were given. Furthermore, a prediction method for extreme pressures in tunnels and a fast calculation program were proposed based on the SDPS model. The proposed model was verified using field measurements. Using the SDPS model, the worst conditions of pressure fluctuations in tunnels were analyzed. The results show that most of the maximum positive and negative pressures are symmetrical around the midpoint of the tunnel axis and appear alternately around it. When the train/wave velocity ratio M ≤ 0.8 and the train/tunnel length ratio ε ≤ 0.8, the dimensionless position of the maximum peak-to-peak pressure region was concentrated in the region of [0.33,0.67] in the tunnel, indicating the location of potential fatigue damage. The proposed model is helpful in building safe and sustainable transportation systems.
Acknowledgment to the Reviewers of Applied Mechanics in 2022
Authors:   Applied Mechanics Editorial Office
Published: January 2023

High-quality academic publishing is built on rigorous peer review [...]
Physicochemical Characterization of Air Pollution Particulate Matter (PM2.5 and PM>2.5) in an Urban Area of Cotonou, Benin
Authors: Cachon Fresnel Boris , Cazier Fabrice , Verdin Anthony , Dewaele Dorothée , Genevray Paul , Delbende Agnès , Ayi-Fanou Lucie , Aïssi Faustin , Sanni Ambaliou , Courcot Dominique
Published: January 2023

PM2.5 and PM>2.5 samples were collected in Cotonou (Benin) using high volume cascade impaction air samplers. The samplings were based on continuous collection over twelve days. Physical and chemical characteristics of samples were determined by size distribution (laser granulometry), specific surface areas (BET method), inorganic elements (ICP-MS), water-soluble ions (IC), CHNS analysis and organic compounds (GC-MS). Average concentrations of air particulate matter were 180.9 µg/m3 and 94.5 µg/m3 in PM2.5 and PM>2.5, respectively. The higher water-soluble ions recorded were Ca2+,SO42−,NO3−, Na+ and Cl− for both PM. Moreover, concentrations were almost two-fold higher for PM2.5 compared to PM>2.5, with 10.7 µg/m3 of total metals found in PM2.5 versus 5.6 µg/m3 in PM>2.5. Both PM samples under study presented similar repartition of elements considering their percentages. Results suggested that PM>2.5 samples contain agglomerates of fine particles. Identification tools of major pollution source as inorganic elements, paraffins, fatty acids ratios and PAHs ratios indicated that PM under study originated from traffic exhaust.
Efficacy of the CO Tracer Technique in Partitioning Biogenic and Anthropogenic Atmospheric CO2 Signals in the Humid Subtropical Eastern Highland Rim City of Cookeville, Tennessee
Authors: Gichuhi Wilson K. , Gamage Lahiru P.
Published: January 2023

Accurate accounting of the partition between anthropogenic and biogenic carbon dioxide mixing ratios (CO2Anth and CO2Bio) in urban-based CO2 measurements is key to developing effective emission reduction strategies since such measurements can provide an independent catalogue of local and regional CO2 emission inventories. In an attempt to delineate the contribution of CO2Bio to the overall urban CO2 mixing ratio enhancements, carbon monoxide (CO) was utilized as a tracer, following CO2 and CO mixing ratio measurements using a wavelength-scanned cavity ring-down spectrometer (CRDS). These measurements were performed in Cookeville, TN, (36.1628° N, 85.5016° W), a medium-sized city within the Eastern Highland Rim region of the United States. Between the years 2017 and 2019, the average seasonal wintertime CO2Bio mixing ratios varied between −0.65 ± 3.44 ppm and 0.96 ± 2.66 ppm. During the springtime, the observed CO2Bio signals were largely negative while the CO2Anth values were generally lower than the wintertime values. The contribution of CO from the isoprene oxidation reaction with the hydroxyl radical (OH) (COisoprene) to the overall CO enhancement during the growing season was estimated to be ~17–27 ppb, underscoring the importance of considering the contribution of COisoprene to untangling different CO2Anth and CO2Bio sources and sinks in high isoprene-emitting urban environments.
Pollution Levels for Airborne Hexavalent Chromium of PM2.5 in Typical Cities of China
Authors: Wang Luxi , Guo Jinghua , Zhang Wenjie , Chen Bin , Wang Han , Li Hui
Published: January 2023

As a carcinogenic pollutant, hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) in the ambient air has serious influences on public health. Due to its instability and difficulty in chemical analysis, few studies have been conducted on the regional concentration level of environmental Cr(VI), especially in China. The pollution levels of Cr(VI) in ambient PM2.5 were determined in two sampling sites of Beijing and Qingdao from September to December 2020. The concentrations of Cr(VI) were determined using Ion Chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(IC-ICP-MS), and the Cr concentrations were simultaneously analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma-atomic emission spectrometry(ICP-AES). The main results are as follows: (1) Based on the analysis of samples collected at the sampling sites of Beijing and Qingdao, the concentrations of Cr(VI) in PM2.5 were (0.140 ± 0.065) ng/m3 and (0.091 ± 0.073) ng/m3, respectively; (2) During the sampling period, the mean ratio of Cr(VI) to Cr was (0.0623 ± 0.0969). The ratio of Cr(VI)/Cr in Beijing and Qingdao were 0.076 ± 0.104 and 0.041 ± 0.039, respectively. In conclusion, compared with other countries, the concentration of Cr(VI) at the sampling sites of Beijing and Qingdao showed lower values. The average concentration of Cr(VI) estimated by the ratio of this research in China is lower than that in South Korea and similar to those in Canada and Australia.
Acknowledgment to the Reviewers of Bioengineering in 2022
Authors:   Bioengineering Editorial Office
Published: January 2023

High-quality academic publishing is built on rigorous peer review [...]
Dynamic Regulation of DNA Methylation and Brain Functions
Authors: Xie Jiaxiang , Xie Leijie , Wei Huixian , Li Xiao-Jiang , Lin Li
Published: January 2023

DNA cytosine methylation is a principal epigenetic mechanism underlying transcription during development and aging. Growing evidence suggests that DNA methylation plays a critical role in brain function, including neurogenesis, neuronal differentiation, synaptogenesis, learning, and memory. However, the mechanisms underlying aberrant DNA methylation in neurodegenerative diseases remain unclear. In this review, we provide an overview of the contribution of 5-methycytosine (5mC) and 5-hydroxylcytosine (5hmC) to brain development and aging, with a focus on the roles of dynamic 5mC and 5hmC changes in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and Huntington’s disease (HD). Identification of aberrant DNA methylation sites could provide potential candidates for epigenetic-based diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative diseases.
Failure to Thrive: Impaired BDNF Transport along the Cortical–Striatal Axis in Mouse Q140 Neurons of Huntington’s Disease
Authors: Maloney Michael T. , Wang Wei , Bhowmick Sumana , Millan Ivan , Kapur Mridu , Herrera Nicolas , Frost Everett , Zhang Elena Y. , Song Scott , Wang Melissa , Park Amelia Bora , Yao Annabelle Y. , Yang Yanmin
Published: January 2023

Boosting trophic support to striatal neurons by increasing levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been considered as a target for therapeutic intervention for several neurodegenerative diseases, including Huntington’s disease (HD). To aid in the implementation of such a strategy, a thorough understanding of BDNF cortical–striatal transport is critical to help guide its strategic delivery. In this manuscript, we investigate the dynamic behavior of BDNF transport along the cortical–striatal axis in Q140 primary neurons, a mouse model for HD. We examine this by using single-molecule labeling of BDNF conjugated with quantum dots (QD-BDNF) to follow the transport along the cortical–striatal axis in a microfluidic chamber system specifically designed for the co-culture of cortical and striatal primary neurons. Using this approach, we observe a defect of QD-BDNF transport in Q140 neurons. Our study demonstrates that QD-BDNF transport along the cortical–striatal axis involves the impairment of anterograde transport within axons of cortical neurons, and of retrograde transport within dendrites of striatal neurons. One prominent feature we observe is the extended pause time of QD-BDNF retrograde transport within Q140 striatal dendrites. Taken together, these finding support the hypothesis that delinquent spatiotemporal trophic support of BDNF to striatal neurons, driven by impaired transport, may contribute to the pathogenesis of HD, providing us with insight into how a BDNF supplementation therapeutic strategy may best be applied for HD.
GABA-A Alpha 2/3 but Not Alpha 1 Receptor Subunit Ligand Inhibits Harmaline and Pimozide-Induced Tremor in Rats
Authors: Kosmowska Barbara , Paleczna Martyna , Biała Dominika , Kadłuczka Justyna , Wardas Jadwiga , Witkin Jeffrey M. , Cook James M. , Sharmin Dishary , Marcinkowska Monika , Kuter Katarzyna Z.
Published: January 2023

Treatment of tremors, such as in essential tremor (ET) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) is mostly ineffective. Exact tremor pathomechanisms are unknown and relevant animal models are missing. GABA-A receptor is a target for tremorolytic medications, but current non-selective drugs produce side effects and have safety liabilities. The aim of this study was a search for GABA-A subunit-specific tremorolytics using different tremor-generating mechanisms. Two selective positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) were tested. Zolpidem, targeting GABA-A α1, was not effective in models of harmaline-induced ET, pimozide- or tetrabenazine-induced tremulous jaw movements (TJMs), while the novel GABA-A α2/3 selective MP-III-024 significantly reduced both the harmaline-induced ET tremor and pimozide-induced TJMs. While zolpidem decreased the locomotor activity of the rats, MP-III-024 produced small increases. These results provide important new clues into tremor suppression mechanisms initiated by the enhancement of GABA-driven inhibition in pathways controlled by α2/3 but not α1 containing GABA-A receptors. Tremor suppression by MP-III-024 provides a compelling reason to consider selective PAMs targeting α2/3-containing GABA-A receptors as novel therapeutic drug targets for ET and PD-associated tremor. The possibility of the improved tolerability and safety of this mechanism over non-selective GABA potentiation provides an additional rationale to further pursue the selective α2/3 hypothesis.
Propolis and Their Active Constituents for Chronic Diseases
Authors: Chavda Vivek P. , Chaudhari Amit Z. , Teli Divya , Balar Pankti , Vora Lalitkumar
Published: January 2023

Propolis is a mass of chemically diverse phytoconstituents with gummy textures that are naturally produced by honeybees upon collection of plant resins for utilization in various life processes in beehives. Since ancient times, propolis has been a unique traditional remedy globally utilized for several purposes, and it has secured value in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical areas in recent years. The chemical composition of propolis comprises diverse constituents and deviations in the precise composition of the honeybee species, plant source used for propolis production by bees, climate conditions and harvesting season. Over 300 molecular structures have been discovered from propolis, and important classes include phenolic acids, flavonoids, terpenoids, benzofurans, benzopyrene and chalcones. Propolis has also been reported to have diverse pharmacological activities, such as antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, immunomodulatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and anticaries. As chronic diseases have risen as a global health threat, abundant research has been conducted to track propolis and its constituents as alternative therapies for chronic diseases. Several clinical trials have also revealed the potency of propolis and its constituents for preventing and curing some chronic diseases. This review explores the beneficial effect of propolis and its active constituents with credible mechanisms and computational studies on chronic diseases.
Protective Effect of Red Rice Extract Rich in Proanthocyanidins in a Murine Colitis Model
Authors: Kangwan Napapan , Kongkarnka Sarawut , Pintha Komsak , Saenjum Chalermpong , Suttajit Maitree
Published: January 2023

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has become a global concern. Proanthocyanidin-rich red rice extract (PRRE) has been shown to suppress the inflammatory response in cellular cultures. However, the anti-colitis effect of PRRE has never been investigated in animals. This study aimed to examine the protective effect of the PRRE against dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in mice. Male mice were orally administrated with PRRE of 50, 250 and 500 mg/kg/day for 21 days. Acute colitis was subsequently induced by administrated 2.5% DSS in drinking water for the final seven days. Sulfasalazine-treated mice were the positive group. All doses of PRRE and sulfasalazine significantly ameliorated DSS-induced severity of colitis, as indicated by decreasing daily activity index and restoring colon shortening. Treatments with PRRE, but not sulfasalazine, significantly reduced the histopathological index and infiltration of inflammatory cells. Furthermore, the PRRE treatments effectively improved mucous in colonic goblet cells using PAS staining, and suppressed the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 induced by DSS, while sulfasalazine reduced only IL-1β and IL-6. This study suggested that PRRE had a greater anti-colitis effect than sulfasalazine. Thus, PRRE has a potential anti-colitis effect, and should be developed in a clinical trial as a natural active pharmaceutical ingredient for IBD.
Biological Role of Folic Acid in Pregnancy and Possible Therapeutic Application for the Prevention of Preeclampsia
Authors: Kaldygulova Lyazzat , Ukybassova Talshyn , Aimagambetova Gulzhanat , Gaiday Andrey , Tussupkaliyev Akylbek
Published: January 2023

The rationale and importance of folic acid supplementation during pregnancy for fetal congenital defect prevention are accepted worldwide. Moreover, a sufficient plasma concentration of folates can reduce the incidence of spontaneous abortions, and support the normal expansion of placental blood vessels, ensuring physiological placental blood flow, thus promoting appropriate fetal growth and development. Furthermore, there is emerging evidence that long-term supplementation with folic acid can effectively prevent preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is unique to the human species in complications during pregnancy, which contributes to maternal and perinatal mortality worldwide. In the pathogenesis of preeclampsia abnormal placental invasion, the excess of antiangiogenic factors and maternal–placental syndrome play a key role. Increased blood levels of homocysteine during pregnancy are associated with the risk of preeclampsia. Moreover, hyperhomocysteinemia has been proposed to be an independent risk factor for preeclampsia. Folate supplementation helps to decrease elevated levels of homocysteine; thus, the role of folic acid supplementation in pregnancy is even more important. Multiple reports suggest that folate administration decreases the level of serum homocysteine and, therefore, reduce the risk and severity of preeclampsia. However, the association between folic acid supplementation and the decreased risk of preeclampsia has been investigated with controversial conclusions. Currently, the optimal dose of folic acid that is effective for preeclampsia prevention remains uncertain. In this review, we aim to summarize the accumulated knowledge on the role of folic acid in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia, and the possible impact of folate supplementation on the decreased risk of preeclampsia.
Endometrial Heparin-Binding Epidermal Growth Factor Gene Expression and Hormone Level Changes in Implantation Window of Obese Women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
Authors: Sutaji Zulazmi , Abu Muhammad Azrai , Sayutti Nurainie , Elias Marjanu Hikmah , Ahmad Mohd Faizal , Nur Azurah Abdul Ghani , Chew Kah Teik , Abdul Karim Abdul Kadir , Aziz Nor Haslinda Abd , Mokhtar Mohd Helmy , Zin Reena Rahayu Md , Hussein Zeti Azura Mohamed
Published: January 2023

Introduction: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder amongst reproductive-age women, and 61% to 76% of women with PCOS are obese. Obese women with PCOS are usually burdened with infertility problems due to implantation failure. Thus, progesterone treatment is usually used to improve implantation rates. Although Hb-EGF expression is actively involved in endometrial receptivity and implantation, the data on heparin-binding epidermal growth factor (Hb-EGF) expression following progesterone therapy in obese women with PCOS are still lacking. Objective: To investigate the changes in serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinising hormone (LH), dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA), progesterone and oestradiol levels and Hb-EGF expression in obese women with PCOS during the implantation window following progesterone therapy. Method: A total of 40 participants aged 18–40 years old were recruited following the provision of written consent. The participants were divided into the obese PCOS, normal-weight PCOS, obese fertile and normal-weight fertile groups. First blood collection was done before ovulation. Then, daily oral micronised progesterone (Utrogestan 200 mg) was given to the PCOS group for 10 days. The treatment was followed by a second blood collection and endometrial tissue sampling by using a Pipelle de Cornier catheter. In the fertile group, ovulation was confirmed by using ultrasound, and a second blood sample was collected on days 7 to 9 postovulation. The serum levels of FSH, LH, DHEA, progesterone and oestradiol were measured in all participants. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare FSH, LH, DHEA, progesterone and oestradiol levels during pre- and postovulation. Mann–Whitney test was performed to compare FSH, LH, DHEA, progesterone and oestradiol levels between two groups: (1) the PCOS group and the fertile group, (2) the obese PCOS group and the non-obese PCOS group and (3) the obese group and the non-obese fertile group. Result: Serum FSH levels were lower in obese women in their follicular phase than in women with normal weight regardless of their PCOS status, whereas serum LH/FSH ratios and DHEA levels were higher in women with PCOS than in women without PCOS. However, endometrial Hb-EGF expression was lower in the obese PCOS group than in the normal-weight PCOS group. Conclusions: Different patterns of hormonal levels and Hb-EGF expression levels were seen between the studied groups. However, further in vitro and in vivo studies are needed to investigate the mechanism underlying the changes in FSH, LH/FSH ratio, DHEA and Hb-EGF expression in PCOS after progesterone treatment.
Mutual Influence of Human Cytochrome P450 Enzymes and UDP-Glucuronosyltransferases on Their Respective Activities in Recombinant Fission Yeast
Authors: Sharma Sangeeta Shrestha , Sharma Shishir , Zhao Jie , Bureik Matthias
Published: January 2023

Cytochromes P450 (CYPs) and UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) are the most important human drug metabolizing enzymes, but their mutual interactions are poorly understood. In this study, we recombinantly co-expressed of each one of the 19 human members of the UGT families 1 and 2 with either CYP2C9, CYP2D6, or CYP4Z1 in fission yeast. Using these strains, we monitored a total of 72 interactions: 57 cases where we tested the influence of UGT co-expression on CYP activity and 15 cases of the opposite approach. In the majority of cases (88%), UGT co-expression had a statistically significant (p < 0.05) effect on P450 activity (58% positive and 30% negative). Strong changes were observed in nine cases, including one case with an activity increase by a factor of 23 (CYP2C9 activity in the presence of UGT2A3) but also four cases with a complete loss of activity. When monitoring the effect of CYP co-expression on the activity of five UGTs, activity changes were generally not so pronounced and, if observed, always detrimental. UGT2B7 activity was not influenced by CYP co-expression, while the other UGTs were affected to varying degrees. These data suggest the notion that mutual influence of CYPs and UGTs on each other’s activity is a widespread phenomenon.