bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pedestrians’ psychological preferences for urban street lighting with different color temperatures
Authors: Hao Xinyi , Zhang Xin , Du Jiangtao , Wang Meichen , Zhang Yalan
Published: September 2022

White LEDs, which have been widely used in the urban street lighting, are increasingly applied to replace traditional HPS lamps with a lower CCT (correlated color temperature). Generally, studies on the CCT of street lighting focus on providing safe functional lighting for vehicle drivers. However, it is still unknown how the street light color can affect pedestrians’ perception and preferences with respect to lighting levels and ambient temperature.

In this study, a wide range of CCTs (1,600–5,400 K) was measured for urban street lighting in Beijing, China, for example. And the transition from traditional HPS lamps to LEDs lacks a reference street lighting standard for CCT. The study aims to conduct a cross-sensory test to evaluate urban street lighting with multiple combinations of CCT values and illuminance levels according to pedestrians’ visual perception and psychological preferences.

A total of 18 night street lighting scenes with six CCT values and three illuminance levels were first selected in Beijing city, and then HDR videos of these scenes were taken from the view of pedestrians to conduct psychological experiments in an indoor environment with three ambient temperatures. A total of 77 university students (24 males) were invited to assess videos of the 18 lighting scenes in terms of seven factors, such as lighting brightness, color temperature sensation, light color preference, sense of safety, recognition, comfort, and overall preference. Several key findings were achieved as follows. (1) The CCT of urban street lighting can have significant effects on the visual psychological perceptions of participants. (2) There was a significant interaction between CCT, illuminance, and ambient temperature on the visual psychological performances of participants. (3) The higher ambient temperature will deliver the higher level of overall preference for the street lighting with medium and high CCT, and the perception of warmer light color. (4) There was a strong correlation found between participants’ light color preference, comfort, and overall preferences.
Relationship between perceived teacher support and learning engagement among adolescents: Mediation role of technology acceptance and learning motivation
Authors: An Fuhai , Yu Jingyi , Xi Linjin
Published: September 2022

This study is aimed at investigating the relationship between perceived teacher support and learning engagement and exploring the mediation role played by technology acceptance and learning motivation. It adopted a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach, with sampling 467 students from four middle schools in eastern China. The research findings showed that perceived teacher support is significantly associated with learning engagement. Learning motivation plays a mediating role in the relationship between perceived teacher support and learning engagement. There is the chain mediating effect of technology acceptance and learning motivation on the relationship between perceived teacher support and learning engagement. All of these are of great importance for the teachers in the middle schools, as they help to increase students’ engagement with learning activities considering the background of the deep integration of information technology and education teaching.
A review of the effects of artificial light at night in urban areas on the ecosystem level and the remedial measures
Authors: Katabaro Justine Mushobozi , Yan Yonghong , Hu Tao , Yu Quan , Cheng Xiang
Published: September 2022

This paper attempts to realize the balance between humans and ecology in designing the nighttime light environment of urban parks by clarifying the influence of nighttime artificial light on the ecosystem of urban parks. Firstly, we reviewed the effects of nighttime artificial light on individual predation and reproduction of animals and personal growth and reproduction of plants. Secondly, we discuss the impact of individual changes caused by artificial lighting on ecosystem function at the ecosystem and analyze its advantages and disadvantages. The results showed that nighttime artificial light had a double-sided impact on the ecosystem, which would hurt the ecosystem function, but had a positive effect on the green space, which lacked natural light and had high plant density. This paper focuses on the areas with increased application of artificial lighting and rich species of animals and plants in night cities, such as urban forest parks and urban green spaces. It discusses how to reduce the intrusion of artificial lighting on ecosystems and how to make better use of the positive effect of artificial light.
Association between acrylamide exposure and the odds of developmental disabilities in children: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Meng Fanchao , Qi Yanjie , Wu Yuanzhen , He Fan
Published: September 2022

Background

The association between acrylamide exposure and the odds of developmental disabilities (DDs) is unclear. We conducted this analysis to explore whether acrylamide exposure is related to DDs.

Methods

We analyzed a sample of 1,140 children aged 6–17 years old from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013–2014 to 2015–2016. DDs were determined by reports of parents. Acrylamide exposure was evaluated by the hemoglobin adducts of acrylamide (HbAA) and its major metabolite glycidamide (HbGA). We investigated the association using binomial logistic regression analysis by taking HbAA and HbGA as continuous or quartile variables. Restricted cubic splines (RCS) were used to explore the non-linear relationship between HbAA or HbGA and the odds of DDs. Interaction analysis and propensity score matching (PSM) were used to validate the results.

Results

A total of 134 participants were reported to have DDs. The median level of HbAA and HbGA was 41.6 and 40.5 pmol/g Hb, respectively. HbAA and HbGA were not associated with the odds of DDs when taken as continuous variables. When divided into quartiles, there was no evidence for a linear trend for HbAA and HbGA. RCS showed that there was a J-shaped association between HbGA and the odds of DDs (P for non-linearity, 0.023). The results were consistent in interaction analysis by age, gender, and race, and after PSM.

Conclusion

HbGA level was associated with the odds of DDs in a J-shaped manner among children. Further investigation is warranted to determine the causality and underlying mechanisms.
Discovery top-down proteomics in symbiotic soybean root nodules
Authors: Zhou Mowei , Fulcher James M. , Zemaitis Kevin J. , Degnan David J. , Liao Yen-Chen , Veličković Marija , Veličković Dušan , Bramer Lisa M. , Kew William R , Stacey Gary , Paša-Tolić Ljiljana
Published: September 2022

Proteomic methods have been widely used to study proteins in complex biological samples to understand biological molecular mechanisms. Most well-established methods (known as bottom-up proteomics, BUP) employ an enzymatic digestion step to cleave intact proteins into smaller peptides for liquid chromatography (LC) mass spectrometry (MS) detection. In contrast, top-down proteomics (TDP) directly characterizes intact proteins including all possible post-translational modifications (PTMs), thus offering unique insights into proteoform biology where combinations of individual PTMs may play important roles. We performed TDP on soybean root nodules infected by the symbiotic Bradyrhizobium japonicum in both the wildtype bacterium and a nifH- mutant, which lacks the ability to fix nitrogen in the soybean root nodule. TDP captured 1648 proteoforms derived from 313 bacterial genes and 178 soybean genes. Leghemoglobin, the most abundant protein in the sample, existed in many truncated proteoforms. Interestingly, these truncated proteoforms were considerably more abundant in the wildtype relative to the nifH- mutant, implicating protease activity as an important factor in nitrogen fixation. Proteoforms with various PTMs and combinations thereof were identified using an unrestricted open modification search. This included less common PTMs such as myristoylation, palmitoylation, cyanylation, and sulfation. In parallel, we collected high resolution MS imaging (MSI) data of intact proteins and biopolymers (<20 kDa due to current technical limitations) from sections of the soybean root nodules using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) coupled to high resolution Orbitrap. Several detected proteoforms exhibited unique spatial distributions inside the infection zone and cortex, suggesting functional compartmentalization in these regions. A subset of peaks from the MALDI-MSI were assigned to proteoforms detected in TDP LCMS data based on matching accurate masses. Many of the proteins detected in both LCMS and MALDI-MSI are currently uncharacterized in UniProt: the PTM and spatial information presented here will be valuable in understanding their biological functions. Taken together, our study demonstrates how untargeted TDP approach can provide unique insights into plant proteoform biology. On-going technology developments are expected to further improve TDP coverage for more comprehensive high-throughput analysis of proteoforms.
Combining Unsupervised and Supervised Learning for Sample Efficient Continuous Language Grounding
Authors: Roesler Oliver
Published: September 2022

Natural and efficient communication with humans requires artificial agents that are able to understand the meaning of natural language. However, understanding natural language is non-trivial and requires proper grounding mechanisms to create links between words and corresponding perceptual information. Since the introduction of the “Symbol Grounding Problem” in 1990, many different grounding approaches have been proposed that either employed supervised or unsupervised learning mechanisms. The latter have the advantage that no other agent is required to learn the correct groundings, while the former are often more sample-efficient and accurate but require the support of another agent, like a human or another artificial agent. Although combining both paradigms seems natural, it has not achieved much attention. Therefore, this paper proposes a hybrid grounding framework which combines both learning paradigms so that it is able to utilize support from a tutor, if available, while it can still learn when no support is provided. Additionally, the framework has been designed to learn in a continuous and open-ended manner so that no explicit training phase is required. The proposed framework is evaluated through two different grounding scenarios and its unsupervised grounding component is compared to a state-of-the-art unsupervised Bayesian grounding framework, while the benefit of combining both paradigms is evaluated through the analysis of different feedback rates. The obtained results show that the employed unsupervised grounding mechanism outperforms the baseline in terms of accuracy, transparency, and deployability and that combining both paradigms increases both the sample-efficiency as well as the accuracy of purely unsupervised grounding, while it ensures that the framework is still able to learn the correct mappings, when no supervision is available.
Bistable carbon-vacancy defects in h-BN
Authors: Li Song , Gali Adam
Published: September 2022

Single-photon emitters in hexagonal boron nitride have been extensively studied recently. Although unambiguous identification of the emitters is still under intense research, carbon-related defects are believed to play a vital role for the emitter producing zero-phonon lines in the range of 1.6–2.2 eV. In this study, we systematically investigate two configurations of carbon-vacancy defects, VNCB and CNVB, by means of density functional theory calculations. We calculated the reaction barrier energies from one defect to the other to determine relative stability. We find that the barrier energies are charge dependent, and CNVB could easily transform to VNCB in neutral- and positive-charge states while it is stable when negatively charged. Formation energy calculations show that the VNCB is the dominant defect over CNVB. However, neither VNCB nor CNVB has suitable fluorescence spectra that could reproduce the observed ones. Our results indicate that the origin of the 1.6-to-2.2-eV emitters should be other carbon-related configurations.
Potentials of underutilized legumes in food security
Authors: Ayilara Modupe S. , Abberton Michael , Oyatomi Olaniyi A. , Odeyemi Olu , Babalola Olubukola O.
Published: September 2022

Adopting underutilized legumes in tackling food security is essential, especially in this era of climate change. Underutilized legumes are embedded with inherent potentials such as the ability to survive in extreme conditions (such as temperature, drought, pH, saline, etc.), high nitrogen-fixing potential, weed and disease control ability, and high nutrient status. Underutilized legumes can improve the yield of companion crops in an intercropping system and as a subsequent crop (due to their residual effects). They possess symbiotic and non-symbiotic organisms in their nodules, and also have different organisms in their bulk soil, rhizoplanes and rhizosphere, which can fix nitrogen, solubilize phosphorus or produce exudates which help in improving plant growth. Also, they contain some phytochemicals, including alkaloids, saponin, amino acids, organic and inorganic minerals, and compounds that help improve human health and prevent diseases. Hence, this review discusses the current status, role, challenges and the prospects of underutilized legumes in food security.
Development of a Sinusoidal Corrugated Dual-Axial Flexure Mechanism for Planar Nanopositioning
Authors: Niu Yuhan , Chen Xingyou , Chen Li , Zhu Zhiwei , Huang Peng
Published: September 2022

Taking advantage of the concurrent stretching and bending property of corrugated flexure hinges, a sinusoidal corrugated flexure linkage was proposed and applied for the construction of a corrugated dual-axial mechanism with structural symmetry and decoupled planar motion guidance. Castigliano’s second theorem was employed to derive the complete compliance for a basic sinusoidal corrugated flexure unit, and matrix-based compliance modeling was then applied to find the stiffness of the sinusoidal corrugated flexure linkage and the corrugated dual-axial mechanism. Using established analytical models, the influence of structural parameters on the stiffness of both the corrugated flexure linkage and the dual-axial mechanism were investigated, with further verification by finite element analysis, with errors less than 20% compared to the analytical results for all cases. In addition, the stiffness of the corrugated flexure mechanism was practically tested, and its deviation between practical and analytical was around 7.4%. Further, the feasibility of the mechanism was demonstrated by successfully applying it for a magnetic planar nanopositioning stage, for which both open-loop and closed-loop performances were systematically examined. The stage has a stroke around 130 μm for the two axes and a maximum cross-talk less than 2.5%, and the natural frequency is around 590 Hz.
The Influence of Trustworthiness and Technology Acceptance Factors on the Usage of e-Government Services during COVID-19: A Case Study of Post COVID-19 Greece
Authors: Balaskas Stefanos , Panagiotarou Aliki , Rigou Maria
Published: September 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic imposed challenges and offered opportunities, which were recognized and assessed in developed countries. In many cases though, the lack of systematic preparation for the required digital transformation resulted in confusion and discomfort in citizens’ lives, where the imposition of nonphysical contact excluded a large part of the population from basic needs and rights. This article investigates the influence of trustworthiness and technology acceptance factors on the usage of e-government services during the pandemic, and proposes a model that integrates factors adapted from the TAM model (social influence, performance expectancy and effort expectancy) with trust in e-government, a factor influenced by trust in government, trust in the internet, security and privacy, to predict e-government usage. To test the model, a survey was conducted using a 38-question questionnaire we designed, with a total sample size of 301 Greek citizens. The model was confirmed using the structural equation modeling (SEM) approach with maximum-likelihood estimates. Results indicate that all aspects in this study related to trustworthiness and user acceptance can be predictive factors of citizens’ usage of e-government services during periods of uncertainty and high risk, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Spatiotemporal Patterns and Influencing Factors of Agriculture Methane Emissions in China
Authors: Wang Guofeng , Liu Pu , Hu Jinmiao , Zhang Fan
Published: September 2022

Explaining the methane emission pattern of Chinese agriculture and the influencing factors of its spatiotemporal differentiation is of great theoretical and practical significance for carbon neutrality. This paper uses the IPCC coefficient method to measure and analyze the spatial and temporal differentiation characteristics of agricultural methane emission, clarify the dynamic evolution trend of the kernel density function, and reveal the key influencing factors of agricultural methane emission with geographical detectors. The results show that China’s agricultural methane emissions showed a first increasing and then declining trend. Agricultural methane emissions decreased from 21.4587 million tons to 17.6864 million tons, with an upward trend from 2000 to 2005, a significant decline in 2006, a slow change from 2007 to 2015, and a significant decline from 2015 to 2019. In addition, the emissions pattern of the three major grain functional areas is characteristic; in 2019, agricultural methane emissions from main producing area, main sales area, and balance area were 10.8406 million tons, 1.2471 million tons, and 5.599 million tons, respectively. The main grain producing area is the main area of methane emissions, and the emission pattern will not change in the short term. The variability of grain functional areas is the decisive factor for the difference in agricultural methane emissions. The state of industrial structure is the key influencing factor for adjusting the spatial distribution—the explanatory power of the industrial structure to the main producing areas reached 0.549; the level of agricultural development is the most core influencing factor of the spatial pattern of the main grain sales area—the explanatory power reached 0.292; and the level of industrialization and the industrial structure are the core influencing factors of the spatial pattern of the balance area—the explanatory power reached 0.545 and 0.479, respectively.
Strategies for Robusta Coffee (Coffea canephora) Improvement as a New Crop in Colombia
Authors: Campuzano-Duque Luis Fernando , Blair Matthew Wohlgemuth
Published: September 2022

Robusta coffee is mostly grown in Africa and Asia and parts of tropical America, but not yet in Colombia. The crop has potential in lowland areas of this traditional Arabica coffee producer. Compared to Arabicas grown in highland areas, the Robustas have more drought and heat tolerance. However, they differ in flavor and have higher caffeine levels. With natural resistance to some of the major pests and diseases of other coffees, such as rust and berry borers, they thrive under harsh conditions. The genetic improvement of Robusta coffee requires the understanding of its genetic resources and a good breeding strategy. This review discusses the traits of interest and selection criteria for breeding and recommends methods of varietal development for Robusta in Colombia. Most of the traits of importance in breeding are quantitative and of low or intermediate heritability. Robusta is an outcrossing species and can suffer from inbreeding depression, so mass and recurrent selection are used, followed by the clonal propagation of best plants. Colombia has limited germplasm only from the Congolese group, so the SG1/Conilon and SG2 genotypes should be introduced with quarantine. Issues to address include the timing of flowering, asynchronous fruit maturation, chemical composition and sensory quality, as well as bean size. Variability for abiotic stress tolerance exists in Robusta genotypes and needs further study. New methods of breeding include hybrid development and recurrent selection. Having adapted varieties of Robusta coffee should promote production in Colombia, as it has in regions of Brazil, and would complement Arabica coffee for this traditional and major producer.
Effect of Varying Nitrogen and Micronutrient Fertilization on Yield Quantity and Quality of Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) Achenes
Authors: Jarecki Wacław
Published: September 2022

Sunflower is a good alternative crop in rotation, even in light soils. This is due to the changing climate, economic factors and the need to reduce agriculture pressure on the environment. In this field experiment, the effect of soil nitrogen doses (60 and 90 kg ha−1) and additional foliar fertilization (B, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Zn) on selected plant characteristics, yield and quality of sunflower achenes was assessed. The single-factor experiment was conducted in 2020 and 2021 on Luvisol soil. It was shown that a higher nitrogen dose had a positive effect on plant biometric features, protein content in achenes, as well as LAI (leaf area index) and SPAD (soil plant analysis development) indices. Additionally, the applied double foliar spraying resulted in an increase in yield components and quality of achenes. Sunflower yielding depended on the interaction of weather conditions with fertilization. In the first year of the research, high yields were obtained after applying 60 or 90 kg N ha−1 in combination with double foliar fertilization (3.68 and 3.65 t ha−1, respectively). A significantly lower yield was recorded after applying only the 60 kg N ha−1 dose. This was not statistically confirmed in the second year of the study, with a higher average yield of 3.79 t ha−1. Economic calculations showed that the optimal option was to use 60 kg N ha−1 together with single or double foliar fertilization. Fertilizing with 90 kg N ha−1 in combination with micronutrient spraying was the least profitable.
Chromosomal Diversification in Pseudacanthicus Species (Loricariidae, Hypostominae) Revealed by Comparative Mapping of Repetitive Sequences
Authors: Santos da Silva Kevin , de Souza Augusto César Paes , Rodrigues Luís Reginaldo Ribeiro , Pieczarka Julio Cesar , Nagamachi Cleusa Yoshiko
Published: September 2022

Pseudacanthicus is a genus of Neotropical fish with eight valid species, in addition to numerous lineages not formally identified. It occurs along the Amazon and Tocantins River basins, in Suriname and in the Guiana shield. There are no karyotypic data in the literature for species of this genus. Here, the karyotypes of three Pseudacanthicus species (P. spinosus, P. leopardus and Pseudacanthicus sp.) were comparatively analyzed by classical cytogenetics and fluorescence in situ hybridization using 18S and 5S rDNA probes, U2 snDNA and telomeric sequences. The analyzed species presented 52 chromosomes and KF = 18 m + 34 sm. Constitutive heterochromatin occurred in blocks on a few chromosomes. The 18S rDNA occurred in a single pair; interestingly, P. leopardus presented only one locus of this sequence in its diploid genome. The 5S rDNA sequence occurred in only one pair in P. leopardus, and in multiple sites in Pseudacanthicus sp. and P. spinosus. The snDNA U2 occurred in only one pair in all analyzed species. Telomeric sequences did not show interstitial sites. Although Pseudacanthicus species share the same 2n and KF, repetitive sequence analysis revealed karyotypic diversity among these species. The occurrence of DNA double-strand breaks related to fragile sites, unequal crossing over and transpositions is proposed as the mechanism of karyotypic diversification, suggesting that the conservation of the karyotypic macrostructure is only apparent in this group of fish.
Goose Embryonic Development, Glucose and Thyroid Hormone Concentrations, and Eggshell Features Depend on Female Age and Laying Period
Authors: Kucharska-Gaca Joanna , Adamski Marek , Biesek Jakub
Published: September 2022

This study aimed to evaluate embryonic development; analyze the glucose, triiodothyronine (T3), and thyroxine (T4) concentrations in the blood of embryos and goslings; and assess the structure and temperature (EST) of the eggshell. The eggs that were analyzed were from four laying seasons of White Kołuda® geese at three periods (90 eggs × 4 groups × 3 periods). The different embryo proportions, fetal membranes in the egg, and sizes of internal organs indicate a different growth rate and degree of embryo development depending on the laying age and laying period. The goose age influenced the hormone concentrations in the embryos’ blood on the 28th day of incubation, which supports a relationship between the females’ age and development. The eggshell thickness and density change depending on the laying age and the laying period. A decrease in eggshell thickness in the eggs up to the third season was found after the 16th day of incubation (simultaneously, the density showed an increasing trend). A lower EST distinguished the eggs from the oldest geese in the first half of the hatch. The formation of the chorioallantois membrane was associated with an increase in EST in the oldest geese.
In Vitro Gene Expression Responses of Bovine Rumen Epithelial Cells to Different pH Stresses
Authors: Lian Hongxia , Zhang Chuankai , Liu Yifan , Li Wenjing , Fu Tong , Gao Tengyun , Zhang Liyang
Published: September 2022

Ruminal acidosis often occurs in production, which greatly affects animal health and production efficiency. Subacute rumen acidosis (SARA) occurs when rumen pH drops rapidly to 5.5–5.8, and acute rumen acidosis (ARA) occurs when rumen pH drops below 5.0, but the molecular regulation mechanism of the rumen epithelium after the rapid decrease in pH is still unclear. Bovine rumen epithelial cells (BRECs) were cultured at pH = 7.4 (control), 5.5 (SARA), and 4.5 (ARA). Transcriptome and metabolomic methods were used to obtain the molecular-based response of BRECs to different pH treatments; pH = 4.5 can significantly induce apoptosis of BRECs. The RNA-seq experiments revealed 1381 differently expressed genes (DEGs) in the control vs. SARA groups (p < 0.05). Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) were upregulated 4.25 and 6.86 fold, respectively, and TLR4 was downregulated 0.58 fold. In addition, 283 DEGs were identified in the control vs. ARA comparison (p < 0.05), and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PSTG2) was downregulated 0.54 fold. Our research reveals that the MAPK/TNF signaling pathway regulates the inflammatory response of BRECs. Metabolomics identified 35 biochemical compounds that were significantly affected (p < 0.05) in control vs. SARA and 51 in control vs. ARA. Bioinformatics analysis using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway database revealed that drug metabolism-cytochrome P450 metabolic and alpha-linolenic acid metabolism changes occurred. These transcriptional and metabolic changes are related to the adaptation of BRECs to low-pH stresses. In conclusion, the combined data analyses presented a worthy strategy to characterize the cellular, transcriptomic, and metabonomic adaptation of BRECs to pH in vitro. We demonstrated transcriptional expression changes in BRECs under pH stress and activation of the molecular mechanisms controlling inflammation.
Contribution of Symptomatic, Herbal Treatment Options to Antibiotic Stewardship and Microbiotic Health
Authors: Nausch Bernhard , Bittner Claudia B. , Höller Martina , Abramov-Sommariva Dimitri , Hiergeist Andreas , Gessner André
Published: September 2022

Epithelial surfaces in humans are home to symbiotic microbes (i.e., microbiota) that influence the defensive function against pathogens, depending on the health of the microbiota. Healthy microbiota contribute to the well-being of their host, in general (e.g., via the gut–brain axis), and their respective anatomical site, in particular (e.g., oral, urogenital, skin, or respiratory microbiota). Despite efforts towards a more responsible use of antibiotics, they are often prescribed for uncomplicated, self-limiting infections and can have a substantial negative impact on the gut microbiota. Treatment alternatives, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, may also influence the microbiota; thus, they can have lasting adverse effects. Herbal drugs offer a generally safe treatment option for uncomplicated infections of the urinary or respiratory tract. Additionally, their microbiota preserving properties allow for a more appropriate therapy of uncomplicated infections, without contributing to an increase in antibiotic resistance or disturbing the gut microbiota. Here, herbal treatments may be a more appropriate therapy, with a generally favorable safety profile.
Development of a Set of Synthetic Diagnostics for the Confrontation between 2D Transport Simulations and WEST Tokamak Experimental Data
Authors: Kudashev Ivan , Medvedeva Anna , Scotto d’Abusco Manuel , Fedorszak Nicolas , Di Genova Stefano , Neverov Vladislav , Serre Eric
Published: September 2022

Transport codes are frequently used for describing fusion plasmas with the aim to prepare tokamak operations. Considering novel codes, such as SolEdge3X-HDG, synthetic diagnostics are a common technique used to validate new models and confront them with experimental data. The purpose of this study is to develop a set of synthetic diagnostics, starting from bolometer and visible cameras for the WEST tokamak, in order to compare the code results with the experimental data. This research is done in the framework of Raysect and Cherab Python libraries. This allows us to process various synthetic diagnostics in the same fashion in terms of 3D ray tracing with volume emitters developed specifically for fusion plasmas. We were able to implement the WEST tokamak model and the design of bolometer and visible cameras. Synthetic signals, based on full-discharge WEST plasma simulation, were used for to compare the SolEdge3X-HDG output plasma with experimental data. The study also considers the optical properties of the plasma-facing components (PFCs) and their influence on the performance of diagnostics. The paper shows a unified approach to synthetic diagnostic design, which will be further extended to cover the remaining diagnostics on the WEST tokamak.
A Novel Deep Learning Approach for Deepfake Image Detection
Authors: Raza Ali , Munir Kashif , Almutairi Mubarak
Published: September 2022

Deepfake is utilized in synthetic media to generate fake visual and audio content based on a person’s existing media. The deepfake replaces a person’s face and voice with fake media to make it realistic-looking. Fake media content generation is unethical and a threat to the community. Nowadays, deepfakes are highly misused in cybercrimes for identity theft, cyber extortion, fake news, financial fraud, celebrity fake obscenity videos for blackmailing, and many more. According to a recent Sensity report, over 96% of the deepfakes are of obscene content, with most victims being from the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, India, and South Korea. In 2019, cybercriminals generated fake audio content of a chief executive officer to call his organization and ask them to transfer $243,000 to their bank account. Deepfake crimes are rising daily. Deepfake media detection is a big challenge and has high demand in digital forensics. An advanced research approach must be built to protect the victims from blackmailing by detecting deepfake content. The primary aim of our research study is to detect deepfake media using an efficient framework. A novel deepfake predictor (DFP) approach based on a hybrid of VGG16 and convolutional neural network architecture is proposed in this study. The deepfake dataset based on real and fake faces is utilized for building neural network techniques. The Xception, NAS-Net, Mobile Net, and VGG16 are the transfer learning techniques employed in comparison. The proposed DFP approach achieved 95% precision and 94% accuracy for deepfake detection. Our novel proposed DFP approach outperformed transfer learning techniques and other state-of-the-art studies. Our novel research approach helps cybersecurity professionals overcome deepfake-related cybercrimes by accurately detecting the deepfake content and saving the deepfake victims from blackmailing.
Study on Strength and Microstructure of Red Clay Reinforced by F1 Ionic Soil Stabilizer
Authors: Wang Xingwei , Li Jian-dong , Wang Xu , Zhang Yanjie , Jiang Daijun , Zhao Guanhua
Published: September 2022

High-liquid limit red clay has poor engineering characteristics, namely poor water stability, low strength, and large expansion and contraction deformation. The clay may be reinforced with an F1 ionic soil stabilizer. The engineering characteristics of this reinforced clay were studied, specifically concerning its basic physical parameters, shear strength parameters, and micropore structure. The F1 ionic soil stabilizer significantly improved the water sensitivity, compaction characteristics, and shear strength of red clay. We determined that the optimal F1 ionic soil stabilizer mix was 0.5 L/m3, resulting in a reinforced clay with plastic limit increased by 45.74%, optimal moisture content increased by 12.12%, maximum dry density increased by 5.8%, liquid limit reduced by 8.4%, plasticity index reduced by 43.8%, infiltration coefficient reduced by 41.8%, cohesion increased 1.64-fold, and internal friction angle increased 1.30-fold. Freeze-thaw cycles reduced the shear strength parameters of the reinforced red clay, although even after 15 cycles, it still had 18.4% higher cohesion and 57.1% higher internal friction angle than undisturbed red clay. The F1 ionic soil stabilizer significantly reduced the pore size and area of red clay, the complex connected pore structure is adjusted to a more regular structure. The reinforced clay had 56.64% lower pore area ratio, 32.27% lower average Feret diameter, and 2.43% lower fractal dimension.
MinerGuard: A Solution to Detect Browser-Based Cryptocurrency Mining through Machine Learning
Authors: Wu Min-Hao , Lai Yen-Jung , Hwang Yan-Ling , Chang Ting-Cheng , Hsu Fu-Hau
Published: September 2022

Coinhive released its browser-based cryptocurrency mining code in September 2017, and vicious web page writers, called vicious miners hereafter, began to embed mining JavaScript code into their web pages, called mining pages hereafter. As a result, browser users surfing these web pages will benefit mine cryptocurrencies unwittingly for the vicious miners using the CPU resources of their devices. The above activity, called Cryptojacking, has become one of the most common threats to web browser users. As mining pages influence the execution efficiency of regular programs and increase the electricity bills of victims, security specialists start to provide methods to block mining pages. Nowadays, using a blocklist to filter out mining scripts is the most common solution to this problem. However, when the number of new mining pages increases quickly, and vicious miners apply obfuscation and encryption to bypass detection, the detection accuracy of blacklist-based or feature-based solutions decreases significantly. This paper proposes a solution, called MinerGuard, to detect mining pages. MinerGuard was designed based on the observation that mining JavaScript code consumes a lot of CPU resources because it needs to execute plenty of computation. MinerGuard does not need to update data used for detection frequently. On the contrary, blacklist-based or feature-based solutions must update their blocklists frequently. Experimental results show that MinerGuard is more accurate than blacklist-based or feature-based solutions in mining page detection. MinerGuard’s detection rate for mining pages is 96%, but MinerBlock, a blacklist-based solution, is 42.85%. Moreover, MinerGuard can detect 0-day mining pages and scripts, but the blacklist-based and feature-based solutions cannot.
Laminaria hyperborea as a Source of Valuable Glyceroglycolipids—A Characterization of Galactosyldiacilglycerols in Stipe and Blade by HPLC-MS/MS
Authors: Foseid Lena , Devle Hanne , Naess-Andresen Carl Fredrik , Ekeberg Dag
Published: September 2022

Laminaria hyperborea (Gunnerus) Foslie 1885 is a seaweed native to the North Atlantic, which is utilized in the production of alginate. Its potential as a source of bioactive lipids remains unexplored. In this study, mono- and digalactosyldiacylglycerols (MGDG and DGDG) were identified in stipe and blade from L. hyperborea for the first time. Samples were harvested off the west coast of Norway in May 2018. Lipids were extracted with chloroform:methanol (2:1, v/v) and fractionated using solid phase extraction, whereupon the fatty acid content was determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The fatty acid profile was used to predict the mass of the glyceroglycolipids. A total of 103 and 161 molecular species of MGDG, and 66 and 136 molecular species of DGDG were identified in blade and stipe, respectively, by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS. The most abundant molecular species were identified from the total ion chromatograms. According to these, MGDG(20:5/18:4, 18:4/18:4, 16:0/18:1, 14:0/18:2, 14:0/18:1) and DGDG(20:5/18:4, 16:0/18:1, 14:0/18:1) were the most abundant in blade. On the other hand, in stipe, the most abundant molecular species were MGDG (14:0/18:2, 14:0/18:1, 16:0/18:1) and DGDG (14:0/18:1). The purpose of this study is to highlight the potential application of L. hyperborea in a biotechnological context.
Potential Effect of Air Pollution on the Urban Traffic Vitality: A Case Study of Nanjing, China
Authors: Cao Yang , Wu Hao , Wang Hongbin , Liu Duanyang , Yan Shuqi
Published: September 2022

Studies on the vitality of urban residents’ daily commuting and air pollution are scarce. Based on the cell phone mobile signaling data, urban air quality observation data, and urban transportation infrastructure environment data of Nanjing in 2019, and through the panel regression model and the standard deviation ellipse analysis (SDE) to measure the impact of air pollution on residents’ daily traffic vitality, we construct the survey panel matrix data system with streets as spatial units. Through SDE and panel regression model analysis, we measured the restraining effect of air pollution on the traffic vitality. The scope of the traffic vitality area SDE was found to shrink as the air quality index (AQI) increases. The study found three main characteristics: (1) Under different transportation models and different location conditions, there are obvious differences in traffic vitality. The entire city presents a trend of “northeast-southwest” axial expansion in the spatial pattern of the traffic vitality. Compared with the urban core area, the traffic vitality of residents in the north-south areas of Nanjing’s periphery has declined significantly. (2) The inhibitory effect of air pollution on public traffic vitality and self-driving traffic vitality are differences. Approximately one-tenth of traffic activities may be inhibited by air pollution. The weakening of traffic vitality greatly reduces the city’s ability to attract and gather people, materials, and resources. (3) The inhibitory effect of air pollution on traffic vitality is heterogeneous under different transportation infrastructure environments. The higher the public transportation station density and public transportation frequency of the street, the more obvious the suppression effect of air pollution. The higher the parking density, station accessibility, road intersections density, and transportation facility diversity, the lower the suppression effect of air pollution. This study elucidates the relationship among air pollution, the transportation infrastructure environment, and the traffic vitality, and provides significant guidelines for optimizing the organization of elements in the transportation infrastructure environment, thereby mitigating the inhibitory effect of air pollution on traffic vitality.
Spatiotemporal Variability, Trends, and Potential Impacts of Extreme Rainfall Events in the Sudano-Sahelian Region of Cameroon
Authors: Njouenwet Ibrahim , Tchotchou Lucie Angennes Djiotang , Ayugi Brian Odhiambo , Guenang Guy Merlin , Vondou Derbetini Appolinaire , Nouayou Robert
Published: September 2022

The Sudano-Sahelian region of Cameroon is mainly drained by the Benue, Chari, and Logone rivers; which are very useful for water resources; especially for irrigation, hydropower generation, and navigation. Long-term changes in mean and extreme rainfall events in the region may be of crucial importance in understanding the impacts of climate change. Daily and monthly rainfall data from fifteen climate stations in the study area from 1980 to 2018 and measurements from the Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices (ETCCDI) were estimated using the non-parametric innovative trend analysis (ITA) and the Sen slope estimator. The precipitation concentration index (PCI), the precipitation concentration degree (PCD), and the precipitation concentration period (PCP) were used to explore the spatiotemporal variations in the characteristics of rainfall concentrations. The results showed complex spatial patterns of the annual average PCI values across the Sudano-Sahelian region; which varied from values lower in the south to higher in the far north, which were the characteristic of seasonality and a strong seasonal precipitation distribution throughout the year; respectively. The PCD results revealed that the annual rainy days in a year decreased from the south to the far north. Additionally, the PCP results indicated a slightly later occurrence of precipitation. A significant trend toward more intense–extreme rainfall events was observed in most parts of the study area, but a significant trend toward more humid days was observed in the southeastern part. Trends in dry days significantly increased in the central and southwestern parts of the study area. This could mean that the prevalence of flood and drought risks are higher in the study area. Overall, the increase in annual rainfall could benefit the hydro-power sector, agricultural irrigation, the availability of potable water sources, and food security.
Self-Perception of Hearing Difficulties and Quality of Life in Individuals with Hearing Loss
Authors: de Andrade Adriana Neves , Soares Andrea , Skarzynska Magdalena Beata , Skarzynski Piotr Henryk , Sanfins Milaine Dominici , Gil Daniela
Published: September 2022

Objectives: To characterize the results of the Short Form Health Survey-36 (SF-36), Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB), and the Hearing Handicap Inventory for Adults (HHIA) questionnaires in individuals with mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss and compare them with brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs). Methods: There were 26 individuals with mild to moderate bilateral symmetrical sensorineural hearing loss who participated in the study. They were aged between 13 and 59 years old, right-hand preference, of both sexes, and were assigned to one of two groups according to the result of a BAEP test: normal (n = 16) or altered (n = 10). All subjects underwent a brief, cognitive screening battery and answered the SF-36, APHAB, and HHIA self-assessment questionnaires. For analysis of results, descriptive measures and inferential analysis were used. Results: On the SF-36 questionnaire, scores below 80 points were found in both groups, signifying minimal impact in the domains of pain, general health, vitality, and mental health compared to the other domains. The results of the APHAB questionnaire showed worse scores on the environmental noise subscale, and evaluation with the HHIA revealed a perception of severe restriction in participation in daily life activities. In a comparison between the groups, normal or abnormal BAEPs, no significant differences were found for any of the questionnaires. Conclusions: The results of the self-assessment questionnaires indicate that individuals with hearing loss can experience reduced quality of life, with limitations and restrictions for participation in daily living. The use of BAEPs as a criterion for dividing the groups was not effective in isolating the central component in the results of the self-assessment questionnaires.
Conservative Treatments for Patellar Tendinopathy: A Review of Recent High-Quality Evidence
Authors: Čobec Jerneja , Kozinc Žiga
Published: September 2022

Patellar tendinopathy is a common injury characterized by progressive activity-related anterior knee pain. It is highly prevalent in sports which involve jumping and changing direction. The aim of this paper is to review recent high-quality evidence regarding the effectiveness of physical therapy in the treatment of patellar tendinopathy. Randomized controlled trials (n = 22) researching the effects of exercise therapy, physical agents, and soft tissue techniques were included. The results show that exercise therapy is the most effective. While eccentric exercise is commonly used, very promising progressive tendon-loading exercise therapy programs are recently emerging. Extracorporeal shock wave therapy, dry needling, and orthoses are no more effective than eccentric exercises or placebo groups. Isometric and isotonic exercise, patellar strap, sports tape, and kinesiotaping have a short-term effect on functional improvement and pain reduction, while progressive tendon-loading exercise, dry needling, platelet-rich plasma, and extracorporeal shock wave therapy have long-term effects.
Biotemplate Replication of Novel Mangifera indica Leaf (MIL) for Atmospheric Water Harvesting: Intrinsic Surface Wettability and Collection Efficiency
Authors: Foday Jr Edward Hingha , Sesay Taiwo , Koroma Emmanuel Bartholomew , Kanneh Anthony Amara Golia Seseh , Chineche Ekeoma Bridget , Jalloh Alpha Yayah , Koroma John Mambu
Published: September 2022

Water shortage has become a global crisis that has posed and still poses a serious threat to the human race, especially in developing countries. Harvesting moisture from the atmosphere is a viable approach to easing the world water crisis due to its ubiquitous nature. Inspired by nature, biotemplate surfaces have been given considerable attention in recent years though these surfaces still suffer from intrinsic trade-offs making replication more challenging. In the design of artificial surfaces, maximizing their full potential and benefits as that of the natural surface is difficult. Here, we conveniently made use of Mangifera indica leaf (MIL) and its replicated surfaces (RMIL) to collect atmosphere water. This research provides a novel insight into the facile replication mechanism of a wettable surface made of Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), which has proven useful in collecting atmospheric water. This comparative study shows that biotemplate surfaces (RMIL) with hydrophobic characteristics outperform natural hydrophilic surfaces (DMIL and FMIL) in droplet termination and water collection abilities. Water collection efficiency from the Replicated Mangifera indica leaf (RMIL) surface was shown to be superior to that of the Dry Mangifera indica leaf (DMIL) and Fresh Mangifera indica leaf (FMIL) surfaces. Furthermore, the wettability of the DMIL, FMIL, and RMIL was thoroughly investigated, with the apices playing an important role in droplet roll-off.