bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Oral Exposure to Tributyltin Induced Behavioral Abnormality and Oxidative Stress in the Eyes and Brains of Juvenile Japanese Medaka (Oryzias latipes)
Authors: Shi Yanhong , Chen Chen , Li Ming , Liu Lei , Dong Kejun , Chen Kun , Qiu Xuchun
Published: October 2021

The widely used compound tributyltin (TBT), which can be continuously detected in aquatic species and seafood, may induce diverse adverse effects on aquatic organisms. However, little is known regarding the mechanistic links between behavioral abnormality and oxidative stress in different fish tissues in response to oral TBT exposure. Herein, juvenile Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) were orally exposed to TBT at 1 and 10 ng/g-bw/d for four weeks. After exposure, the locomotor activity and social interaction of juvenile medaka were found to be significantly reduced in the 10 ng/g-bw/d TBT-exposed group. Furthermore, the antioxidant biomarkers in different tissues of juvenile medaka showed different levels of sensitivity to TBT exposure. The eye superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities markedly increased in both groups exposed to 1 and 10 ng/g-bw/d TBT, while the eye and brain malondialdehyde (MDA) levels increased in the higher dose group. Furthermore, the eye and brain ATPase activities markedly declined in the 1 ng/g-bw/d TBT-exposed group. A correlation analysis revealed that the decreased locomotor activity and social interaction in medaka were associated with the eye antioxidant enzyme (i.e., SOD and catalase (CAT)) activity and brain oxidative damage level. Thus, our findings suggested that there might be some mechanistic links between the behavioral abnormality induced by TBT exposure and oxidative stress in the eyes and brains of medaka. Thus, our findings indicate that the impacts of oral exposure to TBT should be considered to better assess its risk to the aquatic ecosystem and human health.
ROS Metabolism Perturbation as an Element of Mode of Action of Allelochemicals
Authors: Staszek Pawel , Krasuska Urszula , Ciacka Katarzyna , Gniazdowska Agnieszka
Published: October 2021

The allelopathic interaction between plants is one of the elements that influences plant communities. It has been commonly studied by applying tissue extracts onto the acceptors or by treating them with isolated allelotoxins. Despite descriptive observations useful for agricultural practice, data describing the molecular mode of action of allelotoxins cannot be found. Due to the development of -omic techniques, we have an opportunity to investigate specific reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent changes in proteome or transcriptome that are induced by allelochemicals. The aim of our review is to summarize data on the ROS-induced modification in acceptor plants in response to allelopathic plants or isolated allelochemicals. We present the idea of how ROS are involved in the hormesis and plant autotoxicity phenomena. As an example of an -omic approach in studies of the mode of action of allelopatic compounds, we describe the influence of meta-tyrosine, an allelochemical exudated from roots of fescues, on nitration—one of nitro-oxidative posttranslational protein modification in the roots of tomato plants. We conclude that ROS overproduction and an induction of oxidative stress are general plants’ responses to various allelochemicals, thus modification in ROS metabolisms is regarded as an indirect mode of action of allelochemicals.
A Case for Hydrogen Sulfide Metabolism as an Oxygen Sensing Mechanism
Authors: Olson Kenneth R.
Published: October 2021

The ability to detect oxygen availability is a ubiquitous attribute of aerobic organisms. However, the mechanism(s) that transduce oxygen concentration or availability into appropriate physiological responses is less clear and often controversial. This review will make the case for oxygen-dependent metabolism of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and polysulfides, collectively referred to as reactive sulfur species (RSS) as a physiologically relevant O2 sensing mechanism. This hypothesis is based on observations that H2S and RSS metabolism is inversely correlated with O2 tension, exogenous H2S elicits physiological responses identical to those produced by hypoxia, factors that affect H2S production or catabolism also affect tissue responses to hypoxia, and that RSS efficiently regulate downstream effectors of the hypoxic response in a manner consistent with a decrease in O2. H2S-mediated O2 sensing is then compared to the more generally accepted reactive oxygen species (ROS) mediated O2 sensing mechanism and a number of reasons are offered to resolve some of the confusion between the two.
Ozonated Sunflower Oil Exerted Protective Effect for Embryo and Cell Survival via Potent Reduction Power and Antioxidant Activity in HDL with Strong Antimicrobial Activity
Authors: Cho Kyung-Hyun , Kang Dae-Jin , Nam Hyo-Seon , Kim Ju-Hyun , Kim Su-Young , Lee Jung-Ok , Kim Beom-Joon
Published: October 2021

Ozonated sunflower oil (OSO) has potent antimicrobial effects, making it useful for topical applications to treat various skin diseases. On the other hand, regarding mechanistic insight, the antioxidant activity and cytoprotective effects of OSO are relatively less known. The current study compared the antioxidant ability and protective ability of OSO on cells and embryos against oxidative stress, such as H2O2 and oxidized low-density lipoproteins (oxLDL), to investigate its potential applications for wound-healing and anti-infection. OSO showed potent radical scavenging activity and ferric ion reduction ability that was up to 35% and 42% stronger than sunflower oil (SO) as a control in a dose-dependent manner. Measurement of the wavelength-maximum fluorescence (WMF) of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) revealed different behavior between OSO and SO treatment (final 1–16%). The OSO treatment caused a 12 nm red shift of Trp movement from 345 nm (at 0%) to 357 nm (at 16%), while SO caused a 12 nm blue shift of Trp movement from 345 nm (at 0%) to 333 nm (at 16%). The fluorescence intensity of HDL3 was diminished remarkably by the OSO treatment by up to 80% from the initial level, while SO-treated HDL did not. OSO-treated HDL3 showed slower electromobility with stronger band intensity and bigger HDL particle sizes than those of SO-treated HDL3. The paraoxonase-1 (PON-1) activity of HDL3 was enhanced by a co-treatment of OSO that was up to 2.3 times higher than HDL3 alone in a dose-dependent manner, whereas the co-treatment of SO even inhibited the PON activity. The cell viability of RAW264.7 by the OSO treatment was 3.3 times higher than the SO treatment at a high dose range (from 10% to 50%, final). The OSO also exhibited more cytoprotective effects than SO in brain microglial cells in the presence of H2O2 (final 0.03%); treatment with OSO impeded apoptosis and reduced ROS production more than an SO treatment did. In the presence of H2O2 alone, 86 ± 5% of the embryos were killed by cell explosion after 24 h, but a co-treatment of OSO (final 4%) resulted in almost no embryo death (98% survivability). Injection of oxLDL (15 ng of protein) into zebrafish embryos caused acute death, while the co-injection of OSO (final 2%) resulted in 2.8 times higher survivability than oxLDL alone. These results suggest new effects of ozonated oil, such as enhanced antioxidant activity, more cytoprotective ability, and higher embryo protection against oxidative stress. These results may be useful in developing new methods for the quality control of ozonated oil and an assessment of its efficacy.
Valorization of Wastewater from Table Olives: NMR Identification of Antioxidant Phenolic Fraction and Microwave Single-Phase Reaction of Sugary Fraction
Authors: Huertas-Alonso Alberto J. , Gavahian Mohsen , González-Serrano Diego J. , Hadidi Milad , Salgado-Ramos Manuel , Sánchez-Verdú M. Prado , Simirgiotis Mario J. , Barba Francisco J. , Franco Daniel , Lorenzo José M. , Moreno Andrés
Published: October 2021

The table olive industry is producing a huge amount of wastewater, which is a post-processing cost and an environmental concern. The present study aims to valorize this processing by-product to obtain a value-added product, thereby enhancing resource efficiency and contributing to achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs). In this sense, a chemical reaction-based platform was developed to obtain valuable components, such as levulinic acid (LA) and 5-hydromethylfurfural (HMF). The products were then analyzed using NMR identification of the antioxidant phenolic fraction and microwave single-phase reaction of the sugary fraction. According to the results, the highest concentration of phenolic compounds does not correspond to the sample directly obtained from NaOH treatment (S1), indicating that water washing steps (S2–S5) are fundamental to recover phenolic substances. Moreover, glucose was presented in the sugary fraction that can be transformed into levulinic acid by a single-phase reaction under microwave irradiation. The information provided in this manuscript suggests that the wastewater from the olive processing industry can be valorized to obtain valuable products.
Physiological Roles of Red Carrot Methanolic Extract and Vitamin E to Abrogate Cadmium-Induced Oxidative Challenge and Apoptosis in Rat Testes: Involvement of the Bax/Bcl-2 Ratio
Authors: Abdel-Wahab Ahmed , Hassanin Kamel M. A. , Mahmoud Ahmed A. , Abdel-Badeea Walaa I. E. , Abdel-Razik Abdel-Razik H. , Attia Eman Zekry , Abdelmohsen Usama Ramadan , Abdel Aziz Rabie L. , Najda Agnieszka , Alanazi Ibtesam S. , Alsharif Khalaf F. , Abdel-Daim Mohamed M. , Mahmoud Mohamed O.
Published: October 2021

The precise analysis of the contents of the red carrot is still ambiguous and its role in the maintenance of male fertility needs to be further reconnoitered. Hence, this study targets the physiological impacts of either red carrot methanolic extract (RCME) or vitamin E (Vit. E), co-administrated with cadmium chloride (CdCl2) on rat testes, specifically those concerned with apoptosis and oxidative challenge. Four groups of adult male rats (n = 12) are used; control, CdCl2, CdCl2 + Vit. E and CdCl2 + RCME. LC-MS analysis of RCME reveals the presence of 20 different phytochemical compounds. Our data clarify the deleterious effects of CdCl2 on testicular weights, semen quality, serum hormonal profile, oxidative markers and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. Histopathological changes in testicular, prostatic and semen vesicle glandular tissues are also observed. Interestingly, our data clearly demonstrate that co-administration of either RCME or Vit. E with CdCl2 significantly succeeded in the modulation (p < 0.05) of all of these negative effects. The most striking is that they were potent enough to modulate the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio as well as having the ability to correct the impaired semen picture, oxidant status and hormonal profile. Thus, RCME and Vit. E could be used as effective prophylactic treatments to protect the male reproductive physiology against CdCl2 insult.
Antioxidant Power on Dermal Cells by Textiles Dyed with an Onion (Allium cepa L.) Skin Extract
Authors: Volpi Claudia , Bartolini Desirée , Brighenti Virginia , Galli Francesco , Tiecco Matteo , Pellati Federica , Clementi Catia , Sardella Roccaldo
Published: October 2021

In this study, the phenol loading and antioxidant activity of wool yarn prepared with the aqueous extract of onion (Allium cepa L.) skin was enhanced by implementing the dyeing process with the use of alum as a mordant. Spectrophotometric and chromatographic methods were applied for the characterization of polyphenolic substances loaded on the wool yarn. The antioxidant/anti-inflammatory properties were evaluated by determining the level of intra- and extra-cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts pre-treated with lipopolysaccharide put in contact with artificial sweat. An elevated dye uptake on wool was observed for the pre-mordanted sample, as demonstrated by high absorbance values in the UV-Visible spectral range. Chromatographic results showed that protocatechuic acid and its glucoside were the main phenolic acid released in artificial sweat by the wool yarns, while quercetin-4′-glucoside and its aglycone quercetin were more retained. The extract released from the textile immersed in artificial sweat showed a significant reducing effect on the intra-and extracellular ROS levels in the two cell lines considered. Cytofluorimetric analyses demonstrated that the selected mordant was safe at the concentration used in the dyeing procedure. Therefore, alum pre-mordanted textiles dyed with onion-skin extracts may represent an interesting tool against skin diseases.
Role of Lipocalin-2 in Amyloid-Beta Oligomer-Induced Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Kang Heeyoung , Shin Hyun Joo , An Hyeong Seok , Jin Zhen , Lee Jong Youl , Lee Jaewoong , Kim Kyung Eun , Jeong Eun Ae , Choi Kyu Yeong , McLean Catriona , Lee Kun Ho , Kim Soo Kyoung , Lee Hae Ryong , Roh Gu Seob
Published: October 2021

Lipocalin-2 (LCN2) is an inflammatory protein with diverse functions in the brain. Although many studies have investigated the mechanism of LCN2 in brain injuries, the effect of LCN2 on amyloid-toxicity-related memory deficits in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been less studied. We investigated the role of LCN2 in human AD patients using a mouse model of AD. We created an AD mouse model by injecting amyloid-beta oligomer (AβO) into the hippocampus. In this model, animals exhibited impaired learning and memory. We found LCN2 upregulation in the human brain frontal lobe, as well as a positive correlation between white matter ischemic changes and serum LCN2. We also found increased astrocytic LCN2, microglia activation, iron accumulation, and blood–brain barrier disruption in AβO-treated hippocampi. These findings suggest that LCN2 is involved in a variety of amyloid toxicity mechanisms, especially neuroinflammation and oxidative stress.
Comprehensive Study on Surrounding Rock Failure Characteristics of Longwall Roadway and Control Techniques
Authors: Yang Xiaojie , Yang Gang , Huang Ruifeng , Wang Yajun , Liu Jianning , Zhang Jun , Hou Shilin
Published: October 2021

Research on underground coal mines has primarily focused on the stability of roadways. Mining activities lead to significant damage to the surrounding rocks and also degrade the support to the roadways. Considering the 21309 roadway of the Huojitu coal mine as a case study, this work comprehensively analyzed the characteristics of the surrounding rock using three methods: theoretical calculations, FLAC3D numerical modeling, and field observations. The results indicate that, under the influence of secondary mining, the failure range and stress concentration degree of the surrounding rock are considerably higher than those under the influence of primary mining. In this case, the maximum damage range in the surrounding rock can reach 1.8 m, the maximum principal stress can reach 19.82 MPa, and the ratio of the maximum principal stress to the minimum principal stress can reach 1.95. According to the results, the previous support design for roadways was optimized and applied in the field. Field monitoring revealed that the roadway deformation was effectively controlled, and the optimized support design was safe and reliable. This study is expected to serve as a reference for support designs or optimization under similar geological conditions.
Design and Performance Analysis of Probabilistically Shaped QAM Signals for Coherent FSO Systems with Gamma-Gamma Turbulence Channels
Authors: Tian Ruotong , Wu Zhiyong , Ma Shuang , Gu Yucong , Li Xueliang
Published: October 2021

Probabilistic shaping (PS) is a promising technique to approach the Shannon limit. In this paper, we design a practical coded modulation scheme based on PS to improve the capacity of coherent free-space optical (FSO) links with quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), where the fading channel follows the Gamma-Gamma distribution. The aim of this paper is to optimize the probability mass function (PMF) of the QAM signal points to achieve the maximum channel capacity. Due to the complexity of the objective function, the heuristic algorithm was employed to solve the optimization problem. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the closed-form pairwise error probability (PEP) is first derived with the non-uniform signals under the turbulence channel. In addition, we measure the average symbol error rate (SER) and post-FEC bit error rate (BER) by the Monte Carlo simulation method. The numerical simulation results of both capacity and BER show that the proposed PS scheme is better than the uniform distribution. The post-FEC BER results show that the proposed PS scheme provides significant gains compared with the uniform scheme.
Magnetically-Induced Pressure Generation in Magnetorheological Fluids under the Influence of Magnetic Fields
Authors: Widodo Purwadi Joko , Budiana Eko Prasetya , Ubaidillah Ubaidillah , Imaduddin Fitrian
Published: October 2021

This study aims to observe the magnitude of the Magnetorheological Fluids (MRFs) pressure due to the application of a magnetic field. This was accomplished by placing the MRFs in a U-shaped tube, then applying a magnetic field generated by a magnetic coil. A finite element simulation for the magnetic field was carried out to estimate the magnetic field strength generated by the coil variable to the current input given in the simulated apparatus. Changes in MRFs pressure were recorded using a data logger to better observe the fluid pressure phenomena occurring in the MRFs with respect to current input variations. The results showed that the magnetic field influences the MRFs fluid pressure proportionally. The slope is not constant as the magnetic field effect to the fluid pressure gets stronger when the current input is higher. However, there are also an adverse effect of heat generated in the coil in higher current, which results in coil performance degradation and reduces the magnetic field strength.
Acoustic Sensing and Noise Identification of a Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Unit: Industrial Case Study
Authors: Grigg Stephen , Al-Shibaany Zeyad Yousif Abdoon , Pearson Matthew Robert , Pullin Rhys , Calderbank Paul
Published: October 2021

Reducing the noise and improving the sound quality of vehicles’ interior space is one of the challenges to enhance passengers’ experience. This is an ever-growing issue as entirely electric cars are becoming commonplace, making previously unnoticed noise a significant problem. Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) units are a major noise source in a vehicle’s interior space, yet automotive manufacturers only give a maximum dB specification to HVAC unit manufactures. Problematic noise is only typically identified once the unit is within the vehicle at the late stages of a project. Psychoacoustics is the study of human perception to sound, allowing unpleasant noise to be identified within recorded data. Within this study, an industrial prototype HVAC unit was analysed using a 96-channel acoustic camera capable of isolating and locating noise sources from the unit using beamforming. In addition to identifying the location of noise sources, several psychoacoustic metrics were used, such as sharpness and loudness, to identify undesirable noise within an extensive data set due to the vast range of test configurations. Testing was conducted to analyse the unit. Within the initial testing, an ‘annoying’ sound was identified at a particular motor RPM, and this was located using the camera to an area which indicated that it was a result of structural resonance. In addition, present was a high-frequency source which could not be located accurately. The results of this testing enable modifications to the unit to be made early in its’ development, either structurally to alter the resonance of the unit or within the settings to ensure certain RPMs are avoided.
Design and Implementation of Composed Position/Force Controllers for Object Manipulation
Authors: Hernandez-Mendez Sergio , Palacios-Hernandez Elvia Ruth , Marin-Hernandez Antonio , Rechy-Ramirez Ericka Janet , Vazquez-Leal Hector
Published: October 2021

In the design of a controller for grasping objects through a robotic manipulator, there are two key problems: to find the position of the object to be grasped accurately, and to apply the appropriate force to each finger to handle the object properly without causing undesirable movement of it during its manipulation. A proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller is widely used to grasp objects in robotics; however, its main shortcomings are its sensitivity to controller gains, sluggish response, and high starting overshooting. This research presents three coupled (position/force) controllers for object manipulation using an assembled robotic manipulator (i.e., a gripper attached to a robotic arm mounted on a mobile robot). Specifically, an angular gripper was employed in this study, which was composed of two independent fingers with a piezoelectric force sensor attached to each fingertip. The main contributions of this study are the designs and implementations of three controllers: a classic PID controller, a type-I controller, and a type-II fuzzy controller. These three controllers were used to find an object to be grasped properly (position) and apply an equivalent force to each finger (force).
MSGCN: Multi-Subgraph Based Heterogeneous Graph Convolution Network Embedding
Authors: Chen Junhui , Huang Feihu , Peng Jian
Published: October 2021

Heterogeneous graph embedding has become a hot topic in network embedding in recent years and has been widely used in lots of practical scenarios. However, most of the existing heterogeneous graph embedding methods cannot make full use of all the auxiliary information. So we proposed a new method called Multi-Subgraph based Graph Convolution Network (MSGCN), which uses topology information, semantic information, and node feature information to learn node embedding vector. In MSGCN, the graph is firstly decomposed into multiple subgraphs according to the type of edges. Then convolution operation is adopted for each subgraph to obtain the node representations of each subgraph. Finally, the node representations are obtained by aggregating the representation vectors of nodes in each subgraph. Furthermore, we discussed the application of MSGCN with respect to a transductive learning task and inductive learning task, respectively. A node sampling method for inductive learning tasks to obtain representations of new nodes is proposed. This sampling method uses the attention mechanism to find important nodes and then assigns different weights to different nodes during aggregation. We conducted an experiment on three datasets. The experimental results indicate that our MSGCN outperforms the state-of-the-art methods in multi-class node classification tasks.
Incorporation of Oligomeric Hydrocarbon Resins for Improving the Properties of Aircraft Tire Retreads
Authors: Indriasari  , Noordermeer Jacques , Dierkes Wilma
Published: October 2021

This study focuses on the use of oligomeric hydrocarbon resins in order to benefit from their effect on improving the performance of aircraft tire retreads. The aim was to enhance the tackiness for the retreading process and their final performance in terms of superior stress–strain properties and low heat generation in order to decrease treadwear; thus, increasing the tire’s service life, and in terms of traction or skid resistance to improve safety during landing of an aircraft. Two types of resins are investigated: a terpene phenol and an aromatic hydrocarbon C9 resin, added to compounds with different filler systems: Carbon Black (CB), hybrid Carbon Black/Silica (CB/SI), and pure Silica (SI). The rubber compounds and vulcanizates are compared to their controls for each filler system. The use of resins improves processing independent of the filler system, with a slight improvement of tensile strength, Modulus at 300% (M300%) and Elongation at Break (EAB). The incorporation of resins improves the tackiness for the compounds with all filler systems, which is beneficial for the retreading process. A significant improvement in Ice Traction (ICT) and Wet Skid Resistance (WSR) with a trade-off in Heat Build-Up (HBU) is observed in CB- and CB/SI-reinforced compounds when resins are added. Terpene phenol and aromatic hydrocarbon C9 resin show comparable ICT, while the aromatic hydrocarbon C9 resin gives a better WSR performance than the terpene phenol in all compounds. However, a slight improvement in HBU with the use of both resins is only observed in the SI-filled system. The present exploratory study into the addition of resins demonstrates the potential to significantly improve the overall performance of aircraft tire retreads, justifying more in-depth investigations into this possibility in real tires.
Development of Quick Digital Field Recording and Mapping Method of Geological Objects for Hydraulic Engineering
Authors: Zhao Wenchao , Han Shuai , Chen Yapeng , Gao Yusheng , Liu Manjie
Published: October 2021

During the fieldwork of hydraulic engineering, practical engineers normally document geological information manually. Although there are some GIS-based digital tools for geology, they are not perfectly applicable to hydraulic engineering. As a result, the current work mode is ineffective, unmanageable, error-prone, and not conducive to subsequent analysis. To address this problem, we developed a digital tool which enables geological recording and quick modeling based on 3D real scenes in the field of hydropower projects. There are three modules in the surface tool: object recording, image interpretation, and field analysis. The object recording module is to mark geological points (e.g., drills and shafts), lines (e.g., faults, stratigraphic boundaries), and surfaces (e.g., slope and stocking yard) on a 3D scene and then store them in the database. The image interpretation is to interpret the 2D information in images to 3D models loaded in 3D software for further studies, such as GOCAD. The field analysis includes surface fitting, stability analysis of blocks, occurrences calculating, rock recognition, and 69/sketching. The tool is helpful for recording data, drawing geological boundaries, and building a preliminary model in the geological survey.
A Fully-Automatic Gap Filling Approach for Motion Capture Trajectories
Authors: Gomes Diana , Guimarães Vânia , Silva Joana
Published: October 2021

Missing marker information is a common problem in Motion Capture (MoCap) systems. Commercial MoCap software provides several methods for reconstructing incomplete marker trajectories; however, these methods still rely on manual intervention. Current alternatives proposed in the literature still present drawbacks that prevent their widespread adoption. The lack of fully automated and universal solutions for gap filling is still a reality. We propose an automatic frame-wise gap filling routine that simultaneously explores restrictions between markers’ distance and markers’ dynamics in a least-squares minimization problem. This algorithm constitutes the main contribution of our work by simultaneously overcoming several limitations of previous methods that include not requiring manual intervention, prior training or training data; not requiring information about the skeleton or a dedicated calibration trial and by being able to reconstruct all gaps, even if these are located in the initial and final frames of a trajectory. We tested our approach in a set of artificially generated gaps, using the full body marker set, and compared the results with three methods available in commercial MoCap software: spline, pattern and rigid body fill. Our method achieved the best overall performance, presenting lower reconstruction errors in all tested conditions.
Numerical Modeling of 3D Slopes with Weak Zones by Random Field and Finite Elements
Authors: Xia Yu-Xiang , Cheng Po , Liu Man-Man , Hu Jun
Published: October 2021

This work investigates an analysis method for the stability of a three-dimensional (3D) slope with weak zones considering spatial variability on the basis of two-phase random media and the finite element method. By controlling the volume fractions of rock and weak zones, two-phase random media are incorporated into the 3D slope model to simulate the random distribution of rock and weak zones. Then, a rotation of a Gaussian random field is performed to account for the inclination of the weak zones. The validity of the proposed model for use in the analysis of the stability of 3D slopes with weak zones was verified by comparing it to existing results and analytical solutions. The failure mechanism of the slope is considered by examining the plastic failure zone at incipient slope failure. The safety factor is sensitive to the inclination of the weak zones, but it is predictable. Parametric studies on the inclination of the layer of weak zones demonstrate that when the rotation angle of the weak zones is approximately parallel to the slope inclination, the slope is prone to slippage along the weak zones, resulting in a significant reduction in the safety factor. The findings of this research can serve as the foundation for further research on the stability of slopes with weak zones.
Understanding Perceptions of Health Risk and Behavioral Responses to Air Pollution in the State of Utah (USA)
Authors: Benney Tabitha M. , Cantwell Devon , Singer Phillip , Derhak Linda , Bey Samuel , Saifee Zahra
Published: October 2021

Poor air quality in Utah creates an array of economic, environmental, and health-related impacts that merit investigation and informed political responses. Air pollution is known to cause a variety of health problems, ranging from increased rates of asthma to cardiovascular and lung disease. Our research investigates the extent of Utahn’s understanding of the health risks associated with long-term and short-term impacts of air quality. To assess the degree to which Utahn’s perceive the health risks of air pollution, we performed an ordinal logistic regression analysis using responses to the Utah Air Quality Risk and Behavioral Action Survey, a representative panel survey administered between November 2018 and January 2020 (n = 1160), to determine how socioeconomic status impacts risk perception. Socioeconomic status is not a predictor of perceiving air’s short-term risks to health. Those with more conservative political orientation, as well as those with higher religiosity scores, were less likely than those with more liberal political orientation or those with lower religiosity scores to strongly agree that air pollution poses short-term health risks. We find that for short-term health risks from air pollution, Utahns in the middle-income category are more likely than those in the low-income category to strongly agree that air pollution poses long-term health risks. In addition, those with more conservative political orientation were less likely than those with more liberal political orientation to strongly agree that air pollution poses long-term health risks.
The Impact of Air or Nitrogen Non-Thermal Plasma on Variations of Natural Bioactive Compounds in Djulis (Chenopodium formosanum Koidz.) Seed and the Potential Effects for Human Health
Authors: Lu Bing-Jyh , Lin Tzu-Che , Chao How-Ran , Tsai Cheng-Hsian , Lu Jian-He , Tsai Ming-Hsien , Chang Ching-Tzu , Hsieh Hao , Lu I-Cheng , Arcega Rachelle D. , Chang Wei-Hsiang , Chen Hsiu-Ling , Mansor Wan Nurdiyana Wan , Lee Ying-Chieh
Published: October 2021

Non-thermal plasma (NTP) has been widely applied in the food and agricultural industries. It is still unknown whether natural bioactive compounds in seeds are affected by NTP treatment. Our goal was to examine whether the bioactive compounds in djulis (Chenopodium formosanum Koidz.) seed are changed after NTP treatment. The betacyanin, anthocyanin, total phenolic content (TPCs), total flavonoids (TFs), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging effects (DPPH), gallic acid, and rutin were compared in NTP-treated seed and an untreated control. Levels of betacyanin, anthocyanin, and TPCs in the seed were found to be significantly increased after the nitrogen (N2)-NTP treatment compared with the control (p < 0.001). Inversely, the air-NTP treatment significantly weakened the performance of these bioactive compounds in the seed as compared to the control. Levels of TFs in both the air- and N2-NTP treated seed were significantly lower than those in the control (p < 0.001). After the NTP treatment, DPPH was still at high levels, similar to those in the control. The djulis seed extract had antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects on THP-1 (human-monocyte-cell line) cells. N2-NTP generated nitrogen reactive species that activated the bioactive compounds in the seed. In contrast, air-NTP produced oxygen and nitrogen reactive species inhibited the expression of these bioactive compounds.
Targeted Cross-Section Calculations for Plasma Simulations
Authors: Mohr Sebastian , Tudorovskaya Maria , Hanicinec Martin , Tennyson Jonathan
Published: October 2021

Gathering data on electron collisions in plasmas is a vital part of conducting plasma simulations. However, data on neutral radicals and neutrals formed in the plasma by reactions between different radicals are usually not readily available. While these cross-sections can be calculated numerically, this is a time-consuming process and it is not clear from the outset which additional cross-sections are needed for a given plasma process. Hence, identifying species for which additional cross-sections are needed in advance is highly advantageous. Here, we present a structured approach to do this. In this, a chemistry set using estimated data for unknown electron collisions is run in a global plasma model. The results are used to rank the species with regard to their influence on densities of important species such as electrons or neutrals inducing desired surface processes. For this, an algorithm based on graph theory is used. The species ranking helps to make an informed decision on which cross-sections need to be calculated to improve the chemistry set and which can be neglected to save time. The validity of this approach is demonstrated through an example in an SF6/O2 plasma.
A Novel Color Recognition Model for Improvement on Color Differences in Products via Grey Relational Grade
Authors: Liou Jeih-Jang
Published: October 2021

ED light, a green energy-saving light source, can cause color cast. For this reason, LED light is seldom favored by designers. The purpose of the paper is to provide shoppers who are observing product colors in an LED-lighted setting with an innovative color identification model. Based on designers’ product color comparison, the paper employs high-reliability mechanic visual perception in combination with grey relational grade. Grey relational grade is applied to eliminate electrical fault pertaining to mechanic visual perception, whereby appropriate LED parameters and color cast inclination can be obtained. The paper first mimics retail store display windows. The color temperature and illuminance of LED light sources are adjustable. Two degrees of illuminance, including high illuminance (1500 lux) and low illuminance (500 lux), and two light source color temperatures, including yellow light (2700 K) and white light (4000 K), were assigned for study. Four colors, including red, yellow, blue and green of the natural color system, were selected as product colors. The mechanic visual perception sensor was used to identify the object (product) color, which is then converted into an RGB color model to serve as research data of color cast measurement, and the grey relational grade was applied to obtain the most appropriate LED light parameters and the color cast of the four colors. The data analysis reveals that green shows the least color cast when it is lighted by a yellow LED light source with low illuminance, yellow and blue have the least color cast when it is lighted by a white LED light source with high illuminance and red displays the least color cast when it is lighted by a white LED light source with low-illuminance. The analysis also indicates each color’s cast inclination in blackness, chromaticness and hue. As a result, LED light that is more acceptable to designers is suggested for display windows, thus reducing problems with product color cast.
Fundamental Biomaterial Considerations in the Development of a 3D Model Representative of Primary Open Angle Glaucoma
Authors: Lamont Hannah C. , Masood Imran , Grover Liam M. , El Haj Alicia J. , Hill Lisa J.
Published: October 2021

Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness globally, with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) being the most common subset. Raised intraocular pressure is an important risk factor for POAG and is caused by a reduction in aqueous humour (AqH) outflow due to dysfunctional cellular and matrix dynamics in the eye’s main drainage site, the trabecular meshwork (TM) and Schlemm’s canal (SC). The TM/SC are highly specialised tissues that regulate AqH outflow; however, their exact mechanisms of AqH outflow control are still not fully understood. Emulating physiologically relevant 3D TM/S in vitro models poses challenges to accurately mimic the complex biophysical and biochemical cues that take place in healthy and glaucomatous TM/SC in vivo. With development of such models still in its infancy, there is a clear need for more well-defined approaches that will accurately contrast the two central regions that become dysfunctional in POAG; the juxtacanalicular tissue (JCT) region of the TM and inner wall endothelia of the Schlemm’s canal (eSC). This review will discuss the unique biological and biomechanical characteristics that are thought to influence AqH outflow and POAG progression. Further consideration into fundamental biomaterial attributes for the formation of a biomimetic POAG/AqH outflow model will also be explored for future success in pre-clinical drug discovery and disease translation.
The Importance of Mimicking Dermal-Epidermal Junction for Skin Tissue Engineering: A Review
Authors: Aleemardani Mina , Trikić Michael Zivojin , Green Nicola Helen , Claeyssens Frederik
Published: October 2021

There is a distinct boundary between the dermis and epidermis in the human skin called the basement membrane, a dense collagen network that creates undulations of the dermal–epidermal junction (DEJ). The DEJ plays multiple roles in skin homeostasis and function, namely, enhancing the adhesion and physical interlock of the layers, creating niches for epidermal stem cells, regulating the cellular microenvironment, and providing a physical boundary layer between fibroblasts and keratinocytes. However, the primary role of the DEJ has been determined as skin integrity; there are still aspects of it that are poorly investigated. Tissue engineering (TE) has evolved promising skin regeneration strategies and already developed TE scaffolds for clinical use. However, the currently available skin TE equivalents neglect to replicate the DEJ anatomical structures. The emergent ability to produce increasingly complex scaffolds for skin TE will enable the development of closer physical and physiological mimics to natural skin; it also allows researchers to study the DEJ effect on cell function. Few studies have created patterned substrates that could mimic the human DEJ to explore their significance. Here, we first review the DEJ roles and then critically discuss the TE strategies to create the DEJ undulating structure and their effects. New approaches in this field could be instrumental for improving bioengineered skin substitutes, creating 3D engineered skin, identifying pathological mechanisms, and producing and screening drugs.
Quantification of the Rupture Potential of Patient-Specific Intracranial Aneurysms under Contact Constraints
Authors: Alam Manjurul , Mut Fernando , Cebral Juan R. , Seshaiyer Padmanabhan
Published: October 2021

Intracranial aneurysms (IAs) are localized enlargements of cerebral blood vessels that cause substantial rates of mortality and morbidity in humans. The rupture possibility of these aneurysms is a critical medical challenge for physicians during treatment planning. This treatment planning while assessing the rupture potential of aneurysms becomes more complicated when they are constrained by an adjacent structure such as optic nerve tissues or bones, which is not widely studied yet. In this work, we considered and studied a constitutive model to investigate the bio-mechanical response of image-based patient-specific IA data using cardiovascular structural mechanics equations. We performed biomechanical modeling and simulations of four different patient-specific aneurysms’ data (three middle cerebral arteries and one internal carotid artery) to assess the rupture potential of those aneurysms under a plane contact constraint. Our results suggest that aneurysms with plane contact constraints produce less or almost similar maximum wall effective stress compared to aneurysms with no contact constraints. In our research findings, we observed that a plane contact constraint on top of an internal carotid artery might work as a protective wall due to the 16.6% reduction in maximum wall effective stress than that for the case where there is no contact on top of the aneurysm.
Deep Machine Learning Model Trade-Offs for Malaria Elimination in Resource-Constrained Locations
Authors: Eze Peter U. , Asogwa Clement O.
Published: October 2021

The success of deep machine learning (DML) models in gaming and robotics has increased its trial in clinical and public healthcare solutions. In applying DML to healthcare problems, a special challenge of inadequate electrical energy and computing resources exists in regional and developing areas of the world. In this paper, we evaluate and report the computational and predictive performance design trade-offs for four candidate deep learning models that can be deployed for rapid malaria case finding. The goal is to maximise malaria detection accuracy while reducing computing resource and energy consumption. Based on our experimental results using a blood smear malaria test data set, the quantised versions of Basic Convolutional Neural Network (B-CNN) and MobileNetV2 have better malaria detection performance (up to 99% recall), lower memory usage (2MB 8-bit quantised model) and shorter inference time (33–95 microseconds on mobile phones) than VGG-19 fine-tuned and quantised models. Hence, we have implemented MobileNetV2 in our mobile application as it has even a lower memory requirement than B-CNN. This work will help to counter the negative effects of COVID-19 on the previous successes towards global malaria elimination.
A Review on Nanopesticides for Plant Protection Synthesized Using the Supramolecular Chemistry of Layered Hydroxide Hosts
Authors: Zobir Syazwan Afif Mohd , Ali Asgar , Adzmi Fariz , Sulaiman Mohd Roslan , Ahmad Khairulmazmi
Published: October 2021

The rapid growth in the human population has triggered increased demand for food supply, and in turn has prompted a higher amount of agrochemical usage to meet the gaps between food production and consumption. The problem with conventional agro-nanochemicals is the reduced effectiveness of the active ingredient in reaching the target, along with leaching, evaporation, etc., which ultimately affect the environment and life, including humans. Fortunately, nanotechnology platforms offer a new life for conventional pesticides, which improves bioavailability through different kinetics, mechanisms and pathways on their target organisms, thus enabling them to suitably bypass biological and other unwanted resistances and therefore increase their efficacy. This review is intended to serve the scientific community for research, development and innovation (RDI) purposes, by providing an overview on the current status of the host–guest supramolecular chemistry of nanopesticides, focusing on only the two-dimensional (2D), brucite-like inorganic layered hydroxides, layered hydroxide salts and layered double hydroxides as the functional nanocarriers or as the hosts in smart nanodelivery systems of pesticides for plant protection. Zinc layered hydroxides and zinc/aluminum-layered double hydroxides were found to be the most popular choices of hosts, presumably due to their relative ease to prepare and cheap cost. Other hosts including Mg/Al-, Co/Cr-, Mg/Fe-, Mg/Al/Fe-, Zn/Cr- and Zn/Cu-LDHs were also used. This review also covers various pesticides which were used as the guest active agents using supramolecular host–guest chemistry to combat various pests for plant protection. This looks towards a new generation of agrochemicals, “agro-nanochemicals”, which are more effective, and friendly to life, humans and the environment.
Analysis of Codon Usage of Speech Gene FoxP2 among Animals
Authors: Mazumder Tarikul Huda , Alqahtani Ali M. , Alqahtani Taha , Emran Talha Bin , A. Aldahish Afaf , Uddin Arif
Published: October 2021

The protein-coding gene FoxP2 (fork head box protein P2) plays a major role in communication and evolutionary changes. The present study carried out a comprehensive codon usage bias analysis in the FoxP2 gene among a diverse group of animals including fishes, birds, reptiles, and mammals. We observed that in the genome of fishes for the FoxP2 gene, codons ending with C or G were most frequently used, while in birds, reptiles, and mammals, codons ending with T or A were most frequently used. A higher ENC value was observed for the FoxP2 gene indicating a lower CUB. Parity role two-bias plots suggested that apart from mutation pressure, other factors such as natural selection might have influenced the CUB. The frequency distribution of the ENC observed and ENC expected ratio revealed that mutation pressure plays a key role in the patterns of codon usage of FoxP2. Besides, correspondence analysis exposed the composition of the nucleobase under mutation bias affects the codon usage of the FoxP2 gene. However, neutrality plots revealed the major role of natural selection over mutation pressure in the CUB of FoxP2. In addition, the codon usage patterns for FoxP2 among the selected genomes suggested that nature has favored nearly all the synonymous codons for encoding the corresponding amino acid. The uniform usage of 12 synonymous codons for FoxP2 was observed among the species of birds. The amino acid usage frequency for FoxP2 revealed that the amino acids Leucine, Glutamine, and Serine were predominant over other amino acids among all the species of fishes, birds, reptiles, and mammals.
CB2 Receptor Involvement in the Treatment of Substance Use Disorders
Authors: Navarrete Francisco , García-Gutiérrez María S. , Gasparyan Ani , Navarro Daniela , Manzanares Jorge
Published: October 2021

The pharmacological modulation of the cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2r) has emerged as a promising potential therapeutic option in addiction. The purpose of this review was to determine the functional involvement of CB2r in the effects produced by drugs of abuse at the central nervous system (CNS) level by assessing evidence from preclinical and clinical studies. In rodents, several reports suggest the functional involvement of CB2r in the effects produced by drugs of abuse such as alcohol, cocaine, or nicotine. In addition, the discovery of CB2r in brain areas that are part of the reward system supports the relevance of CB2r in the field of addiction. Interestingly, animal studies support that the CB2r regulates anxiety and depression behavioral traits. Due to its frequent comorbidity with neuropsychiatric disorders, these pharmacological actions may be of great interest in managing SUD. Preliminary clinical trials are focused on exploring the therapeutic potential of modulating CB2r in treating addictive disorders. These promising results support the development of new pharmacological tools regulating the CB2r that may help to increase the therapeutic success in the management of SUD.