bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spatio-Temporal Changes and Influencing Factors of Meteorological Dry-Wet in Northern China during 1960–2019
Authors: Zhou Junju , Tang Haitao , Qiu Yu , Guo Zhaonan , Luo Chuyu , Wang Xue , Shi Wei , Zhang Dongxia , Wang Chunli , Yang Xuemei , Liu Chunfang , Wei Wei
Published: January 2023

In northern China, precipitation fluctuates greatly and drought occurs frequently, which mark some of the important threats to agricultural and animal husbandry production. Understanding the meteorological dry-wet change and the evolution law of drought events in northern China has guiding significance for regional disaster prevention and mitigation. Based on the standardized precipitation index (SPI), this paper explored the spatio-temporal evolution of meteorological dry-wet in northern China. Our results showed that arid area (AA) and semi-arid area (SAA) in the west showed a trend of wetting at inter-annual and seasonal scales, while humid area (HA) and semi-humid area (SHA) in the east showed a different dry-wet changing trend at different seasons under the background of inter-annual drying. AA and HA showed obvious “reverse fluctuation” characteristics in summer. The drought frequency (DF) and drought intensity (DI) were high in the east and low in the west, and there was no significant difference in drought duration (DD) and drought severity (DS) between east and west. The DD, DS and DI of AA and SAA showed a decreasing trend, while the DD and DS of HA and SHA showed a slight increasing trend, and the DS decreased. In summer and autumn, the main influencing factors of drying in the east and wetting in the west were PNA, WP, PDO and TP1, and the fluctuations of NAO-SOI, NAO-AMO and PNA-NINO3.4 jointly determined the characteristics of SPI3 reverse fluctuations of HA and AA in summer.
Review of Adsorption Studies for Contaminant Removal from Wastewater Using Molecular Simulation
Authors: Hira Noor e , Lock Serene Sow Mun , Shoparwe Noor Fazliani , Lock Irene Sow Mei , Lim Lam Ghai , Yiin Chung Loong , Chan Yi Herng , Hassam Muhammad
Published: January 2023

In recent years, simulation studies have emerged as valuable tools for understanding processes. In particular, molecular dynamic simulations hold great significance when it comes to the adsorption process. However, comprehensive studies on molecular simulations of adsorption processes using different adsorbents are scarcely available for wastewater treatment covering different contaminants and pollutants. Hence, in this review, we organized the available information on various aspects of the adsorption phenomenon that were realized using molecular simulations for a broad range of potentially effective adsorbents applied in the removal of contaminants from wastewater. This review was compiled for adsorbents under five major categories: (1) carbon-based, (2) oxides and hydroxides, (3) zeolites, (4) metal–organic frameworks and (5) clay. From the review, it was found that simulation studies help us understand various parameters such as binding energy, Gibbs free energy, electrostatic field, ultrasound waves and binding ability for adsorption. Moreover, from the review of recent simulation studies, the effect of ultrasound waves and the electrostatic field was elucidated, which promoted the adsorption capacity. This review can assist in the screening of classified adsorbents for wastewater treatment using a fast and cheap approach while helping us understand the adsorption process from an atomistic perspective.
Operational Efficiency and Debt Cost: The Mediating Effect of Carbon Information Disclosure in Chinese Listed Companies
Authors: Wang Guangyang , Bai Junwei , Xing Jian , Shen Jianfei , Dan Erli , Zheng Xinyuan , Zhang Ludan , Liu Peng , Feng Renchi
Published: January 2023

Voluntary corporate carbon information disclosure not only meets the carbon information needs of investors, but also enhances the legitimacy of organizations. Building a green image may increase the public consumption of products and be conducive to reducing the cost of debt. As a part of creditors’ assessment of debtors’ solvency, operational efficiency is the basic factor of debt cost reduction. By constructing the correlation between carbon information disclosure and operational efficiency, this paper attempts to test the mediating effect of carbon information disclosure in the relationship between operational efficiency and debt cost, so as to increase the understanding of the mechanism of action between carbon information disclosure and debt cost. Stepwise regression method and Bootstrap statistical method were used to test. The results show that the higher the operational efficiency, the lower the debt cost; the carbon information disclosure of enterprises in low-carbon industries has a significant partial mediating effect on the relationship between operational efficiency and debt cost while that of carbon-intensive industries is not significant. It verifies that the operating efficiency of low-carbon industry can affect the cost of debt through carbon information disclosure, and finds a significant correlation between carbon information disclosure and operating efficiency. This study broadens ways for enterprises in low-carbon industries to reduce debt costs, highlights the role of operational efficiency in various industries, and reveals favorable evidence in the positive value of carbon disclosure in low-carbon industries which in essence can better reflect the enthusiasm of enterprises in their own financing or the restrictive channels of enterprise carbon performance evaluation. This has implications for the research on how to promote the link between carbon information disclosure and debt cost of enterprises in high-carbon industries, which will help enterprises in the future to make carbon information transparency or voluntarily disclose carbon information. It is of great significance for regional and industrial enterprises to choose the disclosure system of voluntary or mandatory carbon information disclosure.
Composite Demand-Based Energy Storage Sizing for an Isolated Microgrid System
Authors: Alamri Abdullah , AlKassem Abdulrahman , Draou Azeddine
Published: January 2023

This paper presents a comprehensive model for optimal energy storage system (ESS) design for an isolated microgrid. The model presented is a mixed integer linear program (MILP) that considers seasonal varying generation (VG) demand, more specifically seasonal solar cell generator (SCG) demand, SCG maintenance (failure and restoration) rates, and practical operation of conventional generation (CG) while satisfying the required demand and reserve. The model is based on unit commitment (UC) to simulate real operations and physical constraints of CG units, the power balance, and reserve requirements. The objective function aims at minimizing the associated cost of CG, namely, production (fuel), costs of startup and shutdown procedures, and the investment cost of power and energy. The proposed model is assessed on a case study system consisting of multiple SCGs in addition to CG to meet a specific demand. The proposed model showed that the ESS sizing when considering Li-Ion technology and a SCG penetration of 25% was on average approximately 3 MWh and 1.70 MW. Meeting the demand and reserve requirements were the two major constraints when determining the optimal ESS sizing. Moreover, introducing the ESS substantially reduced the operating cost of the system.
Wild Horse Optimization with Deep Learning-Driven Short-Term Load Forecasting Scheme for Smart Grids
Authors: Motwakel Abdelwahed , Alabdulkreem Eatedal , Gaddah Abdulbaset , Marzouk Radwa , Salem Nermin M. , Zamani Abu Sarwar , Abdelmageed Amgad Atta , Eldesouki Mohamed I.
Published: January 2023

Energy is a major driver of human activity. Demand response is of the utmost importance to maintain the efficient and reliable operation of smart grid systems. The short-term load forecasting (STLF) method is particularly significant for electric fields in the trade of energy. This model has several applications to everyday operations of electric utilities, namely load switching, energy-generation planning, contract evaluation, energy purchasing, and infrastructure maintenance. A considerable number of STLF algorithms have introduced a tradeoff between convergence rate and forecast accuracy. This study presents a new wild horse optimization method with a deep learning-based STLF scheme (WHODL-STLFS) for SGs. The presented WHODL-STLFS technique was initially used for the design of a WHO algorithm for the optimal selection of features from the electricity data. In addition, attention-based long short-term memory (ALSTM) was exploited for learning the energy consumption behaviors to forecast the load. Finally, an artificial algae optimization (AAO) algorithm was applied as the hyperparameter optimizer of the ALSTM model. The experimental validation process was carried out on an FE grid and a Dayton grid and the obtained results indicated that the WHODL-STLFS technique achieved accurate load-prediction performance in SGs.
Individual Characteristics as Enablers of Construction Employees’ Digital Literacy: An Exploration of Leaders’ Opinions
Authors: Zulu Sambo Lyson , Saad Ali M. , Gledson Barry
Published: January 2023

The shift towards digitalisation has been empowering growth in the construction industry, especially in the past decade. Construction stakeholders are offered myriad benefits by embracing digital advancements to achieve efficiency. However, the exploitation of digital opportunities is bounded by the need for a practitioner skillset that aligns with the digital era, a requirement that has been described as difficult to meet and justified by the low degree of digital literacy among construction employees. This paper reports findings from interviews with 19 leaders and decision makers in the construction sector to reveal the indicators that can predict construction employees’ digital literacy. Such an approach offers a comprehensive exploration of the likelihood of employees’ digital literacy through socially oriented characteristics. Overall, 19 individual characteristics emerged from the thematic analysis and highlight the critical connection between social behaviour and digital literacy. The findings of this paper are timely and important for those businesses assessing their employees’ willingness and maturity with regard to technological change through social and behavioural information. The qualitative approach led to the development of a conceptual framework that can explain the dynamics needed to assess employees’ digital literacy in construction organisations. This study, therefore, reveals the effectiveness of predicting employees’ readiness to shine in the digital era by shedding light on their digital literacy through examinations of individual characteristics in a construction workplace. This paper is among the first to encourage research efforts that take into account the importance of studying social and psychological complexities, which are subject areas that are limited in recent construction literature. As such, it is of value to employers wishing to embed greater digitalisation in their firms, as well as researchers in this domain and policymakers looking to encourage greater digital transformations.
Medium-Sized Towns in the Knowledge Economy—Towards a Systematic Classification
Authors: Wagner Madeleine , Growe Anna
Published: January 2023

Medium-sized towns represent important anchor points with regard to services of general interest that are also places to live and work. The increasing number of employees in the service and knowledge economy and the shift in working conditions towards more flexible and mobile working models have impacted the importance of working locations outside the metropolises. This study classifies all medium-sized German towns with a focus on the knowledge economy to analyze the role of this city type for different labor market indicators. First, 19 indicators are condensed into six principal components by means of principal component analysis. This is followed by a cluster and a discriminant analysis to determine five types of towns: (1) important working and education centers, (2) residential towns with a work function, (3) average medium-sized towns, (4) accessibility winners, and (5) tax winners. The results demonstrate that medium-sized towns should be regarded as a single and important urban category, especially concerning the knowledge economy. Our classification enables an initial evaluation that can be used for further evidence-based funding policy and spatial governance. By concluding with a methodological critique and discussing the results obtained, we argue for a more nuanced look at medium-sized towns from different disciplinary perspectives.
Regulation of Methane Emissions in a Constructed Wetland by Water Table Changes
Authors: Sha Chenyan , Wang Qiang , Wu Jian , Hu Wenan , Shen Cheng , Zhang Beier , Wang Min
Published: January 2023

Riparian wetlands release greenhouse gases and sequestration carbon as well, so their carbon source and carbon sink functions have become some of the key research issues of global climate change. In this present paper, the main controllable factors of the self-designed and constructed riparian wetland, namely hydrological conditions and additional carbon sources, were artificially regulated, and then methane fluxes were measured. The results proved that the methane emissions were significantly positively correlated with the water level heights, and the methane emissions increased exponentially with the rise of water level when the water level was between −20 cm and +20 cm. According to the −20~0 cm water level, a small number of methane emissions was significantly different from the 10 cm and 20 cm water levels, which indicated that higher water level could significantly promote methane emission. When the water level reached above 0 cm, the methane emission gradually increased as the flooding time became longer; it reached the peak value after more than 20 days of flooding after which it decreased, which provided a scientific basis for optimal design and effective management of restored and constructed riparian wetlands, minimizing the methane emissions of riparian wetlands.
Characteristic of Molecular Weight-Fractions of Soil Organic Matter from Calcareous Soil and Yellow Soil
Authors: Ma Liangang , Xiao Baohua
Published: January 2023

Soil organic matter (SOM), along with the rock weathering, originating from the residues of animals, plants and microorganisms involved in soil formation and evolution. The stability of SOM could directly produce an effect on carbon sequestration. To elucidate the stability characteristics of SOM in karst areas at the molecular structure level, in this study, the humic acids (HA), as the major proxy of SOM, were extracted, purified, and ultra-filtrated. The HA from calcareous soil were fractionated into five size fractions, while the HA from yellow soil were separated into eight size fractions. Via the analysis of potentiometric titration, FTIR, and CPMAS 13C NMR, the results showed some common features, whereby compared with the bigger size fractions, the smaller size fractions have much lower contents of aliphatic carbon, but have higher contents of aromatic carbon, carboxyl groups, ketonic groups, phenolic hydroxyl groups, and total acidity, which indicates that the smaller size fractions are more soluble as well as more degradable than the bigger ones. It was distinct that, in the size fractions of HA from calcareous soil, negative correlations between the acidic functional groups’ contents and the oxygen contents were found, suggesting that the oxygen was mainly located in the hydroxyl group of carbohydrates instead of carboxyl and hydroxyl groups in aromatic rings, and confirming that the bigger size fractions have much higher contents of carbohydrate subunits. According to the analysis, comparing with the HA in yellow soil, we presumed that the HA from calcareous soil were more polar and degradable. However HA from calcareous soil had a larger molecular size than that of HA from yellow soil, as well as, calcareous soil had a higher content of SOM than that of the same layer of yellow soil which suggests that the conservation mechanism of HA in calcareous is not only the organic molecular structure resistance but also the chemical protection from forming complexes with calcium or/and physical protection from enclosing by hypergene CaCO3 precipitation.
Personal and Emotional Values Embedded in Thai-Consumers’ Perceptions: Key Factors for the Sustainability of Traditional Confectionery Businesses
Authors: Oe Hiroko , Yamaoka Yasuyuki , Ochiai Hiroko
Published: January 2023

The confectionery market in Thailand is being overpowered by Western confectioneries. This study proposes and verifies a model of the factors that define consumer behaviour towards traditional Thai confectioneries and consumer willingness to support them. In recent years, there has been a boom in posting various aspects of Thai youth culture, including confectionery, on social networking services (SNS), especially Instagram. In major Thai cities, such as Bangkok, stores are being built with ‘Insta-image’ in mind, strengthening the younger generation’s inclination towards Western confectionery. Under these circumstances, the share of traditional confectioneries, which have long been familiar to Thai people, is declining. Based on survey data collected from 400 consumers in Bangkok, we designed a model to analyse the antecedent factors for consumers’ purchase intention and support behaviour for Thai traditional confectioneries, such as the word-of-mouth (WOM) approach and repeated purchase. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was conducted on the dataset to examine the antecedent factors’ impact on purchase intention and supportive actions. The results revealed that four latent factors, as determining antecedents of purchase intentions, had a significant impact on purchase intentions, resulting in loyalty and word-of-mouth behaviour. Among the determining factors, personal feelings and attachment to traditional confectionery were found to have the greatest impact, surpassing subjective norms. To expand the fan base of Thai traditional confectioneries and to support their businesses, appealing to the value of traditional confectioneries, nostalgic value and long-held Thai personal feelings to support traditional confectionery was found to be an effective marketing strategy for corporates. Such efforts are also meaningful in terms of maintaining the diversity of food culture in the face of increasing Westernisation and a decrease in unique food ingredients and food culture. Furthermore, according to this analysis, willingness to purchase is strongly linked to purchasing behaviour, and the cultivation and securing of loyal customers and their WOM recommendations are important for developing a customer base in the market. WOM recommendations by consumers can activate communication among customers and companies in the market, strengthen the community and stimulate the dissemination of information about traditional confectioneries. This study is expected to be a useful and valuable resource for the development of marketing strategies to ensure the sustainability of traditional confectionery in the Thai sweets market.
Adsorption of Fatty Acid on Beta-Cyclodextrin Functionalized Cellulose Nanofiber
Authors: Abdul Manas Nor Hasmaliana , Kumar Nurhidayah Kumar Muhammad Firdaus , Mohd Shah Nurul Aqilah , Ling Guang Yik , Azelee Nur Izyan Wan , Fuzi Siti Fatimah Zaharah Mohd , Masngut Nasratun , Bunyamin Muhammad Abd Hadi , Illias Rosli Md. , El Enshasy Hesham Ali
Published: January 2023

Fatty acids in wastewater contribute to high chemical oxygen demand. The use of cellulose nanofiber (CNF) to adsorb the fatty acids is limited by its strong internal hydrogen bonding. This study aims to functionalize CNF with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and elucidate the adsorption behaviour which is yet to be explored. β-CD functionalized CNF (CNF/β-CD) was achieved by crosslinking of β-CD and citric acid. Functionalization using 7% (w/v) β-CD and 8% (w/v) citric acid enhanced mechanical properties by increasing its thermal decomposition. CNF/β-CD was more efficient in removing palmitic acid, showcased by double adsorption capacity of CNF/β-CD (33.14% removal) compared to CNF (15.62% removal). CNF/β-CD maintained its adsorption performance after five cycles compared to CNF, which reduced significantly after two cycles. At 25 °C, the adsorption reached equilibrium after 60 min, following a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The intraparticle diffusion model suggested chemical adsorption and intraparticle interaction as the controlling steps in the adsorption process. The maximum adsorption capacity was 8349.23 mg g−1 and 10485.38 mg g−1 according to the Sips and Langmuir isotherm model, respectively. The adsorption was described as monolayer and endothermic, and it involved both a physisorption and chemisorption process. This is the first study to describe the adsorption behaviour of palmitic acid onto CNF/β-CD.
Higher-Order First Integrals of Autonomous Non-Riemannian Dynamical Systems
Authors: Mitsopoulos Antonios , Tsamparlis Michael , Ukpong Aniekan Magnus
Published: January 2023

We consider autonomous holonomic dynamical systems defined by equations of the form q¨a=−Γbca(q)q˙bq˙c−Qa(q), where Γbca(q) are the coefficients of a symmetric (possibly non-metrical) connection and −Qa(q) are the generalized forces. We prove a theorem which for these systems determines autonomous and time-dependent first integrals (FIs) of any order in a systematic way, using the ’symmetries’ of the geometry defined by the dynamical equations. We demonstrate the application of the theorem to compute linear, quadratic, and cubic FIs of various Riemannian and non-Riemannian dynamical systems.
A Quadratic Surface Minimax Probability Machine for Imbalanced Classification
Authors: Yan Xin , Xiao Zhouping , Ma Zheng
Published: January 2023

In this paper, a kernel-free minimax probability machine model for imbalanced classification is proposed. In this model, a quadratic surface is adopted directly for separating the data points into two classes. By using two symmetry constraints to define the two worst-case classification accuracy rates, the model of maximizing both the F1 value of the minority class and the classification accuracy rate of all the data points is proposed. The proposed model corresponds to a fractional programming problem. Since the two worst-case classification accuracy rates are the symmetry, the proposed model can be further simplified. After this, the alternating descent algorithm is adopted for efficiently solving. The proposed method reduces the computational costs by both using the kernel-free technique and adopting the efficient algorithm. Some numerical tests on benchmark datasets are conducted to investigate the classification performance of the proposed method. The numerical results demonstrate that the proposed method performs better when compared with the other state-of-the-art methods, especially for classifying the imbalanced datasets. The better performance for the imbalanced classification is also demonstrated on a Wholesale customers dataset. This method can provide methodological support for the research in areas such as customer segmentation.
Exploring the Dynamic Characteristics of Public Risk Perception and Emotional Expression during the COVID-19 Pandemic on Sina Weibo
Authors: Li Tong , Wang Xin , Yu Yongtian , Yu Guang , Tong Xue
Published: January 2023

(1) Background: Risk perception is a key factor in motivating people to comply with preventive behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Appropriate risk perception is important to enhance beliefs and promote emergency management response to public health events. (2) Objective: This study developed a public risk perception measurement method for social media data to understand the dynamic characteristics of risk perception and emotional expression during public health emergencies. (3) Methods: Utilizing text-mining techniques and deep-learning algorithms, risk perception was calculated from two dimensions (dread and unknown) as well as the emotional expression characteristics of 185,025 posts from 10 January 2020 to 20 March 2020 on Sina Weibo. We also analyzed the characteristics of risk perception at different stages of the crisis life cycle. Furthermore, drawing on arousal theory, we constructed dynamic response relationships between emotion type (angry, fearful, sad, positive, and neutral) and risk perceptions by a vector autoregressive (VAR) model. (4) Results: The results revealed that the public expresses significantly more dread words than unknown words in shaping the risk perception process. As for the characteristics of evolution, public risk perception had been at a high level since the outbreak stage, and there was a sudden increase and a gradual decrease in the level of public risk perception. We also found that there is a significant response relationship between positive emotion, angry emotion, and risk perception. (5) Conclusion: This study provides a theoretical basis for more targeted epidemic crisis interventions. It points out the need for health communication strategy makers to consider the public’s risk perception and emotional expression characteristics during public health emergencies.
Brazilian Table Olives: A Source of Lactic Acid Bacteria with Antimycotoxigenic and Antifungal Activity
Authors: Simões Luara , Fernandes Natália , Teixeira José , Abrunhosa Luís , Dias Disney Ribeiro
Published: January 2023

Food and feed contamination by fungi, especially by toxigenic ones, is a global concern because it can pose serious health problems when the production of mycotoxins is involved. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), well-known for fermenting foods, have been gaining attention for their antifungal and anti-mycotoxin properties. This work tested 14 LAB strains isolated from naturally fermented Brazilian table olives for growth inhibition of Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus carbonarius, Penicillium nordicum, and Penicillium expansum. The strains Lacticaseibacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei CCMA 1764, Levilactobacillus brevis CCMA 1762, and Lactiplantibacillus pentosus CCMA 1768 showed the strongest antifungal activity, being more active against P. expansum. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), ochratoxin A (OTA), and patulin (PAT) production was reduced essentially by mycelia growth inhibition. The main organic acids detected in the cell free supernatant (CFS) were lactic and acetic acids. Tested LAB exhibited adsorption capacity against AFB1 (48–51%), OTA (28–33%), and PAT (23–24%). AFB1 was converted into aflatoxin B2a (AFB2a) by lactic and acetic acids produced by the strain CCMA 1764. A similar conversion was observed in solutions of these organic acids (0.1 M). These findings demonstrate the potential of isolated LAB strains as natural agents to control toxigenic fungi and their mycotoxins in fermented products, such as table olives.
Montane Rattlesnakes in México: Venoms of Crotalus tancitarensis and Related Species within the Crotalus intermedius Group
Authors: Grabowsky Emily R. , Saviola Anthony J. , Alvarado-Díaz Javier , Mascareñas Adrian Quijada , Hansen Kirk C. , Yates John R. , Mackessy Stephen P.
Published: January 2023

The Crotalus intermedius group is a clade of rattlesnakes consisting of several species adapted to a high elevation habitat, primarily in México. Crotalus tancitarensis was previously classified as C. intermedius, until individuals occurring on Cerro Tancítaro in Michoacán, México, were reevaluated and classified as a new species (C. tancitarensis) based on scale pattern and geographic location. This study aimed to characterize the venom of C. tancitarensis and compare the venom profile to those of other species within the Crotalus intermedius group using gel electrophoresis, biochemical assays, reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, and lethal toxicity (LD50) assays. Results show that the venom profiles of species within the Crotalus intermedius group are similar, but with distinct differences in phospholipase A2 (PLA2), metalloproteinase PI (SVMP PI), and kallikrein-like serine proteinase (SVSP) activity and relative abundance. Proteomic analysis indicated that the highland forms produce venoms with 50–60 protein isoforms and a composition typical of type I rattlesnake venoms (abundant SVMPs, lack of presynaptic PLA2-based neurotoxins), as well as a diversity of typical Crotalus venom components such as serine proteinases, PLA2s, C-type lectins, and less abundant toxins (LAAOs, CRiSPs, etc.). The overall venom profile of C. tancitarensis appears most similar to C. transversus, which is consistent with a previous mitochondrial DNA analysis of the Crotalus intermedius group. These rattlesnakes of the Mexican highlands represent a radiation of high elevation specialists, and in spite of divergence of species in these Sky Island habitats, venom composition of species analyzed here has remained relatively conserved. The majority of protein family isoforms are conserved in all members of the clade, and as seen in other more broadly distributed rattlesnake species, differences in their venoms are largely due to relative concentrations of specific components.
The Mechanism of Houttuynia cordata Embryotoxicity Was Explored in Combination with an Experimental Model and Network Pharmacology
Authors: Liu Yufu , Yang Guodong , Yang Chunqi , Shi Zhuo , Ru Yi , Shen Ningning , Xiao Chengrong , Wang Yuguang , Gao Yue
Published: January 2023

Houttuynia cordata (H. cordata) is the most common herb as a food and traditional Chinese medicine. Currently, studies on its toxicity have mainly focused on hepatotoxicity. However, its potential embryotoxicity by long-term exposure is often overlooked. Objective: To investigate the effects of H. cordata on embryonic development and its toxicity mechanism by combining network pharmacology, molecular docking, and in vitro experimental methods. Methods: The effects of H. cordata on embryos were evaluated. Zebrafish embryos and embryoid bodies were administered to observe the effects of H. cordata on embryonic development. Based on network pharmacological analysis, it was found that the main active agents producing toxicity in H. cordata were oleanolic acid, lignan, and aristolactam AII. H. cordata can affect PI3K-Akt, MAPK, and Ras signaling pathways by regulating targets, such as AKT1, EGFR, CASP3, and IGF-1. RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry results showed that the expression of AKT1 and PI3K in the embryoid body was significantly reduced after drug administration (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The results of network pharmacology and in vitro experiments suggest that H. cordata may affect embryonic development by influencing the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway.
Recent Advances in Protective Vaccines against Hepatitis Viruses: A Narrative Review
Authors: Elbahrawy Ashraf , Atalla Hassan , Alboraie Mohamed , Alwassief Ahmed , Madian Ali , El Fayoumie Mohammed , Tabll Ashraf A. , Aly Hussein H.
Published: January 2023

Vaccination has been confirmed to be the safest and, sometimes, the only tool of defense against threats from infectious diseases. The successful history of vaccination is evident in the control of serious viral infections, such as smallpox and polio. Viruses that infect human livers are known as hepatitis viruses and are classified into five major types from A to E, alphabetically. Although infection with hepatitis A virus (HAV) is known to be self-resolving after rest and symptomatic treatment, there were 7134 deaths from HAV worldwide in 2016. In 2019, hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) resulted in an estimated 820,000 and 290,000 deaths, respectively. Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is a satellite virus that depends on HBV for producing its infectious particles in order to spread. The combination of HDV and HBV infection is considered the most severe form of chronic viral hepatitis. Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is another orally transmitted virus, common in low- and middle-income countries. In 2015, it caused 44,000 deaths worldwide. Safe and effective vaccines are already available to prevent hepatitis A and B. Here, we review the recent advances in protective vaccines against the five major hepatitis viruses.
Maternal Immune Response to ZIKV Triggers High-Inflammatory Profile in Congenital Zika Syndrome
Authors: Fialho Eder M. S. , Veras Emanoel M. , de Jesus Caroline M. , Khouri Ricardo , Sousa Patrícia S. , Ribeiro Marizelia R. C. , Costa Luciana C. , Gomes Líllian N. , Nascimento Flávia R. F. , Silva Antônio A. M. , Soeiro-Pereira Paulo V.
Published: January 2023

The immunological mechanisms involved in the development of congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) have yet to be fully clarified. This study aims to assess the immuno-inflammatory profile of mothers and their children who have been diagnosed with CZS. Blood samples, which were confirmed clinically using the plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT), were collected from children with CZS and their mothers (CZS+ group). Samples were also collected from children who did not develop CZS and had a negative PRNT result and from their mothers (CZS- group). The data demonstrated a correlation between the leukocyte profile of CZS+ children and their mothers, more evident in monocytes. Monocytes from mothers of CZS+ children showed low expression of HLA and elevated hydrogen peroxide production. CZS+ children presented standard HLA expression and a higher hydrogen peroxide concentration than CZS- children. Monocyte superoxide dismutase activity remained functional. Moreover, when assessing the monocyte polarization, it was observed that there was no difference in nitrite concentrations; however, there was a decrease in arginase activity in CZS+ children. These data suggest that ZIKV infection induces a maternal immuno-inflammatory background related to the child’s inflammatory response after birth, possibly affecting the development and progression of congenital Zika syndrome.
Level of Knowledge Regarding Mpox among Peruvian Physicians during the 2022 Outbreak: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Gonzales-Zamora Jose , Soriano-Moreno David , Soriano-Moreno Anderson , Ponce-Rosas Linda , Sangster-Carrasco Lucero , De-Los-Rios-Pinto Abraham , Benito-Vargas Raysa , Murrieta-Ruiz Valentina , Morocho-Alburqueque Noelia , Caira-Chuquineyra Brenda , Fernandez-Guzman Daniel , Ccami-Bernal Fabricio , Quispe-Vicuña Carlos , Alarcon-Parra Mariano , Pinedo-Soria Antony , Alave Jorge
Published: January 2023

Introduction: Due to the high incidence of mpox in Peru and the poor knowledge about this disease among healthcare workers in non-endemic countries, it is crucial to determine the knowledge status of Peruvian physicians. Methodology: We conducted an analytical cross-sectional study based on an online survey from August to September 2022. Physicians who had a medical license and lived and practiced medicine in Peru were included. To evaluate the factors associated with a higher level of knowledge, we used crude (cPR) and adjusted (aPR) prevalence ratios with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) using Poisson regression. Results: We included 463 physicians. The mean age was 36.6 (SD: 10.3) years, and most were male (58.1%). Regarding knowledge, the median knowledge score was 14 [IQR: 13 to 15] out of 17 points. In terms of knowledge gaps, only 60.7% of the participants knew that there was an FDA-approved vaccine for mpox, 49.0% of participants knew about mpox proctitis and 33.3% acknowledged that it could be transmitted by the bite of an infected rodent. We found that taking care of patients with mpox (aPR: 1.39; 95% CI: 1.13 to 1.72) was associated with higher knowledge (>p50), while living in the eastern macro-region (aPR: 0.62; 95% CI: 0.42 to 0.93) was associated with lower knowledge (≤p50). Conclusions: Our study showed a high level of knowledge about mpox among Peruvian physicians. However, educational campaigns may be necessary, especially for physicians from the eastern region and those who do not have clinical experience with mpox.
Knowledge and Attitudes of Healthcare Professionals Regarding Perinatal Influenza Vaccination during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Taskou Chrysoula , Sarantaki Antigoni , Beloukas Apostolos , Georgakopoulou Vasiliki Ε. , Daskalakis Georgios , Papalexis Petros , Lykeridou Aikaterini
Published: January 2023

Immunizations during pregnancy are an important aspect of perinatal care. Although the influenza vaccine during pregnancy is safe, vaccination rates are low. According to research data, one of the reasons for the low vaccination rates among pregnant women is that they do not receive a clear recommendation from healthcare providers. This study aims to record the knowledge and attitudes about influenza vaccination and investigate healthcare professionals’ recommendations during the perinatal period. A cross-sectional study was conducted with convenience sampling in Athens, Greece. Our purposive sample included 240 midwives, Ob/Gs, and pediatricians. Data were collected using an appropriate standardized questionnaire with information about demographics, attitudes towards influenza vaccination, and knowledge about the influenza virus and peripartum vaccination. Statistical analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS-Statistics version 26.0. This study identifies the reasons for the lack of vaccine uptake including a wide range of misconceptions or lack of knowledge about influenza infection, lack of convenient access to get vaccinated, etc. Misconceptions about influenza and influenza vaccines could be improved by better education of healthcare workers. Continuing professional education for health professionals is necessary to improve the level of knowledge, prevent negative beliefs, and promote preventive and therapeutic practices.
Time-Lapse ERT, Moment Analysis, and Numerical Modeling for Estimating the Hydraulic Conductivity of Unsaturated Rock
Authors: De Carlo Lorenzo , Farzamian Mohammad , Turturro Antonietta Celeste , Caputo Maria Clementina
Published: January 2023

In recent years, geophysical techniques have been increasingly used to monitor flow and transport processes in the Earth critical zone (ECZ). Among these, electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) is a powerful tool used to predict hydrological parameters and state variables that influence the mentioned processes in the vadose zone because of the strong correlation between electrical and hydrological properties of the filtering medium. There have been many field tests considering geophysical prospecting in soils, where point scale hydrological sensors measurements are typically collected through sensors for geophysical data validation; on the contrary, when the unsaturated zone is made of hard rocks, the installation of such sensors is not a trivial issue owing to the extreme difficulties to guarantee contact between sensors and the surrounding medium. In this context, the geophysical data combined with appropriate numerical analysis techniques can effectively overcome the lack of information of the unsaturated subsurface, which is otherwise unpredictable with traditional methods. In the proposed case study, hydrogeophysical data were collected to provide a quantitative estimation of the hydraulic conductivity of sandstone through an integrated approach based on the moment analysis technique and numerical modeling.
River Diatoms Reflect Better Past than Current Environmental Conditions
Authors: Viso Raquel , Blanco Saúl
Published: January 2023

The time required for diatom assemblages to integrate the abiotic variables of the aquatic environment has been subject of discussion for many years, with contrasting opinions as shown by field observations and experiments. Numerous diatom-based water quality indices are being used in the bioassessment of freshwaters; one of the most widely used (Specific Polluosensitivity Index or SPI) is compared in this study with water quality status as measured by the Water Quality Index (WQI) obtained from limnological parameters measured at 37 fluvial stations belonging to the Duero Basin (NW Spain). The correlation existing between both metrics was determined using different time lags between water and diatom sample collection. Results show that the correlation coefficient increases as the time gap decreases, but is maximal when comparing WQI scores measured one month before diatom sampling. We thus confirm the initial hypothesis that diatom indices actually indicate past (1 month ago) and not current water conditions in rivers. The practical consequences of this finding are briefly discussed.
A modern approach to developing care for a premature baby
Authors:   SBHI SR «Tolyatti City Clinical Hospital No. 5», Tolyatti, Russia, Shugaeva N. B.
Published: January 2023

Around the world every year, about 15 million children are born prematurely. On average, 1 in 10 babies are born prematurely. In Russia, more than 110,000 children are born prematurely every year, which is about 5.7 % of all newborns per year [1]. The most important role in nursing, treatment and provision of high-tech medical care, solving moral and ethical problems is assigned to the neonatologist and nurses at all stages of nursing premature babies. The neonatology service currently uses developmental care for premature babies
Prevention of cardiovascular diseases in a rural health setting
Authors:   SAHI «Novoorsk district hospital», Orenburg region, Novoorsk, Russia, Shipilova N. P.
Published: January 2023

Features of the organization of medical care for rural residents are due to the large service radius, seasonality of work, specific conditions of agricultural production, lack of information and insufficient living conditions. In this regard, the prevention of cardiovascular diseases in the rural population becomes relevant.
The risk of public health damage due to atmospheric emissions from a coal preparation plant
Authors:   FSBSi Research Institute for Complex Problems of Hygiene and Occupational Diseases, Novokuznetsk, Kemerovo Region, Surzhikov D. V. , Kislitsyna V. V. ,   FSBSi Research Institute for Complex Problems of Hygiene and Occupational Diseases, Novokuznetsk, Kemerovo Region, Golikov R. A. ,   FSBSi Research Institute for Complex Problems of Hygiene and Occupational Diseases, Novokuznetsk, Kemerovo Region, Likontseva Yu. S. ,   FSBSi Research Institute for Complex Problems of Hygiene and Occupational Diseases, Novokuznetsk, Kemerovo Region, Shtaiger V. A. ,   FSBSi Research Institute for Complex Problems of Hygiene and Occupational Diseases, Novokuznetsk, Kemerovo Region
Published: January 2023

The paper assesses the risk to public health from atmospheric air pollution by stationary sources of a coal preparation plant located in the city of Novokuznetsk, Kemerovo Region. To assess the risk, the volume of maximum permissible emissions of the enterprise was used, calculations of the maximum and average concentrations of pollutants were carried out at 30 design points using the EKOcenter-Standard program. Public health risks were determined in accordance with the «Guidelines for assessing the risk to public health from exposure to chemicals that pollute the environment.» Based on the determination of non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic hazard indices, priority pollutants were identified: sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and carbon (soot). The calculation of the maximum one-time and average concentrations of pollutants at the selected impact points showed that the maximum permissible concentrations were not exceeded. Hazard indices for acute and chronic inhalation exposures do not exceed the acceptable level both without background and with background. The total risk of chronic intoxication does not exceed the acceptable value without taking into account the background, but exceeds it, taking into account the background, by 3.06–3.15 times. According to the carcinogenic risk, no excess of the acceptable level was found. The present study showed that the coal preparation plant makes a certain contribution to air pollution in Novokuznetsk without causing significant damage to the health of the urban population. Exceeding the acceptable level of risk of chronic intoxication, taking into account the background exposure to pollutants at all points, can be explained by the general unfavorable environmental situation in the industrial city.
Automated identification of spills oil with the help of a group of unmanned aircraft
Authors:   Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Moscow, Nikolaev A. D. , Petrunicheva А. S. ,   Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Moscow
Published: January 2023

The issues of automation of technological processes are of particular relevance because of the development of the information technology segment. One of the priority tasks for which digital tools are integrated is the monitoring of oil spills. The main purpose of the presented article is to analyze the issue of automated identification of oil spills by means of unmanned aerial vehicles. The paper uses theoretical and statistical research methods. To obtain more up-to-date and accurate information, the author uses the results of domestic and foreign scientific research. The article discusses the technical aspects of the use of unmanned aerial vehicles for the identification of oil spills.
Fémalapú habok jellemzői és vizsgálati szempontjai
Authors: Bagyinszki Gyula
Published: January 2023

A gépjárműkarosszéria-gyártásban folyamatos fejlesztés zajlik a fémhabok felhasználásának bővítése végett. Alumíniumhabok alkalmazását járművekben a nagy szilárdság/tömeg arány teszi lehetővé, melynek révén a tömeg csökkentése nem jár együtt a biztonság csökkenésével. A tömeg (önsúly) csökkentése viszont elengedhetetlen az egyre szigorúbb környezetvédelmi előírások miatt. Jelen összeállítás a fémalapú habok szerkezeti jellemzőire és annak vizsgálhatóságára hívja fel a figyelmet.
Mesterséges neurális hálózatok alkalmazása adszorpciós vizsgálatokban : Esettanulmány
Authors: Mihály Norbert-Botond , Csavdári Alexandra
Published: January 2023

Jelen tanulmány egy mesterséges neurális hálózaton (MNH) alapuló modell kifejlesztésére összpontosít, amely leírja a benzalkónium-klorid vizes oldatokból a kereskedelemben kapható konyhai papírra való adszorpcióját. Különféle MNH-architektúrákat teszteltünk annak érdekében, hogy megtaláljuk a legmegfelelőbbet a számított és mért kimeneti adatok (meghatározási együttható és átlagos abszolút százalékos hiba) átfedése, valamint a kísérleti betanítási tartományon belüli bemenetek használatakor a kimenetek helyes interpolálása szempontjából. Az összes kipróbált hálózatnak 4 bemenete és 1 kimenete, valamint egyetlen rejtett rétege volt. Az optimális MNH-szerkezetet kerestük a rejtett rétegben lévő neuronok számának és a felé irányuló átviteli függvény típusának változtatásával. A legjobb eredményű hálózatot a bemeneti paraméterértékek relatív fontosságának értékelésére használtuk a kimeneti paraméterben, valamint a modell alkalmasságát teszteltük a képzési tartományon kívüli előrejelzésekre.