bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
APUNCAC and the International Anti-Corruption Court (IACC)
Authors: Yeh Stuart S.
Published: December 2020

The draft Anticorruption Protocol to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (APUNCAC) seeks to implement aggressive measures to fight corruption and impunity, including United Nations inspectors who would conduct independent investigations into allegations of corruption and hand cases to dedicated domestic anticorruption courts. APUNCAC is designed to be a free-standing proposal. However, it could be combined with Judge Mark Wolf’s proposal for an International Anti-Corruption Court (IACC). An advantage of combining IACC + APUNCAC is that the combination defuses the key arguments against the IACC. This article reviews evidence suggesting that leaders of nations that currently experience endemic corruption might find it politically expedient to adopt the proposed reforms. The article discusses the advantages of combining IACC + APUNCAC. The combination would establish an independent corps of elite investigators, endow them with strong powers to conduct independent investigations, and enable them to refer cases to dedicated anticorruption courts staffed by judges vetted by the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. APUNCAC establishes mechanisms to ensure accountability of judges serving dedicated anticorruption courts. By addressing the key arguments against the IACC, the proposal to combine IACC + APUNCAC may enable broad public support in nations that would require public support in order to secure ratification.
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Olfactory Perception of the Same Stimuli
Authors: Ciorba Andrea , Hatzopoulos Stavros , Cogliandolo Cristina , Bianchini Chiara , Renna Martina , Perrucci Luca , Skarzynska Magdalena , Skarżyński Piotr Henryk , Campioni Paolo , Cittanti Corrado , Carnevale Aldo , Giganti Melchiore , Pelucchi Stefano
Published: December 2020

Background. Data in the literature report that a number of studies have attempted to identify the exact location of the cortical olfaction representation, searching for evidence suggesting that sniffing odors can initiate a primary activation of the piriform cortex and the insula. Nowadays, due to the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) outbreak, the functional study of the olfactory system could offer a better understanding of the physiopathology of olfactory perception, elucidating better the possible site(s) of damage induced by the COVID-19 infection. The aim of this paper was to evaluate brain maps generated from functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data, collected from healthy individuals in response to the same olfactory stimulus. Methods. A total of 45 healthy volunteers, without history and/or no clinical signs of sinonasal disease and without history and/or presence of olfactory dysfunction underwent fMRI assessment. Subjects were presented with the same odorous stimuli at specific intervals. fMRI generated brain maps were used in the identification of different cortical areas, involved in the stimuli perception. Results. The fMRI brain maps showed that odorous stimuli activate primarily the left anterior insula (in 35/45 cases or 77.8%). Other activated areas include: the low temporal gyri, the middle and superior temporal gyri, the frontal and piriform cortex, the anterior cingulate gyrus, the parahippocampal gyrus, the temporopolar area, the para-insular area, the subcentral area, the supramarginal gyrus, the occipital cortex and the cerebellum. Conclusions. fMRI resulted as a safe and reliable means to study the perception of olfaction in the cortex. The data of this study suggest that the anterior insula is the main stimulated area when olfactory stimuli are present. This area is always activated, despite the hand and nostril dominance.
Desulfurization and Denitrification Performance of Modified Rice Husk Ash-Carbide Slag Absorbent
Authors: Wang Yali , Han Xiaoning , Chen Meina , Cui Suping , Ma Xiaoyu , Hao Liwei
Published: December 2020

In the cement industry, SO2 and NOx are generally removed separately. There are many problems, such as large area, high investment cost, secondary pollution and so on. Desulfurization and denitrification technology have become a frontier research direction in the field of air pollution control. In this paper, rice husk ash and carbide slag were compounded and modified to prepare modified rice husk ash-carbide slag composite absorbent, and its desulfurization and denitrification performance and mechanism were studied. The results showed that the NO conversion and SO2 conversion of the modified rice husk ash-carbide slag composite absorbent increased by 44% and 2%, respectively, at 700 °C. Fibrous calcium silicate and calcium silicoaluminate hydrates were formed during the hydration process, which made the specific surface area of the absorbent larger and provided more reactive sites. The hydration process increases the content of oxygen-containing functional groups, decreases the hydroxyl/ether C–O functional groups, and increases the content of carboxyl–COO functional groups are conducive to the denitrification reaction.
Mining High Utility Itemsets Based on Pattern Growth without Candidate Generation
Authors: Liu Yiwei , Wang Le , Feng Lin , Jin Bo
Published: December 2020

Mining high utility itemsets (HUIs) has been an active research topic in data mining in recent years. Existing HUI mining algorithms typically take two steps: generating candidates and identifying utility values of these candidate itemsets. The performance of these algorithms depends on the efficiency of both steps, both of which are usually time-consuming. In this study, we propose an efficient pattern-growth based HUI mining algorithm, called tail-node tree-based high-utility itemset (TNT-HUI) mining. This algorithm avoids the time-consuming candidate generation step, as well as the need of scanning the original dataset multiple times for exact utility values, as supported by a novel tree structure, named the tail-node tree (TN-Tree). The performance of TNT-HUI was evaluated in comparison with state-of-the-art benchmark methods on different datasets. Experimental results showed that TNT-HUI outperformed benchmark algorithms in both execution time and memory use by orders of magnitude. The performance gap is larger for denser datasets and lower thresholds.
Mental Health Disturbances and Related Problems in Italian University Medical Students from 2000 to 2020: An Integrative Review of Qualitative and Quantitative Studies
Authors: Sampogna Gaia , Lovisi Giovanni Marcos , Zinno Francesca , Del Vecchio Valeria , Luciano Mario , Gonçalves Loureiro Sol Érika , Unger Roberto José Gervásio , Ventriglio Antonio , Fiorillo Andrea
Published: December 2020

Background and objectives: The presence of mental health problems in the population of medical students in Italy has been evaluated in several cross-sectional studies, which have used different methodologies and study designs. However, a global overview of the prevalence of mental health problems in Italian medical students is not available, although this would be essential for promoting preventive strategies and supportive treatments. Materials and Methods: An integrative review aiming to describe the prevalence of mental health problems in Italian medical students has been performed. Results: The most relevant findings are the high prevalence of substance use, in particular alcohol and nicotine, and of depressive and anxiety disorders in Italian medical students. In particular, substance use ranges from 13 to 86%, which is higher compared to Italian students coming from other faculties. Italian medical students show a high rate of smoking and of depressive symptoms of about 20%. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the need to develop appropriate supportive interventions for the medical student population, which are rarely provided and implemented among the routine activities of Italian medical universities. A relevant aspect to be considered is the stigma and anticipated discrimination attached to mental disorders, which reduce the help-seeking process in medical students.
Rapid Annealing Optimizing Magnetic Softness and Thermal Stability of Mn-Substituted Fe-Based Nanocrystalline Alloys
Authors: Zhang Bojun , Yang Fuyao , He Aina , Xiao Huiyun , Dong Yaqiang , Li Jiawei , Han Yu
Published: December 2020

Good high-frequency magnetic softness and thermal stability are very important for the wide application of Fe-based nanocrystalline alloys. The present work reports the influence of Mn-doping and rapid annealing on the magnetic softness, nano-structure, and magnetic-microstructure of Fe76−xSi13B8Nb2Cu1Mnx (x = 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4) alloys. It was found that the Fe74Si13B8Nb2Cu1Mn2 alloy exhibits a superior magnetic softness with the high-saturation magnetic induction of 1.32 T and a large permeability at 100 kHz of over 15,000 at a large annealing-temperature region of 120 °C. The microstructure and magnetic domains characterization indicate that the good magnetic softness and thermal stabilization can be ascribed to the superb nano-structural stability caused by the Mn doping and rapid annealing at elongated temperatures, which can maintain a fine and high number density α-Fe(Si) nano-grains and facilitate the formation of regular and wide domains.
Cholesterol Metabolites 25-Hydroxycholesterol and 25-Hydroxycholesterol 3-Sulfate Are Potent Paired Regulators: From Discovery to Clinical Usage
Authors: Wang Yaping , Li Xiaobo , Ren Shunlin
Published: December 2020

Oxysterols have long been believed to be ligands of nuclear receptors such as liver × receptor (LXR), and they play an important role in lipid homeostasis and in the immune system, where they are involved in both transcriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms. However, they are increasingly associated with a wide variety of other, sometimes surprising, cell functions. Oxysterols have also been implicated in several diseases such as metabolic syndrome. Oxysterols can be sulfated, and the sulfated oxysterols act in different directions: they decrease lipid biosynthesis, suppress inflammatory responses, and promote cell survival. Our recent reports have shown that oxysterol and oxysterol sulfates are paired epigenetic regulators, agonists, and antagonists of DNA methyltransferases, indicating that their function of global regulation is through epigenetic modification. In this review, we explore our latest research of 25-hydroxycholesterol and 25-hydroxycholesterol 3-sulfate in a novel regulatory mechanism and evaluate the current evidence for these roles.
Development and Inter-Laboratory Validation of Diagnostics Panel for Detection of Biothreat Bacteria Based on MOL-PCR Assay
Authors: Jelinkova Pavlina , Hrdy Jakub , Markova Jirina , Dresler Jiri , Pajer Petr , Pavlis Oto , Branich Pavel , Borilova Gabriela , Reichelova Marketa , Babak Vladimir , Reslova Nikol , Kralik Petr
Published: December 2020

Early detection of biohazardous bacteria that can be misused as biological weapons is one of the most important measures to prevent the spread and outbreak of biological warfare. For this reason, many instrument platforms need to be introduced into operation in the field of biological warfare detection. Therefore the purpose of this study is to establish a new detection panel for biothreat bacteria (Bacillus anthracis, Yersinia pestis, Francisella tularensis, and Brucella spp.) and confirm it by collaborative validation by using a multiplex oligonucleotide ligation followed by polymerase chain reaction and hybridization to microspheres by MagPix detection platform (MOL-PCR). Appropriate specific sequences in bacterial DNA were selected and tested to assemble the detection panel, and MOLigo probes (short specific oligonucleotides) were designed to show no cross-reactivity when tested between bacteria and to decrease the background signal measurement on the MagPix platform. During testing, sensitivity was assessed for all target bacteria using serially diluted DNA and was determined to be at least 0.5 ng/µL. For use as a diagnostic kit and easier handling, the storage stability of ligation premixes (MOLigo probe mixes) was tested. This highly multiplex method can be used for rapid screening to prevent outbreaks arising from the use of bacterial strains for bioterrorism, because time of analysis take under 4 h.
Editorial on Special Issue “Surface Chemistry in Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy”
Authors: Kim Hyunjung , Zhao Hongbo , Ilyas Sadia
Published: December 2020

“Mineral Processing” and “Extractive Metallurgy” are the key operations for the entire mining, metallurgy, and chemical industries [...]
Studying the Binding Modes of Novel 2-Aminopyridine Derivatives as Effective and Selective c-Met Kinase Type 1 Inhibitors Using Molecular Modeling Approaches
Authors: Ye Qianwen , Fu Chenggong , Li Jiazhong
Published: December 2020

The mesenchymal epithelial cell transforming factor c-Met, encoded by c-Met proto-oncogene and known as a high-affinity receptor for Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF), is one of the receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) members. The HGF/c-Met signaling pathway has close correlation with tumor growth, invasion and metastasis. Thus, c-Met kinase has emerged as a prominent therapeutic target for cancer drug discovery. Recently a series of novel 2-aminopyridine derivatives targeting c-Met kinase with high biological activity were reported. In this study, 3D quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR), molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations (MD) were employed to research the binding modes of these inhibitors.The results show that both the atom-based and docking-based CoMFA (Q2 = 0.596, R2 = 0.950 in atom-based model and Q2 = 0.563, R2 = 0.985 in docking-based model) and CoMSIA (Q2 = 0.646, R2 = 0.931 in atom-based model and Q2 = 0.568, R2 = 0.983 in docking-based model) models own satisfactory performance with good reliabilities and powerful external predictabilities. Molecular docking study suggests that Tyr1230 and Arg1208 might be the key residues, and electrostatic and hydrogen bond interactions were shown to be vital to the activity, concordance with QSAR analysis. Then MD simulation was performed to further explore the binding mode of the most potent inhibitor. The obtained results provide important references for further rational design of c-Met Kinase type I inhibitors.
Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Bicalutamide Analogues for the Potential Treatment of Prostate Cancer
Authors: Kandil Sahar B. , McGuigan Christopher , Westwell Andrew D.
Published: December 2020

The androgen receptor (AR) is a pivotal target for the treatment of prostate cancer (PC) even when the disease progresses toward androgen-independent or castration-resistant forms. In this study, a series of 15 bicalutamide analogues (sulfide, deshydroxy, sulfone, and O-acetylated) were prepared and their antiproliferative activity evaluated against four different human prostate cancer cell lines (22Rv1, DU-145, LNCaP, and VCap). Bicalutamide and enzalutamide were used as positive controls. Seven of these compounds displayed remarkable enhancement in anticancer activity across the four PC cell lines. The deshydroxy analogue (16) was the most active compound with IC50 = 6.59–10.86 µM. Molecular modeling offers a plausible explanation of the higher activity of the sulfide analogues compared to their sulfone counterparts.
Characterization of Anthocyanins and Anthocyanin-Derivatives in Red Wines during Ageing in Custom Oxygenation Oak Wood Barrels
Authors: Prat-García Samanta , Oliveira Joana , del Alamo-Sanza Maria , de Freitas Victor , Nevares Ignacio , Mateus Nuno
Published: December 2020

The ageing of wines in oak barrels is a key stage in the production of high-quality red wines, with the type of oak chosen and the amount of oxygen received by the wine being the determining factors of the process. This work analyses the effect of ageing the same red wine in barrels with different oxygenation rates for one year (OTR), specifically the effect on the evolution of anthocyanins, their derivatives and the appearance of new pigments according to the oxygen dosage in barrels. Results show that wines aged in High-Wood-OTR barrels have a large quantity of monomeric anthocyanins and wine aged in Low-Wood-OTR barrels presents a major intensity of colour. Moreover, using LC-MS analysis, it was possible to detect and identify different families of anthocyanin derivatives, including the tentative identification of two new aldehyde-flavanol-methylpyranoanthocyanin pigments.
Highly Aligned Polymeric Nanowire Etch-Mask Lithography Enabling the Integration of Graphene Nanoribbon Transistors
Authors: Jeon Sangheon , Han Pyunghwa , Jeong Jeonghwa , Hwang Wan Sik , Hong Suck Won
Published: December 2020

Graphene nanoribbons are a greatly intriguing form of nanomaterials owing to their unique properties that overcome the limitations associated with a zero bandgap of two-dimensional graphene at room temperature. Thus, the fabrication of graphene nanoribbons has garnered much attention for building high-performance field-effect transistors. Consequently, various methodologies reported previously have brought significant progress in the development of highly ordered graphene nanoribbons. Nonetheless, easy control in spatial arrangement and alignment of graphene nanoribbons on a large scale is still limited. In this study, we explored a facile, yet effective method for the fabrication of graphene nanoribbons by employing orientationally controlled electrospun polymeric nanowire etch-mask. We started with a thermal chemical vapor deposition process to prepare graphene monolayer, which was conveniently transferred onto a receiving substrate for electrospun polymer nanowires. The polymeric nanowires act as a robust etching barrier underlying graphene sheets to harvest arrays of the graphene nanoribbons. On varying the parametric control in the process, the size, morphology, and width of electrospun polymer nanowires were easily manipulated. Upon O2 plasma etching, highly aligned arrays of graphene nanoribbons were produced, and the sacrificial polymeric nanowires were completely removed. The graphene nanoribbons were used to implement field-effect transistors in a bottom-gated configuration. Such approaches could realistically yield a relatively improved current on–off ratio of ~30 higher than those associated with the usual micro-ribbon strategy, with the clear potential to realize reproducible high-performance devices.
pH-Dependent Formation of Oriented Zinc Oxide Nanostructures in the Presence of Tannic Acid
Authors: Che Lah Nurul Akmal , Kamaruzaman Aqilah , Trigueros Sonia
Published: December 2020

To crucially comprehend the relaying factors behind the growth mechanism of ZnO nanostructures, the needs to understand the cause of preferences in the enhancement of desired physicochemical properties are essential. The particular oriented attachment (OA) is believed to become the cause of the classical growth pattern of ZnO nanostructures which is mainly controlled by the Ostwald ripening (OR) process. In the present work, the concerns over the systematic changes in size and the morphological surface of ZnO nanostructures upon exposure to tannic acid (TA) prepared by drop-wise method turns the particles to different surface adjustment state. Here, we assessed the TA capping ability and its tendency to influence the OA process of the ZnO nanostructures. The detailed process of the growth-based TA system via transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and FFT autocorrelation revealed the pH effect on their physical properties which proved the transition surface properties state of the particles from rough to smooth states due to oriented attachment. For pure ZnO nanostructures, the surface is almost smooth owing to the strong bonding particles which are then changed to coarsened surface structures upon the introduction of TA. Strong surface adsorption of Zn cations and phenol ligands mediated the agglomerated nanocrystals, surprisingly with smaller nanostructures dimension.
Porous Platinum Black-Coated Minimally Invasive Microneedles for Non-Enzymatic Continuous Glucose Monitoring in Interstitial Fluid
Authors: Chinnadayyala Somasekhar R. , Cho Sungbo
Published: December 2020

Individuals with diabetes can benefit considerably from continuous blood glucose monitoring. To address this challenge, a proof-of-concept was performed for continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) based on an enzymeless porous nanomaterial (pNM)-modified microneedle electrode array (MNEA). The pNM sensing layer was electrochemically deposited on MNs by applying a fixed negative current of −2.5 mA cm˗2 for 400 s. The pNM-modified MNEA was packed using a biocompatible Nafion ionomer. The fabricated MNEAs were 600 × 100 × 150 µm in height, width, and thickness, respectively. The surfaces of the modified MNs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The fabricated MNEAs showed a wide dynamic range (1–30 mM) in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and in artificial interstitial fluid (ISF), with good sensitivities (PBS: 1.792 ± 0.25 µA mM−1 cm−2, ISF: 0.957 ± 0.14 µA mM−1 cm−2) and low detection limits (PBS: 7.2 µM, ISF: 22 µM). The sensor also showed high stability (loss of 3.5% at the end of 16 days), selectivity, and reproducibility (Relative standard deviations (RSD) of 1.64% and 0.70% for intra- and inter-assay, respectively) and a good response time (2 s) with great glucose recovery rates in ISF (98.7–102%).
Swine Conjunctivitis Associated with a Novel Mycoplasma Species Closely Related to Mycoplasma hyorhinis
Authors: Hennig-Pauka Isabel , Sudendey Christoph , Kleinschmidt Sven , Ruppitsch Werner , Loncaric Igor , Spergser Joachim
Published: December 2020

Conjunctivitis in swine is a common finding, usually considered to be a secondary symptom of respiratory or viral systemic disease, or a result of irritation by dust or ammonia, or of local infections with Mycoplasma (M.) hyorhinis or chlamydia. In three unrelated swine farms in Germany with a high prevalence of conjunctivitis, a novel mycoplasma species, tentatively named Mycoplasma sp. 1654_15, was isolated from conjunctival swabs taken from affected pigs. Although 16S rRNA gene sequences shared highest nucleotide similarities with M. hyorhinis, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry, partial rpoB sequencing, and comparative whole genome analyses indicated the identification of a novel species within genus Mycoplasma. Noticeable differences between Mycoplasma sp. 1654_15 and M. hyorhinis were the lack of a vlp locus and the presence of a myo-inositol pathway in the genome of strain 1654_15. Since myo-inositol might be used as an alternative energy source by this pathogen on the conjunctival surface, robust colonization by outcompeting other bacteria could be the consequence. In summary, abundant isolation of Mycoplasma sp. 1654_15 from the conjunctiva of affected pigs, its close relationship to M. hyorhinis, and identification of a panel of coding sequences (CDSs) potentially associated with virulence and pathogenicity suggested a local eye disease caused by a so far unknown, highly specialized mycoplasma species.
Development of a Global Health Learning Progression (GHELP) Model
Authors: Schellhase Ellen M. , Miller Monica L. , Malhotra Jodie V. , Dascanio Sarah A. , McLaughlin Jacqueline E. , Steeb David R.
Published: December 2020

There has been a steady increase in global health experiential opportunities offered within healthcare professional training programs and with this, a need to describe the process for learning. This article describes a model to contextualize global health learning for students who complete international advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs). Students from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Purdue University, and the University of Colorado completed a post-APPE survey which included open-ended questions about knowledge, skills, and attitudes one week after completing an international APPE. Students were also invited to participate in a focus group. All 81 students who participated in an international APPE completed the open-ended survey questions and 22 students participated in a focus group discussion. Qualitative data from both the survey and focus groups were coded in a two-cycle open coding process. Code mapping and analytic memo writing were analyzed to derive to a conceptual learning model. The Global Health Experience Learning Progression (GHELP) model was derived to describe the process of student learning while on global health experiences. This progression model has three constructs and incorporates learning from external and internal influences. The model describes how students can advance from cultural awareness to cultural sensitivity and describes how student pharmacists who participate in international experiential education develop global health knowledge, skills, and attitudes.
RETRACTED: A Novel Herbal Hydrogel Formulation of Moringa oleifera for Wound Healing
Authors: Ali Aaliya , Garg Prakrati , Goyal Rohit , Kaur Gurjot , Li Xiangkai , Negi Poonam , Valis Martin , Kuca Kamil , Kulshrestha Saurabh
Published: December 2020

Treatment of wounds is essential as the wound can also be lethal at some point in time if not healed properly. Ethnomedicinal plants can treat wounds as they have no side effects, whereas, in the case of chemical drugs, the side effects are on the rise. In this study, seeds of Moringa oleifera which is the essential ethnomedicinal plant, were studied for wound healing efficacy. The study was planned for the assessment of in vitro (antioxidant and antimicrobial activities) and in vivo (excision and incision wound healing models) wound healing efficacy of n-hexane extract and hydrogels of Moringa oleifera seeds. The antioxidant and antimicrobial activities were assessed by DPPH free radical scavenging assay and Agar well diffusion method, respectively. In excision and incision wound models, Swiss albino mice were used for wound healing efficacy of hydrogels, i.e., 5% and 10% hexane extracts of Moringa oleifera seeds. The n-hexane extract showed antioxidant as well as antibacterial activities. Moreover, the hydrogels formulated using n-hexane extract of Moringa oleifera seeds showed significant wound healing activity compared to both control and standard until the end of the protocol in both the models. Furthermore, the histopathological investigation confirmed the findings of accelerated regeneration of tissue accompanied by a decrease in inflammatory cells and increased vascularity of the immediate skin. The results (both in vitro and in vivo) claimed conclusively that our n-hexane hydrogel formulation of Moringa oleifera seeds might serve as an alternative therapy in skin restoration during wound healing.
Transmission of Engineered Plastids in Sugarcane, a C4 Monocotyledonous Plant, Reveals that Sorting of Preprogrammed Progenitor Cells Produce Heteroplasmy
Authors: Mustafa Ghulam , Khan Muhammad Sarwar
Published: December 2020

We report here plastid transformation in sugarcane using biolistic transformation and embryogenesis-based regeneration approaches. Somatic embryos were developed from unfurled leaf sections, containing preprogrammed progenitor cells, to recover transformation events on antibiotic-containing regeneration medium. After developing a proficient regeneration system, the FLARE-S (fluorescent antibiotic resistance enzyme, spectinomycin and streptomycin) expression cassette that carries species-specific homologous sequence tails was used to transform plastids and track gene transmission and expression in sugarcane. Plants regenerated from streptomycin-resistant and genetically confirmed shoots were subjected to visual detection of the fluorescent enzyme using a fluorescent stereomicroscope, after genetic confirmation. The resultant heteroplasmic shoots remained to segregate on streptomycin-containing MS medium, referring to the unique pattern of division and sorting of cells in C4 monocotyledonous compared to C3 monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants since in sugarcane bundle sheath and mesophyll cells are distinct and sort independently after division. Hence, the transformation of either mesophyll or bundle sheath cells will develop heteroplasmic transgenic plants, suggesting the transformation of both types of cells. Whilst developed transgenic sugarcane plants are heteroplasmic, and selection-based regeneration protocol envisaging the role of division and sorting of cells in the purification of transplastomic demands further improvement, the study has established many parameters that may open up exciting possibilities to express genes of agricultural or pharmaceutical importance in sugarcane.
Genetic Diversity of Selected Rice Genotypes under Water Stress Conditions
Authors: Gaballah Mahmoud M. , Metwally Azza M. , Skalicky Milan , Hassan Mohamed M. , Brestic Marian , EL Sabagh Ayman , Fayed Aysam M.
Published: December 2020

Drought is the most challenging abiotic stress for rice production in the world. Thus, developing new rice genotype tolerance to water scarcity is one of the best strategies to achieve and maximize high yield potential with water savings. The study aims to characterize 16 rice genotypes for grain and agronomic parameters under normal and drought stress conditions, and genetic differentiation, by determining specific DNA markers related to drought tolerance using Simple Sequence Repeats (SSR) markers and grouping cultivars, establishing their genetic relationship for different traits. The experiment was conducted under irrigated (normal) and water stress conditions. Mean squares due to genotype × environment interactions were highly significant for major traits. For the number of panicles/plants, the genotypes Giza179, IET1444, Hybrid1, and Hybrid2 showed the maximum mean values. The required sterility percentage values were produced by genotypes IET1444, Giza178, Hybrid2, and Giza179, while, Sakha101, Giza179, Hybrid1, and Hybrid2 achieved the highest values of grain yield/plant. The genotypes Giza178, Giza179, Hybrid1, and Hybrid2, produced maximum values for water use efficiency. The effective number of alleles per locus ranged from 1.20 alleles to 3.0 alleles with an average of 1.28 alleles, and the He values for all SSR markers used varied from 0.94 to 1.00 with an average of 0.98. The polymorphic information content (PIC) values for the SSR were varied from 0.83 to 0.99, with an average of 0.95 along with a highly significant correlation between PIC values and the number of amplified alleles detected per locus. The highest similarity coefficient between Giza181 and Giza182 (Indica type) was observed and are susceptible to drought stress. High similarity percentage between the genotypes (japonica type; Sakha104 with Sakha102 and Sakha106 (0.45), Sakha101 with Sakha102 and Sakha106 (0.40), Sakha105 with Hybrid1 (0.40), Hybrid1 with Giza178 (0.40) and GZ1368-S-5-4 with Giza181 (0.40)) was also observed, which are also susceptible to drought stress. All genotypes are grouped into two major clusters in the dendrogram at 66% similarity based on Jaccard’s similarity index. The first cluster (A) was divided into two minor groups A1 and A2, in which A1 had two groups A1-1 and A1-2, containing drought-tolerant genotypes like IET1444, GZ1386-S-5-4 and Hybrid1. On the other hand, the A1-2 cluster divided into A1-2-1 containing Hybrid2 genotype and A1-2-2 containing Giza179 and Giza178 at coefficient 0.91, showing moderate tolerance to drought stress. The genotypes GZ1368-S-5-4, IET1444, Giza 178, and Giza179, could be included as appropriate materials for developing a drought-tolerant variety breeding program. Genetic diversity to grow new rice cultivars that combine drought tolerance with high grain yields is essential to maintaining food security.
Detection of Strawberry Diseases Using a Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Xiao Jia-Rong , Chung Pei-Che , Wu Hung-Yi , Phan Quoc-Hung , Yeh Jer-Liang Andrew , Hou Max Ti-Kuang
Published: December 2020

The strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) is a high-value crop with an annual cultivated area of ~500 ha in Taiwan. Over 90% of strawberry cultivation is in Miaoli County. Unfortunately, various diseases significantly decrease strawberry production. The leaf and fruit disease became an epidemic in 1986. From 2010 to 2016, anthracnose crown rot caused the loss of 30–40% of seedlings and ~20% of plants after transplanting. The automation of agriculture and image recognition techniques are indispensable for detecting strawberry diseases. We developed an image recognition technique for the detection of strawberry diseases using a convolutional neural network (CNN) model. CNN is a powerful deep learning approach that has been used to enhance image recognition. In the proposed technique, two different datasets containing the original and feature images are used for detecting the following strawberry diseases—leaf blight, gray mold, and powdery mildew. Specifically, leaf blight may affect the crown, leaf, and fruit and show different symptoms. By using the ResNet50 model with a training period of 20 epochs for 1306 feature images, the proposed CNN model achieves a classification accuracy rate of 100% for leaf blight cases affecting the crown, leaf, and fruit; 98% for gray mold cases, and 98% for powdery mildew cases. In 20 epochs, the accuracy rate of 99.60% obtained from the feature image dataset was higher than that of 1.53% obtained from the original one. This proposed model provides a simple, reliable, and cost-effective technique for detecting strawberry diseases.
Seed Priming with Phytohormones: An Effective Approach for the Mitigation of Abiotic Stress
Authors: Rhaman Mohammad Saidur , Imran Shahin , Rauf Farjana , Khatun Mousumi , Baskin Carol C. , Murata Yoshiyuki , Hasanuzzaman Mirza
Published: December 2020

Plants are often exposed to abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, heat, cold, and heavy metals that induce complex responses, which result in reduced growth as well as crop yield. Phytohormones are well known for their regulatory role in plant growth and development, and they serve as important chemical messengers, allowing plants to function during exposure to various stresses. Seed priming is a physiological technique involving seed hydration and drying to improve metabolic processes prior to germination, thereby increasing the percentage and rate of germination and improving seedling growth and crop yield under normal and various biotic and abiotic stresses. Seed priming allows plants to obtain an enhanced capacity for rapidly and effectively combating different stresses. Thus, seed priming with phytohormones has emerged as an important tool for mitigating the effects of abiotic stress. Therefore, this review discusses the potential role of priming with phytohormones to mitigate the harmful effects of abiotic stresses, possible mechanisms for how mitigation is accomplished, and roles of priming on the enhancement of crop production.
Torrefaction of Woody and Agricultural Biomass: Influence of the Presence of Water Vapor in the Gaseous Atmosphere
Authors: González Martínez María , Hélias Estéban , Ratel Gilles , Thiéry Sébastien , Melkior Thierry
Published: December 2020

Biomass preheating in torrefaction at an industrial scale is possible through a direct contact with the hot gases released. However, their high water-content implies introducing moisture (around 20% v/v) in the torrefaction atmosphere, which may impact biomass thermochemical transformation. In this work, this situation was investigated for wheat straw, beech wood and pine forest residue in torrefaction in two complementary experimental devices. Firstly, experiments in chemical regime carried out in a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) showed that biomass degradation started from lower temperatures and was faster under a moist atmosphere (20% v/v water content) for all biomass samples. This suggests that moisture might promote biomass components’ degradation reactions from lower temperatures than those observed under a dry atmosphere. Furthermore, biomass inorganic composition might play a role in the extent of biomass degradation in torrefaction in the presence of moisture. Secondly, torrefaction experiments on a lab-scale device made possible to assess the influence of temperature and residence time under dry and 100% moist atmosphere. In this case, the difference in solid mass loss between dry and moist torrefaction was only significant for wheat straw. Globally, an effect of water vapor on biomass transformation through torrefaction was observed (maximum 10%db), which appeared to be dependent on the biomass type and composition.
Tribological Properties of Additive Manufactured Materials for Energy Applications: A Review
Authors: Ralls Alessandro M. , Kumar Pankaj , Menezes Pradeep L.
Published: December 2020

Recently, additive manufacturing (AM) has gained much traction due to its processing advantages over traditional manufacturing methods. However, there are limited studies which focus on process optimization for surface quality of AM materials, which can dictate mechanical, thermal, and tribological performance. For example, in heat-transfer applications, increased surface quality is advantageous for reducing wear rates of vibrating tubes as well as increasing the heat-transfer rates of contacting systems. Although many post-processing and in situ manufacturing techniques are used in conjunction with AM techniques to improve surface quality, these processes are costly and time-consuming compared to optimized processing techniques. With improved as-built surface quality, particles tend to be better fused, which allows for greater wear resistance from contacting tube surfaces. Additionally, improved surface quality can reduce the entropy and exergy generated from flowing fluids, in turn increasing the thermodynamic efficiency of heat-transferring devices. This review aims to summarize the process-optimizing methods used in AM for metal-based heat exchangers and the importance of as-built surface quality to its performance and long-term energy conservation. The future directions and current challenges of this field will also be covered, with suggestions on how research in this topic can be improved.
Wheat Grinding Process with Low Moisture Content: A New Approach for Wholemeal Flour Production
Authors: Hassoon Waleed H. , Dziki Dariusz , Miś Antoni , Biernacka Beata
Published: December 2020

The objective of this study was to determine the grinding characteristics of wheat with a low moisture content. Two kinds of wheat—soft spelt wheat and hard Khorasan wheat—were dried at 45 °C to reduce the moisture content from 12% to 5% (wet basis). Air drying at 45 °C and storage in a climatic chamber (45 °C, 10% relative humidity) were the methods used for grain dehydration. The grinding process was carried out using a knife mill. After grinding, the particle size distribution, average particle size and grinding energy indices were determined. In addition, the dough mixing properties of wholemeal flour dough were studied using a farinograph. It was observed that decreasing the moisture content in wheat grains from 12% to 5% made the grinding process more effective. As a result, the average particle size of the ground material was decreased. This effect was found in both soft and hard wheat. Importantly, lowering the grain moisture led to about a twofold decrease in the required grinding energy. Moreover, the flour obtained from the dried grains showed higher water absorption and higher dough stability during mixing. However, the method of grain dehydration had little or no effect on the results of the grinding process or dough properties.
Tunable Topological Beam Splitter in Superconducting Circuit Lattice
Authors: Qi Lu , Xing Yan , Zhao Xue-Dong , Liu Shutian , Han Xue , Cui Wen-Xue , Zhang Shou , Wang Hong-Fu
Published: December 2020

In the usual Su–Schrieffer–Heeger (SSH) model with an even number of lattice sites, the topological pumping between left and right edge states cannot be easily realized since the edge states occupy two-end sites simultaneously. Here we propose a scheme to investigate the topological edge pumping in an even-sized periodically modulated SSH model mapped by a one dimensional superconducting transmission line resonators array. We find that the photon initially prepared in the first resonator can be finally observed at the two-end resonators with a certain proportion. The final photon splitting at the two-end resonators indicates that the present superconducting circuit is expected to realize the topological beam splitter. Further, we demonstrate that the splitting proportion between the two-end resonators can be arbitrarily tuned from 1 to 0, implying the potential feasibility of implementing the tunable topological beam splitter. Meanwhile, we also show that the tunable topological beam splitter is immune to the mild disorder added into the system due to the topology protection of the zero energy modes, and find that the tunable topological beam splitter is much more robust to the global on-site disorder compared with the nearest neighbor disorder. Our work greatly extends the practical application of topological matter in quantum information processing and opens up a new way towards the engineering of topological quantum optical device.
Leveraging Graphical User Interface Automation for Generic Robot Programming
Authors: Ionescu Tudor B.
Published: December 2020

A novel approach to generic (or generalized) robot programming and a novel simplified, block-based programming environment, called “Assembly”, are introduced. The approach leverages the newest graphical user interface automation tools and techniques to generate programs in various proprietary robot programming environments by emulating user interactions in those environments. The “Assembly” tool is used to generate robot-independent intermediary program models, which are translated into robot-specific programs using a graphical user interface automation toolchain. The generalizability of the approach to list, tree, and block-based programming is assessed using three different robot programming environments, two of which are proprietary. The results of this evaluation suggest that the proposed approach is feasible for an entire range of programming models and thus enables the generation of programs in various proprietary robot programming environments. In educational settings, the automated generation of programs fosters learning different robot programming models by example. For experts, the proposed approach provides a means for generating program (or task) templates, which can be adjusted to the needs of the application at hand on the shop floor.
A Practical Cross-View Image Matching Method between UAV and Satellite for UAV-Based Geo-Localization
Authors: Ding Lirong , Zhou Ji , Meng Lingxuan , Long Zhiyong
Published: December 2020

Cross-view image matching has attracted extensive attention due to its huge potential applications, such as localization and navigation. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology has been developed rapidly in recent years, and people have more opportunities to obtain and use UAV-view images than ever before. However, the algorithms of cross-view image matching between the UAV view (oblique view) and the satellite view (vertical view) are still in their beginning stage, and the matching accuracy is expected to be further improved when applied in real situations. Within this context, in this study, we proposed a cross-view matching method based on location classification (hereinafter referred to LCM), in which the similarity between UAV and satellite views is considered, and we implemented the method with the newest UAV-based geo-localization dataset (University-1652). LCM is able to solve the imbalance of the input sample number between the satellite images and the UAV images. In the training stage, LCM can simplify the retrieval problem into a classification problem and consider the influence of the feature vector size on the matching accuracy. Compared with one study, LCM shows higher accuracies, and Recall@K (K ∈ {1, 5, 10}) and the average precision (AP) were improved by 5–10%. The expansion of satellite-view images and multiple queries proposed by the LCM are capable of improving the matching accuracy during the experiment. In addition, the influences of different feature sizes on the LCM’s accuracy are determined, and we found that 512 is the optimal feature size. Finally, the LCM model trained based on synthetic UAV-view images was evaluated in real-world situations, and the evaluation result shows that it still has satisfactory matching accuracy. The LCM can realize the bidirectional matching between the UAV-view image and the satellite-view image and can contribute to two applications: (i) UAV-view image localization (i.e., predicting the geographic location of UAV-view images based on satellite-view images with geo-tags) and (ii) UAV navigation (i.e., driving the UAV to the region of interest in the satellite-view image based on the flight record).
Multiscale Adjacent Superpixel-Based Extended Multi-Attribute Profiles Embedded Multiple Kernel Learning Method for Hyperspectral Classification
Authors: Pan Lei , He Chengxun , Xiang Yang , Sun Le
Published: December 2020

In this paper, superpixel features and extended multi-attribute profiles (EMAPs) are embedded in a multiple kernel learning framework to simultaneously exploit the local and multiscale information in both spatial and spectral dimensions for hyperspectral image (HSI) classification. First, the original HSI is reduced to three principal components in the spectral domain using principal component analysis (PCA). Then, a fast and efficient segmentation algorithm named simple linear iterative clustering is utilized to segment the principal components into a certain number of superpixels. By setting different numbers of superpixels, a set of multiscale homogenous regional features is extracted. Based on those extracted superpixels and their first-order adjacent superpixels, EMAPs with multimodal features are extracted and embedded into the multiple kernel framework to generate different spatial and spectral kernels. Finally, a PCA-based kernel learning algorithm is used to learn an optimal kernel that contains multiscale and multimodal information. The experimental results on two well-known datasets validate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method compared with several state-of-the-art HSI classifiers.
Estimates of Daily Evapotranspiration in the Source Region of the Yellow River Combining Visible/Near-Infrared and Microwave Remote Sensing
Authors: Liu Rong , Wen Jun , Wang Xin , Wang Zuoliang , Liu Yu , Zhang Ming
Published: December 2020

The spatial variation of surface net radiation, soil heat flux, sensible heat flux, and latent heat flux at different times of the day over the northern Tibetan Plateau were estimated using the Surface Energy Balance System algorithm, data from the FY-2G geostationary meteorological satellite, and microwave data from the FY-3C polar-orbiting meteorological satellite. In addition, the evaporative fraction was analyzed, and the total evapotranspiration (ET) was obtained by the effective evaporative fraction to avoid the error from accumulation. The hourly change of latent heat flux presented a sound unimodal diurnal variation. The results showed the regional ET ranged between 2.0 and 4.0 mm over the Source Region of the Yellow River. The conditional expectations of surface energy components during the experimental period of the study area were statistically analyzed, and the correspondence between different surface temperatures and the effective energy distribution was examined. The effective energy distribution of the surface changed significantly with the increase in temperature; in particular, when the surface temperature exceeded 290 K, the effective energy was mainly used for surface ET. The aim of this study was to avoid the use of surface meteorological observations that are not readily available over large areas, and the findings lay a foundation for the commercialization of land surface evapotranspiration.