bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Environmental Samples Test Negative for Avian Influenza Virus H5N1 Four Months after Mass Mortality at A Seabird Colony
Authors: Furness Robert W. , Gear Sheila C. , Camphuysen Kees C. J. , Tyler Glen , de Silva Dilhani , Warren Caroline J. , James Joe , Reid Scott M. , Banyard Ashley C.
Published: April 2023

High pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) profoundly impacted several seabird populations during the summers of 2021 and 2022. Infection spread rapidly across colonies, causing unprecedented mortality. At Foula, Shetland, 1500 breeding adult great skuas Stercorarius skua, totalling about two tonnes of decomposing virus-laden material, died at the colony in May−July 2022. Carcasses were left where they died as Government policy was not to remove dead birds. The factors influencing risk of further spread of infection are uncertain, but evidence suggests that HPAI can persist in water for many months in cool conditions and may be a major transmission factor for birds living in wetlands. We investigated risk of further spread of infection from water samples collected from under 45 decomposing carcasses and in three freshwater lochs/streams by sampling water in October 2022, by which time the great skua carcasses had rotted to bones, skin, and feathers. No viral genetic material was detected four months after the mortality, suggesting a low risk of seabird infection from the local environment when the seabirds would return the next breeding season. These findings, although based on a relatively small number of water samples, suggest that the high rainfall typical at Shetland probably washed away the virus from the decomposing carcasses. However, limitations to our study need to be taken on board in the design of environmental monitoring at seabird colonies during and immediately after future outbreaks of HPAI.
In Vitro and In Vivo Functional Viability, and Biocompatibility Evaluation of Bovine Serum Albumin-Ingrained Microemulsion: A Model Based on Sesame Oil as the Payload for Developing an Efficient Drug Delivery Platform
Authors: Rhyaf Atiaf , Naji Hala , Al-Karagoly Hassan , Albukhaty Salim , Sulaiman Ghassan M. , Alshammari Abdulaziz Arif A. , Mohammed Hamdoon A. , Jabir Majid , Khan Riaz A.
Published: April 2023

Combination of bovine serum albumin with microemulsions as constituting ingredient biopolymer has long been regarded an innovative method to address the surface functionalization and stability issues in the targeted payload deliveries, thereupon producing effectively modified microemulsions, which are superior in loading capacity, transitional and shelf-stability, as well as site-directed/site-preferred delivery, has become a favored option. The current study aimed to develop an efficient, suitable and functional microemulsion system encapsulating sesame oil (SO) as a model payload towards developing an efficient delivery platform. UV-VIS, FT-IR, and FE-SEM were used to characterize, and analyze the developed carrier. Physicochemical properties assessments of the microemulsion by dynamic light scattering size distributions, zeta-potential, and electron micrographic analyses were performed. The mechanical properties for rheological behavior were also studied. The HFF-2 cell line and hemolysis assays were conducted to ascertain the cell viability, and in vitro biocompatibility. The in vivo toxicity was determined based on a predicted median lethal dose (LD50) model, wherein the liver enzymes’ functions were also tested to assess and confirm the predicted toxicity.
Leveraging Hot Spots of TEAD–Coregulator Interactions in the Design of Direct Small Molecule Protein-Protein Interaction Disruptors Targeting Hippo Pathway Signaling
Authors: Zhao Bin , Pobbati Ajaybabu V. , Rubin Brian P. , Stauffer Shaun
Published: April 2023

The Hippo signaling pathway is a highly conserved pathway that plays important roles in the regulation of cell proliferation and apoptosis. Transcription factors TEAD1-4 and transcriptional coregulators YAP/TAZ are the downstream effectors of the Hippo pathway and can modulate Hippo biology. Dysregulation of this pathway is implicated in tumorigenesis and acquired resistance to therapies. The emerging importance of YAP/TAZ-TEAD interaction in cancer development makes it a potential therapeutic target. In the past decade, disrupting YAP/TAZ-TEAD interaction as an effective approach for cancer treatment has achieved great progress. This approach followed a trajectory wherein peptidomimetic YAP–TEAD protein-protein interaction disruptors (PPIDs) were first designed, followed by the discovery of allosteric small molecule PPIDs, and currently, the development of direct small molecule PPIDs. YAP and TEAD form three interaction interfaces. Interfaces 2 and 3 are amenable for direct PPID design. One direct YAP–TEAD PPID (IAG933) that targets interface 3 has entered a clinical trial in 2021. However, in general, strategically designing effective small molecules PPIDs targeting TEAD interfaces 2 and 3 has been challenging compared with allosteric inhibitor development. This review focuses on the development of direct surface disruptors and discusses the challenges and opportunities for developing potent YAP/TAZ-TEAD inhibitors for the treatment of cancer.
Magnetic Solid-Phase Microextraction Protocol Based on Didodecyldimethylammonium Bromide-Functionalized Nanoparticles for the Quantification of Epirubicin in Biological Matrices
Authors: Treder Natalia , Szuszczewicz Natalia , Roszkowska Anna , Olędzka Ilona , Bączek Tomasz , Bień Ewa , Krawczyk Małgorzata Anna , Plenis Alina
Published: April 2023

Due to epirubicin’s (EPI) narrow therapeutic index and risk of cardiotoxicity, it is critical to monitor concentrations of this drug when being used to treat cancer patients. In this study, a simple and fast magnetic solid-phase microextraction (MSPME) protocol for the determination of EPI in plasma and urine samples is developed and tested. Experiments were performed using prepared Fe3O4-based nanoparticles coated with silica and a double-chain surfactant—namely, didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB)—as a magnetic sorbent. All the prepared samples were analyzed via liquid chromatography coupled with fluorescence detection (LC-FL). The validation parameters indicated good linearity in the range of 0.001–1 µg/mL with a correlation coefficient > 0.9996 for plasma samples, and in the range of 0.001–10 µg/mL with a correlation coefficient > 0.9997 for urine samples. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) for both matrices were estimated at 0.0005 µg/mL and 0.001 µg/mL, respectively. The analyte recovery after sample pretreatment was 80 ± 5% for the plasma samples and 90 ± 3% for the urine samples. The developed method’s applicability for monitoring EPI concentrations was evaluated by employing it to analyze real plasma and urine samples collected from a pediatric cancer patient. The obtained results confirmed the proposed MSPME-based method’s usefulness, and enabled the determination of the EPI concentration–time profile in the studied patient. The miniaturization of the sampling procedure, along with the significant reduction in pre-treatment steps, make the proposed protocol a promising alternative to routine approaches to monitoring EPI levels in clinical laboratories.
Injectable In-Situ Forming Depot Based on PLGA and PLGA-PEG-PLGA for Sustained-Release of Risperidone: In Vitro Evaluation and Pharmacokinetics in Rabbits
Authors: Rezaeian Shiadeh Seyedeh Nesa , Hadizadeh Farzin , Khodaverdi Elham , Gorji Valokola Mahmoud , Rakhshani Saleh , Kamali Hossein , Nokhodchi Ali
Published: April 2023

In the current research, novel drug delivery systems based on in situ forming gel (ISFG) (PLGA-PEG-PLGA) and in situ forming implant (ISFI) (PLGA) were developed for one-month risperidone delivery. In vitro release evaluation, pharmacokinetics, and histopathology studies of ISFI, ISFG, and Risperdal CONSTA® were compared in rabbits. Formulation containing 50% (w/w %) of PLGA-PEG-PLGA triblock revealed sustained release for about one month. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed a porous structure for ISFI, while a structure with fewer pores was observed in the triblock. Cell viability in ISFG formulation in the first days was more than ISFI due to the gradual release of NMP to the release medium. Pharmacokinetic data displayed that optimal PLGA-PEG-PLGA creates a consistent serum level in vitro and in vivo through 30 days, and histopathology results revealed nearly slight to moderate pathological signs in the rabbit’s organs. The shelf life of the accelerated stability test didn’t affect the results of the release rate test and demonstrated stability in 24 months. This research confirms the better potential of the ISFG system compared with ISFI and Risperdal CONSTA®, which would increase patients’ compliance and avoid problems of further oral therapy.
Evaluating the Applicability of the TOMCAST Model for the Control of Potato Early Blight in China
Authors: Li Qing , Zhang Xueyan , Ma Xin , Li Hailong
Published: April 2023

To explore the applicability of different fungicide application schemes to control potato early blight (mainly caused by Alternaria solani) in China, field trials were conducted from 2020 to 2022, combining different fungicides with the tomato forecaster (TOMCAST) model and using weather variables to adjust the minimum temperature of TOMCAST to 7 °C. To effectively manage potato early blight, the TOMCAST model combines relative humidity (>88%) and air temperature to calculate daily severity values (DSVs). The application of fungicides (fungicide schedule) is as follows: untreated; two standard treatments, Amimiaoshou SC and Xishi SC, applied at the first appearance of disease symptoms; and two different TOMCAST treatments, in which fungicides are applied when the physiological days add up to 300 days and DSVs add up to 15. This study quantifies the intensity of early blight as the area under the disease progression curve and the final disease severity. Additionally, a progress curve for early blight is constructed to compare the development of early blight in different years and treatments. The TOMCAST-15 model reduces the number of fungicide applications in addition to significantly suppressing the development of early blight. Furthermore, fungicide application significantly increases the dry matter and starch contents of potatoes, and TOMCAST-15 × Amimiaoshou SC has similar enhancement effects on dry matter, protein, reducing sugar, and starch contents compared with Amomiaohou SC and Xishi SC. As a result, TOMCAST × Amimiaoshou SC may be an effective alternative to the standard treatment and have good applicability in China.
Templating Effect of Water-Soluble Anionic Phthalocyaninate on the Electropolymerization of 3,4-Ethylenedioxythiophene
Authors: Gribkova Oxana , Kabanova Varvara , Yagodin Alexey , Averin Aleksey , Teplonogova Maria , Martynov Alexander , Nekrasov Alexander
Published: April 2023

The electrochemical polymerization of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) was performed in the presence of a water-soluble anionic copper and zinc octa(3′,5′-dicarboxyphenoxy)phthalocyaninate containing 16 ionogenic carboxylate groups. The influences of the central metal atom in the phthalocyaninate and EDOT-to-carboxylate group ratio (1:2, 1:4, and 1:6) on the course of electropolymerization were studied using electrochemical methods. It has been shown that the polymerization of EDOT in the presence of phthalocyaninates proceeds at a higher rate compared to that in the presence of a low-molecular-weight electrolyte (sodium acetate). Studies of the electronic and chemical structure using UV–Vis–NIR and Raman spectroscopies showed that the use of copper phthalocyaninate leads to a higher content of the latter in PEDOT composite films. The 1:2 EDOT-to-carboxylate group ratio was found to be optimal for a higher content of phthalocyaninate in the composite film.
The Particle Breakage Effect on Abrasive Wear Process of Rubber/Steel Seal Pairs under High/Low Pressure
Authors: Zhou Ziyi , Zhou Qin , Qin Kun , Li Shuaishuai , Zhang Kai , Yuan Tongxin , Sun Weihao
Published: April 2023

Pressure has a significant effect on rubber seal performance in the abrasive environments of drilling. The micro-clastic rocks intruding into the seal interface are prone to fracture, which will change the wear process and mechanism, but this process is not yet known at present. To explore this issue, abrasive wear tests were carried out to compare the failure characteristics of the particles and the variation wear process under high/low pressures. The results show that non-round particles are prone to fracture under different pressures, resulting in different damage patterns and wear loss on the rubber surface. A single particle force model was established at the soft rubber–hard metal interface. Three typical breakage types of particles were analyzed, including ground, partially fractured, and crushed. At high load, more particles were crushed, while at low load, shear failure was more likely to occur at the edges of particles. These different particle fracture characteristics not only change the particle size, but also the state of motion and thus the subsequent friction and wear processes. Therefore, the tribological behavior and wear mechanism of abrasive wear are different at high pressure and low pressure. Higher pressure reduces the invasion of the abrasive particles, but also intensifies the tearing and wear of the rubber. However, no significant differences in damage were found for steel counterpart throughout the wear process under high/low load tests. These results are critical to understanding the abrasive wear of rubber seals in drilling engineering.
Hierarchical Emulsion-Templated Monoliths (polyHIPEs) as Scaffolds for Covalent Immobilization of P. acidilactici
Authors: Yin Zhengqiao , Zhang Shengmiao , Liu Xiucai
Published: April 2023

The immobilized cell fermentation technique (IMCF) has gained immense popularity in recent years due to its capacity to enhance metabolic efficiency, cell stability, and product separation during fermentation. Porous carriers used as cell immobilization facilitate mass transfer and isolate the cells from an adverse external environment, thus accelerating cell growth and metabolism. However, creating a cell-immobilized porous carrier that guarantees both mechanical strength and cell stability remains challenging. Herein, templated by water-in-oil (w/o) high internal phase emulsions (HIPE), we established a tunable open-cell polymeric P(St-co-GMA) monolith as a scaffold for the efficient immobilization of Pediococcus acidilactici (P. acidilactici). The porous framework’s mechanical property was substantially improved by incorporating the styrene monomer and cross-linker divinylbenzene (DVB) in the HIPE’s external phase, while the epoxy groups on glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) supply anchoring sites for P. acidilactici, securing the immobilization to the inner wall surface of the void. For the fermentation of immobilized P. acidilactici, the polyHIPEs permit efficient mass transfer, which increases along with increased interconnectivity of the monolith, resulting in higher L-lactic acid yield compared to that of suspended cells with an increase of 17%. The relative L-lactic acid production is constantly maintained above 92.9% of their initial relative production after 10 cycles, exhibiting both its great cycling stability and the durability of the material structure. Furthermore, the procedure during recycle batch also simplifies downstream separation operations.
BDS-3 Triple-Frequency Timing Group Delay/Differential Code Bias and Its Effect on Positioning
Authors: Du Yanjun , Yang Yuanxi , Jia Xiaolin , Yao Wanqiang , Li Jiahao , Li Qin
Published: April 2023

BeiDou Global Navigation Satellite System (BDS-3) broadcasts multifrequency signals that offer more choices of frequencies and more signal combinations for positioning. This paper analyzes the effect of timing group delay (TGD) and differential code bias (DCB) of BDS-3 on the corresponding triple-frequency positioning. The triple-frequency observation models of BDS-3 are summarized and the DCB correction models are derived for the four different frequency combinations of triple-frequency ionospheric-free (IF) combination (IF123), two dual-frequency IF combinations (IF1213) and triple-frequency uncombined (UC123) positioning modes. Standard point positioning (SPP) and precise point positioning (PPP) experiments were conducted using 30 days of observations from 25 multi-GNSS experiment (MGEX) stations. The results show that the TGD/DCB correction has a significant impact on the accuracy of SPP. The positioning accuracy using IF123 and IF1213 models improved by about 73~90% after TGD correction, in comparison to a 27~30% improvement achieved using the UC123 model. In addition, the correction effect of DCB is slightly better than TGD. The DCB correction significantly improves accuracy in the initial epoch of the PPP, which helps the convergence of the filtering and reduces the convergence time. The average convergence times of IF123, IF1213 and UC123 are 26.1, 26.9 and 38.3 min, respectively, which are reduced by 6.79, 2.54 and 8.59% with DCB correction. The pseudorange residuals are closer to zero-mean random noise after DCB correction. Furthermore, the DCB affects the evaluation of the inter-frequency bias (IFB), ionospheric delay and floating ambiguity parameters. However, the tropospheric delay is almost unaffected by DCB.
Spatial–Temporal Fusion of 10-Min Aerosol Optical Depth Products with the GEO–LEO Satellite Joint Observations
Authors: Xia Xinghui , Zhang Tianhao , Wang Lunche , Gong Wei , Zhu Zhongmin , Wang Wei , Gu Yu , Lin Yun , Zhou Xiangyang , Dong Jiadan , Fan Shumin , Xu Wenfa
Published: April 2023

Geosynchronous equatorial orbit (GEO) satellite-derived AOD possesses huge advantages for monitoring atmospheric aerosol with high frequency; however, the data missing existing in the satellite-derived AOD products dramatically limits this expected advantage due to cloud obscuration and aerosol retrieval algorithm. In recent years, numerous AOD fusion algorithms have been proposed, while these algorithms are mostly developed to blend daily AOD products derived from low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites and generally neglect discrepancies from different categories of products. Therefore, a spatiotemporal fusion framework based on the Bayesian maximum entropy theorem, blending GEO with LEO satellite observations and incorporating data discrepancies (GL-BME), is developed to complementarily recover the Advanced Himawari-8 Imager (AHI) AOD products over East Asia. The results show that GL-BME significantly improves the average spatial completeness of AOD from 20.3% to 67.6% with ensured reliability, and the accuracy of merged AODs nearly maintains that of original AHI AODs. Moreover, a comparison of the monthly aerosol spatial distribution between the merged and original AHI AODs is conducted to evaluate the performance and significance of GL-BME, which indicates that GL-BME could further restore the real atmospheric aerosol situation to a certain extent on the basis of dramatic spatial coverage improvement.
Remote Sensing Grassland Productivity Attributes: A Systematic Review
Authors: Bangira Tsitsi , Mutanga Onisimo , Sibanda Mbulisi , Dube Timothy , Mabhaudhi Tafadzwanashe
Published: April 2023

A third of the land on the Earth is composed of grasslands, mainly used for forage. Much effort is being conducted to develop tools to estimate grassland productivity (GP) at different extents, concentrating on spatial and seasonal variability pertaining to climate change. GP is a reliable indicator of how well an ecosystem works because of its close connection to the ecological system equilibrium. The most commonly used proxies of GP in ecological studies are aboveground biomass (AGB), leaf area index (LAI), canopy storage capacity (CSC), and chlorophyll and nitrogen content. Grassland science gains much information from the capacity of remote sensing (RS) techniques to calculate GP proxies. An overview of the studies on RS-based GP prediction techniques and a discussion of current matters determining GP monitoring are critical for improving future GP prediction performance. A systematic review of articles published between 1970 and October 2021 (203 peer-reviewed articles from Web of Science, Scopus, and DirectScience databases) showed a trend in the choice of the sensors, and the approaches to use are largely dependent on the extent of monitoring and assessment. Notably, all the reviewed articles demonstrate the growing demand for high-resolution sensors, such as hyperspectral scanners and computationally efficient image-processing techniques for the high prediction accuracy of GP at various scales of application. Further research is required to attract the synthesis of optical and radar data, multi-sensor data, and the selection of appropriate techniques for GP prediction at different scales. Mastering and listing major uncertainties associated with different algorithms for the GP prediction and pledging to reduce these errors are critical.
An Optimized Workflow for Digital Surface Model Series Generation Based on Historical Aerial Images: Testing and Quality Assessment in the Beach-Dune System of Sa Ràpita-Es Trenc (Mallorca, Spain)
Authors: Mestre-Runge Christian , Lorenzo-Lacruz Jorge , Ortega-Mclear Aaron , Garcia Celso
Published: April 2023

We propose an optimized Structure-from-Motion (SfM) Multi-View Stereopsis (MVS) workflow, based on minimizing different errors and inaccuracies of historical aerial photograph series (1945, 1979, 1984, and 2008 surveys), prior to generation of elevation-calibrated historical Digital Surface Models (hDSM) at 1 m resolution. We applied LiDAR techniques on Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) point clouds (Spanish PNOA LiDAR flights of 2014 and 2019) for comparison and validation purposes. Implementation of these products in multi-temporal analysis requires quality control due to the diversity of sources and technologies involved. To accomplish this, (i) we used the Mean Absolute Error (MAE) between GNSS-Validation Points and the elevations observed by DSM-ALS to evaluate the elevation accuracy of DSM-ALS generated with the LAScatalog processing engine; (ii) optimization of the SfM sparse clouds in the georeferencing step was evaluated by calculating the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) between the Check Points extracted from DSM-ALS and the predicted elevations per sparse cloud; (iii) the MVS clouds were evaluated by calculating the MAE between ALS-Validation Points and the predicted elevations per MVS cloud; iv) the accuracy of the resulting historical SfM-MVS DSMs were assessed using the MAE between ALS-Validation Points and the observed elevations per historical DSM; and (v) we implemented a calibration method based on a linear correction to reduce the elevation discrepancies between historical DSMs and the DSM-ALS 2019 reference elevations. This optimized workflow can generate high-resolution (1 m pixel size) hDSMs with reasonable accuracy: MAE in z ranges from 0.41 m (2008 DSM) to 5.21 m (1945 DSM). Overall, hDSMs generated using historical images have great potential for geo-environmental processes monitoring in different ecosystems and, in some cases (i.e., sufficient image overlapping and quality), being an acceptable replacement for LiDAR data when it is not available.
Small Target Detection Method Based on Low-Rank Sparse Matrix Factorization for Side-Scan Sonar Images
Authors: He Ju , Chen Jianfeng , Xu Hu , Ayub Muhammad Saad
Published: April 2023

Target detection in side-scan sonar images plays a significant role in ocean engineering. However, the target images are usually severely interfered by the complex background and strong environmental noise, which makes it difficult to extract robust features from small targets and makes the target detection task quite challenging. In this paper, a novel small target detection method in sonar images is proposed based on the low-rank sparse matrix factorization. Initially, the side-scan sonar images are preprocessed so as to highlight the individual differences of the target. Then, the problems of target feature extraction and noise removal are characterized as the problem of matrix decomposition. An improved Robust Principal Component Analysis algorithm is used to extract target information, and the fast proximal gradient method is used to optimize the solution. The original sonar image is reconstructed into the low-rank background matrix, the sparse target matrix, and the noise matrix. Eventually, a morphological operation is used to filter out the noise and refine the target edges in the target matrix for improving the accuracy of target detection. Experimental results show that the proposed method not only achieves better detection performance in comparison to the conventional baseline algorithms but also performs robustly in various signal-to-clutter ratio conditions.
Electromagnetic Sensing Techniques for Monitoring Atopic Dermatitis—Current Practices and Possible Advancements: A Review
Authors: Todorov Alexandar , Torah Russel , Wagih Mahmoud , Ardern-Jones Michael , Beeby Steve
Published: April 2023

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is one of the most common skin disorders, affecting nearly one-fifth of children and adolescents worldwide, and currently, the only method of monitoring the condition is through an in-person visual examination by a clinician. This method of assessment poses an inherent risk of subjectivity and can be restrictive to patients who do not have access to or cannot visit hospitals. Advances in digital sensing technologies can serve as a foundation for the development of a new generation of e-health devices that provide accurate and empirical evaluation of the condition to patients worldwide. The goal of this review is to study the past, present, and future of AD monitoring. First, current medical practices such as biopsy, tape stripping and blood serum are discussed with their merits and demerits. Then, alternative digital methods of medical evaluation are highlighted with the focus on non-invasive monitoring using biomarkers of AD—TEWL, skin permittivity, elasticity, and pruritus. Finally, possible future technologies are showcased such as radio frequency reflectometry and optical spectroscopy along with a short discussion to provoke research into improving the current techniques and employing the new ones to develop an AD monitoring device, which could eventually facilitate medical diagnosis.
High-Value Recovery of the Iron via Solvent Extraction from Waste Nickel-Cadmium Battery Sulfuric Acid Leachate Using Saponified D2EHPA
Authors: Zhou Lei , Zhang Yongqing , Zhang Lijin , Wu Xuefeng , Jiang Ran , Wang Lu
Published: April 2023

A significant amount of iron from the waste nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) battery sulfuric acid leachate seriously hinders the separation and recovery of nickel and cadmium. Therefore, an efficient and economical way to remove iron from this leachate is desired. This paper demonstrated the efficient iron extraction from a simulated Ni-Cd battery sulfuric acid leachate with saponified Di (2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (D2EHPA). The iron-loaded D2EHPA was then stripped with oxalic acid and the iron was recovered in the form of iron oxalate. This process realizes the efficient separation and high-value recovery of iron. The results showed that the saponification of the D2EHPA greatly promoted the extraction of iron from the Ni-Cd battery sulfuric acid leachate. Under suitable conditions, the iron’s single-stage extraction rate was more than 95%, and the iron’s single-stage stripping rate was more than 85%. Moreover, the iron’s extraction rate was more than 99% after two theoretical extraction stages, and the stripping rate was 95.6% after two theoretical stripping stages. The slope analysis determines that five molecules of D2EHPA were combined with one molecule of Fe3+ in the extraction process. The FT-IR analysis shows that the extraction mechanism of Fe3+ using the saponified D2EHPA is a cation exchange. These results can help guide the industrial separation and recovery of iron from the waste Ni-Cd battery sulfuric acid leachate.
More Than Dirt: Soil Health Needs to Be Emphasized in Stream and Floodplain Restorations
Authors: Inamdar Shreeram P. , Kaushal Sujay S. , Tetrick Robert Brian , Trout Larry , Rowland Richard , Genito Dennis , Bais Harsh
Published: April 2023

Soil health is not explicitly included in current stream and floodplain restorations. This may be one of the many reasons that stream restorations are not achieving their full restoration and ecological benefits. The lack of design and implementation procedures for providing healthy soils and the absence of specific soil metrics for evaluation are some of the reasons for the non-inclusion of soil health in floodplain restorations. Here, we have brought together a team of researchers and practitioners to provide a blueprint for the inclusion of soil health in floodplain restorations, with a specific emphasis on approaches that may be easily accessible for practitioners. We describe the challenges posed by current restoration procedures for physical, chemical, and biological soil conditions. The top ten soil metrics that could be easily measured and could be leveraged by practitioners to assess floodplain soil conditions before and after restorations were identified and selected. The best design and construction practices for improving soil health on floodplains are presented. We also recommend that the current crediting approaches and regulatory mechanisms for stream restorations be updated to incentivize soil health. The inclusion of soil health will help us attain the ecological services and functional uplift goals that are being targeted by environmental agencies and the restoration community.
Diode Laser Overtone Spectroscopy of Methyl Iodide at 850 nm
Authors: Lucchesini Alessandro
Published: April 2023

Using Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy (TDLAS), 82 CH3I overtone absorption lines were detected for the first time in the range between 11,660 and 11,840 cm−1 (844–857 nm), with strengths estimated around 10−27–10−26 cm/molecule. The lines were measured utilizing commercial heterostructure F–P type diode lasers, multipass cells, and wavelength modulation spectroscopy with the second harmonic detection technique. A high modulation amplitude approach was adopted for the analysis of the line shapes. Self-broadening coefficients were obtained for two lines.
Directions for Sustainable Development of China’s Coal Industry in the Post-Epidemic Era
Authors: Zhang Lijuan , Ponomarenko Tatyana
Published: April 2023

China’s energy structure is dominated by fossil fuels, especially coal consumption, which accounts for a relatively high share. In January 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak affected the global coal market, and many countries experienced negative economic growth. Economic development requires energy consumption. In 2021, China set a target of peaking carbon emissions by 2030 in order to phase out the dependence of carbon emissions on economic development. Therefore, the aim of this article is to develop directions for the sustainable development of China’s coal industry. Based on the macroenvironment and situation analysis, the article concludes that, under the influence of geopolitics, China’s shortage of imported coal resources and China’s continuous rise in coal demand, the share of coal in China’s energy structure will not decrease significantly in the long-term. The main directions for the sustainable development of China’s coal industry are to ensure the safety of coal energy storage and improve the level of safety supervision; coordinate the development of regional energy; increase the clean, efficient, and low-carbon utilization of coal; and strengthen international coal strategic cooperation.
Analysis of Detailed Lake Variations and Associated Hydrologic Driving Factors in a Semi-Arid Ungauged Closed Watershed
Authors: Wang Ning , Yang Jingbo , Zhang Zaiyong , Xiao Yong , Wang Hanbing , He Jinjun , Yi Lingqi
Published: April 2023

Lakes are key factors in maintaining ecosystems in semi-arid regions. However, due to data shortage, most studies used remote-sensing data and water-balance models to analyze lake variations in semi-arid ungauged closed watersheds, resulting in the oversimplified assessment of lake variations and their associated hydrologic processes. This study aimed to enhance the understanding of the mechanisms behind the water supplement and consumption of lakes and reveal the influences of hydrological processes on lake variations in such watersheds. Physically based and lake-oriented hydrologic modeling, remote-sensing technology, and results from previous studies were comprehensively integrated to achieve the research objective. The Hongjiannao (HJN) watershed in Northwest China was selected as the study area of this research. The calibration and validation results demonstrated that remote-sensing data and results from previous studies indeed guaranteed the accuracy of the lake-oriented model. Further hydrologic and statistical analyses revealed the linkage between lake variations and their associated hydrologic processes, and the mechanisms behind the linkage. Specifically, rainfall and snowmelt were found to be the most stable sources of HJN Lake, particularly in dry years. Due to the differences in recession rates, groundwater inflow was more stable than upstream inflow and inflow from the contributing area of HJN Lake. The correlations between hydrologic processes and the storage variation of HJN Lake varied significantly at daily and monthly time scales, which can be explained by the generation mechanisms of these processes. This study provided valuable guidance for water resources management and ecosystem protection in the HJN watershed and can be further applied for hydrologic simulations in other similar watersheds.
SERVQUAL to Determine Relationship Quality and Behavioral Intentions: An SEM Approach in Retail Banking Service
Authors: Yesmin Most. Nirufer , Hoque Saiful , Hossain Md. Alamgir , Jahan Nusrat , Fang Yuantao , Wu Renhong , Alam Md. Jahangir
Published: April 2023

Purpose—The aim of the study was to visualize the impacts of the service quality dimensions under the SERVQUAL model regarding the relationship quality and behavioral intentions of consumers in the retail banking services of Bangladesh. Design/Methodology/Approach—In this study, a structured questionnaire was used to conduct a survey, and 234 valid data samples were collected for the quantitative analysis. The measurement and structural models were used to explore the hypothesized connections among variables using the structural equation modeling (SEM) approach. Findings—The empirical results of this research indicated that SERVQUAL dimensions (tangibles, reliability, empathy, assurance, and responsiveness) seemed to be highly valued for measuring service quality. The service quality influences the quality of relationships and behavioral intentions. The relationship quality has a significantly positive impact on behavioral intentions and a mediation effect on service quality and behavioral intentions. Originality/Value—The aim of this research was to develop an advanced connection between relationship structural equation models and managerial implications as a reference and an application for the banking industry.
Association between Authentic Leadership and Job Performance—The Moderating Roles of Trust in the Supervisor and Trust in the Organization: The Example of Türkiye
Authors: Ayça Betül
Published: April 2023

This study examines the relationship between authentic leadership and employee job performance and explores the moderating roles of employee perceptions of trust in the organization and trust in their managers in this relationship. It was carried out with a quantitative method using a correlational research design. The research was cross-sectional. The participants were employees from five service industry companies operating in Türkiye. The results indicate that authentic leadership, trust in the supervisor, and trust in the organization strongly and positively affect employee job performance. The findings show that authentic leadership substantially impacts employees’ job performance as employees are followers of the internalized moral values of their supervisors. The moderating roles of the two key concepts of employees’ perception of trust in the supervisor and trust in the organization are consistent with the relevant theoretical framework. If leaders of organizations can behave honestly and focus on establishing constructive relations with their employees regarding the ideas and reasons behind business strategies, employees will be able to accept their leaders as role models and motivate themselves at work. It would benefit managers to demonstrate to their employees that fairness is a top priority in their managerial methods, actions, and activities.
The Impact of the China Open 500 Event on Sense of Community: Comparisons of Volunteers’ Pre- and Post-Event Perceptions
Authors: Jia Runyuan , Sánchez-Sáez Juan Antonio , Segado Segado Francisco
Published: April 2023

Volunteers at major sporting events have become a key element for the success of these events. Therefore, the organiser should know exactly those aspects that strengthen the bond between the sports volunteer and the event. The aim of the present research was to assess the change in volunteers’ perception of community feeling at the China Open 500 tennis tournament. The sample was selected by using a purposive non-probability sampling procedure with a 99% confidence interval and a sampling error of 0.5% (n = 805). The data collection tool was the structured questionnaire applied through a face-to-face personal survey of volunteers before and after the event. The proposed structural model for the perceived community feeling of the China Open 500 volunteers was confirmed via a second-order factor analysis. The results confirmed the existence of the six proposed factors: Administrative Consideration, Common Interests, Equity in Administrative Decisions, Leadership Opportunity, Social Spaces, and Competitiveness. The change in the volunteers’ sense of community from the training phase to after the event shows that there is a direct link between a sense of community and the volunteer experience.
University Technology Transfer from a Knowledge-Flow Approach—Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Padilla Bejarano José Bestier , Zartha Sossa Jhon Wilder , Ocampo-López Carlos , Ramírez-Carmona Margarita
Published: April 2023

This study aims to review and synthesize the rapidly evolving literature on technology transfer from universities, and the concepts and models included in it, from a knowledge-flow approach to find the factors contributing to its performance. This article provides a perspective on recent work, focusing on empirical studies on technology transfer in universities conducted in the last 32 years from a knowledge-based vision. The study was carried out from a systematic literature review in the Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and SpringerLink databases on 135 articles selected and evaluated by peers from critical surveillance factors such as technology transfer, knowledge flow, and university–industry relationship, among others. It was possible to identify 75 factors that, from a knowledge-based vision and specifically from a knowledge-flow approach, permit and contribute to the performance of technology transfer generated from research processes in universities. We classified studies into four categories according to their approaches, each with their dimensions and factors: management of knowledge, resources and capabilities, management of technological transfer, and the university–industry relationship. This classification permitted not only identification but also the systematization of the different factors and related authors that, from a knowledge-flow approach, contribute to the performance of technological transfers in universities, reflecting their efficiency and effectiveness. In this respect, absorption capacity and open innovation are topics which are worthy of exploration.
Thermal Performance Characteristics of an 80-Ton Variable-Thrust Liquid Engine for Reusable Launch Rockets
Authors: Yao Zhaohui , Zhou Shan , Yang Tianlin , Han Yani
Published: April 2023

In this paper, an 80-ton thrust liquid rocket engine (hereinafter referred to as an LRE) with a gas generator cycle, a 5:1 thrust throttling ratio, and an integrated flow regulator/gas generator (hereinafter referred to as an IFRGG) is analyzed. This LRE can be used during the first stage of launching, second-stage and upper-stage space missions, and moon/mars low-orbit hovering and soft landing, and it can also be used with various near-space multipurpose flight vehicles. The thermal performance model of the variable-thrust LRE is established, the influence of the main LRE design parameters on the performance optimization is analyzed, and an optimal selection of the design parameters under certain constraints is completed. A performance evaluation was successfully conducted, and we determined the main structural parameters at the sea-level design point; additionally, we evaluated the LRE performance, matched the system parameters under a 100–20% variable-thrust operation, and conducted an analysis on the LRE operating characteristics under a wide range of variable-thrust operations. The LOX/kerosene propellants were selected, and the vacuum-specific impulse of the LRE decreased from 303.2 s to 289.2 s; this followed an approximate linear law, with a decrease of about 4.62% when the thrust was varied in the wide range of 100–20%. The variable-thrust LRE still had a better vacuum performance under a very deep throttling condition. The reason why the specific impulse was low under the deep throttling condition is that it was greatly affected by the different atmospheric pressure that was caused by the varying flight height and the insufficient atomization and combustion of the propellant; however, because of its wide range of variable-thrust working abilities, it is suitable for various special flight missions.
Investigating Airline Service Quality from a Business Traveller Perspective through the Integration of the Kano Model and Importance–Satisfaction Analysis
Authors: Lippitt Patricia , Itani Nadine , O’Connell John F. , Warnock-Smith David , Efthymiou Marina
Published: April 2023

This study uses the Kano model and importance–satisfaction analysis (ISA) to assess airline service quality by identifying the prioritised service quality attributes (SQA) for business travellers. The study aims to produce suggestions for airline executives on how to allocate resources in the most effective way to enhance the quality of service and increase customer satisfaction. A conceptual framework divides business travellers into four Clusters based on the behavioural variables of flight length and cabin class. For each Cluster, business traveller expectations for fourteen SQAs were assessed through using the Kano model while integrating the ISA. The empirical phase employs a 38-item questionnaire that was shared on various frequent flyer and business travel forums. Additionally, this study utilises an adapted qualitative questionnaire where four airline managers expressed their perceptions on how they think business travellers perceive the fourteen SQAs. The analysis reveals four categories, namely ‘concentrate here’, ‘keep up the good work’, ‘low priority’, and ‘possible overkill’, exhibiting the importance and satisfaction of the fourteen SQAs. Findings show that resource allocation was adequate on only five attributes out of fourteen. The analysis of the airline manager responses shows differences in their assessment when compared to business travellers for two tangible attributes.
Fault Diagnosis for China Space Station Circulating Pumps: Prototypical Network with Uncertainty Theory
Authors: Wu Wenbo , Zou Tianji , Guo Dong , Zhang Lu , Wang Ke , Li Xuzhi
Published: April 2023

Methods for fault diagnosis based on metric learning, in which a query sample is classified by picking the closest prototype from the support set based on their feature similarities, have been the subject of many studies. In real-world applications of in-orbit products, such as circulating pumps, the computation of similarity between different pairs is prone to different degrees of inaccuracy, especially epistemic uncertainty. Knowing and considering the uncertainty of similarity may improve fault detection accuracy. This article provides a unique approach to fault diagnosis based on Prototypical Network (Pro-Net) and Uncertainty Theory. In particular, we use epistemic uncertainty by altering the representation of prototypes from a deterministic scalar to an uncertain representation. To assess the similarity between a query and the prototypes in a support set, we calculate the uncertain distance between the pairs using cross-entropy. Experiments with symmetrical structures reveal that our proposed method significantly enhances classification precision and achieves state-of-the-art performance. It improves the reliability of fault diagnosis and reduces the risk of making erroneous judgments in safety-critical systems, decreasing the possibility of adverse consequences.
Trends in Botulinum Toxin Use among Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: A Population-Based Study
Authors: Bensmail Djamel , Karam Pierre , Forestier Anne , Loze Jean-Yves , Lévy Jonathan
Published: April 2023

There are limited real-world data on the use of botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Accordingly, this nationwide, population-based, retrospective cohort study aimed to describe BoNT-A treatment trends in patients with MS between 2014 and 2020 in France. This study extracted data from the French National Hospital Discharge Database (Programme de Médicalisation des Systèmes d’Information, PMSI) covering the entire French population. Among 105,206 patients coded with MS, we identified those who received ≥1 BoNT-A injection, administered within striated muscle for MS-related spasticity and/or within the detrusor smooth muscle for neurogenic detrusor overactivity (NDO). A total of 8427 patients (8.0%) received BoNT-A injections for spasticity, 52.9% of whom received ≥3 BoNT-A injections with 61.9% of the repeated injections administered every 3 to 6 months. A total of 2912 patients (2.8%) received BoNT-A injections for NDO, with a mean of 4.7 injections per patient. Most repeated BoNT-A injections within the detrusor smooth muscle (60.0%) were administered every 5 to 8 months. There were 585 patients (0.6%) who received both BoNT-A injections within striated muscle and the detrusor smooth muscle. Overall, our study highlights a broad range of BoNT-A treatment practices between 2014 and 2020 in patients with MS.
A Rare Case of Imported Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Caused by Leishmania infantum in the Republic of Korea, 2021
Authors: Kim Hyun Jung , Kim Eun Jin , Choi Jee Woong , Kim You Chan , Lee Hee-Il , Shin Hyun-Il
Published: April 2023

Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease and an infectious disease transmitted by sandflies that occurs worldwide. In the absence of physicians seeking to identify the causes of disease in non-endemic areas, appropriate diagnoses cannot be made, thereby hampering effective treatment. In this report, we examined a nodular lesion on a patient’s chin by performing a biopsy and molecular analysis. The biopsy finding led to the identification of a Leishmania amastigote. On the basis of PCR analysis of the internal transcribed spacer 1 gene and 5.8 S ribosomal RNA with a subsequent BLAST search, we identified the causal organism as Leishmania infantum. The patient, who had visited Spain from 1 July to 31 August 2018, was accordingly diagnosed with cutaneous leishmaniasis and was administered liposomal amphotericin B, which successfully treated the skin lesion. Travel history plays an important role in the diagnosis of leishmaniasis, and physicians should bear in mind that travelers can also introduce diseases and pathogens to non-endemic areas. Identification of Leishmania at the species level will increase the efficacy of treatment.