bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prediction of NB‐LRR resistance genes based on full‐length sequence homology
Authors: Andolfo Giuseppe , Dohm Juliane C. , Himmelbauer Heinz
Published: April 2022

The activation of plant immunity is mediated by resistance (R)‐gene receptors, also known as nucleotide‐binding leucine‐rich repeat (NB‐LRR) genes, which in turn trigger the authentic defense response. R‐gene identification is a crucial goal for both classic and modern plant breeding strategies for disease resistance. The conventional method identifies NB‐LRR genes using a protein motif/domain‐based search (PDS) within an automatically predicted gene set of the respective genome assembly. PDS proved to be imprecise since repeat masking prior to automatic genome annotation unwittingly prevented comprehensive NB‐LRR gene detection. Furthermore, R‐genes have diversified in a species‐specific manner, so that NB‐LRR gene identification cannot be universally standardized. Here, we present the full‐length Homology‐based R‐gene Prediction (HRP) method for the comprehensive identification and annotation of a genome's R‐gene repertoire. Our method has substantially addressed the complex genomic organization of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) NB‐LRR gene loci, proving to be more performant than the well‐established RenSeq approach. HRP efficiency was also tested on three differently assembled and annotated Beta sp. genomes. Indeed, HRP identified up to 45% more full‐length NB‐LRR genes compared to previous approaches. HRP also turned out to be a more refined strategy for R‐gene allele mining, testified by the identification of hitherto undiscovered Fom‐2 homologs in five Cucurbita sp. genomes. In summary, our high‐performance method for full‐length NB‐LRR gene discovery will propel the identification of novel R‐genes towards development of improved cultivars.
Exercise training improves cardiac function and regulates myocardial mitophagy differently in ischaemic and pressure‐overload heart failure mice
Authors: Guo Chen , Chen Meng‐Jie , Zhao Jin‐Rui , Wu Rui‐Yun , Zhang Yue , Li Qiang‐Qiang , Zhao Hong , Dou Jia‐Hao , Song Shou‐Fang , Wei Jin
Published: April 2022

New Findings

What is the central question of this study?

What are the cardioprotective effects of different aerobic exercises on chronic heart failure with different aetiologies, and is mitophagy involved?

What is the main finding and its importance?

Moderate‐intensity continuous training may be the ‘optimum’ modality for improving cardiac structure and function in ischaemic heart failure, while both moderate‐intensity continuous training and high‐intensity interval training were suitable for pressure‐overload heart failure. Various mitophagy pathways, especially parkin‐dependent pathways, participated in the protective effects of exercise on heart failure.

The cardioprotective effects of different aerobic exercises on chronic heart failure with different aetiologies and whether mitophagy is involved remain elusive. In the current research, left anterior descending ligation and transverse aortic constriction surgeries were used to establish mouse models of heart failure, followed by 8 weeks of moderate‐intensity continuous training (MICT) and high‐intensity interval training (HIIT). The results showed that for ischaemic heart failure MICT significantly improved ejection fraction (P < 0.05) and fractional shortening (P < 0.05), mitigated left ventricular end‐systolic dimension (P < 0.01), decreased brain natriuretic peptide (P < 0.0001) and mitigated fibrosis (P < 0.0001), while HIIT only decreased brain natriuretic peptide (P < 0.0001) and fibrosis (P < 0.0001). For pressure‐overload heart failure, both MICT and HIIT significantly increased ejection fraction (P < 0.0001) and fractional shortening (MICT: P < 0.001, HIIT: P < 0.0001), and reduced left ventricular end‐diastolic and end‐systolic dimensions, brain natriuretic peptide (P < 0.0001), and fibrosis (MICT: P < 0.01, HIIT: P < 0.0001); HIIT was even better in reducing brain natriuretic peptide. Myocardial autophagy and mitophagy were compromised in heart failure, and the exercises improved myocardial autophagic flux and mitophagy inconsistently in heart failure with different aetiologies. Significant correlations were found between multiple mitophagy pathways and the cardioprotection of the exercises. Collectively, MICT may be the ‘optimum’ modality for ischaemic heart failure, while both MICT and HIIT (especially HIIT) were suitable for pressure‐overload heart failure. Exercises differently improved myocardial autophagy/mitophagy, and multiple mitophagy‐related pathways were closely implicated in cardioprotection of exercises for chronic heart failure.
Mediator Engineering of
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
To Improve Multidimensional Stress Tolerance
Authors: Qi Yanli , Xu Nan , Li Zehong , Wang Jiaping , Meng Xin , Gao Cong , Chen Jian , Chen Wei , Chen Xiulai , Liu Liming
Published: April 2022

This study identified the role of the KIX domain of Mediator tail subunit Med15 in response to acetic acid, H
2
O
2
, and NaCl in
S. cerevisiae
. Engineered KIX domain by protein engineering, the mutant strain Med15
V76R/R84K
, increased multidimensional stress tolerance and pyruvate production compared with that of
S. cerevisiae
with its native Med15.
Antifungal Activity of Fibrate-Based Compounds and Substituted Pyrroles That Inhibit the Enzyme 3-Hydroxy-methyl-glutaryl-CoA Reductase of
Candida glabrata
(CgHMGR), Thus Decreasing Yeast Viability and Ergosterol Synthesis
Authors: Madrigal-Aguilar Damián A. , Gonzalez-Silva Adilene , Rosales-Acosta Blanca , Bautista-Crescencio Celia , Ortiz-Álvarez Jossué , Escalante Carlos H. , Sánchez-Navarrete Jaime , Hernández-Rodríguez César , Chamorro-Cevallos Germán , Tamariz Joaquín , Villa-Tanaca Lourdes
Published: April 2022

Within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is currently an epidemiological alert in health care services due to outbreaks of
Candida auris
,
Candida glabrata
, and other fungal species multiresistant to conventional antifungals. Therefore, it is important to propose alternative molecular targets, as well as new antifungals.
E-Cigarette Aerosol Exposure Favors the Growth and Colonization of Oral Streptococcus mutans Compared to Commensal Streptococci
Authors: Catala-Valentin Alma , Bernard Joshua N. , Caldwell Matthew , Maxson Jessica , Moore Sean D. , Andl Claudia D.
Published: April 2022

Our study shows that e-cigarette aerosol exposure of selected bacteria known to be residents of the oral cavity hinders the growth of two streptococcal commensals while enhancing biofilm formation, hydrophobicity, and attachment for the pathogen
S. mutans
. These results indicate that e-cigarette vaping could open a niche for opportunistic bacteria such as
S. mutans
to colonize the oral cavity and affect oral health.
Instrumental Determination of the Earth’s South Magnetic Pole Position During the Round-the-World Antarctic Expedition on Board the Russian Navy ORV Admiral Vladimirsky
Authors: Lygin I. V. , Arutyunyan D. A. , Bulychev A. A. , Kuznetsov K. M. , Minligareev V. T.
Published: April 2022

Abstract—The round-the-world Antarctic expedition of the Russian Navy that took place from December 2019 to June 2020 on board the Russian Navy oceanographic research vessel (ORV) Admiral Vladimirsky was supported by the Russian Geographical Society and was dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the discovery of Antarctica and the 250th birthday anniversary of Admiral Ivan Kruzenshtern. One of the expedition’s main objectives was to instrumentally determine the position of the South Magnetic Pole (SMP) whose latest location had been measured more than twenty years before. Planning of magnetometric research, its monitoring and processing of obtained data were carried out by members of the Chair of Geophysical Methods of the Earth’s Crust Study of the MSU Department of Geology and the Fedorov Institute of Applied Geophysics. Based on a set of instrumental determinations (modular proton-precession differential magnetometers, vector three-component flux-gate magnetometers, the ship compass), the SMP position was measured to a precision of ±5 km. Proceeding from the 1980 and 2000 instrumental SMP determinations, it is proven that over the past 40 years, the SMP has been shifting at a consistent velocity in the same direction.
Process analysis of anthracycline adverse reactions in breast cancer patients with postoperative chemotherapy
Authors: Liu Chang , Cheng Binglu , Zhao Gang , Yuan Hengjie
Published: April 2022

This study aimed to explore the clinical adverse effects of anthracyclines on patients undergoing chemotherapy after breast cancer surgery. A total of 118 patients who received anthracycline chemotherapy after breast cancer surgery were selected as the research object, and the changes of echocardiogram, ECG, myocardial enzymes and blood biochemical indices before, during and after chemotherapy were studied. SPSS V.20 was used to conduct statistical analysis. The differences in heart rate, ST-segment abnormalities, creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, hemoglobin, albumin, triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein were statistically significant. Heart rate and triglycerides increased significantly in the early stage of chemotherapy; ST-segment abnormality increased during the entire chemotherapy period; creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase increased significantly in the late stage of chemotherapy; hemoglobin and albumin decreased in the early stage of chemotherapy. The magnitude is large; high-density lipoprotein decreases throughout the chemotherapy period. In anthracycline chemotherapy regimens, bone marrow suppression and dyslipidemia occur in the early stage of chemotherapy, and the risk of cardiotoxicity is higher in the late stage of chemotherapy.
Boosting Learning Goal Orientation through Work Engagement: From the Lens of Malaysian Academics
Authors: Tan Fee Yean , Johari Johanim , Yahya Khulida Kirana
Published: April 2022

The objective of the present study is to determine the influence of work engagement on academics’ learning goal orientation. Data was collected through a questionnaire from 265 academics in Malaysian public universities. The regression results indicated that work engagement is a significant factor that influences academics’ learning goal orientation. Discussions explicated the plausible explanations to the findings. The study is beneficial to the universities’ management in understanding the aspects of work engagement and learning goal orientation among academics. The study is also useful in helping universities develop measures to enhance academics’ learning goal orientation, which is important in catapulting university’s overall performance. The implications of the research are also discussed.
Modelling Business Ecosystem of Digital Marketplace Using Value Network
Authors: Almunawar Mohammad Nabil , Anshari Muhammad , Lim Syamimi Ariff
Published: April 2022

We are witnessing the digital transformation of businesses has spread across products or services, processes, and deliveries. New business models that take advantage of the digitation process are growing fast and digital platforms spring up in many parts of the world. As digital platforms rely on collaborative actors, viewing a digital firm in isolation may not be appropriate. As such, considering a digital platform in its two-sided network business ecosystem is more suitable to get the big picture of the platform and then analyze how the platform interacts with its surroundings in the ecosystem to keep the balance and expand. The purpose of this paper is to construct a model to map and analyse digital business ecosystem. The paper discusses some theories that are incorporated for the construction of the model and step-by-step how the model is developed. The paper uses as a case to demonstrate how the model works in mapping and analysing a digital business ecosystem of a two-sided market
Peripheral Banking System Fragility and its Effect on EMU Monetary Policy Transmission Mechanism
Authors: Petsalakis Michail E. , Khalid Ahmed M. , Premaratne Gamini
Published: April 2022

This article evaluates the transmission through intermediaries taking into consideration the dichotomy between peripheral and core banking systems with regards to the ECB’s standard and non- standard measures of monetary policy by the use of “shadow rate” as an indicator of the monetary policy stance. Bank sector is represented by lending surveys data (BLS) which contain robust quarterly information on changes in loan terms, conditions and standards for both firms and households. By using a Factor Augmented VAR (FAVAR) methodology, we conclude that our model performs well, but it only contradicts the predictions of theory as far as it concerns the credit volume impulse responses functions (IRFs). Selecting a sample of core and peripheral banking systems to apply our methodology, we find the theoretical predictions are confirmed only when the peripheral banking systems are neutralized, indicating that the erratic behaviour of IRFs results from the periphery’s banking system inclusion. We conclude that dislocation in the peripheral segment of European banking system impairs seriously the monetary policy transmission mechanism and, importantly, steps should be undertaken towards risk-sharing in EMU and risk reduction in peripheral banking systems to cure banking system imbalances in the context of EMU.
Ownership Structure and Dividend Policy in Listed Industrial and Consumer Goods Firms in Nigeria: Heckman’s Two-Stage Approach
Authors: Abubakar Nuhu , Umar Jibril , Yero Jibril Ibrahim , Saidu Sani
Published: April 2022

The decision on the magnitude of dividend has been identified to be highly related to the decisions to pay or not to pay dividends in formulating dividend policy. However, literature seems to be homogeneous and focused on examining the effect of ownership structure on dividend level or probability of paying dividends. Therefore, the paper examines the effect of ownership structure on dividend policy using Heckman’s two-stage technique. Utilizing 304 firm-year observations from industrial and consumer goods firms listed in the Nigerian Stock Exchange for the period within 2009-2019, the result shows that in the first stage, only foreign ownership has a negative significant effect on the probability of paying dividends. However, after accounting for a possible correlation between the probability of paying dividends and dividend pay-out, the result on the second stage exhibits a significant negative effect with block-holders and foreign ownerships on dividend policy while institutional ownership reveals a positive significant effect. The overall results show that the lower the foreign ownership the higher the possibility of paying dividends. Also, higher dividend pay-out is associated with the lower level of block-holders and foreign ownerships coupled with higher institutional ownership in listed industrial and consumer goods firms in Nigeria.
Optimization of optoelectronic performance of ITO/AG/ITO electrodes by using taguchi method and spectroscopic ellipsometry technique
Authors: Rajendran Manikandan , Huang Ci-En , Lin Keh-Moh
Published: April 2022

In this study, a sandwich-structured electrode composed of indium tin oxide (ITO)/metal silver layer/ITO was prepared by the radio frequency magnetron sputtering method. We used the Taguchi method and spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) analysis to optimize the geometrical structures of the electrodes and the sputtering power for the silver layer. While the Taguchi method allows us to rapidly optimize the manufacturing parameters, SE analysis enables us to precisely evaluate the thickness of each layer of the electrodes, so that the whole optimization process is more precise and effective. When the silver layers of different samples are sputtered under the same conditions, the difference in their thickness is often [Formula: see text] nm. Thus, it is difficult to understand the influences of the manufacturing parameters on the optoelectronic performance of the electrodes. Experimental results show that the thickness of the silver layer was the main factor affecting the transmittance and sheet resistance of the electrodes. However, the decisive factors for the Haacke index in the visible light range were the thickness of the bottom ITO film. Nonetheless, the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratios of some factors are quite close. Thus, further analyses are needed to understand this phenomenon. After optimization, the Haacke index is [Formula: see text], which is better than the 19.45 of the best sample, suggesting that this experiment has improved the optoelectronic properties of the electrode.
Using urea to improve the ORR performance of N-, P-, and S-ternary-doped porous carbon derived from biomass
Authors: Zhang Jun-Jie , Sun Yin , Guo Li-Kui , Liu Sen , Huang Nai-Bao , Sun Xian-Nian
Published: April 2022

Although biomass-derived metal-free electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) have garnered increasing attention, their ORR performance is lower than that of commercial 20% Pt/C. To improve their ORR performance, a series of porous carbons with high [Formula: see text] contents are prepared by pyrolyzing a mixture of spinach leaf powder and urea at different mass ratios (1:0, 1:5, 1:10, and 1:15) at a high temperature; the resultant materials are labeled as S-850, S-850-5, S-850-10, and S-850-15, respectively. The results indicate that the [Formula: see text] contents in the as-synthesized S-850, S-850-5, S-850-10, and S-850-15 products are 5.43, 5.74, 5.93, and 5.93 at%, respectively, which gradually increase with increasing urea contents, while the [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] contents (0.7 and 0.3 at%, respectively) show no change. Among all the as-synthesized products, the sample obtained by the addition of 10 wt.% urea (S-850-10) exhibits the best ORR catalytic performance in an O2-saturated 0.1 M KOH solution with a half-potential of 0.748 V and a diffusion-limited current density of −4.76 mA cm[Formula: see text] at 0.4 V. The half-potential and diffusion-limited current density of S-850-10 are improved by 0.53% and 8.61% compared to those of S-850 (0.744 V and −4.35 mA cm[Formula: see text] at 0.4 V, respectively). These findings indicate that urea can be used as an [Formula: see text] resource to increase the [Formula: see text] content of biomass-derived metal-free porous carbon, enhancing its ORR performance.
Tree-Like Branching Network for Single Image Super-Resolution with Divide-and-Conquer
Authors: Zhao Ying , Zhao Zeliang , Shao Kun , Zhan Shu
Published: April 2022

In this paper, we propose a tree-like branching network for image super-resolution. Specifically, the network consists of information divide-and-conquer groups (IDCG) to preserve the low-frequency structure of images as well as restore high-frequency information. The kernel of IDCG contains several essential components: (a) a simple attention module and an effective residual attention module to maintain low-frequency structures and restore high-frequency information, (b) a novel local merge cell alleviates information redundancy that flexibly and adaptively fuses multiple informative features from different states. Lastly, a multi-scale aggregation unit is designed to improve the final reconstruction. Through a series of experiments, we prove that our method is more effective than previous state-of-the-art results in both quantitative and qualitative evaluation.
Low-Power Low-Cost Direct Digital Frequency Synthesizer Using 90 nm CMOS Technology
Authors: Ellaithy Dina M.
Published: April 2022

Direct digital frequency synthesizer (DDFS) have been proposed extensively as the main structure block in modern wireless communication systems for the complex demodulation process. One of the major design constraints of the performance of DDFS is power dissipation. In this work, efficient implementation of the phase to Sine/Cosine mapping of DDFS is proposed to accomplish less amount hardware and low power dissipation based on the logarithm scheme. The logarithm arithmetic is exploited in the implementations of the sinusoidal functions to simplify the generation process to attain a low-power and low-cost DDFS. The generated Sine/Cosine function is approximated based on the Taylor polynomial approximations. The proposed architecture utilizes efficient logarithm converter units to implement the phase to Sine/Cosine mapping instead of using costly multipliers and squarers. The proposed logarithm-based DDFS scheme demonstrates a reduction in power dissipation with respect to previously proposed work. The proposed architecture produces a spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR) of up to 117 dBc.
Energy Absorption Characteristics and Functional Gradient Optimization of a Hybrid Honeycomb
Authors: Gao Yuan , Huang Huaiwei
Published: April 2022

Metastructures are extensively used in aerospace engineering. In the present work, a high-strength structure was designed based on a reentrant hexagonal honeycomb (RHH) by topology optimization. To generate a negative Poisson’s ratio (NPR) effect, topologically optimized cells were alternately arranged with RHH cells to obtain a hybrid hexagonal honeycomb (HHH). In comparison with other NPR structures, this structure had superior energy absorption characteristics. In addition, the mechanical properties and deformation behavior of this structure were analyzed. Finally, single, double, and triple functional gradients were introduced into the HHH. It was found that the introduction of functional gradients improved the energy absorption capacity of the structure, and that the energy absorption capacity increased with the increase in the number of functional gradients.
Synthesis of Multicatalytic Nano-Magnetic Ceria with a Doublein situHydrothermal Method for Phosphate Ions Removal and Peroxidase Mimicking
Authors: Honglin Li , Zhaocheng Li , Zeb Akif , Sahar Shafaq
Published: April 2022

A series of multicatalytic easily separable magnetic ceria (CeO2-CoFe2O4) nanocomposites were prepared with different content of CoFe2O4by the in-house developed double in situ hydrothermal method. The crystal structure, morphology and magnetic properties of the samples were characterized in detail with the help of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). XRD patterns showed that a small amount of CoFe2O4did not affect the crystal structure of ceria, and CeO2-CoFe2O4had typical characteristic peaks containing both ceria and CoFe2O4. SEM images show that CeO2-CoFe2O4samples were in the form of uniform cubical structures with particle sizes within 20–50[Formula: see text]nm. The VSM results demonstrated that the ferrimagnetic nature of CeO2-CoFe2O4sample was obvious and sample saturation magnetization increased with the CoFe2O4content. The samples with different content of CoFe2O4were further used in phosphate ions adsorption and artificial enzyme applications.
Autonomous Computing
Authors: Helland Pat
Published: April 2022

Autonomous computing is a pattern for business work using collaborations to connect fiefdoms and their emissaries. This pattern, based on paper forms, has been used for centuries. Here, we explain fiefdoms, collaborations, and emissaries. We examine how emissaries work outside the autonomous boundary and are convenient while remaining an outsider. And we examine how work across different fiefdoms can be initiated, run for long periods of time, and eventually be completed.
Derivation and Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells in Microfluidic Devices
Authors: Luni Camilla , Gagliano Onelia , Elvassore Nicola
Published: April 2022

An integrative approach based on microfluidic design and stem cell biology enables capture of the spatial-temporal environmental evolution underpinning epigenetic remodeling and the morphogenetic process. We examine the body of literature that encompasses microfluidic applications where human induced pluripotent stem cells are derived starting from human somatic cells and where human pluripotent stem cells are differentiated into different cell types. We focus on recent studies where the intrinsic features of microfluidics have been exploited to control the reprogramming and differentiation trajectory at the microscale, including the capability of manipulating the fluid velocity field, mass transport regime, and controllable composition within micro- to nanoliter volumes in space and time. We also discuss studies of emerging microfluidic technologies and applications. Finally, we critically discuss perspectives and challenges in the field and how these could be instrumental for bringing about significant biological advances in the field of stem cell engineering.
Review—Advances in Rechargeable Li-S Full Cells
Authors: Tang Shuai , Li Xiang , Fan Qianqian , Zhang Xiuqing , Wang Dan-Yang , Guo Wei , Fu Yongzhu
Published: April 2022

Lithium sulfur (Li-S) batteries with the high theoretical specific energy of 2600 Wh kg−1 are a promising candidate at the era of the post lithium-ion batteries. In most studies, lithium metal anode is used. To advance the Li-S battery towards practical application, Li-S full cells with low or non-Li metal anode need to be developed. Herein, the latest advances of the Li-S full cells are mainly categorized according to the initial state of the S cathode, i.e., sulfur (S) and lithium sulfide (Li2S). In each part, the challenges and strategies are thoroughly reviewed for the cells with different anodes, such as carbon, silicon, other alloys and metallic Li. The cycling performance comparisons of state-of-the-art Li-S full cells are also included. To achieve the high real energy density for practical applications, the Li-S full cells have to use low excess lithiated graphite, lithiated alloys, or metallic Li as the anodes. Meanwhile, the lean electrolyte is also important to further improve the practical energy density. The review is expected to supply a comprehensive guide to design Li-S full cells.
Enhanced Catalytic Performance of FeCoNi/N-Doped Carbon Nanospheres as Bifunctional Oxygen Catalysts
Authors: Gong Chong , Meng Xiangyu , Chen Xing , Chen Yingjie , Sun Qiong , Pang Beili , Zhang Qian , Feng Jianguang , Yu Liyan , Dong Lifeng
Published: April 2022

Iron, cobalt, nickel, and nitrogen doped-carbon nanospheres (FeCoNi/N-C) are synthesized by the pyrolysis of globular Fe/Co/Ni-polypyrrole formed through a microemulsion method. The content and ratio of Fe/Co/Ni in N-C can be adjusted by adding different quantities of metal ions in microemulsion. Compared to Fe/N-C, FeCoNi/N-C demonstrates high conductivity, fast mass transport, superior catalytic properties of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The results showed multi-doping can facilitate the combination of metal and nitrogen and sustain their contents in pyrolysis process to improve conductivity and enhance bifunctional activities. According to the density functional theory calculations, co-doping of Co or/and Ni with Fe element on N-C material can help the desorption of *OH into water in ORR and accelerate the transformation of *O to *OOH in OER. Besides, FeCoNiN4 is a dominant contributor to bifunctional activities.
Analytical Eco-Scale for Evaluating the Greenness of Advanced Voltammetric Method Used for the Simultaneous Analysis of Combined Urinary Tract Infection Drugs in Different Matrices
Authors: Hussein Ola G. , Elzanfaly Eman S. , Zaazaa Hala E. , Abdelkawy Mohamed , Atty Shimaa A.
Published: April 2022

Phenazopyridine hydrochloride (PHZ) and Trimethoprim (TMP) are formulated together to treat urinary tract infections. The present work represents the first electrochemical sensor to simultaneously determine Phenazopyridine hydrochloride (PHZ) and Trimethoprim (TMP) with good anodic peak potential separation. A rapid, simple and sensitive electrochemical oxidation based on using multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNT) and sugar polymer (PS) as modifier carbon paste (CNT/PS/MCPE) is described. The method was developed and validated in accordance with the guidelines of the International Council for Harmonisation (ICH). With a detection limit of 2 × 10−7M to 1 × 10−4M for both drugs with good recovery in pH 7. The method was then efficiently applied to determine PHZ and TMP in pharmaceutical formulation, human serum and urine. The proposed voltammetric method was statistically compared with the reported spectrophotometric method and the results obtained indicate no significant differences. Moreover, the fabricated sensor was applicable for the determination of PHZ and TMP in presence of common interfering molecules, ascorbic acid (AA) and uric acid (UA) which can be present in the plasma and urine. The method proved to be an excellent green analysis according to analytical eco-scale for greenness assessment.
Finite Element Model Based Determination of Local Membrane Conductivity of Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells
Authors: Schuller A. , Schmidt T. J. , Eller J.
Published: April 2022

A new non-invasive method to determine PEFC in-plane membrane conductivity distribution is proposed. It is based on electrical impedance tomography that relies on surface current injection and voltage measurement at the outer cell surface. The working principle is detailed and a numerical feasibility study shows the potential of the technique. Different conductivity profiles could be reconstructed based on synthetic boundary voltage data with a high accuracy. A sensitivity analysis was performed to understand the influence of different types of noise and error sources. This new method has the potential to become a relevant tool for fuel cell diagnostic if the required accuracy can be reached in terms of electrode positioning, cell characterization and measurement system.
Electrochemical Characterization of NdBa0.9Co2O5+δ
SOFC Cathodes Prepared by Infiltration into Gd Doped Ceria Scaffolds
Authors: Lacharme Maria Carmenza Díaz , Rossi Daniele , Campanari Stefano , Donazzi Alessandro
Published: April 2022

In this work, the electrocatalytic properties of novel cathodes prepared by infiltration of NdBa0.9Co2O5+δ
(NBC) into porous Gd doped Ceria (GDC) scaffolds are investigated, and comparison is provided with La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3−δ
(LSCF) infiltrated GDC cathodes. For both formulations, symmetric cells are fabricated by blade coating and infiltration of aqueous nitrate precursor solutions until reaching 25% w/w load. The effects of the calcination temperature are explored between 750 °C and 950 °C for the NBC-GDC cathodes. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and polarization experiments are performed to study the electrocatalytic activity in the oxygen reduction reaction. Compared to LSCF-GDC, a remarkable improvement of the polarization resistance is found on the best performing NBC-GDC cathode between 500 °C and 700 °C (0.022 Ω cm2 vs 0.1 Ω cm2 at 700 °C). A shift in the rate determining step characterizes the performance of the NBC-GDC cathode above 650 °C, wherein the interfacial oxide ion transfer resistance prevails, while below 650 °C the surface exchange resistance dominates. Different stability behaviors are observed in ageing experiments up to 200 h: the NBC-GDC electrodes show constant ohmic resistance and moderate improvement of the polarization resistance at 700 °C and 550 °C, while the LSCF-GDC electrodes experience degradation.
Effects of Mechanical Strain on Electronic Properties of Phosphorene Structure in the Presence of Spin-Orbit Coupling
Authors: Rezania H. , Abdi M. , Astinchap B.
Published: April 2022

In this paper, we present a Kane-Mele model in the presence of magnetic field and next nearest neighbors hopping amplitudes for investigations of the electronic and transport properties of monolayer phosphorene. We have also considered the effects of uniaxial and biaxial in-plane strain on the electronic behavior of phosphorene layer. Moreover the impact of out-of-plane strain on density of states of phosphorene layer has been studied. Specially, the temperature dependence of static thermal conductivity of phosphorene layer has been studied due to magnetic field, spin-orbit coupling and strain effects. The Kane Mele model Hamiltonian has been applied for describing the electron dynamics. We have exploited the linear response theory and Green’s function approach to obtain the temperature behavior of thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient and figure of merit. Our numerical results indicate, thermal conductivity increases upon increasing the temperature in the low amounts region. This fact comes from the increasing of thermal energy of charge carriers and excitation of them to the conduction bands. The temperature dependence of seebeck coefficient show the thermopower gets negative sign at high temperatures in the presence of spin-orbit coupling and strain effects. The effects of both spin orbit coupling, magnetic field factors on temperature behavior of electrical conductivity of phosphorene monolayer have been investigated in details. Moreover the effects of both in-plane uniaxial and biaxial strains on transport properties of single layer phosphorene have been addressed.
Experimental Investigation on Long-Term Strength and Acoustic Emission Characteristics of Coal Pillar under Inclined Compression Loading
Authors: Li Chong , He Sifeng , Xu Zhijun
Published: April 2022

Pillar rheological failure is one of the important reasons to induce earthquake, surface collapse, and water inrush disaster in underground mining engineering. Pillar is generally present under an inclined state and is significantly influenced by combining compression and shear loading. However, many scholars regard the long-term strength of coal or rock mass under pure uniaxial compression loading as the main evolution index of pillar strength, which is not consistent with engineering practice. In this paper, a new inclined uniaxial compression strength (IUCS) test system was developed and then used to carry out the IUCS test and creep test of coal specimens combined with an acoustic emission (AE) technology at various inclination angles (0°, 5°, 10°, 15°, and 20°). The variation of time-dependent deformation, peak strength, long-term strength (LTS), creep fracture model, and AE behavior of the coal with the inclination angels were discussed in detail. The results indicated that the peak strength and LTS of the coal nonlinearly decreased with the inclination angle increasing. The proportion of the peak strength to the LTS had remained constant between 58.5% and 62.9%, which can be considered as the inherent properties of coal rock. The creep failure model of the coal was transformed from tension-splitting failure at the inclination angle of 0° and 5° to tension-shear failure at the inclination angle of 10°-20°, which revealed that the inclination angles were favorable to the initiation and propagation of shear cracks. No matter any inclination angles, AE events can be divided into quiet period, low amplitude rising period, and high amplitude rising period with the periodic mutation of multistage loading points. Moreover, the cumulative AE energy gradually decreases with the increase of the inclination angles, which indicated that the shear stress caused by the specimen inclination can make crack initiation and propagation with less energy absorption. The research results will assist in the long-term strength design and time-dependent stability assessment of the coal pillar.
[Retracted] Feature Importance Score‐Based Functional Link Artificial Neural Networks for Breast Cancer Classification
Authors: Singh Shatakshi , Jangir Sunil Kumar , Kumar Manish , Verma Madhushi , Kumar Sunil , Walia Tarandeep Singh , Kamal S. M. Mostafa
Published: April 2022

Growth of malignant tumors in the breast results in breast cancer. It is a cause of death of many women across the world. As a part of treatment, a woman might have to go through painful surgery and chemotherapy that may further lead to severe side effects. However, it is possible to cure it if it is diagnosed in the initial stage. Recently, many researchers have leveraged machine learning (ML) techniques to classify breast cancer. However, these methods are computationally expensive and prone to the overfitting problem. A simple single‐layer neural network, i.e., functional link artificial neural network (FLANN), is proposed to overcome this problem. Further, the F‐score is used to reduce the issue of overfitting by selecting features having a higher significance level. In this paper, FLANN is proposed to classify breast cancer using Wisconsin Breast Cancer Dataset (WBCD) (with 699 samples) and Wisconsin Diagnostic Breast Cancer (WDBC) (with 569 samples) datasets. Experimental results reveal that the proposed models can diagnose breast cancer with higher performance. The proposed model can be used in the early breast cancer diagnosis with 99.41% accuracy.
Clinical Characteristics of Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Single-Center 3-Year Experience from Somalia
Authors: Hassan-Kadle Mohamed A. , Osman Marian Muse , Keles Esra , Eker Hasan Huseyin , Baydili Kursad Nuri , Ahmed Hussein Mahdi , Osman Abdirahman Abdikadir
Published: April 2022

Background. To evaluate the relationship between prognosticators representing tumor aggressiveness and socio-demographic, laboratory, and imaging findings in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods. We retrospectively searched patients with HCC between January 2017 and December 2019 in our tertiary referral hospital. The tumor-related factors and liver damage indicators and their relationship to indicate the value of prognosis were analyzed. Results. A total of 268 HCC patients, with a male-to-female ratio of 2.8 : 1. The mean age was 52.6 years. The patient with portal vein thrombosis (PVT) was older, had higher liver laboratory parameters (AST, ALT, total bilirubin, and direct bilirubin), and had larger tumor size. Patients with the larger tumor size had a higher AFP level, had more tumor multifocality. The majority of patients were in Child’s A (73.6%) and B (17.2%) classes. The laboratory parameters of HCC patients were increased in Child’s C compared to other groups of Child-Pugh classification. Conclusions. The presence of PVT and large-sized tumor in patients with HCC indicated a poorer prognosis than non-PVT group and small tumor sizes.
Study about Football Action Recognition Method Based on Deep Learning and Improved Dynamic Time Warping Algorithm
Authors: Xing Jiarui , Li Huilin
Published: April 2022

Artificial intelligence recognition of human actions has been used in various fields. This article is based on deep learning and improved dynamic time regularization algorithms to study football action postures. This paper proposes a hierarchical recurrent network for understanding team sports activities in image and position sequences. In the hierarchical model, this article integrates the proposed multiple human-centered features on the time series based on LSTM output. In order to realize this scheme, the holding state is introduced as one of the external controllable states in LSTM, and the hierarchical LSTM is extended to include the integration mechanism. Test outcomes demonstrate those adequacies of the recommended framework, which includes progressive LSTM human-centred benefits. In this study, the improvement of the reference model in the two-stream LSTM-based method is shown. Specifically, by combining human-centered features and meta-information (e.g., location data) into the postfusion framework proposed in the article, the article also proves that the action categories have increased, and the observations enhanced the robustness of fluctuations in the number of football players. The experimental data shows that 67.89% of the postures of football players through this algorithm can be recognized by the improved dynamic time warping algorithm.
A Target Corner Detection Algorithm Based on the Fusion of FAST and Harris
Authors: Wang Yifan , Li Yang , Wang Jiaqi , Lv Haofeng , Yang Zeli
Published: April 2022

Corner detection is a common method to obtain image features, and the detection effect influences the performance of matching and tracking directly. A FAST-Harris fusion corner detection algorithm is proposed to improve the shortcomings of the Harris algorithm, such as the low detection accuracy and low positioning accuracy, and a corner detection fusion model is established. First, the detected target image is padded, and then the FAST algorithm is used with a 25% reduced contrast points to achieve fast capture roughly; in this way, a candidate corner set is obtained. Then, screening the candidate corner is set one by one by calculating the response function of the Harris with Scharr operator to achieve capture accurately. Finally, the real corners are obtained using SAD for nonmaximum suppression. The positioning error, error detection rate, robustness, and running time of corner detection are obtained by the PyCharm platform. Compared with Harris, the error detection rate and localization error of the algorithm are reduced by 16.89% and 42.04%, respectively. Compared with 8 popular corner detection algorithms, the error detection rate and localization error of the algorithm in this paper are the lowest, which are 24.60% and 1.42 pixels. The robust performance in lossy JPEG compression is the best, with 17.37% shorter running time than Harris algorithm. The method in this paper can be used in scenarios such as autonomous driving and image search services.
Testing Correspondence between Areas with Hydrated Minerals, as Observed by CRISM/MRO, and Spots of Enhanced Subsurface Water Content, as Found by DAN along the Traverse of Curiosity
Authors: Djachkova M. V. , Mitrofanov I. G. , Nikiforov S. Y. , Lisov D. I. , Litvak M. L. , Sanin A. B.
Published: April 2022

Possible correlation is studied between Water Equivalent Hydrogen (WEH) in the Martian subsurface, as measured by the DAN (Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons) instrument along the Curiosity traverse, and the presence of hydrated minerals on the surface, as seen from the orbit by CRISM (Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars) instrument onboard MRO (Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter). Cross-analysis of the subsurface WEH values from DAN passive measurements with the distribution of hydrated minerals over the surface of Gale crater according to Specialized Browse Product Mosaics is performed for the initial 20 km part of traverse. As a result, we found an increase up to 0.4 wt% of the mean WEH value for the surface areas with the spectral signatures of polyhydrated sulfates. The increase is shown to be higher with the more prominent spectral signature on the surface. Similar WEH increase for the two other types of hydrated minerals, such as monohydrated sulfates and phyllosilicates, was not found for the tested part of the traverse. Polyhydrated sulfates being a part of the sedimentary deposits composing the surface of Gale crater should have considerable thickness that is necessary for the subsurface neutron sensing by DAN measurements.
A Rare Case of Urogenital Myiasis in a 49-Year-Old Woman
Authors: Salehi Amir Mohammad , Jenabi Ensiyeh , Salehi Maral
Published: April 2022

Myiasis refers to the infestation of living vertebrae with fly larvae, principally occurring in individuals with a low socioeconomic status and poor personal hygiene. Myiasis is rarely manifested in the urogenital system. Herein, we report a case of urogenital myiasis in a 49-year-old rural woman complaining of maggots in the urine and severe genital itching.
The Impact of Location and Device Coupling on the Performance of the Osia System Actuator
Authors: Fierens Guy , Borgers Charlotte , Putzeys Tristan , Walraevens Joris , Van Wieringen Astrid , Verhaert Nicolas
Published: April 2022

Active transcutaneous bone conduction (BC) devices offer the benefit of improved power output compared to passive transcutaneous devices and remove the risk of skin infections that are more common in traditional percutaneous BC devices. Despite these advantages, more research is needed on implant location, device coupling, and their influence on device performance. This study is aimed at quantifying the extent to which certain parameters affect device output when using the Osia® system actuator. Parameters under study are (1) implant location, (2) comparison with the actuator of a state‐of‐the‐art BC device, (3) bone undergrowth simulation, and (4) skull fixation. Five human cadaveric heads were implanted with the actuator at three different implant locations: (1) recommended, (2) posterior Osia® positions, and (3) standard Baha® position. At each location, the cochlear promontory velocity and the intracochlear pressure difference were measured. A percutaneous bone conduction actuator was used as a reference for the obtained measurements. Stimulation levels corresponded to a hearing level of 60 dB HL for frequencies between 250 and 6000 Hz. In addition, bone cement was used as a simulation for reactive bone growth. Results obtained in four heads indicate an improved power transmission of the transcutaneous actuator when implanted at the recommended position compared to the actuator of the percutaneous device on its respective recommended location when stimulating at an identical force level. A correlation was found between the promontory vibration and the actuator position, indicating that the same level of stimulation leads to higher promontory vibrations when the device is implanted closer to the ear canal. This is mainly reflected at frequencies higher than 1 kHz, where an increase was observed in both measurement modalities. At lower frequencies (<1 kHz), the power transmission is less influenced by the implant position and differences between the acquired responses are limited. In addition, when no rigid coupling to the skull is provided, power transfer losses of up to 30 dB can be expected.
Low-cost nitrogen dioxide monitoring station based on metal oxide sensor and cellular network
Authors: Purbakawaca Rady , Yuwono Arief Sabdo , Alatas Husin , Subrata I Dewa Made
Published: April 2022

Air pollution has a negative impact on the environment and human health. Meanwhile, the number of conventional air quality monitoring stations is minimal due to high procurement and operational costs. This study proposes a nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollutant measurement system using the metal oxide sensor (MOX) sensor and cellular network for data transmission in the measurement area. A calibration curve is used to measure NO2 levels based on the sensor's internal resistance changes. Measurement data of NO2 concentration, air temperature, relative humidity, and geospatial information are compiled and sent via global positioning system (GSM), general packet radio service (GPRS) radio communication with transmission intervals of every minute. The database server processes the data and displays it on the web application. System testing results at the Tugu Kujang Bogor at 15:38:00-16:38:00 September 23, 2021, showed that the concentration of NO2 ranged from 0.16-0.52ppm with an average of 270 ppb with an AQI of 133 in the unhealthy category for the sensitive group. The measured NO2 levels are outside the range of the NO2 concentration database in the industrial areas of Bogor and Jakarta for the 2016-2020 period. Therefore, this system provides an excellent opportunity to obtain real-time measurement data in the field.