bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Real-Time Moving Ship Detection from Low-Resolution Large-Scale Remote Sensing Image Sequence
Authors: Yu Jiyang , Huang Dan , Shi Xiaolong , Li Wenjie , Wang Xianjie
Published: February 2023

Optical remote sensing ship target detection has become an essential means of ocean supervision, coastal defense, and frontier defense. Accurate, effective, fast, and real-time remote sensing data processing is the critical technology in this field. This paper proposes a real-time detection algorithm for moving targets in low-resolution wide-area remote sensing images, which includes four steps: pre-screening, simplified HOG feature identification, sequence correlation identification, and facilitated Yolo identification. It can effectively detect and track targets in low-resolution sequence data. Firstly, iterative morphological processing was used to improve the contrast of low-resolution ship target profile edge features compared with the sea surface background. Next, the target area after adaptive segmentation was used to eliminate false alarms. As a result, the invalid background information of extensive comprehensive data was quickly eliminated. Then, support vector machine classification of S-HOG feature was carried out for suspected targets, and interference such as islands and reefs, broken clouds, and waves were eliminated according to the shape characteristics of ship targets. The method of multi-frame data association and searching for adjacent target information between frames was adopted to eliminate the interference of static targets and broken clouds with similar contours. Finally, the sequential marks were further trained and learned, and further false alarm elimination was completed based on the clipped Yolo network. Compared with the traditional Yolo Tiny V2/V3 series network, this method had higher computational speed and better detection performance. The F1 number of detection results was increased by 3%, and the calculation time was reduced by 66%.
Entropic and Complexity Measures in Atomic and Molecular Systems
Authors: Angulo Juan Carlos , López-Rosa Sheila
Published: February 2023

Both entropy and complexity are central concepts for the understanding and development of Information Theory, playing an essential role in the increasingly numerous applications in a huge diversity of fields [...]
A Sustainable Method for Evaluating the Activity of Logistics Service Providers (LSPs) in a Turbulent Environment—Case Study Analysis (2020–2021)
Authors: Zysińska Małgorzata , Żak Jolanta
Published: February 2023

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing war and the implementation of the so-called Mobility Package there are profound changes taking place in the Polish LSP sector. The competitive struggle on the market is intensifying, and it mobilizes the management to diagnose the condition of companies with the use of effective comparative tools. This article aims to present the conclusions of the study of 46 entities on the Polish LSP market. It uses an original, multi-faceted evaluation method. The authors hope to popularize this method for evaluating LSPs by making it cyclical. The comparative evaluation of LSPs was carried out with the use of economic (index) and statistical analysis tools. A model of rank correlation was used for the values of all variables (ten economic parameters and one greening parameter). LSPs were grouped up based on the average value of the economic variables and according to investment attractiveness and then clustered. Sets of the most correlated characteristics in the assessment of the LSPs were developed based on the k-means method and the Spearman coefficient. A collective ranking of LSPs has been prepared.
Environmental Impact Assessment of PEM Fuel Cell Combined Heat and Power Generation System for Residential Application Considering Cathode Catalyst Layer Degradation
Authors: Tochigi Shota , Dowaki Kiyoshi
Published: February 2023

Recently, fuel cell combined heat and power systems (FC-CGSs) for residential applications have received increasing attention. The International Electrotechnical Commission has issued a technical specification (TS 62282-9-101) for environmental impact assessment procedures of FC-CGSs based on the life cycle assessment, which considers global warming during the utilization stage and abiotic depletion during the manufacturing stage. In proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), platinum (Pt) used in the catalyst layer is a major contributor to abiotic depletion, and Pt loading affects power generation performance. In the present study, based on TS 62282-9-101, we evaluated the environmental impact of a 700 W scale PEMFC-CGS considering cathode catalyst degradation. Through Pt dissolution and Ostwald ripening modeling, the electrochemical surface area transition of the Pt catalyst was calculated. As a result of the 10-year evaluation, the daily power generation of the PEMFC-CGS decreased by 11% to 26%, and the annual global warming value increased by 5% due to the increased use of grid electricity. In addition, when Pt loading was varied between 0.2 mg/cm2 and 0.4 mg/cm2, the 10-year global warming values were reduced by 6.5% to 7.8% compared to the case without a FC-CGS.
Ultra Short-Term Power Load Forecasting Based on Similar Day Clustering and Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition
Authors: Zeng Wenhui , Li Jiarui , Sun Changchun , Cao Lin , Tang Xiaoping , Shu Shaolong , Zheng Junsheng
Published: February 2023

With the increasing demand of the power industry for load forecasting, improving the accuracy of power load forecasting has become increasingly important. In this paper, we propose an ultra short-term power load forecasting method based on similar day clustering and EEMD (Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition). In detail, the K-means clustering algorithm was utilized to divide the historical data into different clusters. Through EEMD, the load data of each cluster were decomposed into several sub-sequences with different time scales. The LSTNet (Long- and Short-term Time-series Network) was adopted as the load forecasting model for these sub-sequences. The forecast results for different sub-sequences were combined as the expected result. The proposed method predicts the load in the next 4 h with an interval of 15 min. The experimental results show that the proposed method obtains higher prediction accuracy than other comparable forecasting models.
Opaque Coloured Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV): A Review of Models and Simulation Frameworks for Performance Optimisation
Authors: Pelle Martina , Causone Francesco , Maturi Laura , Moser David
Published: February 2023

Coloured building integrated photovoltaics (BIPVs) may contribute to meeting the decarbonisation targets of European and other countries. Nevertheless, their market uptake has been hindered by a lack of social acceptance, technical issues, and low economic profitability. Being able to assess in advance the influence of the coloured layers on a module’s power generation may help reduce the need for prototyping, thereby allowing optimisation of the product performance by reducing the time and costs of customised manufacturing. Therefore, this review aims at investigating the available literature on models and techniques used for assessing the influence of coloured layers on power generation in customised BIPV products. Existing models in the literature use two main approaches: (i) detailed optical modelling of the layers in the module’s stack, including coloured layers, and (ii) mathematical elaboration of the final product’s measured characteristics. Combining the two approaches can provide improved future models, which can accurately assess every single layer in the module’s stack starting from measured parameters obtained with simpler equipment and procedures.
Energy Saving-Oriented Multi-Depot Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows in Disaster Relief
Authors: Xu Peng , Liu Qixing , Wu Yuhu
Published: February 2023

This paper studies the distribution of emergency relief for electric vehicles (EVs), which considers energy saving, multi-depot, and vehicle routing problems with time windows, and the named energy saving-oriented multi-depot vehicle routing problem with time windows (ESMDVRPTW). Our aim is to find routes for EVs such that all the shelter demands are fulfilled during their time windows and the total cost traveled by the fleet is minimized. To this end, we formulate the ESMDVRPTW as a mixed-integer linear programming model. Since the post-disaster transportation network contains a large number of vertices and arcs composed of vertices, we propose a two-stage approach to solve the ESMDVRPTW. The first stage is to obtain the minimal travel cost between any two vertices in real-time on a post-disaster transportation network using the proposed Floyd algorithm combined with the neighboring list (Floyd-NL algorithm). In the second stage, we develop the genetic algorithm (GA) incorporating large neighborhood search (GA-LNS), which determines the delivery scheme of shelters. Simulation results of the MDVRPTW benchmark illustrate that the performance of the GA-LNS is better than GA, simulated annealing (SA) and tabu search (TS). Finally, case studies are constructed on two real cases acquired from the OpenStreetMap (OSM) generated by the Quantum Geographic Information System (QGIS) in Ichihara city, Japan, and the test results of case studies show the effectiveness of the proposed two-stage approach.
The 4th Industrial Revolution Brings a Change in the Design Paradigm for New and Retrofitted Buildings
Authors: Bomberg Mark , Romanska-Zapala Anna , Santos Paulo
Published: February 2023

The Fourth Industrial Revolution forms a smart grid with diverse sources of energy through the interconnectivity of data. Buildings that were previously the biggest users of energy are now becoming energy producers. Yet, buildings are also continually changing. The ecological definition of buildings, in addition to the building itself, includes solar panels and geothermal energy storage. The need for decarbonization and energy-efficiency brought about the implementation of heat pumps in buildings. The most economic type of heat pump is a water-sourced heat pump with hot and cold tanks or a connection to the District Energy System. Monitoring using building automatics allows HVAC optimization in the occupancy stage. Until the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the EU and the US differed in their air handling methodology, but the pandemic showed the limitations of both approaches and led to the creation of a new, integrated approach. These new ventilation systems, based on filtration instead of dilution, come together with decarbonization and the demand for new and retrofitted buildings to be smart, have zero emissions and excellent indoor environments, and be affordable. To fulfill these conditions, design teams must extrapolate experience with passive houses and introduce expertise in building automatic controls (BAC). The authors analyze the heating cooling and ventilation aspects of dwellings in a technology called Ecological Thermo-Active (ETA) technology that can also be applied to the interior retrofitting of buildings, including those with historic facades. The building “with classic form and ultramodern function” is an example of this changing design paradigm.
Influence of Copper Foam on the Thermal Characteristics of Phase Change Materials
Authors: You Xiaokuan , Sun Xiangxin , Huang Jie , Wang Zilong , Zhang Hua
Published: February 2023

The phase change material is a hot research topic in solar thermal storage systems. However, the thermal conductivity of pure phase change materials is usually low, which hinders its application in facilities. In this study, copper foam is used to increase the thermal characteristics of the paraffin. Simulations are conducted to compare the melting characteristics of the pure paraffin and the paraffin/copper foam composite phase change material. A visualized experimental device was designed and built, and the copper foam composite phase change material, with a volume fraction of 15%, was prepared by filling part of the copper foam in the phase change material. The simulation results agree well with the experimental results. The root mean square errors of the temperature for the pure paraffin and the composite phase change material are 0.0223 and 0.0179, respectively. The experimental results show that the copper foam can enhance thermal conductivity and decrease melting time. It takes 870 s for the composite phase change material to melt, which is 3.44% less than that of the pure paraffin. This study deepens the understanding of the composite phase change material and provides a reference for the design of thermal energy storage devices.
Fibrosis: Types, Effects, Markers, Mechanisms for Disease Progression, and Its Relation with Oxidative Stress, Immunity, and Inflammation
Authors: Antar Samar A. , Ashour Nada A. , Marawan Mohamed E. , Al-Karmalawy Ahmed A.
Published: February 2023

Most chronic inflammatory illnesses include fibrosis as a pathogenic characteristic. Extracellular matrix (ECM) components build up in excess to cause fibrosis or scarring. The fibrotic process finally results in organ malfunction and death if it is severely progressive. Fibrosis affects nearly all tissues of the body. The fibrosis process is associated with chronic inflammation, metabolic homeostasis, and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) signaling, where the balance between the oxidant and antioxidant systems appears to be a key modulator in managing these processes. Virtually every organ system, including the lungs, heart, kidney, and liver, can be affected by fibrosis, which is characterized as an excessive accumulation of connective tissue components. Organ malfunction is frequently caused by fibrotic tissue remodeling, which is also frequently linked to high morbidity and mortality. Up to 45% of all fatalities in the industrialized world are caused by fibrosis, which can damage any organ. Long believed to be persistently progressing and irreversible, fibrosis has now been revealed to be a very dynamic process by preclinical models and clinical studies in a variety of organ systems. The pathways from tissue damage to inflammation, fibrosis, and/or malfunction are the main topics of this review. Furthermore, the fibrosis of different organs with their effects was discussed. Finally, we highlight many of the principal mechanisms of fibrosis. These pathways could be considered as promising targets for the development of potential therapies for a variety of important human diseases.
A Small Non-Coding RNA Mediates Transcript Stability and Expression of Cytochrome bd Ubiquinol Oxidase Subunit I in Rickettsia conorii
Authors: Narra Hema P. , Alsing Jessica , Sahni Abha , Montini Michelle , Zafar Yasim , Sahni Sanjeev K.
Published: February 2023

Small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) are now widely recognized for their role in the post-transcriptional regulation of bacterial virulence and growth. We have previously demonstrated the biogenesis and differential expression of several sRNAs in Rickettsia conorii during interactions with the human host and arthropod vector, as well as the in vitro binding of Rickettsia conorii sRNA Rc_sR42 to bicistronic cytochrome bd ubiquinol oxidase subunits I and II (cydAB) mRNA. However, the mechanism of regulation and the effect of sRNA binding on the stability of the cydAB bicistronic transcript and the expression of the cydA and cydB genes are still unknown. In this study, we determined the expression dynamics of Rc_sR42 and its cognate target genes, cydA and cydB, in mouse lung and brain tissues during R. conorii infection in vivo and employed fluorescent and reporter assays to decode the role of sRNA in regulating cognate gene transcripts. Quantitative RT-PCR revealed significant changes in the expression of sRNA and its cognate target gene transcripts during R. conorii infection in vivo, and a greater abundance of these transcripts was observed in the lungs compared to brain tissue. Interestingly, while Rc_sR42 and cydA exhibited similar patterns of change in their expression, indicating the influence of sRNA on the mRNA target, the expression of cydB was independent of sRNA expression. Further, we constructed reporter plasmids of sRNA and cydAB bicistronic mRNA to decipher the role of sRNA on CydA and CydB expression. We observed increased expression of CydA in the presence of sRNA but detected no change in CydB expression in the presence or absence of sRNA. In sum, our results demonstrate that the binding of Rc_sR42 is required for the regulation of cydA but not cydB. Further studies on understanding the influence of this interaction on the mammalian host and tick vector during R. conorii infection are in progress.
Role of Nasal Fibroblasts in Airway Remodeling of Chronic Rhinosinusitis: The Modulating Functions Reexamined
Authors: Shin Jae Min , Yang Hyun Woo , Park Jae Hyung , Kim Tae Hoon
Published: February 2023

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a multifactorial inflammatory disease of the nose and sinuses that affects more than 10% of the adult population worldwide. Currently, CRS is classified into endotypes according to the inflammatory response (Th1, Th2, and Th17) or the distribution of immune cells in the mucosa (eosinophilic and non-eosinophilic). CRS induces mucosal tissue remodeling. Extracellular matrix (ECM) accumulation, fibrin deposition, edema, immune cell infiltration, and angiogenesis are observed in the stromal region. Conversely, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), goblet cell hyperplasia, and increased epithelial permeability, hyperplasia, and metaplasia are found in the epithelium. Fibroblasts synthesize collagen and ECM, which create a structural skeleton of tissue and play an important role in the wound-healing process. This review discusses recent knowledge regarding the modulation of tissue remodeling by nasal fibroblasts in CRS.
Polysaccharides’ Structures and Functions in Biofilm Architecture of Antimicrobial-Resistant (AMR) Pathogens
Authors: Balducci Evita , Papi Francesco , Capialbi Daniela Eloisa , Del Bino Linda
Published: February 2023

Bacteria and fungi have developed resistance to the existing therapies such as antibiotics and antifungal drugs, and multiple mechanisms are mediating this resistance. Among these, the formation of an extracellular matrix embedding different bacterial cells, called biofilm, is an effective strategy through which bacterial and fungal cells are establishing a relationship in a unique environment. The biofilm provides them the possibility to transfer genes conferring resistance, to prevent them from desiccation and to impede the penetration of antibiotics or antifungal drugs. Biofilms are formed of several constituents including extracellular DNA, proteins and polysaccharides. Depending on the bacteria, different polysaccharides form the biofilm matrix in different microorganisms, some of them involved in the first stage of cells’ attachment to surfaces and to each other, and some responsible for giving the biofilm structure resistance and stability. In this review, we describe the structure and the role of different polysaccharides in bacterial and fungal biofilms, we revise the analytical methods to characterize them quantitatively and qualitatively and finally we provide an overview of potential new antimicrobial therapies able to inhibit biofilm formation by targeting exopolysaccharides.
Untargeted Metabolomics Identifies Potential Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Biomarkers in Carriers of MYBPC3 Founder Variants
Authors: Jansen Mark , Schuldt Maike , van Driel Beau O. , Schmidt Amand F. , Christiaans Imke , van der Crabben Saskia N. , Hoedemaekers Yvonne M. , Dooijes Dennis , Jongbloed Jan D. H. , Boven Ludolf G. , Deprez Ronald H. Lekanne , Wilde Arthur A. M. , Jans Judith J. M. , van der Velden Jolanda , de Boer Rudolf A. , van Tintelen J. Peter , Asselbergs Folkert W. , Baas Annette F.
Published: February 2023

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most prevalent monogenic heart disease, commonly caused by pathogenic MYBPC3 variants, and a significant cause of sudden cardiac death. Severity is highly variable, with incomplete penetrance among genotype-positive family members. Previous studies demonstrated metabolic changes in HCM. We aimed to identify metabolite profiles associated with disease severity in carriers of MYBPC3 founder variants using direct-infusion high-resolution mass spectrometry in plasma of 30 carriers with a severe phenotype (maximum wall thickness ≥20 mm, septal reduction therapy, congestive heart failure, left ventricular ejection fraction <50%, or malignant ventricular arrhythmia) and 30 age- and sex-matched carriers with no or a mild phenotype. Of the top 25 mass spectrometry peaks selected by sparse partial least squares discriminant analysis, XGBoost gradient boosted trees, and Lasso logistic regression (42 total), 36 associated with severe HCM at a p < 0.05, 20 at p < 0.01, and 3 at p < 0.001. These peaks could be clustered to several metabolic pathways, including acylcarnitine, histidine, lysine, purine and steroid hormone metabolism, and proteolysis. In conclusion, this exploratory case-control study identified metabolites associated with severe phenotypes in MYBPC3 founder variant carriers. Future studies should assess whether these biomarkers contribute to HCM pathogenesis and evaluate their contribution to risk stratification.
Monocyte MRI Relaxation Rates Are Regulated by Extracellular Iron and Hepcidin
Authors: Dassanayake Praveen S. B. , Prajapati Rahil , Gelman Neil , Thompson R. Terry , Prato Frank S. , Goldhawk Donna E.
Published: February 2023

Many chronic inflammatory conditions are mediated by an increase in the number of monocytes in peripheral circulation, differentiation of monocytes to macrophages, and different macrophage subpopulations during pro- and anti-inflammatory stages of tissue injury. When hepcidin secretion is stimulated during inflammation, the iron export protein ferroportin is targeted for degradation on a limited number of cell types, including monocytes and macrophages. Such changes in monocyte iron metabolism raise the possibility of non-invasively tracking the activity of these immune cells using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We hypothesized that hepcidin-mediated changes in monocyte iron regulation influence both cellular iron content and MRI relaxation rates. In response to varying conditions of extracellular iron supplementation, ferroportin protein levels in human THP-1 monocytes decreased two- to eightfold, consistent with paracrine/autocrine regulation of iron export. Following hepcidin treatment, ferroportin protein levels further decreased two- to fourfold. This was accompanied by an approximately twofold increase in total transverse relaxation rate, R2*, compared to non-supplemented cells. A positive correlation between total cellular iron content and R2* improved from moderate to strong in the presence of hepcidin. These findings suggest that hepcidin-mediated changes detected in monocytes using MRI could be valuable for in vivo cell tracking of inflammatory responses.
Insights into the Transport Cycle of LAT1 and Interaction with the Inhibitor JPH203
Authors: Brunocilla Chiara , Console Lara , Rovella Filomena , Indiveri Cesare
Published: February 2023

The large Amino Acid Transporter 1 (LAT1) is an interesting target in drug discovery since this transporter is overexpressed in several human cancers. Furthermore, due to its location in the blood-brain barrier (BBB), LAT1 is interesting for delivering pro-drugs to the brain. In this work, we focused on defining the transport cycle of LAT1 using an in silico approach. So far, studies of the interaction of LAT1 with substrates and inhibitors have not considered that the transporter must undergo at least four different conformations to complete the transport cycle. We built outward-open and inward-occluded conformations of LAT1 using an optimized homology modelling procedure. We used these 3D models and the cryo-EM structures in outward-occluded and inward-open conformations to define the substrate/protein interaction during the transport cycle. We found that the binding scores for the substrate depend on the conformation, with the occluded states as the crucial steps affecting the substrate affinity. Finally, we analyzed the interaction of JPH203, a high-affinity inhibitor of LAT1. The results indicate that conformational states must be considered for in silico analyses and early-stage drug discovery. The two built models, together with the available cryo-EM 3D structures, provide important information on the LAT1 transport cycle, which could be used to speed up the identification of potential inhibitors through in silico screening.
Cell Wall Integrity Signaling in Fruit Ripening
Authors: Jia Kenan , Wang Wei , Zhang Qing , Jia Wensuo
Published: February 2023

Plant cell walls are essential structures for plant growth and development as well as plant adaptation to environmental stresses. Thus, plants have evolved signaling mechanisms to monitor the changes in the cell wall structure, triggering compensatory changes to sustain cell wall integrity (CWI). CWI signaling can be initiated in response to environmental and developmental signals. However, while environmental stress-associated CWI signaling has been extensively studied and reviewed, less attention has been paid to CWI signaling in relation to plant growth and development under normal conditions. Fleshy fruit development and ripening is a unique process in which dramatic alternations occur in cell wall architecture. Emerging evidence suggests that CWI signaling plays a pivotal role in fruit ripening. In this review, we summarize and discuss the CWI signaling in relation to fruit ripening, which will include cell wall fragment signaling, calcium signaling, and NO signaling, as well as Receptor-Like Protein Kinase (RLKs) signaling with an emphasis on the signaling of FERONIA and THESEUS, two members of RLKs that may act as potential CWI sensors in the modulation of hormonal signal origination and transduction in fruit development and ripening.
The Impact of Forestry Carbon Sink on Land Use Space Based on FLUS Model
Authors: Feng Shuo , Chen Ke
Published: February 2023

Environmental issues are an important issue facing the world in the 21st century. While China’s economy is developing rapidly, the problem of environmental pollution is becoming more and more serious, especially the problem of carbon emissions. Faced with the severe natural ecological environment, China has proposed a dual-carbon goal, that is, China will achieve carbon peaks by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. In order to improve the ecological environment and complete the dual carbon goals on time, in addition to adjusting the industrial structure and improving the technical level to reduce carbon emissions, forestry carbon sink transactions should also be actively used. Forestry carbon sequestration is one of the few carbon sequestration measures that can be implemented at this stage, but the sustainable development of forestry carbon sequestration requires support from land resources, and reasonable land use planning is the premise to ensure forestry carbon sequestration. This research will use the FLUS model based on the artificial neural network algorithm (ANN) and cellular automata algorithm (CA) to analyze the future spatial changes of land use under forestry carbon sink trading and formulate reasonable land planning for sustainable forestry carbon sink trading. FLUS model is a land use simulation algorithm, which is specially used to study the development prediction of land use under different scenarios. The study found that if the forestry carbon sink transaction was implemented, the forest land area in Shenyang could be increased by 303 km2 and 454,500 tons of CO2 could be absorbed annually. The forest land would take the lead in choosing the northern and eastern hilly areas for expansion.
A Federated Learning and Deep Reinforcement Learning-Based Method with Two Types of Agents for Computation Offload
Authors: Liu Song , Yang Shiyuan , Zhang Hanze , Wu Weiguo
Published: February 2023

With the rise of latency-sensitive and computationally intensive applications in mobile edge computing (MEC) environments, the computation offloading strategy has been widely studied to meet the low-latency demands of these applications. However, the uncertainty of various tasks and the time-varying conditions of wireless networks make it difficult for mobile devices to make efficient decisions. The existing methods also face the problems of long-delay decisions and user data privacy disclosures. In this paper, we present the FDRT, a federated learning and deep reinforcement learning-based method with two types of agents for computation offload, to minimize the system latency. FDRT uses a multi-agent collaborative computation offloading strategy, namely, DRT. DRT divides the offloading decision into whether to compute tasks locally and whether to offload tasks to MEC servers. The designed DDQN agent considers the task information, its own resources, and the network status conditions of mobile devices, and the designed D3QN agent considers these conditions of all MEC servers in the collaborative cloud-side end MEC system; both jointly learn the optimal decision. FDRT also applies federated learning to reduce communication overhead and optimize the model training of DRT by designing a new parameter aggregation method, while protecting user data privacy. The simulation results showed that DRT effectively reduced the average task execution delay by up to 50% compared with several baselines and state-of-the-art offloading strategies. FRDT also accelerates the convergence rate of multi-agent training and reduces the training time of DRT by 61.7%.
Cherenkov Radiation in Optical Fibres as a Versatile Machine Protection System in Particle Accelerators
Authors: Wolfenden Joseph , Alexandrova Alexandra S. , Jackson Frank , Mathisen Storm , Morris Geoffrey , Pacey Thomas H. , Kumar Narender , Yadav Monika , Jones Angus , Welsch Carsten P.
Published: February 2023

Machine protection systems in high power particle accelerators are crucial. They can detect, prevent, and respond to events which would otherwise cause damage and significant downtime to accelerator infrastructure. Current systems are often resource heavy and operationally expensive, reacting after an event has begun to cause damage; this leads to facilities only covering certain operational modes and setting lower limits on machine performance. Presented here is a new type of machine protection system based upon optical fibres, which would be complementary to existing systems, elevating existing performance. These fibres are laid along an accelerator beam line in lengths of ∼100 m, providing continuous coverage over this distance. When relativistic particles pass through these fibres, they generate Cherenkov radiation in the optical spectrum. This radiation propagates in both directions along the fibre and can be detected at both ends. A calibration based technique allows the location of the Cherenkov radiation source to be pinpointed to within 0.5 m with a resolution of 1 m. This measurement mechanism, from a single device, has multiple applications within an accelerator facility. These include beam loss location monitoring, RF breakdown prediction, and quench prevention. Detailed here are the application processes and results from measurements, which provide proof of concept for this device for both beam loss monitoring and RF breakdown detection. Furthermore, highlighted are the current challenges for future innovation.
Surrogate Modelling for Oxygen Uptake Prediction Using LSTM Neural Network
Authors: Davidson Pavel , Trinh Huy , Vekki Sakari , Müller Philipp
Published: February 2023

Oxygen uptake (V˙O2) is an important metric in any exercise test including walking and running. It can be measured using portable spirometers or metabolic analyzers. Those devices are, however, not suitable for constant use by consumers due to their costs, difficulty of operation and their intervening in the physical integrity of their users. Therefore, it is important to develop approaches for the indirect estimation of V˙O2-based measurements of motion parameters, heart rate data and application-specific measurements from consumer-grade sensors. Typically, these approaches are based on linear regression models or neural networks. This study investigates how motion data contribute to V˙O2 estimation accuracy during unconstrained running and walking. The results suggest that a long short term memory (LSTM) neural network can predict oxygen consumption with an accuracy of 2.49 mL/min/kg (95% limits of agreement) based only on speed, speed change, cadence and vertical oscillation measurements from an inertial navigation system combined with a Global Positioning System (INS/GPS) device developed by our group, worn on the torso. Combining motion data and heart rate data can significantly improve the V˙O2 estimation resulting in approximately 1.7–1.9 times smaller prediction errors than using only motion or heart rate data.
VH-Based Mini Q-Body: A Novel Quench-Based Immunosensor
Authors: Dong Jinhua , Banwait Bhagat , Ueda Hiroshi , Kristensen Peter
Published: February 2023

Quenchbodies (Q-bodies), a type of biosensor, are antibodies labeled with a fluorescent dye near the antigen recognition site. In the absence of an antigen, the dye is quenched by tryptophans in the antibody sequence; however, in its presence, the dye is displaced and therefore de-quenched. Although scFv and Fab are mainly used to create Q-bodies, this is the first report where a single-domain heavy chain VH from a semi-synthetic human antibody library formed the basis. To create a proof of concept “mini Q-body”, a human anti-lysozyme single-domain VH antibody C3 was used. Mini Q-bodies were successfully developed using seven dyes. Different responses were observed depending on the dye and linker length; it was concluded that the optimal linker length for the TAMRA dye was C5, and rhodamine 6G was identified as the dye with the largest de-quenching response. Three single-domain antibodies with sequences similar to that of the C3 antibody were chosen, and the results confirmed the applicability of this method in developing mini Q-bodies. In summary, mini Q-bodies are an easy-to-use and time-saving method for detecting proteins.
Evaluation of the Ecological Status of Wetlands of International Importance in China
Authors: Zhu Xinsheng , Yang Yongfeng , Yuan Jun , Niu Ziru
Published: February 2023

An international assessment of wetlands is important for quantifying the current state of development of international wetland structure and function. At present, the management department and public lack a comprehensive understanding of the ecological status of internationally important wetlands in China. Here, using annual ecological monitoring data and hierarchical analysis, an evaluation index system was constructed with water environment, biological environment, biodiversity, and disturbance pressure as influencing factors, and an evaluation of the ecological status of 63 wetlands of international importance (WOII) in China was carried out, it is helpful to formulate technical plans for the ecological management of wetlands of international importance (WOII). The results showed that the average ecological status score of these wetlands was 0.714 ± 0.075, and there were differences in this score between different regions. The ecological status of wetlands in northeastern and northern coastal areas were mostly evaluated as ‘excellent’ and ‘good’, while some wetlands in other areas of China were evaluated as ‘poor’. The type and protection level of wetlands have an important impact on their ecological status. The ecological status of wetlands according to type were ranked swamp wetlands > coastal wetlands > river wetlands > lake wetlands, while those with national level protection were ranked higher than those with provincial level protection. The ecological status of WOII in China is generally good, but is adversely affected by human activities, alien species invasion, and other factors. Hence, there needs to be a focus on improving the protection and management mechanisms for WOII, promoting improvements in the ecological status of these wetlands, and transforming ecological product value.
КЛІНІКО-ЛАБОРАТОРНА ОЦІНКА ВІДДАЛЕНИХ РЕЗУЛЬТАТІВ ЛІКУВАННЯ ГЕНЕРАЛІЗОВАНОГО ПАРОДОНТИТУ НА ФОНІ ХРОНІЧНОГО ТОНЗИЛІТУ
Authors: Басіста А.С. , Батіг В.М.
Published: February 2023

Мета дослідження. Оцінити ефективність комплексного лікування ГП початкового – І ступеня в осіб із супутнім хронічним тонзилітом у віддалені терміни спостереження (6–12 міс) за показниками індексів OHI-S, PMA, PSR і стану колонізаційної резистентності порожнини рота. Методи дослідження. В основу цієї роботи покладено аналіз власних даних, отриманих в результаті обстеження і лікування 53 хворих віком 18–44 роки з діагнозом генералізований пародонтит початкового і І ступеня тяжкості на фоні хронічного тонзиліту. Сформували 2 групи: основна (ОГ) – 27 осіб, контрольна – 26 осіб. Результати дослідження. Аналіз індивідуальних клінічних проявів, стадії та тяжкості патології, також урахування особливостей мікробіологічних показників дозволили розробити, впровадити і оцінити ефективність комплексної схеми лікування захворювань тканин пародонта у пацієнтів з хронічним тонзилітом. В результаті проведеного лікування у пацієнтів основної групи через 12 місяців значення проаналізованих індексів характеризувалось подальшим достовірним зменшенням, стосовно даних до лікування: OHI – S та PSR – у 1,6 рази, РМА – у 1,7 рази, р<0,01. Висновки. Клінічна апробація лікувального комплексу для пацієнтів з хронічним генералізованим пародонтитом на фоні хронічного тонзиліту, дозволила зменшити кількість осіб з проявами клінічних симптомів генералізованого пародонтиту, сприяла покращенню стану тканин пародонта за значеннями пародонтальних та гігієнічних індексів, покращенням показників колонізаційної резистентності СОПР стосовно даних до лікування у віддалені терміни спостереження.
ПОШИРЕНІСТЬ ЦЕРВІКАЛЬНОЇ ПАТОЛОГІЇ ТВЕРДИХ ТКАНИН ЗУБІВ СЕРЕД МОЛОДИХ ЛЮДЕЙ ДОНЕЦЬКОЇ ОБЛАСТІ І ЇЇ ЗВ’ЯЗОК ІЗ ПРОЯВАМИ ПСИХОЕМОЦІЙНОГО НАПРУЖЕННЯ
Authors: Заболотна І.І. , Богданова Т.Л. , Дубина С.О.
Published: February 2023

Мета дослідження. Аналіз частоти і розподілу цервікальних уражень зубів у молодих людей Донецької області, оцінка їх зв’язку із проявами психоемоційного напруження. Методи дослідження. Були обстежені 272 пацієнти (середній вік 24,3±6,9 роки) на наявність пришийкової патології зубів і парафункціональних рухів жувальних м’язів, клінічних симптомів бруксизму і м’язово-суглобової дисфункції СНЩС, опитані на предмет скарг на частий головний біль і перевтому. Рівень особистісної тривожності визначали за шкалою самооцінки тривоги Ч.Д. Спілбергера у адаптації Ю.Л. Ханіна. Наукова новизна. Цервікальні ураження зубів діагностувались у 43,4% обстежених, значна частина з яких була клиноподібними дефектами (у 60 пацієнтів), що у 8,3% випадків сполучались з ерозіями емалі. Більш поширеною пришийкова патологія була на нижній щелепі: карієс – на других премолярах ліворуч, ерозія емалі і клиноподібний дефект – на перших молярах і перших премолярах, відповідно, однаково часто з обох сторін. З віком глибина клиноподібних дефектів достовірно збільшувалась (p<0,01). Був визначений слабкий прямий зв’язок між виникненням пришийкового карієсу і статтю (р=0,044). Спостерігалась слабка пряма кореляція між наявністю скарг на перевтому і частий головний біль і рівнем особистісної тривожності (р<0,005). У пацієнтів з пришийковим карієсом був виявлений відносно сильний прямий зв’язок між скаргами на головний біль і рівнем особистісної тривожності (р=0,005). Серед осіб з клиноподібним дефектом достовірно більш поширеним було прикушування і облизування губ, з пришийковим карієсом – м’язово-суглобова дисфункція СНЩС і бруксизм (р<0,05). Визначався прямий зв’язок між патологією СНЩС і жувальних м’язів і рівнем особистісної тривожності, скаргами на перевтому, звичкою щільно стуляти зуби (р<0,05). Існувала слабка пряма кореляція між наявністю ерозії емалі і парафункцією щільно стуляти зуби (р=0,031). Спостерігався прямий зв’язок між клінічними симптомами бруксизму і патологією жувальних м’язів, звичками щільно стуляти зуби і прикушувати і облизувати губи (р<0,05). Висновки. Визначені зв’язки між цервікальними ураженнями зубів і проявами психоемоційного напруження рекомендуємо враховувати при розробці індивідуального підходу до лікувально-профілактичних заходів.
Effect of Applying Compost Tea Through Leaves and Soil on Soil P availability and P Uptake of Maize (Zea mays L.) at Alfisol Jatikerto Kab. Malang
Authors: Susilowati Nanik
Published: February 2023

This study aims to determine the effect of the compost application on P availability in Alfisols and to compare the compost application through leaves and soil to the P uptake of corn plants. The low availability of P in Alfisol is due to the bond with Ca to form tricalcium phosphate which is difficult to dissolve. One effort that can be done to overcome the lack of P in Alfisols is the addition of organic matter to the soil, both from plants and animals. The final process of decomposition of organic matter produces humic and fulvic acid compounds which can increase the availability of P. Compost tea is the result of a solution of washing nutrients and extracts of bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes from compost. Compost tea can be given in two ways, namely by spraying it through the leaves and giving it to the soil through the leaves and the soil against the P uptake of corn plants. Compost tea is made using the Bubbler method. Before being applied, the compost must be diluted with distilled water (1:1 ratio) to reduce the concentration. The experimental design used in this study was a completely randomized design with 7 treatments and 3 replications with the following types of treatment: CT0 (control); CT1 (soil + compost tea 130 ml/plant equivalent to 50 l/100 m2); CT2 (soil + compost tea 250 ml/plant equivalent to 100 l/100m2 ); CT3 (soil + compost tea 400 ml/plant equivalent to 150 l/100 m2); CT4 (soil + compost tea 60 ml/plant equivalent to 25 l/100 m2); CT5 (soil + compost tea 130 ml/plant equivalent to 50 l/100 m2); CT6 (soil + compost tea 200 ml/plant equivalent to 75 l/100 m2); The results showed that the application of compost tea through the leaves and soil had a significant effect on the difference in available-P levels. Application of the compost through the leaves increased plant height, number of leaves, plant dry weight and P uptake. There was a positive correlation (r=0.386) which showed that increasing available P levels in the soil would increase plant P uptake.
Determination of the Technological Advantage of the footwear industry of the Plaza Azul, San Mateo Atenco, State of Mexico
Authors: Calderón-Ríos Norma Otilia , Zenteno-Bonola Ana Luisa , Ordoñez-Hernández Lucía , Arellano-Cordova José Antonio
Published: February 2023

The manufacture of footwear in the State of Mexico is an activity of the utmost importance since it represents an important source of income for the community of San Mateo Atenco; in the last ten years, just over 40% of family workshops have closed. Plaza Azul has also been affected by a considerable decrease in sales volume, a situation that today is considered critical. The purpose of this research is to determine the technological capacity, understood as the ability to design, buy, manufacture, and sell products. Technological competence is defined as the results of the evaluation of the 7 variables mentioned below: Differentiated and exclusive products, value-added process, mastery of technology, innovation capacity, strategic assets that are difficult to imitate, productive flexibility, and quality system. The results of the research show that productive flexibility is the main strength and differentiated and exclusive products are the greatest area of opportunity.
Introducción a la economía argentina
Authors: De Santis Gerardo Fabián
Published: February 2023

El presente texto tiene como objetivo brindar al estudiante que se inicia en las cuestiones económicas una serie de conocimientos básicos sobre la ciencia económica y el sistema económico de un país, considerando algunos de sus problemas principales. En este sentido, se intenta exponer los distintos temas desde lo más elemental y acompañar dichas explicaciones con ejemplos (en particular de nuestro país) que tratan de aclarar cada cuestión. Así, en la Primera Parte se plantea el problema económico que enfrentan todas las sociedades y cómo éstas se organizan para resolverlo y, conjuntamente, el surgimiento de la ciencia económica, con una reseña elemental de los distintos discursos económicos. Quizás resulte difícil comprender esto último, en esta instancia, por lo que se recomienda releerlo después de concluir el texto. La Segunda Parte describe el funcionamiento de un sistema económico, donde se comienza con un sistema sencillo y elemental para ir efectuando incorporaciones que lo acerquen al sistema económico de la sociedad actual. En la Tercera Parte se efectúa una descripción de la estructura económica de nuestro país, sectorial y regionalmente. En la Cuarta Parte se plantean algunos problemas del sistema: distribución del ingreso, deuda externa, desempleo, inflación, medio ambiente, inserción en el mundo y el desarrollo tratando de reflejar la realidad de los países subdesarrollados.
Evaluación de la calidad de atención
Authors:   , Forte Mariana Irma
Published: February 2023

La calidad de la atención es una de las mayores preocupaciones de quienes tienen la responsabilidad de la prestación de los servicios de salud y una necesidad de quien requiere de estos servicios. Y la valoración de la calidad de la atención desde la representación del paciente es cada vez más frecuente; más aun teniendo en cuenta que son pocos los estudios existentes que hacen referencia especialmente a la calidad de la atención odontológica, que tiene sus características y particularidades propias. El objetivo principal de este trabajo de investigación, es determinar la calidad de atención y el nivel de satisfacción de los pacientes atendidos en el Servicio de Ortodoncia de la obra social OSPEDYC LA PLATA. Se realizó un estudio descriptivo con metodología cuantitativa para determinar la percepción con respecto a la Accesibilidad, Seguridad, Oportunidad, y Satisfacción Global, por medio de una encuesta, sobre un universo de 300 afiliados. Se obtuvo como resultado: 100% de accesibilidad a la atención; muy buena relación profesional-paciente en un 100%; y buena atención a regular por parte del resto del personal 78,5%-21,5%. Se sugieren además aspectos de mejora. El estudio actual requiere de metodologías cualitativas para complementar sus resultados.
Construcción y validación de una escala de habilidades investigativas para universitarios
Authors: Chávez-Ayala Christian , Farfán-Córdova Naent , San Lucas-Poveda Haydeé , Falquez-Jaramillo Jaime
Published: February 2023

Investigative skills are essential for proper development at the higher level. The objective of the study was to build a scale aimed at measuring investigative skills, as well as to determine the level of said skills in university students in the city of Piura, Peru. The study was of a non-experimental, instrumental, simple descriptive design, the research had the participation of 1682 students. At the instrumental level, adequate indicators of content, construct and convergence validity were found, as well as adequate reliability and rating indices. At a descriptive level, a predominance of the low level (60.7%) was found, followed by a medium level (30.3%) and a high level (9.0%). In the 7 underlying domains, a predominance of the low level was found in more than 50% of the population. In conclusion, an ideal instrument was obtained for the optimal measurement of the construct. After its application, it was found that the level of investigative skills and their underlying components predominate at a low level.