bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Detecting Roles of Money Laundering in Bitcoin Mixing Transactions: A Goal Modeling and Mining Framework
Authors: Liu Mingdong , Chen Hu , Yan Jiaqi
Published: July 2021

Cryptocurrency has become a new venue for money laundering. Bitcoin mixing services deliberately obfuscate the relationship between senders and recipients, making it difficult to trace suspicious money flow. We believe that the key to demystifying the bitcoin mixing services is to discover agents’ roles in the money laundering process. We propose a goal-oriented approach to modeling, discovering, and analyzing different types of roles in the agent-based business process of the bitcoin mixing scenario using historical bitcoin transaction data. It adopts the agents’ goal perspective to study the roles in the bitcoin money laundering process. Moreover, it provides a foundation to discover real-world agents’ roles in bitcoin money laundering scenarios.
Spirulina platensis Alleviated the Hemotoxicity, Oxidative Damage and Histopathological Alterations of Hydroxychloroquine in Catfish (Clarias gariepinus)
Authors: Sayed Alaa El-Din H. , Hamed Mohamed , Soliman Hamdy A. M.
Published: July 2021

The current study aims at evaluating the toxicity of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) as a pharmaceutical residue in catfish (Clarias gariepinus) and the protective role of Spirulina platensis (SP). Four groups were used in this study: (1) a control group, (2) a group exposed to 3.16 mg/l of HCQ, (3) a group exposed to 3.16 mg/l of HCQ + 10 mg/l of SP, and (4) a group exposed to 3.16 mg/l of HCQ + 20 mg/l of SP for 15 days of exposure. The HCQ-treated group showed a significant decline in the hematological indices and glucose, total protein, and antioxidant levels in relation to the control group, whereas the HCQ-treated group showed a significant increase in the levels of creatinine, uric acid, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) as well as the percentage of poikilocytosis and nuclear abnormalities of RBCs in relation to the control group. The histopathological evaluation of the liver indicated dilation of the central vein, vacuolization, degeneration of hepatocytes and pyknotic nuclei, as well as reduction of glomeruli, dilation of Bowman’s space, and degeneration of renal tubules in the kidney of the HCQ-treated group. Spirulina platensis (SP) rendered the hematological and biochemical indexes as well as antioxidant levels and the histological architecture to normal status in a dose-dependent manner. Accordingly, the current study recommends the use of SP to remedy the toxic effects of HCQ.
Airway Epithelial Cells Drive Airway Smooth Muscle Cell Phenotype Switching to the Proliferative and Pro-inflammatory Phenotype
Authors: O’Sullivan M. J. , Jang J. H. , Panariti A. , Bedrat A. , Ijpma G. , Lemos B. , Park J. A. , Lauzon A. M. , Martin J. G.
Published: July 2021

The increased mass of airway smooth muscle (ASM) in the airways of asthmatic patients may contribute to the pathology of this disease by increasing the capacity for airway narrowing. Evidence for the airway epithelium as a participant in ASM remodeling is accruing. To investigate mechanisms by which airway epithelial cells induce ASM cell (ASMC) proliferation, we have employed a co-culture model to explore markers of ASMC proliferative phenotype. Co-culture with epithelial cells led to incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine into ASMCs, indicating augmented proliferation and an associated increase in mRNA of the pro-proliferative co-transcription factor Elk1. Although the mitogen heparin-binding epidermal growth factor (HB-EGF) was augmented in the co-culture supernatant, the ASMC epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), an effector of HB-EGF induced proliferation, did not mediate epithelial-induced proliferation. The co-culture increased the expression of ASMC mRNA for the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-8 as well as the pro-proliferative microRNA miR-210. The transcriptional repressor Max-binding protein (Mnt), a putative target of miR-210, was transcriptionally repressed in co-cultured ASMCs. Together, these data indicate that the airway epithelium-induced proliferative phenotype of ASMCs is not driven by EGFR signaling, but rather may be dependent on miR210 targeting of tumor suppressor Mnt.
Between Adaptation and Resistance: A Study on Resilience Competencies, Stress, and Well-Being in German VET Teachers
Authors: Kärner Tobias , Bottling Matthias , Friederichs Edgar , Sembill Detlef
Published: July 2021

We demonstrate the relationships between occupational demands in German vocational education and training (VET) teacher training, stress symptoms, and different behavioral resilience competencies. Taking into account interindividual differences in resilience competencies, we use a typological approach to identify different types of (trainee) teachers classified by their degrees and configurations of resilience competencies. Our empirical analysis is based on questionnaire data from 131 German vocational trainees and qualified teachers. The results reveal, among other things, that all three resilience competencies—resistance, flexibility, and dynamism—are significantly negatively correlated with the demands of working conditions and workload. Via a latent class analysis, we were able to identify three groups of (trainee) teachers who differed in their resilience competencies to adapt appropriately to different situations and their requirements (“behavioral flexibility”), to recover rapidly from setbacks and to defy the expectations of others (“behavioral resistance”), and to initiate changes as soon as they are necessary or desirable (“behavioral dynamics”). More resilient (trainee) teachers show, among other things, lower values for anxiety as an emotional stress symptom and higher values for job engagement. The findings are discussed with regard to implications for VET teacher training and we stress the need for equilibration on a systemic perspective.
Obligation or Desire: Variation in Motivation for Compliance With COVID-19 Public Health Guidance
Authors: Ai Ting , Adams Glenn , Zhao Xian
Published: July 2021

Why do people comply with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) public health guidance? This study considers cultural-psychological foundations of variation in beliefs about motivations for such compliance. Specifically, we focused on beliefs about two sources of prosocial motivation: desire to protect others and obligation to society. Across two studies, we observed that the relative emphasis on the desire to protect others (vs. the obligation to the community) as an explanation for compliance was greater in the United States settings associated with cultural ecologies of abstracted independence than in Chinese settings associated with cultural ecologies of embedded interdependence. We observed these patterns for explanations of psychological experience of both others (Study 1) and self (Study 2), and for compliance with mandates for both social distancing and face masks (Study 2). Discussion of results considers both practical implications for motivating compliance with public health guidance and theoretical implications for denaturalizing prevailing accounts of prosocial motivation.
Polydimensional Structure and Psychosocial Functions of the Direct Address in TV Series
Authors: Galimberti Carlo , Bova Antonio , Spanò Carmen , Vergine Ilaria
Published: July 2021

Traditionally, in media studies research, the direct address or aside, i.e., a construction in which a speaker communicates a message directly to the audience breaking the continuity of the narrative flow, has been investigated mainly for its dramaturgical function. The present study aims to consider the direct address as a research object of the social psychology of communication to increase our understanding of this technique by going beyond the analysis of its dramaturgical function. In particular, the direct address will be examined through an integrated approach based on argumentative and conversational tools to highlight its less known polydimensional structure, i.e., diegetic and extra-diegetic dimensions and their interactions, and psychosocial functions, i.e., connecting the characters among each other within the show as well as with the audience. This objective will be achieved by analyzing two different direct addresses from the American TV series House of Cards. The analysis showed that the direct address performs its dramaturgical function by impacting both diegetic and extradiegetic levels. In the first case, as considered in previous studies, these plans are activated in parallel, aiming to build what we have defined as the “strategic subjectivity” of the character who employs this technique. Instead, in the second case—which comprises two direct addresses produced by two different characters—this technique involves the creation of what we will call “platforms of intersubjectivity.” In this occurrence, the dramaturgical action establishes a “bridge” between the diegetic and extradiegetic plans that act synergistically. In conclusion, the present study shows how an integrated approach based on argumentative and conversational tools of analysis permits to enlarge the traditional media studies perspective, highlighting the less investigated polydimensional structure and analyzing the psychosocial functions of the direct address, here considered as a research object of the social psychology of communication examined in its diegetic and extra-diegetic dimensions. The integration of the pragma-dialectical approach to argumentation with the interlocutory logic theory has brought to light a new modality of use of the direct address that can be termed “intersubjective aside,” a type of aside that can be added to the three already known, i.e., aside ad spectatores, monological aside, and dialogical aside.
Human Behavior Analysis Using Intelligent Big Data Analytics
Authors: Tariq Muhammad Usman , Babar Muhammad , Poulin Marc , Khattak Akmal Saeed , Alshehri Mohammad Dahman , Kaleem Sarah
Published: July 2021

Intelligent big data analysis is an evolving pattern in the age of big data science and artificial intelligence (AI). Analysis of organized data has been very successful, but analyzing human behavior using social media data becomes challenging. The social media data comprises a vast and unstructured format of data sources that can include likes, comments, tweets, shares, and views. Data analytics of social media data became a challenging task for companies, such as Dailymotion, that have billions of daily users and vast numbers of comments, likes, and views. Social media data is created in a significant amount and at a tremendous pace. There is a very high volume to store, sort, process, and carefully study the data for making possible decisions. This article proposes an architecture using a big data analytics mechanism to efficiently and logically process the huge social media datasets. The proposed architecture is composed of three layers. The main objective of the project is to demonstrate Apache Spark parallel processing and distributed framework technologies with other storage and processing mechanisms. The social media data generated from Dailymotion is used in this article to demonstrate the benefits of this architecture. The project utilized the application programming interface (API) of Dailymotion, allowing it to incorporate functions suitable to fetch and view information. The API key is generated to fetch information of public channel data in the form of text files. Hive storage machinist is utilized with Apache Spark for efficient data processing. The effectiveness of the proposed architecture is also highlighted.
Increases in Anxiety and Depression During COVID-19: A Large Longitudinal Study From China
Authors: Wu Shizhen , Zhang Keshun , Parks-Stamm Elizabeth J. , Hu Zhonghui , Ji Yaqi , Cui Xinxin
Published: July 2021

Although accumulating evidence suggests the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with costs in mental health, the development of students' mental health, including the change from their previous levels of depression and anxiety and the factors associated with this change, has not been well-studied. The present study investigates changes in students' anxiety and depression from before the pandemic to during the lockdown and identifies factors that are associated with these changes. 14,769 university students participated in a longitudinal study with two time points with a 6-month interval. Students completed the Anxiety and Depression subscales of the Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90) before the COVID-19 outbreak (October 2020, Time 1), and the Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) during the pandemic (April 2020, Time 2). The prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms were 1.44 and 1.46% at Time 1, and 4.06 and 22.09% at Time 2, respectively, showing a 181.94% increase in anxiety and a 1413.01% increase in depression. Furthermore, the increases in anxiety and depression from pre-pandemic levels were associated with students' gender and the severity of the pandemic in the province where they resided. This study contributes to the gap in knowledge regarding changes in students' mental health in response to the pandemic and the role of local factors in these changes. Implications for gender and the Typhoon Eye effect are discussed.
Non-communicable Disease Surveillance in Malaysia: An Overview of Existing Systems and Priorities Going Forward
Authors: Chandran Arunah , Selva Kumar Shurendar , Hairi Noran Naqiah , Low Wah Yun , Mustapha Feisul Idzwan
Published: July 2021

In 2012, the World Health Organization (WHO) set a comprehensive set of nine global voluntary targets, including the landmark “25 by 25” mortality reduction target, and 25 indicators. WHO has also highlighted the importance of Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) surveillance as a key action by Member States in addressing NCDs. This study aimed to examine the current national NCD surveillance tools, activities and performance in Malaysia based on the WHO Global Monitoring Framework for NCDs and to highlight gaps and priorities moving forward. A desk review was conducted from August to October in 2020, to examine the current national NCD surveillance activities in Malaysia from multiple sources. Policy and program documents relating to NCD surveillance in Malaysia from 2010 to 2020 were identified and analyzed. The findings of this review are presented according to the three major themes of the Global Monitoring Framework: monitoring of exposure/risk factor, monitoring of outcomes and health system capacity/response. Currently, there is a robust monitoring system for NCD Surveillance in Malaysia for indicators that are monitored by the WHO NCD Global Monitoring Framework, particularly for outcome and exposure monitoring. However, Malaysia still lacks data for the surveillance of the health system indicators of the framework. Although Malaysia has an NCD surveillance in place that is adequate for the WHO NCD Global Monitoring Framework, there are areas that require strengthening. The country must also look beyond these set of indicators in view of the increasing burden and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes incorporating mental health indicators and leveraging on alternate sources of data relating to behaviors.
Mapping Soil Properties to Advance the State of Spatial Soil Information for Greater Food Security on US Tribal Lands
Authors: Fuentes Bryan , Ashworth Amanda J. , Ngunjiri Mercy , Owens Phillip
Published: July 2021

Knowledge, data, and understanding of soils is key for advancing agriculture and society. There is currently a critical need for sustainable soil management tools for enhanced food security on Native American Tribal Lands. Tribal Reservations have basic soil information and limited access to conservation programs provided to other U.S producers. The objective of this study was to create first ever high-resolution digital soil property maps of Quapaw Tribal Lands with limited data for sustainable soil resource management. We used a digital soil mapping (DSM) approach based on fuzzy logic to model the spatial distribution of 24 soil properties at 0–15 and 15–30 cm depths. A digital elevation model with 3 m resolution was used to derive terrain variables and a total of 28 samples were collected at 0–30 cm over the 22,880-ha reservation. Additionally, soil property maps were derived from Gridded Soil Survey Geographic Database (gSSURGO) for comparison. When comparing properties modeled by DSM to those derived from gSSURGO, DSM resulted in lower root mean squared error (RMSE) for percent clay and sand at 0–15 cm, and cation exchange capacity, percent clay, and pH at 15–30 cm. Conversely, gSSURGO-derived maps resulted in lower RMSE for cation exchange capacity, pH, and percent silt at the 0–15 cm depth, and percent sand and silt at the 15–30 cm depth. Although, some of the soil properties derived from gSSURGO had lower RMSE, spatial soil property patterns modeled by DSM were in better agreement with the topographic complexity and expected soil-landscape relationships. The proposed DSM approach developed property maps at high-resolution, which sets the baseline for production of new spatial soil information for Quapaw Tribal soils. It is expected that these maps and future versions will be useful for soil, crop, and land-use decisions at the farm and Tribal-level for increased agricultural productivity and economic development. Overall, this study provides a framework for developing DSM on Tribal Lands for improving the accuracy and detail of soil property maps (relative to off the shelf products such as SSURGO) that better represents soil-forming environments and the spatial variability of soil properties on Tribal Lands.
PGPR in Agriculture: A Sustainable Approach to Increasing Climate Change Resilience
Authors: Shah Ateeq , Nazari Mahtab , Antar Mohammed , Msimbira Levini A. , Naamala Judith , Lyu Dongmei , Rabileh Mahamoud , Zajonc Jonathan , Smith Donald L.
Published: July 2021

Growing environmental concerns are potentially narrowing global yield capacity of agricultural systems. Climate change is the most significant problem the world is currently facing. To meet global food demand, food production must be doubled by 2050; over exploitation of arable lands using unsustainable techniques might resolve food demand issues, but they have negative environmental effects. Current crop production systems are a major reason for changing global climate through diminishing biodiversity, physical and chemical soil degradation, and water pollution. The over application of fertilizers and pesticides contribute to climate change through greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and toxic soil depositions. At this crucial time, there is a pressing need to transition to more sustainable crop production practices, ones that concentrate more on promoting sustainable mechanisms, which enable crops to grow well in resource limited and environmentally challenging environments, and also develop crops with greater resource use efficiency that have optimum sustainable yields across a wider array of environmental conditions. The phytomicrobiome is considered as one of the best strategies; a better alternative for sustainable agriculture, and a viable solution to meet the twin challenges of global food security and environmental stability. Use of the phytomicrobiome, due to its sustainable and environmentally friendly mechanisms of plant growth promotion, is becoming more widespread in the agricultural industry. Therefore, in this review, we emphasize the contribution of beneficial phytomicrobiome members, particularly plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), as a strategy to sustainable improvement of plant growth and production in the face of climate change. Also, the roles of soil dwelling microbes in stress amelioration, nutrient supply (nitrogen fixation, phosphorus solubilization), and phytohormone production along with the factors that could potentially affect their efficiency have been discussed extensively. Lastly, limitations to expansion and use of biobased techniques, for instance, the perspective of crop producers, indigenous microbial competition and regulatory approval are discussed. This review largely focusses on the importance and need of sustainable and environmentally friendly approaches such as biobased/PGPR-based techniques in our agricultural systems, especially in the context of current climate change conditions, which are almost certain to worsen in near future.
Response Curves for Ammonia and Methane Emissions From Stored Liquid Manure Receiving Low Rates of Sulfuric Acid
Authors: Sokolov Vera , Habtewold Jemaneh , VanderZaag Andrew , Dunfield Kari , Gregorich Edward , Wagner-Riddle Claudia , Venkiteswaran Jason J. , Gordon Robert
Published: July 2021

Addition of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) to liquid dairy manure (slurry) reduces methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and ammonia (NH3) emissions. There is interest in understanding how gaseous emissions respond to decreasing rates of acidification, to determine economically optimum application rates. Acidification rates were tested ranging from 0 to 2 g sulfuric acid (H2SO4) L−1 slurry in six meso-scale outdoor storage tanks, each filled with 10.6 m3 slurry and stored for 114 d. Results showed that the rate of acidification for maximum inhibition of CH4 and NH3 emissions varied markedly, whereas N2O reductions were modest. Reductions of CH4 increased with acid rate from 0 to 1.2 g L−1, with no additional response beyond >1.2 g L−1. In contrast to CH4, inhibitions of NH3 showed a linear response across all rates, although reductions were ≤ 30%. Thus, higher acidification rates would be required to achieve greater NH3 emission reductions. Our findings indicate that achieving >85% NH3 emissions reductions would require 4 × more acid than achieving >85% CH4 reductions. Decisions on optimum H2SO4 rates will depend on the need to mitigate CH4 emissions (the primary greenhouse gas emitted from stored liquid manure) or reduce NH3 emissions (which is regulated in some regions). These results will help develop guidelines related to the potential costs and benefits of reducing emissions through acidification.
Favorable Outcome of Electively Delayed Elongation Procedure in Long-Gap Esophageal Atresia
Authors: Oliver Diez H. , Martin Sidler , Belkis Diez-Mendiondo I. , Lucas Wessel M. , Steffan Loff
Published: July 2021

The ideal approach to long gap esophageal atresia is still controversial. On one hand, preserving a patient's native esophagus may require several steps and can be fraught with complications. On the other hand, most replacement procedures are irreversible and disrupt gastrointestinal physiology. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the short- and medium-term outcome of electively delayed esophageal elongation procedures before esophageal reconstruction in patients with long-gap esophageal atresia. Since the neonatal esophagus grows over-proportionally and can increase its wall thickness in the first few months of life, we hypothesized that postponing the elongation steps until 3 months of age would lead to a lower complication rate. We thus retrospectively recorded complications such as mediastinitis, anastomotic leakage, stricture formation, or gastroesophageal reflux requiring surgery, and compared it to reported outcomes. In our treatment protocol, patients born with long-gap esophageal atresia underwent gastrostomy placement and were sham fed until 3 months of age. We then assessed the gap between the esophageal ends and started serial elongation procedures. We only proceeded to the reconstruction of the esophagus when its length allowed a tension-free anastomosis. From April 2013 to April 2019, we treated 13 Patients with long-gap esophageal atresia. Nine patients without prior surgical procedures underwent Foker procedures. Four patients arrived with a pre-existing cervical esophagostomy and thus underwent Kimura's procedure, two of them with a concomitant Foker elongation of the lower pouch. Esophageal reconstruction was feasible in all patients, while none of them developed mediastinitis at any point in their treatment. We managed the only anastomotic leak conservatively. Almost half of the patients did not require any further intervention following reconstruction, while three patients required multiple (≥5) anastomotic dilatations. All but one patient achieved full oral nutrition. Only one child required a fundoplication to manage gastroesophageal reflux symptoms. Electively delayed esophageal elongation procedures in patients with long-gap esophageal atresia allowed preservation of the native esophagus in all patients. The approach had low peri-procedural morbidity, and patients enjoy favorable functional outcomes. Therefore, we suggest considering this method in the management of patients with long-gap esophageal atresia.
A Basic Study on the Absorption Properties and Their Prediction of Heterogeneous Micro-Perforated Panels: A Case Study of Micro-Perforated Panels with Heterogeneous Hole Size and Perforation Ratio
Authors: Kusaka Midori , Sakagami Kimihiro , Okuzono Takeshi
Published: July 2021

Micro-perforated panels (MPPs) are one of the most promising alternatives to conventional porous sound-absorbing materials. Traditionally, the theory of the sound absorption properties of MPPs is based on the assumption that MPPs are a homogeneous material with identical pores at regular intervals. However, in recent years, some MPPs have not met these conditions, and although a variety of designs have been created, their properties and prediction methods were studied in only fewer works. In this paper, considering the wide variety of MPP designs, we made a trial production of heterogeneous MPPs, which are MPPs with holes of different diameters, and studied the prediction method applicable to these MPPs. We measured the normal incidence sound absorption characteristics of those MPPs, backed by a rigid backing and air-cavity in-between, in an impedance tube. The prediction method proposed in this work is to treat the heterogeneous MPPs as combinations of several homogeneous components, and to combine them after applying the existing theory on homogeneous MPPs to each component. As a result, except in a few cases, the measured and predicted values of the absorption properties agreed relatively well. We also found that the arrangement of the holes in the material and the depth of the back cavity affected the agreement between the measured and predicted results.
Physiological and Proteomic Responses of Pitaya to PEG-Induced Drought Stress
Authors: Wang Aihua , Ma Chao , Ma Hongye , Qiu Zhilang , Wen Xiaopeng
Published: July 2021

Pitaya (Hylocereus polyrhizus L.) is highly tolerant to drought stress. Elucidating the response mechanism of pitaya to drought will substantially contribute to improving crop drought tolerance. In the present study, the physiological and proteomic responses of the pitaya cultivar ‘Zihonglong’ were compared between control seedlings and seedlings exposed to drought stress (−4.9 MPa) induced by polyethylene glycol for 7 days. Drought stress obviously enhanced osmolyte accumulation, lipid peroxidation, and antioxidant enzyme activities. Proteomic data revealed drought stress activated several pathways in pitaya, including carbohydrate and energy metabolism at two drought stress treatment time-points (6 h and 3 days). Other metabolic pathways, including those related to aspartate, glutamate, glutathione, and secondary metabolites, were induced more at 3 days than at 6 h, whereas photosynthesis and arginine metabolism were induced exclusively at 6 h. Overall, protein expression changes were consistent with the physiological responses, although there were some differences in the timing. The increases in soluble sugar contents mainly resulted from the degradation and transformation of insoluble carbohydrates. Differentially accumulated proteins in amino acid metabolism may be important for the conversion and accumulation of amino acids. GSH and AsA metabolism and secondary metabolism may play important roles in pitaya as enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidant systems. The enhanced carbohydrate and energy metabolism may provide the energy necessary for initiating the above metabolic pathways. The current study provided the first proteome profile of this species exposed to drought stress, and may clarify the mechanisms underlying the considerable tolerance of pitaya to drought stress.
The Influence of Long-Term Different Crop Rotations and Monoculture on Weed Prevalence and Weed Seed Content in the Soil
Authors: Butkevičienė Lina Marija , Skinulienė Lina , Auželienė Ingė , Bogužas Vaclovas , Pupalienė Rita , Steponavičienė Vaida
Published: July 2021

Equally effective way to achieve sustainable farming and the challenge set by the European Commission on 20 May 2020: proper crop rotation and thus reduction of the quantity of on-farm chemicals. Long-term stationary field experiments were established in 1966 at Vytautas Magnus University Experimental Station (54°53′ N, 23°50′ E). The study was conducted with intensive, three-course, field rotation with row crops, for green manure crop rotations, and rye monoculture as well during the last 5-year period of a 50-year investigation to determine the effect of crop rotation combinations and rye monoculture on weed density and seed bank and grain yield. In cereal crops, weed counting was performed twice: weed density was determined before the application of herbicides, and weed counting was done before the harvest. Weed seedlings were counted, their botanical species were determined, annual and perennial weed number was estimated. Weed seed bank was established before primary tillage in soil. The results obtained confirmed the hypothesis that with climate change and intensive farming, long-term crop rotations are likely to increase crop productivity, reduce weeds and weed seed banks in the soil, and thus contribute to maintaining agroecosystem sustainability. The winter rye 1000 grain weight and yield decreases as weed mass increases showing strong negative correlations: y = 475.56 − 11.93x, r = −0.91, p ≤ 0.05; y = 82.97 −14.82x, r = −0.97, p ≤ 0.01. Reseeding of rye crops leads to a growing prevalence of weeds such as Equisetum arvense L. and Mentha arvensis. Crop structures these days are dominated by cereals, which inevitably increase the spread of weeds, and therefore, the importance of crop rotations increases in the context of intensive farming.
Mapping of Two New Rust Resistance Genes Uvf-2 and Uvf-3 in Faba Bean
Authors: Ijaz Usman , Sudheesh Shimna , Kaur Sukhjiwan , Sadeque Abdus , Bariana Harbans , Bansal Urmil , Adhikari Kedar
Published: July 2021

Faba bean is gaining attention in Australia as a rotation grain legume where most of the country’s produce is exported. Rust, caused by Uromyces viciae-fabae, is a major constraint to Faba bean production in eastern Australia and its chemical control results in increased cost of production. The deployment of diverse sources of resistance in new cultivars underpins economic and eco-friendly control of rust diseases of crops. A selection from cultivar Doza (Doza#12034) and a European accession Ac1655 exhibited seedling rust resistance against U. viciae-fabae pathotype 24–40. Doza#12034 and Ac1655 were crossed with a susceptible genotype Fiord and recombinant inbred line (RIL) F6 populations were generated. Rust tests on Fiord/Doza#12034 and Fiord/Ac1655 F4 and F6 populations demonstrated monogenic inheritance of resistance in both crosses and the underlying resistance loci were named Uvf-2 and Uvf-3, respectively. Genetic mapping of both RIL populations located Uvf-2 and Uvf-3 in chromosomes III and V, respectively. The SNPs that showed linkage with Uvf-2 and Uvf-3 were converted into kompititive allele specific PCR (KASP) assays. Markers KASP_Vf_0703 and KASP_C250539 flanked Uvf-2 at 4.9 cM and 2.9 cM distances, whereas Uvf-3 was flanked by KASP_Ac×F165 (2.5 cM) and KASP_vf_1090 (10.1 cM). Markers KASP_Vf_0703 and KASP_Ac×F165 can be used for marker-assisted selection of Uvf-2 and Uvf-3, respectively, after confirming parental polymorphisms.
An Overview of the Use of Genotyping Techniques for Assessing Genetic Diversity in Local Farm Animal Breeds
Authors: Olschewsky Anna , Hinrichs Dirk
Published: July 2021

Globally, many local farm animal breeds are threatened with extinction. However, these breeds contribute to the high amount of genetic diversity required to combat unforeseen future challenges of livestock production systems. To assess genetic diversity, various genotyping techniques have been developed. Based on the respective genomic information, different parameters, e.g., heterozygosity, allele frequencies and inbreeding coefficient, can be measured in order to reveal genetic diversity between and within breeds. The aim of the present work was to shed light on the use of genotyping techniques in the field of local farm animal breeds. Therefore, a total of 133 studies across the world that examined genetic diversity in local cattle, sheep, goat, chicken and pig breeds were reviewed. The results show that diversity of cattle was most often investigated with microsatellite use as the main technique. Furthermore, a large variety of diversity parameters that were calculated with different programs were identified. For 15% of the included studies, the used genotypes are publicly available, and, in 6%, phenotypes were recorded. In conclusion, the present results provide a comprehensive overview of the application of genotyping techniques in the field of local breeds. This can provide helpful insights to advance the conservation of breeds.
New Benzimidazothiazolone Derivatives as Tyrosinase Inhibitors with Potential Anti-Melanogenesis and Reactive Oxygen Species Scavenging Activities
Authors: Jung Hee Jin , Choi Dong Chan , Noh Sang Gyun , Choi Heejeong , Choi Inkyu , Ryu Il Young , Chung Hae Young , Moon Hyung Ryong
Published: July 2021

Thirteen (Z)-2-(substituted benzylidene)benzimidazothiazolone analogs were synthesized and evaluated for their inhibitory activity against mushroom tyrosinase. Among the compounds synthesized, compounds 1–3 showed greater inhibitory activity than kojic acid (IC50 = 18.27 ± 0.89 μM); IC50 = 3.70 ± 0.51 μM for 1; IC50 = 3.05 ± 0.95 μM for 2; and IC50 = 5.00 ± 0.38 μM for 3, and found to be competitive tyrosinase inhibitors. In silico molecular docking simulations demonstrated that compounds 1–3 could bind to the catalytic sites of tyrosinase. Compounds 1–3 inhibited melanin production and cellular tyrosinase activity in a concentration-dependent manner. Notably, compound 2 dose-dependently scavenged ROS in B16F10 cells. Furthermore, compound 2 downregulated the protein kinase A (PKA)/cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways, which led to a reduction in microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) expression, and decreased tyrosinase, tyrosinase related protein 1 (TRP1), and TRP2 expression, resulting in anti-melanogenesis activity. Hence, compound 2 may serve as an anti-melanogenic agent against hyperpigmentation diseases.
Substance-P Inhibits Cardiac Microvascular Endothelial Dysfunction Caused by High Glucose-Induced Oxidative Stress
Authors: Kim Do Young , Piao Jiyuan , Hong Hyun Sook
Published: July 2021

Diabetes is characterized by high glucose (HG) levels in the blood circulation, leading to exposure of the vascular endothelium to HG conditions. Hyperglycemia causes oxidative stress via excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in the endothelium, which leads to cellular dysfunction and the development of diabetic vascular diseases. Substance-P (SP) is an endogenous peptide involved in cell proliferation and migration by activating survival-related signaling pathways. In this study, we evaluated the role of SP in cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (CMECs) in HG-induced oxidative stress. CMECs were treated with diverse concentrations of glucose, and then the optimal dose was determined. Treatment of CMECs with HG reduced their viability and induced excessive ROS secretion, inactivation of PI3/Akt signaling, and loss of vasculature-forming ability in vitro. Notably, HG treatment altered the cytokine profile of CMECs. However, SP treatment inhibited the HG-mediated aggravation of CMECs by restoring viability, free radical balance, and paracrine potential. SP-treated CMECs retained the capacity to form compact and long stretching-tube structures. Collectively, our data provide evidence that SP treatment can block endothelial dysfunction in hyperglycemia and suggest the possibility of using SP for treating diabetic complications as an antioxidant.
Advanced Configuration Parameters of Post Processor Influencing Tensile Testing PLA and Add-Mixtures in Polymer Matrix in the Process of FDM Technology
Authors: Török Jozef , Törökova Monika , Duplakova Darina , Murcinkova Zuzana , Duplak Jan , Kascak Jakub , Karkova Monika
Published: July 2021

The present paper focuses on the configuration possibilities of post -processor influencing mechanical properties of a given test sample produced by the FDM printer from different materials. The research consists of assessing the composite material configurations through a static tensile test conducted on 80 samples produced. The samples were produced based on ISO 527-2 standard, type 1A, with a horizontal position and a layer height of 0.2 mm. The individual samples consisted of four basic groups of materials—the pure Polylactic acid (PLA) plastic (reference sample), and three composite samples with admixtures—PLA matrix with a copper admixture, PLA matrix with an iron admixture, and PLA matrix with a steel admixture. The static tensile test was conducted at a test speed of 5 mm/min. During the research, reference samples (pure PLA) were assessed in five orientations. Samples made of the PLA composite materials with admixtures were manufactured, tested, and evaluated only in the 0° orientation. The paper concludes by comparing the results of measurement with the original material, free from additives, and with the researched influence of the orientation of the prints on the resulting mechanical properties of shear samples and their surface structure. In the conducted experiments, the lowest tensile strength has been demonstrated in test samples the orbital transitions and the upper surface layers of which were parallel to the infill.
Evaluation of Corrosion Behavior on Crept AlSi10MnMg (AA365) Alloy Produced by High-Pressure Die-Casting (HPDC)
Authors: Park Seonghwan , Ahn Cheolmin , Lee Eunkyung
Published: July 2021

High-pressure die-cast AlSi10MnMg (AA365) alloys have been used as a material for automotive components exposed to high temperature and corrosive environments. This work determines the correlation of corrosion resistance with the intermetallic compounds and micro-voids of crept AA365 alloys under temperatures ranging from 373 K to 573 K with various applied stresses. The results showed that crept AA365 alloy at 473 K possessed a large amount of the intermetallic phases, compared with crept AA365 alloys at 373 K and 573 K due to the non-equilibrium solute atoms in Al matrix. By contrast, crept AA365 alloy at 573 K contained the lowest number of intermetallic precipitates owing to the remelting of the phases. With regard to the corrosion behavior, the corrosion potentials showed −687.0, −684.0, and −673.0 mVSCE of crept AA365 alloys at 373 K, 473 K, and 573 K, respectively, which means the corrosion occurred slowly on the crept AA365 alloy at 573 K, rather than at 373 K, 473 K. The value of the corrosion current density (Icorr) in the crept HPDC AA365 alloy at 473 K has the highest corrosion current density of 13.3 × 10−6 Acm−2, compared with others. It can be inferred that the high amount of intermetallic compounds gave rise to severe corrosion and led to the harmful micro-galvanic corrosion of crept AA365 alloy, rather than the micro-voids.
Analytic Binary Alloy Volume–Concentration Relations and the Deviation from Zen’s Law
Authors: Landa Alexander , Klepeis John E. , Rudd Robert E. , Caspersen Kyle J. , Young David A.
Published: July 2021

Alloys expand or contract as concentrations change, and the resulting relationship between atomic volume and alloy content is an important property of the solid. While a well-known approximation posits that the atomic volume varies linearly with concentration (Zen’s law), the actual variation is more complicated. Here we use the apparent size of the solute (solvent) atom and the elasticity to derive explicit analytical expressions for the atomic volume of binary solid alloys. Two approximations, continuum and terminal, are proposed. Deviations from Zen’s law are studied for 22 binary alloy systems.
Performance of Envelope Demodulation for Bearing Damage Detection on CWRU Accelerometric Data: Kurtogram and Traditional Indicators vs. Targeted a Posteriori Band Indicators
Authors: Alessandro Paolo Daga , Luigi Garibaldi , Alessandro Fasana , Stefano Marchesiello
Published: July 2021

Envelope demodulation of vibration signals is surely one of the most successful methods of analysis for highlighting diagnostic information of rolling element bearings incipient faults. From a mathematical perspective, the selection of a proper demodulation band can be regarded as an optimization problem involving a utility function to assess the demodulation performance in a particular band and a scheme to move within the search space of all the possible frequency bands {f, Δf} (center frequency and band size) towards the optimal one. In most of cases, kurtosis-based indices are used to select the proper demodulation band. Nevertheless, to overcome the lack of robustness to non-Gaussian noise, different utility functions can be found in the literature. One of these is the kurtosis of the unbiased autocorrelation of the squared envelope of the filtered signal found in the autogram. These heuristics are usually sufficient to highlight the defect spectral lines in the demodulated signal spectrum (i.e., usually the squared envelope spectrum (SES)), enabling bearings diagnostics. Nevertheless, it is not always the case. In this work, then, posteriori band indicators based on SES defect spectral lines are proposed to assess the general envelope demodulation performance and the goodness of traditional indicators. The Case Western Reserve University bearing dataset is used as a test case.
Degradation of Brominated Organic Compounds (Flame Retardants) by a Four-Strain Consortium Isolated from Contaminated Groundwater
Authors: Balaban Noa , Gelman Faina , Taylor Alicia A. , Walker Sharon L. , Bernstein Anat , Ronen Zeev
Published: July 2021

Biodegradation of pollutants in the environment is directly affected by microbial communities and pollutant mixture at the site. Lab experiments using bacterial consortia and substrate mixtures are required to increase our understanding of these processes in the environment. One of the deficiencies of working with environmental cultures is the inability to culture and identify the active strains while knowing they are representative of the original environment. In the present study, we tested the aerobic microbial degradation of two brominated flame retardants, tribromo-neopentyl alcohol (TBNPA) and dibromo neopentyl glycol (DBNPG), by an assembled bacterial consortium of four strains. The four strains were isolated and plate-cultured from a consortium enriched from the impacted groundwater underlying the Neot Hovav industrial area (Negev, Israel), in which TBNPA and DBNPG are abundant pollutants. Total degradation (3–7 days) occurred only when the four-strain consortium was incubated together (25 °C; pH −7.2) with an additional carbon source, as both compounds were not utilized as such. Bacterial growth was found to be the limiting factor. A dual carbon–bromine isotope analysis was used to corroborate the claim that the isolated strains were responsible for the degradation in the original enriched consortium, thus ensuring that the isolated four-strain microbial consortium is representative of the actual environmental enrichment.
Simulation of Sowing Precision in Laboratory Conditions
Authors: Cujbescu Dan , Găgeanu Iuliana , Persu Cătălin , Matache Mihai , Vlăduț Valentin , Voicea Iulian , Paraschiv Gigel , Biriș Sorin Ștefan , Ungureanu Nicoleta , Voicu Gheorghe , Ipate George
Published: July 2021

In agrotechnical practice, it was found that between qualitative indices, which express the sowing precision achieved by precision planters determined in the laboratory, and those determined under operating conditions, that there are certain differences, which are sometimes quite significant. The decrease in the value of the quality indices was manifested by the increase of the number of mistakes, either of the number of double planting holes (with at least two seeds), or of the number of missing planting holes. Both cases are unfavorable for the agricultural producer, generating production losses. This paper discusses the influence of the degree of soil grinding on sowing precision in operating conditions, by determining the spectrum of the vibrations induced in the mechanical structure of row units of a precision planter in contact with the soil of three different plots for three working speeds: 4, 6, and 8 km·h−1. Later, the vibrations were simulated under laboratory conditions, on the stand, by means of rubber hemispheres (with diameters between 30 and 100 mm, corresponding to soil fractions resulting from the determination of the degree of soil grinding) mounted on rubber bands, which actuated the seed meters, for testing under an accelerated regime, outside of the optimal agricultural periods (out of season: beginning mid-May until the end of March), in order to obtain the accuracy of the precision planters. It was found that the sowing precision determined in stationary conditions on the stand, and on a plot with an appropriate degree of seedbed preparation, decreased between 2.92% (at 4 km·h−1) and 6.67% (at 8 km·h−1). The main objective of the tests was to reduce labor costs, which was necessary for the staff involved for determining the qualitative indices of work in real field operating conditions, eliminating fuel consumption, while reducing the duration of testing dependent on meteorological factors (season, temperatures, and precipitation, etc.).
An Improved Weighting Method of Time-Lag-Ensemble Averaging for Hourly Precipitation Forecasts and Its Application in a Typhoon-Induced Heavy Rainfall Event
Authors: Zhou Li , Xu Lin , Lan Mingcai , Chen Jingjing
Published: July 2021

Heavy rainfall events often cause great societal and economic impacts. The prediction ability of traditional extrapolation techniques decreases rapidly with the increase in the lead time. Moreover, deficiencies of high-resolution numerical models and high-frequency data assimilation will increase the prediction uncertainty. To address these shortcomings, based on the hourly precipitation prediction of Global/Regional Assimilation and Prediction System-Cycle of Hourly Assimilation and Forecast (GRAPES-CHAF) and Shanghai Meteorological Service-WRF ADAS Rapid Refresh System (SMS-WARR), we present an improved weighting method of time-lag-ensemble averaging for hourly precipitation forecast which gives more weight to heavy rainfall and can quickly select the optimal ensemble members for forecasting. In addition, by using the cross-magnitude weight (CMW) method, mean absolute error (MAE), root mean square error (RMSE) and correlation coefficient (CC), the verification results of hourly precipitation forecast for next six hours in Hunan Province during the 2019 typhoon Bailu case and heavy rainfall events from April to September in 2020 show that the revised forecast method can more accurately capture the characteristics of the hourly short-range precipitation forecast and improve the forecast accuracy and the probability of detection of heavy rainfall.