bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of partially replacing fishmeal with corn gluten meal on growth, feed utilization, digestive enzyme activity, and apparent nutrient digestibility for juvenile white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei
Authors: Lin Huaxing , Deng Yingkai , Zhu Dongwenjun , Yang Qihui , Zhou Xiaoqiu , Tan Beiping , Feng Lin , Chi Shuyan
Published: May 2023

This experiment was conducted to assess the possibility of replacing fishmeal (FM, Fishmeal content of the control group: 30%) with corn gluten meal (CGM) at the following levels: 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 60%. The experimental diets, formulated to be isonitrogenous and isocaloric, were studied for their effects on growth, feed utilization, digestive enzyme activity and apparent nutrient digestibility in juvenile white shrimps, Litopenaeus vannamei (initial mean weight = 0.71 ± 0.01 g). Seven hundred twenty healthy and uniformed-size shrimp were distributed to six groups of three replicates, each with 40 shrimp in each tank (0.5 m3). Each experimental diet was fed to shrimp four times daily to apparent satiation at 7:00, 11:30, 17:00, and 21:30, respectively, for 8 weeks. At the end of the experiment, the total weight of fish in each tank was weighed and randomly selected for testing, including fish nutrient composition and digestive enzyme activity. Results showed that no significant differences were observed in the weight gain rate (WGR), feed coefficient rate (FCR) and specific growth rate (SGR) of shrimp after 30% FM was replaced with CGM (P > 0.05), but these indicators significantly decreased at higher replacement rates. As CGM content increased, the content of crude protein and phosphorus in the shrimp decreased significantly (P < 0.05), whereas the crude fat content first increased significantly and then decreased (P < 0.05). Compared to the control group, the protease activity was significantly lower in the 40% group and the lipase activity was significantly lower in the 60% group (P < 0.05). Amylase activity was significantly increased with increasing CGM levels (P < 0.05). The digestibility of protein and lipid was significantly reduced by CGM replacement of more than 30% FM (P < 0.05). As CGM content increased, the digestion of energy and dry matter was first significantly increased and then significantly decreased (P < 0.05). In the 30, 40, and 60% groups, the digestibility of all amino acids (AA), except methionine (Met), arginine (Arg) and serine (Ser), was significantly lower than in the control group (P < 0.05). In summary, FM could be partially replaced by CGM in the feed of L. vannamei. Based on the broken-line regression analysis of WGR, the optimal dietary CGM replacement was 27.47%.
Methylprednisolone improves the quality of liquid preserved boar spermatozoa in vitro and reduces polymorphonuclear neutrophil chemotaxis and phagocytosis
Authors: Li Yanbing , Wang Hechuan , Wang Shuo , Zhang Qun , Zhang Han , Li Tianfeng , Wang Qian , Guo Minghui , Feng Heze , Song Yulun , Wei Guosheng , Li Jingchun
Published: May 2023

After artificial insemination, immune cells such as polymorphonuclear neutrophils will be recruited into the genital tract and induce endometrial inflammation, adversely affecting the spermatozoa. This study aimed to analyze the effect of methylprednisolone (MPS) on boar spermatozoa quality of in vitro liquid preservation and chemotaxis and phagocytosis of polymorphonuclear neutrophils toward boar spermatozoa. Various concentrations of MPS were added to the extender and analyzed for their effects on spermatozoa motility, kinetic parameters, abnormality rate, total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) levels, H2O2 content, mitochondrial membrane potential and acrosome integrity. Testing of MPS on chemotaxis and phagocytosis of polymorphonuclear neutrophils toward spermatozoa induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The results showed that an extender containing 2 × 10−7 mol/mL MPS was the most effective for preserving boar spermatozoa during in vitro liquid preservation at 17°C. It effectively improved spermatozoa motility, kinetic parameters, T-AOC levels, mitochondrial membrane potential and acrosome integrity, reducing the abnormality rate and H2O2 content. Meanwhile, the chemotaxis and phagocytosis of polymorphonuclear neutrophils toward spermatozoa under LPS induction were inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner. In conclusion, MPS has positive implications for improving in vitro liquid preserved boar spermatozoa quality, inhibiting chemotaxis and phagocytosis of polymorphonuclear neutrophils toward spermatozoa.
Effect of the Employees’ Mental Toughness on Organizational Commitment and Job Satisfaction: Mediating Psychological Well-Being
Authors: Lee Minkyung , Kim Boyoung
Published: May 2023

This study aims to examine the impact of mental toughness of employees on their psychological well-being, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. A research model based on structural equation modeling ‘ developed, and a survey was conducted with 534 office workers in Korean companies to gather the data. The findings indicate that mental toughness has a significant effect on psychological well-being and positively (+) affects organizational commitment and job satisfaction through psychological well-being. The study also reveals that mental toughness has a greater influence on organizational commitment than on job satisfaction. However, the positive effect of job satisfaction was found to increase when psychological well-being was mediated. Consequently, this study recommends that employees’ mental toughness be managed effectively to improve their job satisfaction and organizational commitment, leading to enhanced job competency, and reduced turnover intention. These findings are of practical significance to organizational practitioners, as they underscore the importance of fostering mental toughness among employees to promote their well-being and commitment to their work.
Ice Accretion: Image Post-Processing Measurement Techniques for 2D Ice Shapes
Authors: Enache Adriana , Wallisch Joachim , van Beeck Jeroen , Hendrick Patrick , Hann Richard
Published: May 2023

Ice accretion poses substantial safety hazards for the manned and unmanned aviation industries. Its study is essential for icing events risk assessment and for the development of efficient ice protection systems. The existing ice accretion measurement techniques—casting, molding, and laser-scanning—are time-consuming, sometimes cumbersome to use, and highly expensive, while hand tracing is inexpensive, but has lower accuracy and time-consuming post-processing. This work presents two low-cost, fast, and easy-to-use measurement techniques for 2D ice accretion profiles. Both employ algorithms of automatic ice shape detection, one based on unmediated image-processing, another based on the processing of manual ice tracings. The techniques are applied to ice accretion experiments conducted in an icing wind tunnel at low Reynolds numbers, and their results are validated against ice thickness caliper measurements. A comparison of the results shows that both techniques accurately measure the leading-edge ice thickness and the 2D shape of the ice accretion profiles. One technique is faster, with higher measurement accuracy, but produces interrupted-line 2D ice profiles and requires good lighting conditions, while the other generates continuous-line 2D profiles and has no application restriction, but it is slower, with lower accuracy. A discussion is conducted, aiming to help one determine the best applications for each ice accretion measurement technique presented.
Regional Labelling as a Tool for Supporting Rural Development: A Slovak Case Study
Authors: Jaďuďová Jana , Šťastná Milada , Marková Iveta , Hroncová Emília
Published: May 2023

Regional product labelling has become a trend in recent years, with the goal of being able to stimulate and support local economies; increase the sales of quality local products and services; preserve and maintain traditions, local cultural values, and the character of rural landscapes; and promote the use of local resources, potential, and raw materials. The existing Slovak studies deal primarily with the perception of consumers and tourism. In this article, we analysed forms of rural development in connection with regional product labelling and the Slovak regions of Kopanice and Záhorie. This theme is a relatively new phenomenon in Slovakia, and that is the author’s main contribution. The research was conducted using an online questionnaire administered between May and July 2022 in each district of the region, with a total of 283 respondents participating. The results obtained from the questionnaire survey were statistically processed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. We used STATISTIC 109 software (Tibco software, Palo Alto, California). The questionnaire method is the most suitable method for determining the perceptions of the respondents. The goal was to analyse rural development in connection with regional product labelling and to identify areas of the application of regional product labels. The term regional product was associated with production in a specific region (50.5%) and with the customs and traditions of the region (43.8%). Supporting employment and entrepreneurship in the region were considered by 43.1% of the respondents as the most important in the region. From the perspective of the application of regional labelling in connection with rural development, we confirmed gender and education dependence. Women with first- and second-level higher education saw regional labels as the main element in the development of the region and the local economy.
The Influence of Farmers’ Clan Networks on Their Participation in Living Environment Improvement during the Time of Transition in Traditional Rural China
Authors: Xu Ke , Xia Xianli
Published: May 2023

Farmers’ participation in public affairs is the combined effect of informal and formal institutions. In order to improve the current situation of low willingness of Chinese farmers to participate in living environment improvement, and to enhance the motivation of farmers and the effectiveness of living environment improvement, this paper incorporates the clan network in the informal institution and the perceivable authority of village chiefs in the formal institution into a unified analytical framework, divides the clan network into two dimensions (scale and strength) and explores the influence of the clan network and the perceivable authority of village chiefs on farmers’ participation in rural living environment improvement. Finally, an empirical test is conducted using survey data from 683 farming households in the provinces of Henan, Shaanxi and Sichuan. The results show that the strength of the clan network and the perceivable authority of the village chiefs have a significant positive effect on the farmers’ participation in rural living environment improvement, while the scale of the clan network does not have a significant effect on farmers’ behavior. The perceivable authority of the village chief has a positive moderating effect between the clan network and farmers’ participation in rural living environment improvement, while the heterogeneity analysis shows that the positive effect of the clan network on farmers’ participation in the rural living environment is reduced for those who have worked outside, far away from the village. It is suggested that the protection of traditional clan relations should be emphasized, and the positive role of clan agents and their influence should be effectively utilized in promoting the improvement of the rural living environment at the grassroots level. Moreover, it is necessary to carry out timely training of professional knowledge and skills for grassroots leaders, propagandize and interpret policies, thus increasing the enthusiasm of farmers to participate in the improvement of the rural living environment.
Genetic Improvements in Rice Grain Quality: A Review of Elite Genes and Their Applications in Molecular Breeding
Authors: Gong Diankai , Zhang Xue , He Fei , Chen Ying , Li Rui , Yao Jipan , Zhang Manli , Zheng Wenjing , Yu Guangxing
Published: May 2023

High yield and superior quality are the main objectives of rice breeding and research. While innovations in rice breeding have increased production to meet growing demand, the universal issue of balancing high yield and susperior quality has led to a lack of focus on improving rice quality. With rising living standards, improving rice quality has become increasingly important. Rice grain quality is a complex trait influenced by both genetic and environmental factors, with four primary aspects: milling quality, appearance quality, eating and cooking quality, and nutritional quality. While different populations have varying demands for rice quality, the core traits that contribute to rice quality include grain shape and chalkiness in terms of appearance, as well as endosperm composition that influences cooking and sensory evaluation. Researchers have made substantial advancements in discovering genes/QTLs associated with critical traits including appearance, aroma, texture, and nutritional properties. Markers derived from these genetic discoveries have provided an efficient tool for marker-assisted selection to improve rice quality. Thus, this review focuses on elite genes and their applications in breeding practices to quickly develop superior quality rice varieties that meet various market demands.
Dietary Cholesterol Differentially Regulates the Muscle Lipidomics of Farmed Turbot and Tiger Puffer
Authors: Meng Xiaoxue , Bi Qingzhu , Ma Qiang , Wei Yuliang , Li Yanlu , Liang Mengqing , Xu Houguo
Published: May 2023

Exogenous cholesterol has been supplemented into aqua-feeds due to the reduced proportions of fishmeal and fish oil. This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary cholesterol supplementation on the muscle lipidomics of two marine fish species, turbot and tiger puffer. A 70-day feeding trial was conducted, where two low-fishmeal diets supplemented with 0 or 1% cholesterol were used. The lipidomic analysis with targeted tandem mass spectrometry showed that, in turbot, a total of 49 individual lipids exhibited significant differences in their abundance in response to dietary cholesterol, whereas the number was 30 for tiger puffer. Dietary cholesterol up-regulated the abundance of cholesterol and cholesterol ester in both species. In turbot, the dietary cholesterol also increased the abundance of triacylglycerol and acylcarnitine, whereas in tiger puffer, it primarily regulated the abundance of phospholipids and BMP. This was the first time the responses of marine fish muscle lipidomics to dietary cholesterol supplementation have been investigated.
Acid–Base, Gas, Ions, and Glucose Analysis in Follicular Fluid in Holstein-Friesian Dairy Cows Is Associated with the Follicle Size in Poland
Authors: Pawliński Bartosz , Petrajtis-Gołobów Monika , Trela Michał , Witkowska-Piłaszewicz Olga
Published: May 2023

The lack of fertilization and early pregnancy loss is seen in the quality and maturation of the oocytes. The environment of the first divisions and maturation of the oogonia, which is also a reflection of the quality of the oocyte, is the follicular fluid (FF). Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the variations in parameters such as pH, pCO2, pO2, standard HCO3−, actual HCO3−, base excess (BE), base excess of extracellular fluid (BE ecf), ctCO2, ions: Na+, K+, actual ionized calcium Ca2+, adjusted ionized calcium (at pH 7.4) Ca2+ (7.4), Cl−, anion gap (AnGap), and glucose in FF collected from different size follicles in dairy cattle. The most apparent differences were related to pH, K+, and Ca2+ 7.4 concentration in comparison to changes in follicle size (p < 0.05). Several trends were also evaluated as an increase in follicular size was followed by an increase in pH, BE, and Ca2+ 7.4 value and a decrease in the K+ concentration (p < 0.05). In conclusion, there are changes in FF formularies associated with the size of follicles. However, more research is necessary to establish the reference value, which then could be one of the factors describing the quality of the follicle and the developmental potential of the associated oocyte.
Expression and Functional Analysis of AMT1 Gene Responding to High Ammonia Stress in Razor Clam (Sinonovacula constricta)
Authors: Hu Chenxin , Dai Wenfang , Zhu Xiaojie , Yao Hanhan , Lin Zhihua , Dong Yinghui , Lv Liyuan
Published: May 2023

Ammonium transporter 1 (AMT1), a member of ammonia (NH3/NH4+) transport proteins, has been found to have ammonia transport activity in plants and microorganisms. However, the functional characteristics and molecular mechanisms of AMT1 in mollusks remain unclear. The razor clam (Sinonovacula constricta) is a suitable model species to explore the molecular mechanism of ammonia excretion because of the high concentration of ambient ammonia it is exposed to in the clam–fish–shrimp polyculture system. Here, the expression of AMT1 in S. constricta (Sc-AMT1) in response to high ammonia (12.85 mmol/L NH4Cl) stress was identified by real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR), Western blotting, RNA interference, and immunofluorescence analysis. Additionally, the association between the SNP_g.15211125A > T linked with Sc-AMT1 and ammonia tolerance was validated by kompetitive allele-specific PCR (KASP). A significant upregulated expression of Sc-AMT1 was observed during ammonia exposure, and Sc-AMT1 was found to be localized in the flat cells of gill. Moreover, the interference with Sc-AMT1 significantly upregulated the hemolymph ammonia levels, accompanied by the increased mRNA expression of Rhesus glycoprotein (Rh). Taken together, our findings imply that AMT1 may be a primary contributor to ammonia excretion in S. constricta, which is the basis of their ability to inhabit benthic water with high ammonia levels.
Genotypic and Phenotypic Characterization of Escherichia coli Isolates Recovered from the Uterus of Mares with Fertility Problems
Authors: Nocera Francesca Paola , Maurizi Linda , Masullo Angelo , Nicoletti Mauro , Conte Antonietta Lucia , Brunetti Francesca , De Martino Luisa , Zagaglia Carlo , Longhi Catia
Published: May 2023

Escherichia coli is the bacterial pathogen most frequently associated with mare infertility. Here, we characterized 24 E. coli strains isolated from mares which presented signs of endometritis and infertility from a genotypic and phenotypic point of view. The majority of the isolates belonged to phylogenetic group B1 (9/24, 37.5%). Regarding antibiotic resistance profiles, 10 out of 24 (41.7%) were multidrug-resistant (MDR). Moreover, 17 out of 24 (70.8%) were strong or moderate biofilm producers, and of these eight were MDR strains. Interestingly, 21 out of 24 (87.5%) E. coli strains were phenotypically resistant to ampicillin and 10 of them were also resistant to amoxicillin with clavulanic acid. Regarding the presence of selected virulence factors, 50% of the examined strains carried at least three of them, with fimH detected in all strains, and followed by kpsMTII (11/24, 45.9%). No strain was able to invade HeLa cell monolayers. No relevant differences for all the investigated characteristics were shown by strains that grew directly on plates versus strains requiring the broth-enrichment step before growing on solid media. In conclusion, this work provides new insight into E. coli strains associated with mares’ infertility. These results broaden the knowledge of E. coli and, consequently, add useful information to improve prevention strategies and therapeutic treatments contributing to a significant increase in the pregnancy rate in mares.
Health Promotion for Students of Veterinary Medicine: A Preliminary Study on Active Microbreaks and Ergonomics Education
Authors: Grünwald Julia Andrea , Licka Theresia Franziska
Published: May 2023

Occupational hazards, such as psychosocial stressors, physical injuries from human–animal interactions, and physically demanding work tasks, are common in the veterinary profession, and musculoskeletal discomfort and pain (MDP) may already be present in veterinary undergraduates. This preliminary study investigates the effects of very short, active interventions, called microbreaks, in 36 veterinary students. At the start, participants had a high prevalence of MDP, especially in the neck and lower back. Within a 12-week observational period, 6 weeks of active intervention comprised teaching microbreaks (nine strengthening, stretching, and relaxation exercises; 30–90 s each) and a weekly veterinary-specific ergonomics education and discussion. After the intervention, participants reported fewer painful body regions and an increase in their self-efficacy in potentially painful, risky, or dangerous human–animal interactions. After the 12-week observational period, participants had increased self-efficacy in the maintenance of physical health and self-protection but decreased self-efficacy in healing injuries after veterinary human–animal interactions. Participants felt to have increased and decreased control over dangerous situations with dogs and horses, respectively, although self-efficacy in handling horses increased. Participants integrated microbreaks well into their undergraduate activities and rated the topic relevant to their (later) profession. This should encourage the inclusion of similar programs in undergraduate curricula.
Concentrations of Co-Administered Meropenem and Vancomycin in Spinal Tissues Relevant for the Treatment of Pyogenic Spondylodiscitis—An Experimental Microdialysis Study
Authors: Slater Josefine , Stilling Maiken , Hanberg Pelle , Vittrup Sofus , Bruun Knudsen Martin , Kousgaard Tøstesen Sara , Olsen Kipp Josephine , Bue Mats
Published: May 2023

Co-administration of meropenem and vancomycin has been suggested as a systemic empirical antibiotic treatment of pyogenic spondylodiscitis. The aim of this study was, in an experimental porcine model, to evaluate the percentage of an 8-h dosing interval of co-administered meropenem and vancomycin concentrations above the relevant minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) (%T>MIC) in spinal tissues using microdialysis. Eight female pigs (Danish Landrace breed, weight 78–82 kg) received a single-dose bolus infusion of 1000 mg of meropenem and 1000 mg vancomycin simultaneously before microdialysis sampling. Microdialysis catheters were applied in the third cervical (C3) vertebral cancellous bone, the C3–C4 intervertebral disc, paravertebral muscle, and adjacent subcutaneous tissue. Plasma samples were obtained for reference. The main finding was that for both drugs, the %T>MICs were highly reliant on the applied MIC target, but were heterogeneous across all targeted tissues, ranging from 25–90% for meropenem, and 10–100% for vancomycin. For both MIC targets, the highest %T>MIC was demonstrated in plasma, and the lowest %T>MIC was demonstrated in the vertebral cancellous bone for meropenem, and in the intervertebral disc for vancomycin. When indicated, our findings may suggest a more aggressive dosing approach of both meropenem and vancomycin to increase the spinal tissue concentrations to treat the full spectrum of potentially encountered bacteria in a spondylodiscitis treatment setting.
Six Long-Standing Questions about Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Surgery
Authors: Sartelli Massimo , Boermeester Marja A. , Cainzos Miguel , Coccolini Federico , de Jonge Stijn W. , Rasa Kemal , Dellinger E. Patchen , McNamara Deborah A. , Fry Donald E. , Cui Yunfeng , Delibegovic Samir , Demetrashvili Zaza , De Simone Belinda , Gkiokas George , Hardcastle Timothy C. , Itani Kamal M. F. , Isik Arda , Labricciosa Francesco Maria , Lohsiriwat Varut , Marwah Sanjay , Pintar Tadeja , Rickard Jennifer , Shelat Vishal G. , Catena Fausto , Barie Philip S.
Published: May 2023

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are the most common adverse event occurring in surgical patients. Optimal prevention of SSIs requires the bundled integration of a variety of measures before, during, and after surgery. Surgical antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP) is an effective measure for preventing SSIs. It aims to counteract the inevitable introduction of bacteria that colonize skin or mucosa into the surgical site during the intervention. This document aims to guide surgeons in appropriate administration of SAP by addressing six key questions. The expert panel identifies a list of principles in response to these questions that every surgeon around the world should always respect in administering SAP.
Protective Roles of Hydrogen Sulfide in Alzheimer’s Disease and Traumatic Brain Injury
Authors: Paul Bindu D. , Pieper Andrew A.
Published: May 2023

The gaseous signaling molecule hydrogen sulfide (H2S) critically modulates a plethora of physiological processes across evolutionary boundaries. These include responses to stress and other neuromodulatory effects that are typically dysregulated in aging, disease, and injury. H2S has a particularly prominent role in modulating neuronal health and survival under both normal and pathologic conditions. Although toxic and even fatal at very high concentrations, emerging evidence has also revealed a pronounced neuroprotective role for lower doses of endogenously generated or exogenously administered H2S. Unlike traditional neurotransmitters, H2S is a gas and, therefore, is unable to be stored in vesicles for targeted delivery. Instead, it exerts its physiologic effects through the persulfidation/sulfhydration of target proteins on reactive cysteine residues. Here, we review the latest discoveries on the neuroprotective roles of H2S in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and traumatic brain injury, which is one the greatest risk factors for AD.
Unraveling the Antioxidant Capacity of Spatholobi caulis in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Multiscale Network Approach Integrated with Experimental Validation
Authors: Bae Su-Jin , Lee Won-Yung , Bak Seon-Been , Kim Young-Eun , Kim Min-Jin , Kim Young-Woo
Published: May 2023

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a global health problem that is closely associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome. Spatholobi caulis (SC) is a herbal medicine with potential hepatoprotective effects; however, its active compounds and underlying mechanisms have not been fully explored. In this study, we combined a multiscale network-level approach with experimental validation to investigate SC’s antioxidant properties and their impact on NAFLD. Data collection and network construction were performed, and active compounds and key mechanisms were identified through multi-scale network analysis. Validation was conducted using in vitro steatotic hepatocyte models and in vivo high-fat diet-induced NAFLD models. Our findings revealed that SC treatment improved NAFLD by modulating multiple proteins and signaling pathways, including AMPK signaling pathways. Subsequent experiments showed that SC treatment reduced lipid accumulation and oxidative stress. We also validated SC’s effects on AMPK and its crosstalk pathways, emphasizing their role in hepatoprotection. We predicted procyanidin B2 to be an active compound of SC and validated it using a lipogenesis in vitro model. Histological and biochemical analyses confirmed that SC ameliorated liver steatosis and inflammation in mice. This study presents SC’s potential use in NAFLD treatment and introduces a novel approach for identifying and validating active compounds in herbal medicine.
Optimising Robot Swarm Formations by Using Surrogate Models and Simulations
Authors: Stolfi Daniel H. , Danoy Grégoire
Published: May 2023

Optimising a swarm of many robots can be computationally demanding, especially when accurate simulations are required to evaluate the proposed robot configurations. Consequentially, the size of the instances and swarms must be limited, reducing the number of problems that can be addressed. In this article, we study the viability of using surrogate models based on Gaussian processes and artificial neural networks as predictors of the robots’ behaviour when arranged in formations surrounding a central point of interest. We have trained the surrogate models and tested them in terms of accuracy and execution time on five different case studies comprising three, five, ten, fifteen, and thirty robots. Then, the best performing predictors combined with ARGoS simulations have been used to obtain optimal configurations for the robot swarm by using our proposed hybrid evolutionary algorithm, based on a genetic algorithm and a local search. Finally, the best swarm configurations obtained have been tested on a number of unseen scenarios comprising different initial robot positions to evaluate the robustness and stability of the achieved robot formations. The best performing predictors exhibited speed increases of up to 3604 with respect to the ARGoS simulations. The optimisation algorithm converged in 91% of runs and stable robot formations were achieved in 79% of the unseen testing scenarios.
Cross-Domain Conv-TasNet Speech Enhancement Model with Two-Level Bi-Projection Fusion of Discrete Wavelet Transform
Authors: Chen Yan-Tong , Wu Zong-Tai , Hung Jeih-Weih
Published: May 2023

Nowadays, time-domain features see wide use in speech enhancement (SE) networks such as frequency-domain features to achieve excellent performance in eliminating noise from input utterances. This study primarily investigates how to extract information from time-domain utterances to create more effective features in SE. We extend our recent work by employing sub-signals which dwell in multiple acoustic frequency bands in the time domain and integrating them into a unified time-domain feature set. The discrete wavelet transform (DWT) is applied to decompose each input frame signal to obtain sub-band signals, and a projection fusion process is performed on these signals to create the ultimate features. The corresponding fusion strategy is either bi-projection fusion (BPF) or multiple projection fusion (MPF). In short, MPF exploits the softmax function to replace the sigmoid function in order to create ratio masks for multiple feature sources. The concatenation of fused DWT features and time features serves as the encoder output of two celebrated SE frameworks, the fully convolutional time-domain audio separation network (Conv-TasNet) and the dual-path transformer network (DPTNet), to estimate the mask and then produce the enhanced time-domain utterances. The evaluation experiments are conducted on the VoiceBank-DEMAND and VoiceBank-QUT tasks, and the results reveal that the proposed method achieves higher speech quality and intelligibility than the original Conv-TasNet that uses time features only, indicating that the fusion of DWT features created from the input utterances can benefit time features to learn a superior Conv-TasNet/DPTNet network in SE.
Identification of Critical Road Links Based on Static and Dynamic Features Fusion
Authors: Li Yi , Huang Min
Published: May 2023

Traffic congestion is a significant challenge in modern cities, leading to economic losses, environmental pollution, and inconvenience for the public. Identifying critical road links in a city can assist urban traffic management in developing effective management strategies, preserving the efficiency of critical road links, and ensuring the smooth operation of urban transportation systems. However, the existing road link importance evaluation metrics mostly rely on complex network metrics and traffic metrics, which may lead to biased results. In this paper, we propose a critical road link identification framework based on the fusion of dynamic and static features. First, we propose a directed dual topological traffic network model that considers the subjectivity of road links, traffic circulation characteristics, and time-varying characteristics, which addresses the limitations of existing traffic network topology construction. Subsequently, we employ a novel graph representation learning network to learn the road link node low-dimensional embeddings. Finally, we utilize clustering algorithms to cluster each road link node and evaluate critical road links using the average importance evaluation indicator of different categories. The results of comparison experiments using real-world data demonstrate the clear superiority and effectiveness of our proposed method. Specifically, our method is able to achieve a reduction in traffic network efficiency of 70–75% when less than 25% of the road links are removed. In contrast, the other baseline methods only achieve a reduction of 50–70% when removing the same proportion of road links. These findings highlight the significant advantages of our approach in identifying the critical links.
Crossline Reconstruction of 3D Seismic Data Using 3D cWGAN: A Comparative Study on Sleipner Seismic Survey Data
Authors: Yu Jiyun , Yoon Daeung
Published: May 2023

In seismic data acquisition, data loss can occur, particularly with the use of streamer systems in marine seismic exploration. These systems often cause spatial aliasing problems by having close inline intervals and wide crossline intervals to maximize the exploration range. To improve the resolution of seismic data in the crossline direction, various machine learning techniques have been employed for crossline data reconstruction. In this study, we introduce a 3D cWGAN (conditional Wasserstein generative adversarial network) for interpolating 3D seismic data. We evaluate the model’s performance by comparing it with 2D cWGAN and 3D U-Net. In this study, two interpolation strategies are employed to reconstruct missing data in the crossline direction. The first strategy uses a 2D network, which trains a model using inline data and applies the trained model to the crossline direction via 2D cWGAN. The second strategy employs a 3D network, which uses the 3D volume of the seismic data directly via 3D cWGAN and 3D U-Net. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method using the Sleipner CO2 4D seismic survey dataset. Our results show that the 3D cWGAN is more efficient in enhancing resolution and computation compared to the 2D cWGAN or 3D U-Net.
Better Safe Than Never: A Survey on Adversarial Machine Learning Applications towards IoT Environment
Authors: Alkadi Sarah , Al-Ahmadi Saad , Ismail Mohamed Maher Ben
Published: May 2023

Internet of Things (IoT) technologies serve as a backbone of cutting-edge intelligent systems. Machine Learning (ML) paradigms have been adopted within IoT environments to exploit their capabilities to mine complex patterns. Despite the reported promising results, ML-based solutions exhibit several security vulnerabilities and threats. Specifically, Adversarial Machine Learning (AML) attacks can drastically impact the performance of ML models. It also represents a promising research field that typically promotes novel techniques to generate and/or defend against Adversarial Examples (AE) attacks. In this work, a comprehensive survey on AML attack and defense techniques is conducted for the years 2018–2022. The article investigates the employment of AML techniques to enhance intrusion detection performance within the IoT context. Additionally, it depicts relevant challenges that researchers aim to overcome to implement proper IoT-based security solutions. Thus, this survey aims to contribute to the literature by investigating the application of AML concepts within the IoT context. An extensive review of the current research trends of AML within IoT networks is presented. A conclusion is reached where several findings are reported including a shortage of defense mechanisms investigations, a lack of tailored IoT-based solutions, and the applicability of the existing mechanisms in both attack and defense scenarios.
Interaction Phenomena between Dental Implants and Bone Tissue in Case of Misfit: A Pilot Study
Authors: Fontanella Chiara Giulia , Carniel Emanuele Luigi , Parpaiola Andrea , Toia Marco , Natali Arturo Nicola
Published: May 2023

The biomechanical response of cortical and trabecular bone tissues represents a fundamental aspect for the interpretation of the functional response of dental implants. In the case of misfit, the interaction phenomena occurring within the surgical and the subsequent healing phases must be interpreted primarily in the light of the response of bone tissue. This is influenced by the specific loadings induced, characterized by intensity and variable trends. The pilot study reported, which intentionally refers to a simple case of a two-implants frame, is addressed to define the method to approach the biomechanical investigation of the problem and to attest the necessity to integrate clinical competences with biomechanical analysis for interpreting different aspects of osseointegration. The action induced in cortical and trabecular bone regions depending on the implant frame conformation, the surgical procedure adopted, the varying condition at the bone–implant interface and the evolutionary trend of healing are the principal aspects to be considered to evaluate the osseointegration process. The biomechanical reliability of the specific implant frame is investigated in terms of bone–implant interaction by means of numerical models. This approach can offer valid information and support clinical practice under the fundamental condition that bone biomechanical behavior is properly characterized and represented in the model, in spite of the complex formulation to be adopted.
Verification of Non-Destructive Assessment of Moisture Content of Historical Brick Walls Using Random Forest Algorithm
Authors: Hoła Anna
Published: May 2023

The paper presents the results of verification of the suitability of the random forest algorithm for the non-invasive assessment of excessively damp and salty historical brick walls. A new method of such quantitative assessment was developed and recently published by the author for the purpose of conducting research in buildings where destructive intervention is not possible due to conservation restrictions. However, before implementing the developed method into construction practice, it requires further validation. The conducted research showed that among all analyzed machine learning algorithms, the random forest algorithm is the most predisposed for the non-invasive evaluation of the Umc mass moisture content of brick walls. Data sets from archival research and experimental tests conducted in two historical buildings were used to verify the usefulness of this algorithm. This usefulness was confirmed by the obtained satisfactory values of the linear correlation coefficient R, which amounted to 0.801 for the first building and 0.803 for the second one. Moreover, it was also proved by the obtained low values of medians of the absolute errors |Δf| equal to 1.79% and 1.46%, and also by the not too high (for an in situ study) medians of the relative errors |RE| equal to 16.70% and 13.75%.
Case Study on Secondary Building Materials for a Greener Economy
Authors: Simon Franz-Georg , Kalbe Ute
Published: May 2023

Half of global material consumption involves mineral material. The circularity is still low so that the enhanced use of secondary building material is required to close loops. Three different secondary building materials are discussed based on exemplary research results: construction and demolition waste (C&D waste), soil-like material, and incineration bottom ash (IBA). Focus was placed on the environmental compatibility of the materials examined mainly by standardized leaching tests. C&D waste was investigated after a wet treatment using a jigging machine, and soil-like material and IBA were characterized with respect to their material composition. Their environmental compatibilities in particular were studied using standard leaching tests (batch tests and column tests). It was concluded that soil-like material can mostly be utilized even when the precautionary limit values set are exceeded by a factor of less than two. For C&D waste, the fine fraction below 2 mm and the content of brick material is problematic. IBA fulfills quality level “HMVA-2” following German regulations. Improved levels of utilization might be achievable with better treatment technologies.
A Disposable Soft Magnetic Ribbon Impedance-Based Sensor for Corrosion Monitoring
Authors: Berman Izabella , Devkota Jagannath , Hwang Kee Young , Phan Manh-Huong
Published: May 2023

We present a new approach for the real-time monitoring of chemical corrosion based on radio-frequency (RF) impedance technology and soft ferromagnetic ribbons. The impedance (Z) of a commercial METGLAS® 2714A ribbon was measured in real time for 5 μL of drop-casted HNO3 of various concentrations. Variations in the concentration of the drop-casted acid were assessed by considering the difference in Z (η) with and without the acid treatment. We found a large and linear increase in η (from ~5 to ~35 mΩ) and a large linear decrease in measurement time (from ~240 to 70 s) with increases in acid concentration (from 0.9 to 7.4 Molar), which is promising for the development of disposable chemical sensors for the strength estimation of corrosive chemicals and for the monitoring of time-dependent chemical corrosion processes. Since the ribbon used is commercially available at a low cost and as the measurement system is quick and low power-consuming, the proposed sensor can be used as an easy, quick, and low-cost chemical probe in industry and for environmental hazard management purposes.
Reliability Assessment of Power Systems in High-Load Areas with High Proportion of Gas-Fired Units Considering Natural Gas Loss
Authors: Zeng Kaile , Wang Yunchu , Yu Shuyang , Jiang Xinyue , Ma Yuanqian , Ma Jien , Lin Zhenzhi
Published: May 2023

The “dual-carbon” policy underscores the crucial importance of a secure and stable natural gas supply to ensure the reliable operation of power systems. In high-load areas with a high proportion of gas-fired units and no alternative energy supply, urgent attention needs to be paid to the impact of natural gas loss on power system reliability. Given this background, a method to evaluate power system reliability that considers natural gas supply fluctuations is proposed. In this method, a reliability model of the natural gas supply chain based on the minimal cut set theory is constructed and the influence of policy regulations and economic market factors on system components is quantified. Then, a reliability-evaluation model for a power system that considers gas loss is constructed, and a non-sequential Monte Carlo simulation is used to solve it. Afterward, a reliability-evaluation method considering the power system reserve capacity is proposed. Finally, case studies on a natural gas system with a 14-node power system of a certain area are performed to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, and the simulation results demonstrate that the reliability of the energy supply directly affects the reliability of the power system.
Minimum Variance Distortionless Response—Hanbury Brown and Twiss Sound Source Localization
Authors: Liu Mengran , Qu Shanbang , Zhao Xuhui
Published: May 2023

Sound source target localization is an extremely useful technique that is currently utilized in many fields. The Hanbury Brown and Twiss (HBT) interference target localization method based on sound fields is not accurate enough for localization at low signal-to-noise ratios (below 0 dB). To address this problem, this paper introduces Minimum Variance Distortionless Response (MVDR) beamforming and proposes a new MVDR-HBT algorithm. Specifically, for narrowband signals, the inverse of the correlation matrix of the sound signal is calculated, and a guiding vector is constructed to compute the MVDR direction weights. These direction weights are then used to weight the correlation function of the HBT algorithm. Subsequently, the MVDR-HBT algorithm is extended from narrowband signals to broadband signals. As a result, the directivity of the HBT algorithm is optimized for wide- and narrowband signals, resulting in improved localization accuracy. Finally, the target localization accuracy of the MVDR-HBT algorithm is analyzed through simulation and localization experiments. The results show that the MVDR-HBT algorithm can accurately determine the direction of a sound source, with localization errors at different positions that are smaller than those produced by HBT. The localization performance of MVDR-HBT is considerably better than that of HBT, further verifying the simulation results. This study provides a new idea for target localization within an acoustic propagation medium (air).
Vitamin D and Vitamin D Receptor Polymorphisms Relationship to Risk Level of Dental Caries
Authors: Peponis Marios , Antoniadou Maria , Pappa Eftychia , Rahiotis Christos , Varzakas Theodoros
Published: May 2023

Dental caries is a multifactorial disease with multiple risk factors. Vitamin D levels (VDLs) and vitamin D receptor polymorphisms (VDRPs) have been investigated for this reason. The aim of this narrative review is to investigate the relation and the factors affecting vitamin D deficiency (VDD), VDRP, Early Childhood Caries (ECC) and Severe Early Childhood Caries (S-ECC) in children (primary and mixed dentition) and dental caries risk in adults (permanent dentition). Additionally, we present a model incorporating factors and interactions that address this relationship. Methods: Three databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library) were comprehensively searched until 17 January 2023 using the following keywords: “vitamin D”, “vitamin D receptor polymorphism”, “dental caries”, and “dental caries risk”, finding 341 articles. Two reviewers searched, screened, and extracted information from the selected articles. All pooled analyses were based on random-effects models. Eligibility criteria were articles using dmft/DMFT diagnostic criteria with calibrated examiners, probability sampling, and sample sizes. We excluded studies conducted on institutionalized patients. A total of 32 studies were finally used. Results: In most studies, TaqI, FokI, and BsmI polymorphisms affected the prevalence of dental caries. A strong correlation between ECC, S-ECC, and the prevalence of dental caries was reported in association with VDD and maternal intake of VD in primary dentition. Regarding the influence in mixed dentition, the results were found to be inconclusive. A slight positive influence was reported for permanent dentition. Conclusions: Factors affecting caries risk were maternal intake, socioeconomic factors, and level of VD. There is a certain need for more well-conducted studies that will investigate the association between VDR gene polymorphisms and the prevalence of dental caries in mixed and permanent dentition, specifically in adult patients.
A Chunked and Disordered Data Privacy Protection Algorithm: Application to Resource Platform Systems
Authors: Zhang Daike , Chen Junyang , He Yihui , Lan Xiaoqing , Chen Xian , Dong Chunlin , Li Jun
Published: May 2023

This paper provides a systematic analysis of existing resource platforms, evaluating their advantages and drawbacks with respect to data privacy protection. To address the privacy and security risks associated with resource platform data, we propose a novel privacy protection algorithm based on chunking disorder. Our algorithm exchanges data within a specific range of chunk size for the position and combines the chunked data with the MD5 value in a differential way, thus ensuring data privacy. To ensure the security of the algorithm, we also discuss the importance of preventing client and server decompilation during its implementation. The findings of our experiments are as follows. Our proposed privacy-preserving algorithm is extremely secure and easy to implement. Our algorithm has a significant avalanche effect, maintaining values of 0.61–0.85, with information entropy being maintained at 4.5–4.9. This indicates that our algorithm is highly efficient without compromising data security. Furthermore, our algorithm has strong encryption and decryption time stability. The key length can be up to 594 bits, rendering it challenging to decrypt. Compared with the traditional DES algorithm, our algorithm has better security under the same conditions and approaches the levels of security offered by the AES and RC4 algorithms.