bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adaptive Multi-Robot Communication System and Collision Avoidance Algorithm for Precision Agriculture
Authors: Ünal İlker , Kabaş Önder , Eceoğlu Osman , Moiceanu Georgiana
Published: July 2023

In precision farming technology, the interest of the researchers has been focused on the applications of autonomous mobile robots for agricultural operations such as planting, inspection, spraying, and harvesting. However, each autonomous robot generally performs a single agricultural task. In this context, complete autonomy in precision farming can be achieved by using coordinated multi-robot systems that can easily and safely cooperate to accomplish agricultural tasks. The efficiency of the multi-robot system depends on the number of robots, the size of the robots, the distance between each robot, the instant location and heading angle of the robots, and the size of the farmland. This paper describes the development of wireless Robot to Robot (R2R) communication system architecture and the collision avoidance algorithm for multi-robot precision farming applications. The developed system uses the fusion of a digital compass and GPS receiver for wirelessly broadcasting the spatial and temporal data of the mobile robots through WiFi. In this study, WiFi broadcasting was chosen for reasons such as the advantages of long wireless signal range and strength, not being easily affected by weather and dust, low cost, and so on. The proposed system realizes the real-time wireless broadcasting of the mobile robot information for eliminating the collision of mobile robots and improving the level of safety management. The results show that the system has flexible, reliable, and adaptable solution, and thus can increase the efficiency of the multi-robot system in precision farming applications.
Solution Space Management to Enable Data Farming in Strategic Network Design
Authors: Kroeger Sebastian , Wegmann Marc , Soellner Christoph , Zaeh Michael F.
Published: July 2023

During strategic network design, not only strategic but also operational decisions must be made long before a production network is put into operation. These include determining the location and size of inventories within the production network and setting operational parameters for production lines, such as the shift model. However, the large solution space comprising a high number of highly uncertain design parameters makes these decisions challenging without decision support. Therefore, data farming offers a potential solution, as synthetic data can be generated via the execution of multiple simulation experiments spanning the solution space and then analyzed using data mining techniques to provide data-based decision support. However, data farming has not yet been applied to strategic network design due to the lack of adequate solution space management. To address this shortcoming, this paper presents a structured solution space management approach that integrates production network-specific requirements and Design of Experiment (DoE) methods. The approach enables converting the solution space in strategic network design into individual input data sets for simulation experiments, generating a comprehensive database that can be mined for data-based decision support. The applicability and validity of the comprehensive approach are ensured via a case study in the automotive industry.
A Framework for Identifying Essential Proteins with Hybridizing Deep Neural Network and Ordinary Least Squares
Authors: Zou Sai , Hu Yunbin , Yang Wenya
Published: July 2023

Essential proteins are vital for maintaining life activities and play a crucial role in biological processes. Identifying essential proteins is of utmost importance as it helps in understanding the minimal requirements for cell life, discovering pathogenic genes and drug targets, diagnosing diseases, and comprehending the mechanism of biological evolution. The latest research suggests that integrating protein–protein interaction (PPI) networks and relevant biological sequence features can enhance the accuracy and robustness of essential protein identification. In this paper, a deep neural network (DNN) method was used to identify a yeast essential protein, which was named IYEPDNN. The method combines gene expression profiles, PPI networks, and orthology as input features to improve the accuracy of DNN while reducing computational complexity. To enhance the robustness of the yeast dataset, the common least squares method is used to supplement absenting data. The correctness and effectiveness of the IYEPDNN method are verified using the DIP and GAVIN databases. Our experimental results demonstrate that IYEPDNN achieves an accuracy of 84%, and it outperforms state-of-the-art methods (WDC, PeC, OGN, ETBUPPI, RWAMVL, etc.) in terms of the number of essential proteins identified. The findings of this study demonstrate that the correlation between features plays a crucial role in enhancing the accuracy of essential protein prediction. Additionally, selecting the appropriate training data can effectively address the issue of imbalanced training data in essential protein identification.
Analysis of Biomechanical Characteristics of External Fixators with Steel and Composite Frames during Anterior–Posterior Bending
Authors: Pervan Nedim , Mešić Elmedin , Muminović Adis J. , Muratović Enis , Delić Muamer
Published: July 2023

This paper presents a comparative analysis of the biomechanical characteristics of an external fixator with a frame made of two different materials (stainless steel and composite material) during anterior–posterior bending. Before the test itself, two representative configurations of the Sarafix fixator were selected for application on the lower leg and upper extremities under the designations B50 and C50, which are most widely used in orthopedic practice. The examination of the biomechanical characteristics of the external fixator was carried out using the structural analysis of the construction performance of the Sarafix fixator using the finite element method, the results of which were verified through experimental tests. The developed experimental and FEM models study the movement of the fracture crack and enable the determination of the stiffness of structural designs as well as the control of the generated stresses at the characteristic locations of the fixator. The results show that the fixator with a carbon frame has lower stresses at critical points in the construction compared to the fixator with a steel frame, in the amount of up to 49% (at the measuring point MT+) or up to 46% (at the measuring point MT−) for both fixture test configurations. The fixator with a carbon frame has greater displacements at the fracture site compared to the fixator with a steel frame, in the amount of up to 45% (for configuration B50) or up to 31% (for configuration C50). The stiffness of the structure for both test configurations of the fixator is lower in the fixator with a carbon frame compared to the fixator with a steel frame by up to 27%. Based on the findings of this study, we can conclude that a fixator with a steel frame has better biomechanical characteristics compared to a carbon frame.
Research on the Design Method of Cushioning Packaging for Products with Unbalanced Mass
Authors: Yang Xiaojun , Li Huoxing , Sun Ying , Cai Yijie , Zhou Hongdi , Zhong Fei
Published: July 2023

The purpose of this work is to provide support for the design of cushioning packaging materials for products with unbalanced mass distributions. A mathematical model of the cushioning packaging system is established and the fourth-order Runge–Kutta method is used to compare the vibration response of products with balanced and unbalanced mass. Finite element simulations are conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method of optimizing the design of cushioning packaging materials for products with unbalanced mass distributions using various damping materials. The simulation results are verified by experiments. The results show that the magnitude of the mass offset has a large effect on the acceleration of damped cushioning packaging systems for products with unbalanced mass. The vibration response can be corrected by appropriately increasing the damping coefficient at the mass offset end, thus providing an effective method of optimizing the design of cushioning packaging for products with unbalanced mass.
Material Substitution Strategies for Energy Reduction and Greenhouse Gas Emission in Cement Manufacturing
Authors: Akintayo Busola Dorcas , Akintayo Damilola Caleb , Olanrewaju Oludolapo Akanni
Published: July 2023

While there is strong demand for cement because of its widespread use in modern society, its production is a source of international concern due to the large amounts of energy required and the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced in the process. These GHGs deplete the ozone layer and speed up global warming. Therefore, it is important to investigate several methods of handling this issue, and material replacement has been proposed as the best option among many others. In this study, we examine the different strategies that have employed material substitution to reduce energy use and GHG emissions during the past decade. In this study, we provided an overview of the cement production processes and outlined the various material replacement choices available to us (including waste or recycled materials and other materials). This study found that partial (1–60%) and total material substitution in cement production processes have been reported to lower energy consumption by 5.5% to 40% and greenhouse gas emissions by 1% to 94%. This highlights the importance of material substitution in cement production for reducing energy consumption and emissions of greenhouse gases.
Projecting Hydroclimatic Extremes: Climate Change Impacts on Drought in a German Low Mountain Range Catchment
Authors: Grosser Paula Farina , Schmalz Britta
Published: July 2023

Germany’s increasing temperatures and droughts are significantly impacting the hydrological realm. This study examines the implications of climate change on future droughts in a representative catchment within Germany’s low mountain range. Findings of this research shed light on potential impacts on future seasonal water availability, aiding decision makers and stakeholders in managing regional climate change risks. Climate and drought indices, as well as the climatic water balance, are computed and analyzed until 2100, relative to a reference period. A high emission scenario (RCP8.5) and a climate protection scenario (RCP2.6) are considered to address uncertainties. Results reveal above-average warming in the study area compared to the national average. Under the RCP8.5 scenario, the far future exhibits an average of 44 annual heat days. Despite wetter winters, extended droughts persist. Water stress intensifies in summer and autumn, with a projected 68% increase in dry period duration. The findings emphasize the necessity of adaptation strategies, as even ambitious global warming mitigation efforts require regional adaptation. The study represents the first application of a Germany-wide, bias-adjusted, and regionalized dataset at catchment level. It contributes novel insights for regional water resources management and advances understanding of climate change impacts in German low mountain range regions.
On Orthogonal Fuzzy Interpolative Contractions with Applications to Volterra Type Integral Equations and Fractional Differential Equations
Authors: Ishtiaq Umar , Jahangeer Fahad , Kattan Doha A. , Argyros Ioannis K. , Regmi Samundra
Published: July 2023

In this paper, orthogonal fuzzy versions are reported for some celebrated iterative mappings. We provide various concrete conditions on the real valued functions J,S:(0,1]→(−∞,∞) for the existence of fixed-points of (J,S)-fuzzy interpolative contractions. This way, many fixed point theorems are developed in orthogonal fuzzy metric spaces. We apply the (J,S)-fuzzy version of Banach fixed point theorem to demonstrate the existence and uniqueness of the solution. These results are supported with several non-trivial examples and applications to Volterra-type integral equations and fractional differential equations.
Galectin-9 as a Potential Modulator of Lymphocyte Adhesion to Endothelium via Binding to Blood Group H Glycan
Authors: Rapoport Eugenia M. , Ryzhov Ivan M. , Slivka Ekaterina V. , Korchagina Elena Yu. , Popova Inna S. , Khaidukov Sergey V. , André Sabine , Kaltner Herbert , Gabius Hans-J. , Henry Stephen , Bovin Nicolai V.
Published: July 2023

The recruitment of leukocytes from blood is one of the most important cellular processes in response to tissue damage and inflammation. This multi-step process includes rolling leukocytes and their adhesion to endothelial cells (EC), culminating in crossing the EC barrier to reach the inflamed tissue. Galectin-8 and galectin-9 expressed on the immune system cells are part of this process and can induce cell adhesion via binding to oligolactosamine glycans. Similarly, these galectins have an order of magnitude higher affinity towards glycans of the ABH blood group system, widely represented on ECs. However, the roles of gal-8 and gal-9 as mediators of adhesion to endothelial ABH antigens are practically unknown. In this work, we investigated whether H antigen–gal-9-mediated adhesion occurred between Jurkat cells (of lymphocytic origin and known to have gal-9) and EA.hy 926 cells (immortalized endothelial cells and known to have blood group H antigen). Baseline experiments showed that Jurkat cells adhered to EA.hy 926 cells; however when these EA.hy 926 cells were defucosylated (despite the unmasking of lactosamine chains), adherence was abolished. Restoration of fucosylation by insertion of synthetic glycolipids in the form of H (type 2) trisaccharide Fucα1-2Galβ1-4GlcNAc restored adhesion. The degree of lymphocyte adhesion to native and the “H-restored” (glycolipid-loaded) EA.hy 926 cells was comparable. If this gal-9/H (type 2) interaction is similar to processes that occur in vivo, this suggests that only the short (trisaccharide) H glycan on ECs is required.
Disturbed Antioxidant Capacity in Patients with Systemic Sclerosis Associates with Lung and Gastrointestinal Symptoms
Authors: Brezovec Neža , Perdan-Pirkmajer Katja , Burja Blaž , Rotar Žiga , Osredkar Joško , Sodin-Šemrl Snežna , Lakota Katja , Čučnik Saša
Published: July 2023

The correct balance between reactive oxygen species and antioxidant defense in an organism is disturbed in oxidative stress. To assess oxidative balance in 36 SSc patients and 26 healthy controls (HCs), we measured reactive oxidative metabolites (ROMs), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), lipid peroxidation (measuring 4-HNE), and DNA oxidative damage (measuring 8-OHdG) in serum. Furthermore, DNA breaks in leukocytes of 35 SSc patients and 32 HCs were evaluated using COMET. While we report high ROMs for both SSc patients and age/sex matched HC samples, there was a significant increase in TAC in SSc patients as compared to HCs, and thus also a significantly higher oxidative stress index in SSc patients. TAC was significantly higher in SSc patients with ILD and gastrointestinal involvement, as well as in patients with anti-topoisomerase antibodies. We observe no difference in serum lipid peroxidation status or oxidative DNA damage. However, SSc patients had significantly more leukocyte DNA breaks than HCs; the most damage was observed in patients treated with immunosuppressives. Thus, our study confirms presence of oxidative stress and increased DNA damage in leukocytes of SSc patients; however, it points toward increased antioxidant capacity, which needs to be further studied.
Exploring the Influence of Public Perception of Mass Media Usage and Attitudes towards Mass Media News on Altruistic Behavior
Authors: Liao Chi-Horng
Published: July 2023

Based on the cultivation theory and the theory of planned behavior, this study determined how people’s perceptions of mass media news and their attitudes towards it impact their altruistic behavior by examining the factors that influence perception. The study collected data from 435 individuals with access to mass media in Taiwan, which were analyzed using SEM. The results revealed that media exposure, credibility, and social influence were critical factors that influenced individuals’ perceptions of mass media news, with media exposure having a more significant influence. Surprisingly, the findings demonstrated that perception was negatively related to attitudes, inconsistent with the proposed hypothesis. Thus, perceptions and attitudes were positively associated with altruistic behavior, and attitude was found to mediate the relationship between perceptions about mass media news and altruistic behavior. The study also provides important implications for theory and practice, especially in mass media entities, in developing and adopting practices that promote trust among the audience by encouraging altruistic behaviors through news coverage of various issues.
Consumers’ Corporate Social Responsibility Perception and Anti-Consumer Awareness: Roles of Compassion and Corporate Social Responsibility Authenticity in South Korea
Authors: Ko Sung-Hoon , Kim Ji-Young , Choi Yongjun
Published: July 2023

This study examines the effect of consumers’ perceptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on their anti-consumer awareness. Specifically, this study aims to uncover the mechanisms through which the consumer’s CSR perception relates to their formation of anti-consumer awareness. A survey design was adopted to test this study’s hypotheses. We collected data from 310 consumers in South Korea and used path analysis and bootstrapping to test the hypotheses. Our results showed that consumers’ CSR perception is negatively related to their anti-consumer awareness. Notably, consumers’ perception of CSR activities is positively related to their perceptions of compassion toward organizations, which, in turn, is also positively associated with their perception of CSR authenticity. Furthermore, compassion and CSR authenticity serially mediate the negative relationship between CSR perception and anti-consumer awareness. Our findings shed light on the importance of engaging in CSR activities from consumers’ perspectives. Specifically, our findings suggest that organizations need to proactively engage in CSR activities with authenticity to maintain and even further their reputation among consumers. Furthermore, by demonstrating the psychological processes of how CSR activities translate into consumers’ attitudes toward the organizations, our study provides fruitful avenues for future research.
The Current Landscape of Glioblastoma Biomarkers in Body Fluids
Authors: Zanganeh Saba , Abbasgholinejad Elham , Doroudian Mohammad , Esmaelizad Nazanin , Farjadian Fatemeh , Benhabbour Soumya Rahima
Published: July 2023

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive and lethal primary brain cancer that necessitates early detection and accurate diagnosis for effective treatment and improved patient outcomes. Traditional diagnostic methods, such as imaging techniques and tissue biopsies, have limitations in providing real-time information and distinguishing treatment-related changes from tumor progression. Liquid biopsies, used to analyze biomarkers in body fluids, offer a non-invasive and dynamic approach to detecting and monitoring GBM. This article provides an overview of GBM biomarkers in body fluids, including circulating tumor cells (CTCs), cell-free DNA (cfDNA), cell-free RNA (cfRNA), microRNA (miRNA), and extracellular vesicles. It explores the clinical utility of these biomarkers for GBM detection, monitoring, and prognosis. Challenges and limitations in implementing liquid biopsy strategies in clinical practice are also discussed. The article highlights the potential of liquid biopsies as valuable tools for personalized GBM management but underscores the need for standardized protocols and further research to optimize their clinical utility.
Reliability and Efficiency of the CAPRI-3 Metastatic Prostate Cancer Registry Driven by Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Bosch Dianne , Kuppen Malou C. P. , Tascilar Metin , Smilde Tineke J. , Mulders Peter F. A. , Uyl-de Groot Carin A. , van Oort Inge M.
Published: July 2023

Background: Manual data collection is still the gold standard for disease-specific patient registries. However, CAPRI-3 uses text mining (an artificial intelligence (AI) technology) for patient identification and data collection. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the reliability and efficiency of this AI-driven approach. Methods: CAPRI-3 is an observational retrospective multicenter cohort registry on metastatic prostate cancer. We tested the patient-identification algorithm and automated data extraction through manual validation of the same patients in two pilots in 2019 and 2022. Results: Pilot one identified 2030 patients and pilot two 9464 patients. The negative predictive value of the algorithm was maximized to prevent false exclusions and reached 94.8%. The completeness and accuracy of the automated data extraction were 92.3% or higher, except for date fields and inaccessible data (images/pdf) (10–88.9%). Additional manual quality control took over 3 h less time per patient than the original fully manual CAPRI registry (105 vs. 300 min). Conclusions: The CAPRI-3 patient-identification algorithm is a sound replacement for excluding ineligible candidates. The AI-driven data extraction is largely accurate and complete, but manual quality control is needed for less reliable and inaccessible data. Overall, the AI-driven approach of the CAPRI-3 registry is reliable and timesaving.
Ultra-Low Loading of Iron Oxide and Platinum on CVD-Graphene Composites as Effective Electrode Catalysts for Solid Acid Fuel Cells
Authors: Hatahet Mhamad Hamza , Bryja Hagen , Lotnyk Andriy , Wagner Maximilian , Abel Bernd
Published: July 2023

We propose a new design for electrocatalysts consisting of two electrocatalysts (platinum and iron oxide) that are deposited on the surfaces of an oxidized graphene substrate. This design is based on a simple structure where the catalysts were deposited separately on both sides of oxidized graphene substrate; while the iron oxide precipitated out of the etching solution on the bottom-side, the surface of the oxidized graphene substrate was decorated with platinum using the atomic layer deposition technique. The Fe2O3-decorated CVD-graphene composite exhibited better hydrogen electrooxidation performance (area-normalized electrode resistance (ANR) of ~600 Ω·cm−2) and superior stability in comparison with bare-graphene samples (ANR of ~5800 Ω·cm−2). Electrochemical impedance measurements in humidified hydrogen at 240 °C for (Fe2O3|Graphene|Platinum) electrodes show ANR of ~0.06 Ω·cm−2 for a platinum loading of ~60 µgPt·cm−2 and Fe2O3 loading of ~2.4 µgFe·cm−2, resulting in an outstanding mass normalized activity of almost 280 S·mgPt−1, exceeding even state-of-the-art electrodes. This ANR value is ~30% lower than the charge transfer resistance of the same electrode composition in the absence of Fe2O3 nanoparticles. Detailed study of the Fe2O3 electrocatalytic properties reveals a significant improvement in the electrode’s activity and performance stability with the addition of iron ions to the platinum-decorated oxidized graphene cathodes, indicating that these hybrid (Fe2O3|Graphene|Platinum) materials may serve as highly efficient catalysts for solid acid fuel cells and beyond.
Association of the rs8720 and rs12587 KRAS Gene Variants with Colorectal Cancer in a Mexican Population and Their Analysis In Silico
Authors: Gallegos-Arreola Martha Patricia , Garibaldi-Ríos Asbiel Felipe , Cruz-Sánchez José Israel , Figuera Luis Eduardo , Ronquillo-Carreón Carlos Alberto , Rosales-Reynoso Mónica Alejandra , Gómez-Meda Belinda Claudia , Carrillo-Dávila Irving Alejandro , Puebla-Pérez Ana María , Montoya-Fuentes Héctor , Peralta-Leal Valeria , Zúñiga-González Guillermo M.
Published: July 2023

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major global health challenge and one of the top 10 cancers in Mexico. Lifestyle and genetic factors influence CRC development, prognosis, and therapeutic response; identifying risk factors, such as the genes involved, is critical to understanding its behavior, mechanisms, and prognosis. The association between KRAS gene variants (rs8720 and rs12587) and CRC in the Mexican population was analyzed. We performed in silico analysis and analyzed 310 healthy individuals and 385 CRC patients using TaqMan assays and real-time PCR. The CC and GG genotypes of rs8720 and rs12587 were identified as CRC risk factors (p < 0.05). The CC and TC genotypes of the rs8720 were associated with rectal cancer, age over 50 years, moderately differentiated histology, and advanced cancer stage. TG and GG genotypes of the rs12587 variant were a risk factor in the CRC group, in patients with stage I–II, males, and stage III–IV non-chemotherapy response. The TG haplotype is protected against CRC. The combined CCGG genotype was linked to CRC risk. In silico analysis revealed that the rs12587 and rs8720 variants could influence KRAS gene regulation via miRNAs. In conclusion, rs8720 and rs12587 variants of the KRAS gene were associated with CRC risk and could influence KRAS regulation via miRNAs.
Clinical Characterization of Pediatric Erythromelalgia: A Single-Center Case Series
Authors: Sun Jenny , Ocay Don Daniel , Halpin Meghan , Lobo Kimberly , Frohman Dafni F. T. , Donado Carolina , Brownstein Catherine A. , Genetti Casie A. , Madden Anna , Berde Charles B.
Published: July 2023

Erythromelalgia is a descriptive term for severe burning pain and erythema in the distal extremities relieved by cold and exacerbated by heat. Pediatric case series to date are relatively small. We extracted and analyzed medical record data for 42 pediatric patients to describe clinical characteristics, associated conditions, and responses to treatments. Informed consent was obtained according to an IRB-approved protocol that included gene discovery. Three patients had confirmed Nav1.7 sodium channelopathies, with six additional patients under investigation with novel gene candidates. There was a female predominance (2.5:1), and the median onset age was 12 years (IQR = 3–14). Patients saw a median of three specialists (IQR = 2–3) for a diagnosis. The majority (90%) reported bilateral symptoms. Cooling methods usually provided partial relief, while heat and exercise exacerbated pain. No medication appeared to be consistently effective; commonly prescribed medications included sodium channel blockers (n = 37), topical analgesics (n = 26), gabapentin (n = 22), and aspirin (n = 15). Based on the currently published literature, we believe this cohort is the largest pediatric study of erythromelalgia to date. Many findings are consistent with those of previously published case series. Work is in progress to establish a prospective cohort and multi-center registry.
Low Motor Dexterity and Significant Behaviors Following Hospitalized Isolation in Children
Authors: Fraser Kaitlin , Kuhn Miriam , Swanson Rebecca , Coulter Don W. , Copeland Christopher , Zuniga Jorge M.
Published: July 2023

The main objective of this study was to describe the cortical patterns of brain activity during a gross dexterity task and develop a behavioral profile of children experiencing isolation. A cross-sectional assessment was conducted during one visit. Sample: Four pediatric patients who had undergone isolation within a hospital comprised the full data collection. During the collection, participants completed the Box and Blocks Test of gross manual dexterity while undergoing imaging of the motor cortex using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Participants also completed a Behavioral Assessment System for Children, Third Edition (BASC-3) self-report, which was analyzed along with a parent report to quantify their emotional and social behaviors. All participants displayed lower gross dexterity levels than normative data. Furthermore, three out of the four participants displayed ipsilateral dominance of the motor cortex during the dexterity task. Three of the participants displayed behavioral measures reported within clinically significant or at-risk scores. Clinically significant behavioral scores coupled with lower than expected manual dexterity values and ipsilateral hemispheric dominance indicate that neuroplastic changes can occur in populations undergoing hospitalized isolation. While the impacts of the treatments and isolation in this case cannot be separated, further studies should be conducted to understand these impacts of isolation.
Regeneration of Pancreatic Beta Cells by Modulation of Molecular Targets Using Plant-Derived Compounds: Pharmacological Mechanisms and Clinical Potential
Authors: Kimani Clare Njoki , Reuter Helmuth , Kotzé Sanet Henriët , Muller Christo John Fredrick
Published: July 2023

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is characterized by pancreatic beta-cell dysfunction, increased cell death and loss of beta-cell mass despite chronic treatment. Consequently, there has been growing interest in developing beta cell-centered therapies. Beta-cell regeneration is mediated by augmented beta-cell proliferation, transdifferentiation of other islet cell types to functional beta-like cells or the reprograming of beta-cell progenitors into fully differentiated beta cells. This mediation is orchestrated by beta-cell differentiation transcription factors and the regulation of the cell cycle machinery. This review investigates the beta-cell regenerative potential of antidiabetic plant extracts and phytochemicals. Various preclinical studies, including in vitro, in vivo and ex vivo studies, are highlighted. Further, the potential regenerative mechanisms and the intra and extracellular mediators that are of significance are discussed. Also, the potential of phytochemicals to translate into regenerative therapies for T2D patients is highlighted, and some suggestions regarding future perspectives are made.
Meteorological Drought Characterization in the Calabria Region (Southern Italy)
Authors: Coscarelli Roberto , Caloiero Tommaso , Filice Eugenio , Marsico Loredana , Rotundo Roberta
Published: July 2023

Due to the important role of water resources in the growth of the world’s economy, drought causes global concern for its severe worldwide implications on different sectors, such as biodiversity, farming, public water supply, energy, tourism, human health, and ecosystem services. In particular, drought events can have strong environmental and socioeconomic impacts in countries depending on rain-fed agriculture such as the ones in the Mediterranean region, which, due to a detected increase in warming and precipitation decrease, is considered a climate change hotspot. In this context, in this paper, meteorological drought in the Calabria region (southern Italy) has been characterized considering the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) evaluated at different timescales. First, the temporal distribution of the most severe dry episodes has been evaluated. Then, a trend analysis has been conducted considering the different seasons, the wet (autumn and winter) and dry (spring and summer) periods, and the annual scale. Finally, the relationship between drought and some teleconnection patterns (the North Atlantic Oscillation—NAO, the El Niño–Southern Oscillation—ENSO, and the Mediterranean Oscillation—MO) has been investigated. Results show that the majority of the severe/extreme drought events have been observed between 1985 and 2008. Moreover, a decrease in SPI values has been observed in winter and spring, in both the wet and dry periods, and upon the annual scale considering the 12-month SPI and the 24-month SPI. Finally, a link between the drought episodes in the Calabria region and the NAO phases and the MO has been identified. Since drought episodes can severely impact water resources and their uses, the findings presented in this work can be useful to plan and manage the water supply for household, farming, and industrial uses.
Improving the Technical Characteristics of Untreated and Heat-Treated Ayous Wood against Accelerating Ageing by Testing Two Application Modalities of an Innovative Polyurethane Coating for Outdoor Uses
Authors: Rubino Gianluca , Lo Monaco Angela , Lanteri Luca , Pelosi Claudia
Published: July 2023

This paper presents the results of tests of a new mono-component polyurethane coating for wood with the aim of evaluating its effect on Ayous (Triplochiton scleroxylon K. Schum), which is a wood species used in Europe for various applications, especially outdoors, after being heat treated. The coating was tested on both untreated and thermally treated samples, as the latter procedure is commonly used in the wood industry to modify the material’s characteristics. Moreover, two kinds of coating application were tested: coatings applied via brushing and coatings applied via spraying; in this test, we also verified the most suitable and effective modality. Samples were investigated using the following techniques: colour measurement, roughness mapping, contact angle measurement, surface micro-hardness and the wearing test; these techniques were applied before and after a period of artificial ageing under simulated solar irradiation. Upon synthesizing the main results, we identified the following results: (i) the polyurethane coating reduced the colour variation as a result of artificial aging of the untreated Ayous wood; in contrast, heat-treated wood underwent large colour changes; (ii) the coating acted effectively as a hydrophobic agent on the surface of the wood in each case examined, though even a short aging time altered the initial wettability characteristics; and (iii) the application of the coating caused a decrease in the roughness of both untreated and heat-treated surfaces, though this trend was much more evident in the case of the spray modality of application; however, aging always induced an increase in roughness, which was mainly observed in uncoated wood samples.
Growth and Scintillation Properties of Na+-Doped CsCu2I3 Single Crystals
Authors: Shu Chang , Wei Qinhua , Liu Dongdong , Li Wen , Yin Hang , Li Huanying , Tang Gao , Qin Laishun
Published: July 2023

CsCu2I3 crystal is a promising Cu-based halide material for scintillation detection. In this paper, Na+ ion-doped CsCu2I3 crystals with a size of ϕ12 mm × 50 mm were grown successfully using the vertical Bridgman method, and the properties were systematically investigated. CsCu2I3:Na crystals exhibit yellow light emission peaking at 575 nm and a large Stokes shift of 1.55 eV. Based on the results of the XRD and XPS, the Na+ was introduced successfully. The optical absorption spectra show that the band gap of CsCu2I3 crystals was narrowed when the Na+ was doped. The photoluminescence quantum efficiency (PLQY) is improved from 16.4% to 19.6%. Finally, the X-ray-induced afterglow, and scintillation (energy resolution, light yield and decay time) under a 137Cs source were measured and discussed. These results illustrate that CsCu2I3:Na crystals have potential applications in the radiation detection field.
Domestic Reutilization Status of Invasive Turtle Species in South Korea Based on Trachemys scripta
Authors: Baek Hae-Jun , Cho Soyeon , Seok Minjeong , Shin Joo-Won , Kim Dae-In
Published: July 2023

This study was conducted to determine the reutilization, distribution, and import status of invasive alien turtles in South Korea. The results showed that a total of nine invasive alien turtle species including Trachemys scripta, which is designated as an ecosystem disturbing species (EDS), were traded in the traditional market, and 84 of 169 turtles registered through the National Animal Welfare Information System were reintroduced to new breeders. Additionally, the distribution of invasive alien turtles was confirmed at 341 points in 109 cities, and we found that, on average, 7 tons of non-indigenous turtles are imported annually from over 20 countries to South Korea. These results indicate the urgent need for efficient management of invasive turtles in South Korea. Therefore, we suggest (1) activating a purchase program of EDS through local governments, (2) establishing links with research institutions and experts to improve the initial species identification accuracy of the National Animal Welfare Information System, (3) establishing a follow-up management system after the designation of EDS, and (4) providing a free collection service for exotic turtles abandoned by breeders. Finally, this study provided the current distribution of invasive alien turtles in South Korea and the exotic turtle import status over 21 years.
Variations of Serum CRP Levels in Periodontal Health and Diseases: A Clinico-Biochemical Study
Authors: Shankar Sidharth , Manjunath Shiva , Alqahtani Saad Mohammad , Ganji Kiran Kumar , Nagate Raghavendra Reddy , Ghokale Shankar T. , Nagarajappa Anil Kumar , Javali Mukhatar Ahmed , Tikare Shreyas , Khader Mohasin Abdul
Published: July 2023

This study aimed to quantify serum C-reactive protein (CRP) values in periodontally healthy people and explore the relationship between serum CRP levels and chronic periodontitis, and the influence of scaling as well as root planing (SRP) on serum CRP levels. The study included 100 systemically healthy adults (n = 100; 50 males and 50 females) who were separated into two groups: Group A (control) n = 50; periodontally healthy subjects and Group B (test) n = 50; subjects with chronic periodontitis. The test group (group B) was further separated randomly into two groups: B1 (n = 25) and B2 (n = 25). The clinical parameters and serum CRP levels were measured only once in Group A and before SRP in Group B1 subjects. In Group B2 subjects the clinical parameters and serum CRP levels were measured only after two months following SRP. For group A, B1, and B2 (the readings recorded after SRP) the mean gingival index scores were 0.146, 2.437, and 1.052, respectively, while the plaque index was 0.414, 2.499, and 0.954, respectively. Probing pocket depth (PPD) and clinical attachment loss (CAL) showed statistically significant differences between three groups, with higher values in patients with periodontitis before intervention (2.196 ± 0.49; 1.490 ± 0.23), respectively. Healthy controls (Group A) had a C-reactive protein level of 0.04820 mg/dL, while group B1 (test) had 1.678 mg/dL and 0.8892 mg/dL (group B2). C-reactive protein levels were observed to be greater in the test group (groups B1 and B2), and these differences were statistically significant (p < 0.001). Chronic periodontitis enhances blood levels of systemic inflammatory markers like CRP, which has been reduced by periodontal treatment with SRP.
The Conceptual Independence of Health Status, Respiratory Symptoms and Dyspnea in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Real Clinical Practice
Authors: Nishimura Koichi , Kusunose Masaaki , Mori Mio , Shibayama Ayumi , Nakayasu Kazuhito
Published: July 2023

The hypothesis that health status is the highest ranking concept, followed by respiratory symptoms and dyspnea as the lowest ranking concepts in subjects with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was tested in a real clinical setting with 157 subjects with stable COPD. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients for scores of health status using the COPD Assessment Test (CAT), respiratory symptoms using the COPD Evaluating Respiratory Symptoms (E-RS) and dyspnea using Dyspnea-12 (D-12) between any two were 0.6 to 0.7. Upon categorizing the patients as “abnormal” or “normal” according to the threshold, it was found that 30 patients (19.1%) had dyspnea, respiratory symptoms and impaired health status. Dyspnea was considered an important part of respiratory symptoms, though seven patients had dyspnea but no respiratory symptoms. There were 10 patients who had respiratory symptoms without dyspnea but without health status problems. Furthermore, there were six patients who had both dyspnea and respiratory symptoms but whose health status was classified as fine. Thus, the hypothesis was correct in approximately 85% of cases.
A Radiological Risk Assessment of 226Ra, 228Ra and 40K Isotopes in Tilapia Fish and its Granitic Environment in Singida Municipality, Tanzania
Authors: Kazoka Amin R. , Mwalilino Jilisa , Mtoni Paul
Published: July 2023

Consumption of fish containing elevated levels of radionuclides can lead to undesirable health effects for consumers. People in the Singida Municipality harvest fish from lakes and ponds of granite rocks which are linked with hazardous radioisotopes that may be bio-concentrated by fishes they consume. Currently, no study has ascertained the levels of radioisotopes in fish from these environments. This study was carried out to analyse the radioactivity levels of 226Ra, 228Ra and 40K isotopes in order to assess the radiological risk associated with Tilapia fish consumption and its environment in Singida Municipality. Some 51 samples, which included water (20), sediment (20), Nile tilapia (8) and Manyara tilapia (3), were randomly sampled and composited; then, they were analysed using a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector, between May and June 2022. The results revealed that (i) the activity levels of 228Ra were below the detection limit for fish and water samples, while in sediment, the combined activity of 228Ra was within the acceptable international levels; (ii) the mean activity concentrations of 226Ra and 40K in all other samples were within the recommended levels; (iii) the activities of radionuclides in the samples analysed were high in sediments, followed by fish, and lastly water; (iv) the bioaccumulation results show that only 40K was bio-accumulated (with 1.26 in Nile tilapia), while other radionuclides (226Ra, 228Ra) were not bio-accumulated; (vi) the radionuclide transfer from water to fish was higher compared to the radionuclide transfer from sediment to fish; (vii) the human effective doses due to consumption of Nile tilapia and Manyara tilapia were 0.00973 and 0.005 mSv/y, respectively, which is below the 1 mSv/y international limit. These findings therefore show that the current levels of radioactivity in fish in the study area do not pose a significant radiological risk to fish consumers. However, more studies on other types of fish are recommended.
Intelligent Recognition of Smoking and Calling Behaviors for Safety Surveillance
Authors: Zhang Jingyuan , Wei Lunsheng , Chen Bin , Chen Heping , Xu Wangming
Published: July 2023

Smoking and calling are two typical behaviors involved in public and industrial safety that usually need to be strictly monitored and even prohibited on many occasions. To resolve the problems of missed detection and false detection in the existing traditional and deep-learning-based behavior-recognition methods, an intelligent recognition method using a multi-task YOLOv4 (MT-YOLOv4) network combined with behavioral priors is proposed. The original YOLOv4 is taken as the baseline network to be improved in the proposed method. Firstly, a K-means++ algorithm is used to re-cluster and optimize the anchor boxes, which are a set of predefined bounding boxes to capture the scale and aspect ratio of specific objects. Then, the network is divided into two branches with the same blocks but independent tasks after the shared feature extraction layer of CSPDarknet-53, i.e., the behavior-detection branch and the object-detection branch, which predict the behaviors and their related objects respectively from the input image or video frame. Finally, according to the preliminary predicted results of the two branches, comprehensive reasoning rules are established to obtain the final behavior-recognition result. A dataset on smoking and calling detection is constructed for training and testing, and the experimental results indicate that the proposed method has a 6.2% improvement in recall and a 2.4% improvement in F1 score at the cost of a slight loss in precision compared to the baseline method; the proposed method achieved the best performance among the compared methods. It can be deployed to related security surveillance systems for unsafe-behavior monitoring and early-warning management in practical scenarios.
Fast Context-Awareness Encoder for LiDAR Point Semantic Segmentation
Authors: Du Tingyu , Ni Jingxiu , Wang Dongxing
Published: July 2023

A LiDAR sensor is a valuable tool for environmental perception as it can generate 3D point cloud data with reflectivity and position information by reflecting laser beams. However, it cannot provide the meaning of each point cloud cluster, so many studies focus on identifying semantic information about point clouds. This paper explores point cloud segmentation and presents a lightweight convolutional network called Fast Context-Awareness Encoder (FCAE), which can obtain semantic information about the point cloud cluster at different levels. The surrounding features of points are extracted as local features through the local context awareness network, then combined with global features, which are highly abstracted from the local features, to obtain more accurate semantic segmentation of the discrete points in space. The proposed algorithm has been compared and verified against other semantic KITTI data algorithms and has achieved state-of-the-art performance. Due to its ability to note fine-grained features on the z-axis in space, the algorithm shows higher prediction accuracy for certain types of objects. Moreover, the training and validation time is short, and the algorithm can meet high real-time requirements for 3D perception tasks.
Binary-Convolution Data-Reduction Network for Edge–Cloud IIoT Anomaly Detection
Authors: Xie Cheng , Tao Wenbiao , Zeng Zuoying , Dong Yuran
Published: July 2023

Industrial anomaly detection, which relies on the analysis of industrial internet of things (IIoT) sensor data, is a critical element for guaranteeing the quality and safety of industrial manufacturing. Current solutions normally apply edge–cloud IIoT architecture. The edge side collects sensor data in the field, while the cloud side receives sensor data and analyzes anomalies to accomplish it. The more complete the data sent to the cloud side, the higher the anomaly-detection accuracy that can be achieved. However, it will be extremely expensive to collect all sensor data and transmit them to the cloud side due to the massive amounts and distributed deployments of IIoT sensors requiring expensive network traffics and computational capacities. Thus, it becomes a trade-off problem: “How to reduce data transmission under the premise of ensuring the accuracy of anomaly detection?”. To this end, the paper proposes a binary-convolution data-reduction network for edge–cloud IIoT anomaly detection. It collects raw sensor data and extracts their features at the edge side, and receives data features to discover anomalies at the cloud side. To implement this, a time-scalar binary feature encoder is proposed and deployed on the edge side, encoding raw data into time-series binary vectors. Then, a binary-convolution data-reduction network is presented at the edge side to extract data features that significantly reduce the data size without losing critical information. At last, a real-time anomaly detector based on hierarchical temporal memory (HTM) is established on the cloud side to identify anomalies. The proposed model is validated on the NAB dataset, and achieves 70.0, 64.6 and 74.0 on the three evaluation metrics of SP, RLFP and RLFN, while obtaining a reduction rate of 96.19%. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves new state-of-the-art results in anomaly detection with data reduction. The proposed method is also deployed on a real-world industrial project as a case study to prove the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method.