bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ОДНА СТАРУХА (ИЗ ПОЛЕВОГО ДНЕВНИКА АВТОРА)
Authors: Савоскул Сергей Сергеевич
Published: December 2022

Ограничивая себя рамками научного очерка, автор ставит перед собой задачу сохранить в целостности и невредимости полевой материал, который при исследовательской аналитике, как правило, весь распыляется, разносится на цитаты, сохраняя, в лучшем случае, «закваску» – подтверждение подлинности – для авторского научного исследования. Здесь же подлинность говорит сама за себя, а для исследователя важно выйти на уровень народной драматургии, показать, «как в капле воды», что любой разговор «в поле» имеет неслучайный характер. Кто расписывает эти роли и сюжеты, автор не задумывается, но ему важно, что и «роли», и «сюжеты» наличествуют, хотя встреча его с обычной жительницей Алтайского края Феклой Семеновной и носит как будто случайный характер. Это этнографический научный рассказ. Такова здесь авторская методология.
Ключевые слова: полевое этнографическое исследование, этнографический научный рассказ, Горно-Алтайская область, старообрядцы, книжность.
Limiting himself to the framework of a scientific essay, the author sets himself the task of preserving the integrity of the field material, which, during research analytics, as a rule, is completely sprayed, spread into quotations, preserving, at best, the confirmation of authenticity – for the author's scientific research. Here, the authenticity speaks for itself, and it is important for the researcher to reach the level of folk dramaturgy, to show, «like in a drop of water», that any conversation «in the field» is not accidental. Who paints these roles and plots, the author does not think, but it is important for him that both «roles» and «plots» are present, although his meeting with an ordinary resident of the Altai Territory, Fekla Semyonovna, seems to be of an accidental nature. This is an ethnographic scientific story. This is the author's methodology here.
Как останки тихоокеанских народов попали в российские коллекции
Authors: Говор Елена , Хоус Хилари
Published: December 2022

В 1859 г. прибалтийский немец, анатом и эмбриолог Карл Эрнст фон Бэр с энтузиазмом писал, что Императорская академия наук в Санкт-­Петербурге недавно пополнила свои краниологические коллекции в общей сложности «83 череп[ами] разных народов», подаренными немцем Георгом Йозефом Пейчем, военным врачом, служившим в голландских вооруженных силах в Батавии (ныне Джакарта). Один этот случай демонстрирует, насколько физическая антропология в России XIX в. была переплетена с научной и колониальной деятельностью других европейских народов. В нашей статье предлагается обзор контактов России с народами Тихого океана в XIX в., поскольку одним из аспектов этих контактов было приобретение человеческих останков для российских коллекций, что позволяет исследовать транснациональные сети научных связей и обмена. Мы начнем с торговой, дипломатической и научной деятельности русских экспедиций в Тихом океане, затем рассмотрим профессионализацию краниологии и расширение Анатомического музея Академии наук в Санкт-­Петербурге при Карле Эрнсте фон Бэре и закончим описанием формирования в Москве второго центра антропологических исследований в России.
Towards a theory and practice of cultural communication
Authors: Drion Geert J.
Published: December 2022

This paper tentatively introduces the concept of cultural communication, exploring new theoretical and practical perspectives on culture and cultural policy. Notably, it presents a theoretical model for cultural communication as a dedicated, common, widespread communication “mode,” thematising ambiguity. This concept of cultural communication may provide new footholds for the legitimisation of public cultural policy—positioning the arts firmly within the context of cultural communication—and for the practical, heuristic application in a structured practice of arranging cultural encounters, carried out in Netherlands.
The relationship between ESG and firm value. Case study of the automotive industry
Authors: Dincă Marius Sorin , Vezeteu Cosmin-Dănuț , Dincă Dragoș
Published: December 2022

The automotive industry is set to face a series of fundamental changes in the following years. Along with the transition to electric vehicles or production of autonomous cars, companies are also expected to better address sustainability issues, usually divided into environmental, social and governance (ESG) aspects. The present paper aims to explore the relationship between non-financial sustainability, measured by ESG scores, and firm value in the automotive industry, where empirical evidence is scarce. A structural equation modelling (SEM) approach has been taken on a novel dataset of 131 listed companies worldwide across 6 years. Our results indicate a mixed influence of the E, S, G scores on firm value in the analyzed period, with some inconclusive effects, especially from the social score. The findings are beneficial for investors, fund managers and automotive companies’ executives. Further research directions are also provided.
Numerical study on hysteretic characteristics of transmission tower K-joints
Authors: Zhang Jian , Wu Guangchen , Yang Lidong
Published: December 2022

Introduction: The mechanical properties of joints have a significant impact on the dynamic response of transmission tower structures.

Methods: Considering bolt slip, the numerical model of the transmission tower K-joint is established. The mechanical properties of K-joints are studied from three aspects: failure mode, load-displacement hysteretic curve, and stiffness degradation by numerical method. The effects of bolt preload, friction coefficient, and member strength on the hysteretic properties of the K-joint are analyzed.

Results: The results show that due to the complexity of K-joints, bolt slip will lead to the reduction of ultimate bearing capacity and the change of failure position. In order to accurately obtain the mechanical properties of K-joints, the influence of bolt slip should be considered in the research process; The plumpness of load-displacement hysteretic curve is greatly affected by parameters; The stiffness of K-joints degenerates with the increase of loading times.

Discussion: The results provide a reference for the mechanical analysis of the transmission tower.
Attractiveness consumption, personality traits and sustainability: Construction and empirical application of evaluation indicators for attractive attributes of China-chic T-shirt products
Authors: Liu Hongwen , Guo Chunli , Zhang Beibei
Published: December 2022

Background

The rapid development of China’s cultural and creative industries has given cultural fashion products, represented by China-chic (国潮) T-shirts, vitality. In recent years, with the arrival of the era of design-led emotional sensory, products with attractive and qualia characteristics have become an important tool to attract consumers and create a competitive brand.

Objective

Therefore, this study aimed to build an evaluation index of the attractive attributes of China-chic T-shirt products from the perspective of attractive consumption to serve as an important basis for improving product development and thus promoting the sustainable development of China-chic T-shirt products.

Methods

Firstly, a three-level hierarchical model was established for the sustainable development of China-chic T-shirt products based on literature research. Secondly, through the evaluation grid method and factor analysis method, we extracted the attractive elements and factors associated with China-chic T-shirt products and established an objective evaluation index for the attractive attributes of China-chic T-shirt products. Twenty-five participants with different decision-making personalities tested three products with expert validity. The weights of the evaluation indexes of the attractive attributes of China-chic T-shirt products were evaluated using the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process. Finally, a two-factor mixed design ANOVA was conducted to check the practical value of the evaluation index of the attractive attributes of China-chic T-shirt products.

Results

The results show that the evaluation indexes of the attractive attributes of China-chic T-shirt products include 7 attractive factors, including the brand image feature, perceptual association feature, beauty feature, delicacy feature, creativity feature, engineering feature, and green feature, as well as 32 attractive elements. Through an empirical application analysis, it was found that the index has an excellent ability to differentiate between the attractive characteristics of different styles of products and test participants with different decision-making personalities.
Zdolność dostosowania rodziny wobec zmian wywołanych pandemią COVID-19
Authors: Firlit-Fesnak Grażyna
Published: December 2022

The subject of the publication is the analysis of selected areas of family agency during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland. It is aimed at showing the complexity of the adaptation process in response to the sudden change in the organization of key areas of life of the family members, as well as the features of the family that shape its unique ability to adapt to a crisis situation. The conclusions indicate, inter alia, the predominance of rational strategies for the adaptation of the family to the new situation, the choice of such a method and scope of implementation of its functions in order to minimize the level of health, economic and social security risk.
Time-Optimal Current Control of Synchronous Motor Drives
Authors: Šmídl Václav , Glac Antonín , Peroutka Zdeněk
Published: December 2022

We are concerned with the problem of fast and accurate tracking of currents in the general synchronous drive. The problem becomes complicated with decreasing available voltage, which is common in high-speed and field weakening regimes. The existing time-optimal controllers rely on a simplified model, ignoring stator resistance and differences in inductances. We derive a solution for the general model considering all parameters and show how the parameters affect the current trajectory. One simplifying assumption had to be made, but we show in simulation that it has a negligible impact on accuracy. The simplification allowed for the design of a feed-forward controller that has a low computational cost and can be easily implemented in realtime. We provide experimental validation of the controller on the developed IPMSM drive prototype of the rated power of 4.5 kW using conventional industrial DSP. The controller is compared to conventional PI and deadbeat solutions, demonstrating that the time-optimal controller can reach the required setpoint four times faster than the competitors at the field weakening regime of the drive. The proposed feed-forward control can be seen as a universal building block that can be combined with existing feedback controllers and observers and thus incorporated into existing control solutions.
Spray Deposition and Distribution on Rice as Affected by a Boom Sprayer with a Canopy-Opening Device
Authors: Jing Linlong , Wei Xinhua
Published: December 2022

In China, rice growers predominantly use boom sprayers. However, boom sprayers have several drawbacks related to poor penetration in the middle and late stages of rice growth. Several studies have shown that the use of the canopy-opening device can improve droplet deposition in the middle and under layers of rice. Some growers doubt the efficacy of canopy-opening boom sprayers, whereas others have questions about their use. This study aimed to address both doubts and questions by evaluating the effect of spraying rice using a canopy-opening device and a canopy-opening divider combination device. The tested rice variety was “Longliangyou 2010”. Three different boom sprayers were evaluated for this purpose: (1) a boom sprayer with a canopy-opening device, (2) a boom sprayer with a canopy-opening divider combination device, and (3) a traditional boom sprayer. The effects of the position of the canopy-opening device and the spraying velocity on the deposition of droplets were considered. The experiments showed that the droplet coverage was significantly affected by boom sprayers, the position of the canopy-opening device, the spraying velocity, and the interaction of the position of the canopy-opening device and the spraying velocity. Under the spraying distance of 60 cm from the rice root and the spraying velocity of 1.2 m s−1, the spraying coverage of the paraxial surface of the whole canopy was higher than that of other treatment conditions when the canopy opening device was used. The positive spraying coverage rates of the upper, middle and lower layers were 95.18%, 88.41% and 94.99%, respectively. Compared with the traditional boom sprayer, the use of the canopy-opening device increased the average droplet coverage on the adaxial surface canopy by more than 72.91% and the average droplet coverage on the abaxial surface canopy by more than 6.88%.
A High-Precision Crop Classification Method Based on Time-Series UAV Images
Authors: Xu Quan , Jin Mengting , Guo Peng
Published: December 2022

Timely and accurate information on crop planting structures is crucial for ensuring national food security and formulating economic policies. This study presents a method for high-precision crop classification using time-series UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) images. Before constructing the time-series UAV images, Euclidian distance (ED) was utilized to calculate the separability of samples under various vegetation indices. Second, co-occurrence measures and the gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) were employed to derive texture characteristics, and the spectral and texture features of the crops were successfully fused. Finally, random forest (RF) and other algorithms were utilized to classify crops, and the confusion matrix was applied to assess the accuracy. The experimental results indicate the following: (1) Time-series UAV remote sensing images considerably increased the accuracy of crop classification. Compared to a single-period image, the overall accuracy and kappa coefficient increased by 26.65% and 0.3496, respectively. (2) The object-oriented classification method was better suited for the precise classification of crops. The overall accuracy and kappa coefficient increased by 3.13% and 0.0419, respectively, as compared to the pixel-based classification results. (3) RF obtained the highest overall accuracy and kappa coefficient in both pixel-based and object-oriented crop classification. RF’s producer accuracy and user accuracy for cotton, spring wheat, cocozelle, and corn in the study area were both more than 92%. These results provide a reference for crop area statistics and agricultural precision management.
The Prediction of Wheat Yield in the North China Plain by Coupling Crop Model with Machine Learning Algorithms
Authors: Zhao Yanxi , Xiao Dengpan , Bai Huizi , Tang Jianzhao , Liu De Li , Qi Yongqing , Shen Yanjun
Published: December 2022

The accuracy prediction for the crop yield is conducive to the food security in regions and/or nations. To some extent, the prediction model for crop yields combining the crop mechanism model with statistical regression model (SRM) can improve the timeliness and robustness of the final yield prediction. In this study, the accumulated biomass (AB) simulated by the Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM) model and multiple climate indices (e.g., climate suitability indices and extreme climate indices) were incorporated into SRM to predict the wheat yield in the North China Plain (NCP). The results showed that the prediction model based on the random forest (RF) algorithm outperformed the prediction models using other regression algorithms. The prediction for the wheat yield at SM (the period from the start of grain filling to the milky stage) based on RF can obtain a higher accuracy (r = 0.86, RMSE = 683 kg ha−1 and MAE = 498 kg ha−1). With the progression of wheat growth, the performances of yield prediction models improved gradually. The prediction of yield at FS (the period from flowering to the start of grain filling) can achieve higher precision and a longer lead time, which can be viewed as the optimum period providing the decent performance of the yield prediction and about one month’s lead time. In addition, the precision of the predicted yield for the irrigated sites was higher than that for the rainfed sites. The APSIM-simulated AB had an importance of above 30% for the last three prediction events, including FIF event (the period from floral initiation to flowering), FS event (the period from flowering to the start of grain filling) and SM event (the period from the start of grain filling to the milky stage), which ranked first in the prediction model. The climate suitability indices, with a higher rank for every prediction event, played an important role in the prediction model. The winter wheat yield in the NCP was seriously affected by the low temperature events before flowering, the high temperature events after flowering and water stress. We hope that the prediction model can be used to develop adaptation strategies to mitigate the negative effects of climate change on crop productivity and provide the data support for food security.
Determinants of Herpetofaunal Diversity in a Threatened Wetland Ecosystem: A Case Study of the Ramaroshan Wetland Complex, Western Nepal
Authors: Paudel Janaki , Khanal Laxman , Pandey Naresh , Upadhyaya Laxmi Prasad , Sunar Chandra Bahadur , Thapa Bina , Bhatta Chet Raj , Pant Ramesh Raj , Kyes Randall C.
Published: December 2022

Wetlands are among the highly threatened ecosystems due to anthropogenic activities. The Ramaroshan Wetland Complex (RWC) of Achham District, Nepal is one of the high-altitude wetlands facing human induced degradation and loss. Herpetofauna are key bio-indicators of environmental health and habitat quality and are useful to assess habitat conditions of such threatened ecosystems. This study quantified the land use and land cover (LULC) change in the RWC and documented the diversity and distribution pattern of herpetofauna. The LULC in the area (13.94 Km2) was analyzed for 1989, 2000, 2010 and 2021 by supervised classification of remote sensing images. Surveys were conducted along 25 transects, each of 200 m in length and environmental variables were recorded for every observation of herpetofauna. The LULC analysis revealed an overall loss of 16% of the total water body between 1989 (0.25 Km2) and 2021 (0.21 Km2). Eleven species of herpetofauna (five amphibians and six reptiles) within five families and two orders (i.e., Anura and Squamata), were recorded with low diversity (H’ = 1.88312) and evenness (E = 0.3642) indices. The herpetofauna had a hump-shaped distribution along the elevation gradient with the highest richness and abundance at 2300 m asl. Amphibian abundance decreased with increasing distance to nearest water sources, whereas reptile abundance increased. Amphibians were more abundant in agricultural field and marsh land, whereas reptile abundance was higher around human settlements. Results indicate that the wetland area in the RWC is declining at an alarming rate and, in turn, might account for the low diversity and abundance of the herpetofauna.
Phosphoproteomic Analysis of the Jejunum Tissue Response to Colostrum and Milk Feeding in Dairy Calves during the Passive Immunity Period
Authors: Zhao Xiaowei , Qi Yunxia , Wu Tao , Cheng Guanglong
Published: December 2022

Improvements in the feeding of calves are of increasing importance for the development of the dairy industry. While colostrum is essential for the health of newborn calves, knowledge of protein phosphorylation alterations in neonatal calves that are fed colostrum or mature milk is lacking. Here, mid-jejunum tissue samples were collected from calves that received colostrum or milk. Subsequently, the jejunum phosphoproteome was analyzed using a phosphopeptide enrichment method, i.e., titanium immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography, coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. A total of 2093 phosphopeptides carrying unique 1851 phosphorylation sites corresponding to 1180 phosphoproteins were identified. Of the 1180 phosphoproteins, 314 phosphorylation sites on 241 proteins were differentially expressed between the groups. Gene ontology analysis indicated that the phosphoproteins were strongly associated with developmental and macromolecule metabolic processes, signal transduction, and responses to stimuli and insulin. Pathway analysis showed that the spliceosome, Hippo, insulin, and neurotrophin signaling pathways were enriched. These results reveal the expression pattern and changes in the function of phosphoproteins in bovine jejunum tissues under different feeding conditions and provide further insights into the crucial role of colostrum feeding during the early stages of life.
Hypoxia Affects the Antioxidant Activity of Glutaredoxin 3 in Scylla paramamosain through Hypoxia Response Elements
Authors: Jie Yu-Kun , Cheng Chang-Hong , Ma Hong-Ling , Liu Guang-Xin , Fan Si-Gang , Jiang Jian-Jun , Guo Zhi-Xun
Published: December 2022

Hypoxia is a major environmental stressor that can damage the oxidation metabolism of crustaceans. Glutaredoxin (Grx) is a key member of the thioredoxin superfamily and plays an important role in the host’s defense against oxidative stress. At present, the role of Grx in response to hypoxia in crustaceans remains unclear. In this study, the full-length cDNA of Grx3 (SpGrx3) was obtained from the mud crab Scylla paramamosain, which contains a 129-bp 5′ untranslated region, a 981-bp open reading frame, and a 1,183-bp 3′ untranslated region. The putative SpGrx3 protein contains an N-terminal thioredoxin domain and two C-terminal Grx domains. SpGrx3 was expressed in all tissues examined, with the highest expression in the anterior gills. After hypoxia, SpGrx3 expression was significantly up-regulated in the anterior gills of mud crabs. The expression of Grx2 and glutathione S-transferases was decreased, while the expression of glutathione peroxidases was increased following hypoxia when SpGrx3 was silenced in vivo. In addition, the total antioxidant capacity of SpGrx3-interfered mud crabs was significantly decreased, and the malondialdehyde content was significantly increased during hypoxia. The subcellular localization data indicated that SpGrx3 was predominantly localized in the nucleus when expressed in Drosophila Schneider 2 (S2) cells. Moreover, overexpression of SpGrx3 reduced the content of reactive oxygen species in S2 cells during hypoxia. To further investigate the transactivation mechanism of SpGrx3 during hypoxia, the promoter region of the SpGrx3 was obtained by Genome Walking and three hypoxia response elements (HREs) were predicted. Dual-luciferase reporter assay results demonstrated that SpGrx3 was likely involved in the hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) pathway during hypoxia, which could be mediated through HREs. The results indicated that SpGrx3 is involved in regulating the antioxidant system of mud crabs and plays a critical role in the response to hypoxia.
Sex Differences in X-ray-Induced Endothelial Damage: Effect of Taurine and N-Acetylcysteine
Authors: Campesi Ilaria , Brunetti Antonio , Capobianco Giampiero , Galistu Adriana , Montella Andrea , Ieri Francesca , Franconi Flavia
Published: December 2022

Ionizing radiation (IR) can induce some associated pathological conditions due to numerous cell damages. The influence of sex is scarcely known, and even less known is whether the effect of antioxidants is sex-dependent. Given the increased use of IR, we investigated whether male human umbilical vein endothelial cells (MHUVECs) and female human umbilical vein endothelial cells (FHUVECs) respond differently to IR exposure and whether the antioxidants 10 mM taurine (TAU) and 5 mM N-acetylcysteine (NAC) can prevent IR-induced damage in a sex-dependent way. In untreated cells, sex differences were observed only during autophagy, which was higher in FHUVECs. In non-irradiated cells, preincubation with TAU and NAC did not modify viability, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, migration, or autophagy, whereas only NAC increased malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in FHUVECs. X-ray irradiation increased LDH release and reduced viability and migration in a sex-independent manner. TAU and NAC did not affect viability while reduced LDH release in irradiated cells: they have the same protective effect in FHUVECs, while, TAU was more protective than NAC in male cells.. Moreover, TAU and NAC significantly promoted the closure of wounds in both sexes in irradiated cells, but NAC was more effective at doing this in FHUVECs. In irradiated cells, TAU did not change autophagy, while NAC attenuated the differences between the sexes. Finally, NAC significantly decreased MDA in MHUVECs and increased MDA in FHUVECs. In conclusion, FHUVECs appear to be more susceptible to IR damage, and the effects of the two antioxidants present some sex differences, suggesting the need to study the influence of sex in radiation mitigators.
Cinnamaldehyde Supplementation Reverts Endothelial Dysfunction in Rat Models of Diet-Induced Obesity: Role of NF-E2-Related Factor-2
Authors: Sena Cristina M. , Pereira Ana , Seiça Raquel M.
Published: December 2022

Cinnamaldehyde (CN) is an activator of NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), which has the potential to reduce endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress and inflammation in metabolic disorders. Our main purpose was to evaluate the effects of CN on vascular dysfunction in metabolic syndrome rats. Normal Wistar (W) rats were divided into eight groups: (1) Wistar (W) rats; (2) W rats fed with a high-fat diet (WHFD); (3) W rats fed with a sucrose diet (WS); (4) WHFD fed with a sucrose diet (WHFDS); (5) W treated with CN (WCn); (6) WS treated with CN (WSCn); (7) WHFD treated with CN (WHFDCn); (8) WHFDS treated with CN (WHFDSCn). CN treatment with 20 mg/kg/day was administered for 8 weeks. Evaluation of metabolic profile, inflammation, endothelial function, oxidative stress, eNOS expression levels and Nrf2 activation was performed. The metabolic dysfunction was greatly exacerbated in the WHFDS rats, accompanied by significantly higher levels of vascular oxidative stress, inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction. In addition, the WHFDS rats displayed significantly reduced activity of Nrf2 at the vascular level. CN significantly reverted endothelial dysfunction in the aortas and the mesenteric arteries. In addition, CN significantly decreased vascular oxidative damage, inflammation at vascular and perivascular level and up-regulated Nrf2 activity in the arteries of WHFDS rats. Cinnamaldehyde, an activator of Nrf2, can be used to improve metabolic profile, and to revert endothelial dysfunction in obesity and metabolic syndrome.
Coping with Oxidative Stress in Reproductive Pathophysiology and Assisted Reproduction: Melatonin as an Emerging Therapeutical Tool
Authors: Cosme Patricia , Rodríguez Ana B. , Garrido María , Espino Javier
Published: December 2022

Infertility is an increasing global public health concern with socio-psychological implications for affected couples. Remarkable advances in reproductive medicine have led to successful treatments such as assisted reproductive techniques (ART). However, the search for new therapeutic tools to improve ART success rates has become a research hotspot. In the last few years, pineal indolamine melatonin has been investigated for its powerful antioxidant properties and its role in reproductive physiology. It is considered a promising therapeutical agent to counteract the detrimental effects associated with oxidative stress in fertility treatments. The aim of the present narrative review was to summarize the current state of the art on the importance of melatonin in reproductive physiology and to provide a critical evaluation of the data available encompassing basic, translational and clinical studies on its potential use in ART to improve fertility success rates.
Lotus Bee Pollen Extract Inhibits Isoproterenol-Induced Hypertrophy via JAK2/STAT3 Signaling Pathway in Rat H9c2 Cells
Authors: Han Shuo , Chen Lifu , Zhang Yi , Xie Shihui , Yang Jiali , Su Songkun , Yao Hong , Shi Peiying
Published: December 2022

Bee pollen possesses an anti-cardiomyocyte injury effect by reducing oxidative stress levels and inhibiting inflammatory response and apoptosis, but the possible effect mechanism has rarely been reported. This paper explores the effect of the extract of lotus bee pollen (LBPE) on cardiomyocyte hypertrophy (CH) and its mechanism. The main components of LBPE were identified via UPLC-QTOF MS. An isoproterenol-induced rat H9c2 CH model was subsequently used to evaluate the protection of LBPE on cells. LBPE (100, 250 and 500 μg∙mL−1) reduced the surface area, total protein content and MDA content, and increased SOD activity and GSH content in CH model in a dose-dependent manner. Meanwhile, quantitative real-time PCR trials confirmed that LBPE reduced the gene expression levels of CH markers, pro-inflammatory cytokines and pro-apoptosis factors, and increased the Bcl-2 mRNA expression and Bcl-2/Bax ratio in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, target fishing, bioinformatics analysis and molecular docking suggested JAK2 could be a pivotal target protein for the main active ingredients in the LBPE against CH. Ultimately, Western blot (WB) trials confirmed that LBPE can dose-dependently inhibit the phosphorylation of JAK2 and STAT3. The results show that LBPE can protect against ISO-induced CH, possibly via targeting the JAK2/STAT3 pathway, also suggesting that LBPE may be a promising candidate against CH.
Special Issue on Advances in Dielectric Photonic Devices and Systems beyond the Visible
Authors: Prudenzano Francesco , D’Orazio Antonella , Ferrari Maurizio
Published: December 2022

The impressive advances in dielectric photonics, integrated optics, and optical fiber-based systems are paving the way for increasingly challenging applications in wide research areas [...]
The Use of Mobile Applications for Sustainable Development of SMEs in the Context of Industry 4.0
Authors: Iakovets Angelina , Balog Michal , Židek Kamil
Published: December 2022

Sustainable development of technology in manufacturing motivates entrepreneurs to increasingly introduce technical innovations into their production process. In times of technical progress, the selection and support of qualified personnel are especially important. The process of introducing new technologies or innovations in an enterprise is closely related to the personnel involved in this process. Sustainable development of the enterprise is possible, subject to the sequence of processes, namely, ensuring the adaptation of personnel and collecting feedback. A mobile application can be innovative for a particular enterprise and ensure sustainable development and adaptation to Industry 4.0 technologies. Given the pressure of technology and the environment on small- and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises, it was proposed to conduct a practical study in the conditions of a typical enterprise of this category. To explore the attractiveness of mobile applications as a tool for enterprise sustainable development, an application with basic features that should help provide a framework for integrating Industry 4.0 technologies into the manufacturing process was proposed. In the course of the study, a cycle of innovations and a set of evaluation methods for some of them were proposed. With the help of the proposed assessment methods, as well as the practical use of the mobile application, it became clear that the proposed solution can create a positive effect. The success of this kind of innovation and the further sustainable development of the enterprise is possible if the gradual adaptation of employees will be ensured; it will enable further innovation.
A Detailed Parametric Analysis of a Solar-Powered Cogeneration System for Electricity and Hydrogen Production
Authors: Lykas Panagiotis , Georgousis Nikolaos , Kitsopoulou Angeliki , Korres Dimitrios N. , Bellos Evangelos , Tzivanidis Christos
Published: December 2022

Hydrogen has received increased attention in the last decades as a green energy carrier and a promising future fuel. The integration of hydrogen, as well as the development of cogeneration plants, makes the energy sector more eco-friendly, and sustainable. The aim of this paper is the investigation of a solar-fed cogeneration system that can produce power and compressed green hydrogen. The examined unit contains a parabolic trough collector solar field, a thermal energy storage tank, an organic Rankine cycle, and a proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer. The installation also includes a hydrogen storage tank and a hydrogen compressor. The unit is analyzed parametrically in terms of thermodynamic performance and economic viability in steady-state conditions with a developed and accurate model. Taking into account the final results, the overall energy efficiency is calculated at 14.03%, the exergy efficiency at 14.94%, and the hydrogen production rate at 0.205 kg/h. Finally, the payback period and the net present value are determined at 9 years and 122 k€, respectively.
Evaluation of the Antimicrobial Resistance of Different Serotypes of Salmonella enterica from Livestock Farms in Southern Italy
Authors: Castronovo Calogero , Agozzino Vincenzo , Schirò Giorgia , Mira Francesco , Di Bella Santina , Lastra Antonio , Antoci Francesco , Pennisi Melissa , Giudice Elisabetta , Guercio Annalisa
Published: December 2022

The antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of Salmonella spp. isolated from livestock production systems in Sicily were determined. The antibiotic sensitivity of isolated Salmonella spp. and broad-spectrum beta-lactamase strains were assessed by detecting β-lactamases blaCTX-M IV, TEM, and OXA SHV, and β-lactamases blaCMY II, CTX-M I, CTX-M II, and DHA. In total, 93.3% of Salmonella spp. strains showed multi-drug resistance (MDR). A total of seven serotypes (i.e., Salmonella Infantis, S. Typhimurium (monophasic), S. Derby, S. Hadar, S. salamae, S. houtenae, S. Cardoner) showed high resistance values (R) (100–47%) to sulfonamides, tetracyclines, diaminopyrimidines, penicillins, and quinolones. The gene for β-lactamase blaTEM was found in S. Typhimurium (monophasic) and S. Derby, isolated from swine meat and feces samples; S. Hadar isolated from an insect sample; S. salamae isolated from an abrasive sponge on swine skin; S. houtenae isolated from chicken skin samples; and S. Cardoner isolated from a chicken meat sample. The gene blaCTX-M I was found in S. Infantis isolated from a chicken meat sample. The results gathered in the current study suggest that the resistance to antibiotics is continuously increasing. This represents a worrying perspective since they should be usually used as the last option for therapy against bacterial infections.
CarTwin—Development of a Digital Twin for a Real-World In-Vehicle CAN Network
Authors: Popa Lucian , Berdich Adriana , Groza Bogdan
Published: December 2022

Digital twins are used to replicate the behavior of physical systems, and in-vehicle networks can greatly benefit from this technology. This is mainly because in-vehicle networks circulate large amounts of data coming from various sources such as wired, or in some cases even wireless, sensors that are fused by actuators responsible for safety-critical tasks that require careful testing. In this work, we build a laboratory in-vehicle network that mimics a real vehicle network in regards to wire length, number of stubs and devices that are connected to it. The Controller Area Network (CAN), which is still the most popular communication bus inside cars, is used as a network layer. Using models defined in MATLAB for various subsystems, e.g., Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Powertrain and Electric Power-Steering, deployed on automotive-grade microcontrollers, we evaluate the in-vehicle bus digital twin by providing realistic inputs and recording and reproducing in-vehicle network traffic. The experimental results showed good correlation between the output of the implemented digital twin and the data collected from an actual car.
Prediction of Carlson Trophic State Index of Small Inland Water from UAV-Based Multispectral Image Modeling
Authors: Lin Cheng-Yun , Tsai Ming-Shiun , Tsai Jeff T. H. , Lu Chih-Cheng
Published: December 2022

This paper demonstrates a predictive method for the spatially explicit and periodic in situ monitoring of surface water quality in a small lake using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), equipped with a multi-spectrometer. According to the reflectance of different substances in different spectral bands, multiple regression analyses are used to determine the models that comprise the most relevant band combinations from the multispectral images for the eutrophication assessment of lake water. The relevant eutrophication parameters, such as chlorophyll a, total phosphorus, transparency and dissolved oxygen, are, thus, evaluated and expressed by these regression models. Our experiments find that the predicted eutrophication parameters from the corresponding regression models may generally exhibit good linear results with the coefficients of determination (R2) ranging from 0.7339 to 0.9406. In addition, the result of Carlson trophic state index (CTSI), determined by the on-site water quality sampling data, is found to be rather consistent with the predicted results using the regression model data proposed in this research. The maximal error in CTSI accuracy is as low as 1.4% and the root mean square error (RMSE) is only 0.6624, which reveals the great potential of low-altitude drones equipped with multispectrometers in real-time monitoring and evaluation of the trophic status of a surface water body in an ecosystem.
Modelling and Experimental Verification of the Interaction in a Hydraulic Directional Control Valve Spool Pair
Authors: Stosiak Michał , Karpenko Mykola , Deptuła Adam , Urbanowicz Kamil , Skačkauskas Paulius , Cieślicki Rafał , Deptuła Anna Małgorzata
Published: December 2022

This study examined the impact of mechanical oscillation on a hydraulic directional control valve. Particular attention was paid to the oscillating movement of the spool of the hydraulic directional control valve resulting from this impact. Different models of fluid and mixed friction were considered. The models analysed accounted for the relative movement of the directional control valve body and the fact that it is kinematically excited by external mechanical oscillations. It was observed that the mixed friction model, where the frictional force is considered to be the sum of molecular forces acting in micro-areas of contact and drag forces in the fluid, was the best for describing the movement of the spool for a specific spool oscillation frequency. This model yielded significantly more consistency between the simulated and experimental results than the classic fluid friction model.
A Landslide Warning Method Based on K-Means-ResNet Fast Classification Model
Authors: Wu Yang , Lu Guangyin , Zhu Ziqiang , Bai Dongxin , Zhu Xudong , Tao Chuanyi , Li Yani
Published: December 2022

Landslide early warning is a key technology for effective landslide prevention and control. However, the traditional landslide early warning mainly makes decisions through thresholds, and if the thresholds are not selected properly, it will lead to missing alarms and false alarms frequently. To resolve this problem, this study proposes a landslide early warning algorithm based on a K-means-ResNet model. This method uses the K-means method to cluster the landslide deformation state, and then uses ResNet to classify the landslide rainfall and deformation data, so as to realize the threshold-free judgment and early warning of landslide deformation state. The model was applied to the Zhongma landslide, Guangxi Province, China, and the Shangmao landslide, Hunan Province, China, for validation and evaluation. The results showed that the accuracy, precision and recall of the proposed model can reach 0.975, 0.938, 0.863 and 0.993, 0.993, 0.925, respectively, for classifying the deformation states of the two landslides, and the classification results are better than those of the baseline model. Compared with the threshold-based early warning method, the proposed early warning method does not require artificial determination of threshold parameters and can effectively identify landslide deformation states, which can not only reduce false alarms and missing alarms but also improve the reliability of early warning.
Research on Using an Unconventional Tool for Increasing Tool Life by Selective Exchange of Worn Cutting Edge
Authors: Mikolajczyk Tadeusz , Paczkowski Tomasz , Kuntoglu Mustafa , Patange Abhishek D. , Binali Rüstem
Published: December 2022

This paper proposes a novel scheme titled ‘selective exchange of the worn cutting edge (SEWCE),’ which uses the cutting edge for an extended time by replacing the worn-out edge. This possibility was investigated for single-edge cutting tools for several operations, such as oblique and orthogonal cutting. The unique design of the turning tool incorporating cylindrical inserts was developed, thereby providing new machining possibilities compared to marketed solutions for round inserts. The prototype tool was prepared for the demonstration by using a cylinder with radius rε = 1.5 mm. A detailed analysis of the contact-zone cutting edge was performed considering a theoretical number of edges for different strategies. With this, the possibility for reusing the cutting element by resharpening the rake surface by up to ‘20x’ was achieved. Additionally, round inserts can be efficiently used in this developed scenario by turning them to compensate for the worn parts of the cutting tools. Therefore, by rotating, the deformed section of the cutting tool can be eliminated, and the number of edges can be created, directly reducing tool costs. Ultimately, conserving the health of a cutting tool brings many advantages, such as extending useful remaining lifetime, improving the surface quality and dimensional accuracy of machine parts, etc.
Different Drying Techniques Can Affect the Adsorption Properties of Agarose-Based Gels for Crystal Violet Removal
Authors: Guastaferro Mariangela , Baldino Lucia , Cardea Stefano , Reverchon Ernesto
Published: December 2022

Agarose-based gels were produced either by freeze-drying or by supercritical drying for crystal violet (CV) removal from aqueous solutions. The microporosity features of these structures highly affected the final adsorption properties. In particular, agarose cryogels were characterized by a macroporous and irregular morphology, with a low value of specific surface area (11 ± 6 m2/g) with respect to the nanoporous agarose aerogels (154 ± 12 m2/g). To test the efficacy of CV removal, two different types of adsorption test were performed, i.e., batch-mode and multi-step mode. Operating in the multi-step mode, the adsorption performance was larger both for cryogels and aerogels, since this adsorption method allowed a more effective contact between CV and agarose adsorbent. In particular, using 300 mg of cryogels, a removal efficiency of 74% was achieved; using the same quantity of aerogels, 96% of removal efficiency was reached after eight steps of adsorption. Desorption of CV from aerogels was realized using ascorbic acid and, after regeneration, 93% of removal efficiency was preserved, even after three cycles in multi-step filtration mode.
Special Issue “Fighting COVID-19: Emerging Techniques and Aid Systems for Prevention, Forecasting and Diagnosis”
Authors: Domínguez-Morales Manuel , Civit Antón
Published: December 2022

Since its emergence at the end of 2019, the pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus has led to multiple changes in health protocols around the world [...]
Dandelion Flowers as an Additive to Wheat Bread: Physical Properties of Dough and Bread Quality
Authors: Cacak-Pietrzak Grażyna , Dziki Dariusz , Gawlik-Dziki Urszula , Sułek Alicja , Wójcik Monika , Krajewska Anna
Published: December 2022

Dandelion flowers (DF) are a rich source of many phytochemicals which can reduce oxidative stress in the human body. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of dried and powdered DF addition into wheat flour (WF) on dough and bread properties. WF was replaced with DF at levels 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6%. Physical properties of dough and quality of control and supplemented bread were studied. The addition of DF increased water absorption of flour, development time and dough stability during mixing. However, these changes had no positive effect on bread quality. With an increase in the proportion of DF in the bread recipe, the volume of loaves and lightness of crumb decreased while its hardness and yellowness increased. As a result of these changes, the overall sensory acceptability of DF-enriched bread decreased. On the other hand, supplementation of WF with DF increased minerals, fiber and fat content in bread. Most importantly, DF enhanced the antioxidant capacity of bread and increased content of phenolics. Total phenolic content ranged from 1.00 mg GAE/g dry mass (DM) for control bread to 3.45 mg GAE/g DM when wheat flour was replaced with 6% of DF. To summarize, we showed that DF can be a valuable ingredient for bread fortification. However, the amount of WF replaced with DF should not exceed 2–3% while taking into account the sensory results.
Computational Acceleration of Topology Optimization Using Deep Learning
Authors: Rasulzade Jalal , Rustamov Samir , Akhmetov Bakytzhan , Maksum Yelaman , Nogaibayeva Makpal
Published: December 2022

Topology optimization is a computationally expensive process, especially when complicated designs are studied, and this is mainly due to its finite element analysis and iterative solvers incorporated into the algorithm. In the current work, we investigated the application of deep learning methods to computationally accelerate topology optimization. We tested and comparatively analyzed three types of improved neural network models using three different structured datasets and achieved satisfactory results that allowed for the generation of topology optimized structures in 2D and 3D domains. The results of the studies show that the improved Res-U-Net and U-Net are reliable and effective methods among deep learning approaches for the computational acceleration of topology optimization problems. Moreover, based on the results, it is evaluated that Res-U-Net gives better results than U-Net for higher iterations. We also showed that the proposed CNN method is highly accurate and required much less training time compared to existing methods.
Unsupervised Domain Adaptation via Stacked Convolutional Autoencoder
Authors: Zhu Yi , Zhou Xinke , Wu Xindong
Published: December 2022

Unsupervised domain adaptation involves knowledge transfer from a labeled source to unlabeled target domains to assist target learning tasks. A critical aspect of unsupervised domain adaptation is the learning of more transferable and distinct feature representations from different domains. Although previous investigations, using, for example, CNN-based and auto-encoder-based methods, have produced remarkable results in domain adaptation, there are still two main problems that occur with these methods. The first is a training problem for deep neural networks; some optimization methods are ineffective when applied to unsupervised deep networks for domain adaptation tasks. The second problem that arises is that redundancy of image data results in performance degradation in feature learning for domain adaptation. To address these problems, in this paper, we propose an unsupervised domain adaptation method with a stacked convolutional sparse autoencoder, which is based on performing layer projection from the original data to obtain higher-level representations for unsupervised domain adaptation. More specifically, in a convolutional neural network, lower layers generate more discriminative features whose kernels are learned via a sparse autoencoder. A reconstruction independent component analysis optimization algorithm was introduced to perform individual component analysis on the input data. Experiments undertaken demonstrated superior classification performance of up to 89.3% in terms of accuracy compared to several state-of-the-art domain adaptation methods, such as SSRLDA and TLMRA.