bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gut microbial shifts by synbiotic combination of Pediococcus acidilactici and lactulose in weaned piglets challenged with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli
Authors: Guevarra Robin B. , Kim Eun Sol , Cho Jin Ho , Song Minho , Cho Jae Hyoung , Lee Jun Hyung , Kim Hyeri , Kim Sheena , Keum Gi Beom , Lee Chan Ho , Cho Won Tak , Watthanaphansak Suphot , Kim Hyeun Bum
Published: January 2023

Development of alternatives to in-feed antibiotics in the swine industry have been the focused of many pig gut microbiota studies to improve animal health. In this study, we evaluated the effects of probiotic Pediococcus acidilactici (PRO), prebiotic lactulose (PRE), and their synbiotic combination (SYN) on gut microbiota using 16S rRNA gene sequencing in weaned piglets challenged with Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC). Our data showed that prebiotics, probiotics and synbiotics improved the intestinal health in weaned piglets. No significant differences were observed in species richness and species diversity in weaned piglets fed prebiotics, probiotics and their synbiotic combination. However, beta diversity analysis revealed distinct clustering of the microbiota of according to dietary treatment and by oral challenge of STEC. At the phylum level, Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio was lower in the dietary treatment groups than the control group. Oral supplementation of prebiotics, probiotics and synbiotics enriched the abundance of Prevotella and Roseburia. Succinivibrio was elevated in PRO group; however, Phascolarctobacterium was depleted with STEC challenge regardless of dietary treatment. Overall, our data showed that administration of synbiotics in piglets improved intestinal health through gut microbiota modulation. Our data indicated that prebiotics, probiotics and their synbiotic combination could promote intestinal health through gut microbiota modulation in weaned piglets.
Discovering Critical Factors in the Content of Crowdfunding Projects
Authors: Yang Kai-Fu , Lin Yi-Ru , Chen Long-Sheng
Published: January 2023

Crowdfunding can simplify the financing process to raise large amounts of money to complete projects for startups. However, improving the success rate has become one of critical issues. To achieve this goal, fundraisers need to create a short video, attractive promotional content, and present themselves on social media to attract investors. Previous studies merely discussed project factors that affect crowdfunding success rates. However, from the available literature, relatively few studies have studied what elements should be involved in the project content for the success of crowdfunding projects. Consequently, this study aims to extract the crucial factors that can enhance the crowdfunding project success rate based on the project content description. To identify the crucial project content factors of movie projects, this study employed two real cases from famous platforms by using natural language processing (NLP) and feature selection algorithms including rough set theory (RST), decision trees (DT), and ReliefF, from 12 pre-defined candidate factors. Then, support vector machines (SVM) were used to evaluate the performance. Finally, “Role”, “Cast”, “Merchandise”, “Sound effects”, and “Sentiment” were identified as important content factors for movie projects. The findings also could provide fundraisers with suggestions on how to make their movie crowdfunding projects more successful.
Novel MIA-LSTM Deep Learning Hybrid Model with Data Preprocessing for Forecasting of PM2.5
Authors: Narkhede Gaurav , Hiwale Anil , Tidke Bharat , Khadse Chetan
Published: January 2023

Day by day pollution in cities is increasing due to urbanization. One of the biggest challenges posed by the rapid migration of inhabitants into cities is increased air pollution. Sustainable Development Goal 11 indicates that 99 percent of the world’s urban population breathes polluted air. In such a trend of urbanization, predicting the concentrations of pollutants in advance is very important. Predictions of pollutants would help city administrations to take timely measures for ensuring Sustainable Development Goal 11. In data engineering, imputation and the removal of outliers are very important steps prior to forecasting the concentration of air pollutants. For pollution and meteorological data, missing values and outliers are critical problems that need to be addressed. This paper proposes a novel method called multiple iterative imputation using autoencoder-based long short-term memory (MIA-LSTM) which uses iterative imputation using an extra tree regressor as an estimator for the missing values in multivariate data followed by an LSTM autoencoder for the detection and removal of outliers present in the dataset. The preprocessed data were given to a multivariate LSTM for forecasting PM2.5 concentration. This paper also presents the effect of removing outliers and missing values from the dataset as well as the effect of imputing missing values in the process of forecasting the concentrations of air pollutants. The proposed method provides better results for forecasting with a root mean square error (RMSE) value of 9.8883. The obtained results were compared with the traditional gated recurrent unit (GRU), 1D convolutional neural network (CNN), and long short-term memory (LSTM) approaches for a dataset of the Aotizhonhxin area of Beijing in China. Similar results were observed for another two locations in China and one location in India. The results obtained show that imputation and outlier/anomaly removal improve the accuracy of air pollution forecasting.
A Discrete Partially Observable Markov Decision Process Model for the Maintenance Optimization of Oil and Gas Pipelines
Authors: Wari Ezra , Zhu Weihang , Lim Gino
Published: January 2023

Corrosion is one of the major causes of failure in pipelines for transporting oil and gas products. To mitigate the impact of this problem, organizations perform different maintenance operations, including detecting corrosion, determining corrosion growth, and implementing optimal maintenance policies. This paper proposes a partially observable Markov decision process (POMDP) model for optimizing maintenance based on the corrosion progress, which is monitored by an inline inspection to assess the extent of pipeline corrosion. The states are defined by dividing the deterioration range equally, whereas the actions are determined based on the specific states and pipeline attributes. Monte Carlo simulation and a pure birth Markov process method are used for computing the transition matrix. The cost of maintenance and failure are considered when calculating the rewards. The inline inspection methods and tool measurement errors may cause reading distortion, which is used to formulate the observations and the observation function. The model is demonstrated with two numerical examples constructed based on problems and parameters in the literature. The result shows that the proposed model performs well with the added advantage of integrating measurement errors and recommending actions for multiple-state situations. Overall, this discrete model can serve the maintenance decision-making process by better representing the stochastic features.
A Gripper-like Exoskeleton Design for Robot Grasping Demonstration
Authors: Dai Hengtai , Lu Zhenyu , He Mengyuan , Yang Chenguang
Published: January 2023

Learning from demonstration (LfD) is a practical method for transferring skill knowledge from a human demonstrator to a robot. Several studies have shown the effectiveness of LfD in robotic grasping tasks to improve the success rate of grasping and to accelerate the development of new robotic grasping tasks. A well-designed demonstration device can effectively represent human grasping motion to transfer grasping skills to robots. In this paper, an improved gripper-like exoskeleton with a data collection system is proposed. First, we present the mechatronic details of the exoskeleton and its motion-tracking system, considering the manipulation flexibility and data acquisition requirements. We then present the capabilities of the device and its data collection system, which collects the position, pose and displacement of the gripper on the exoskeleton. The collected data is further processed by the data acquisition and processing software. Next, we describe the principles of Gaussian mixture model (GMM) and Gaussian mixture regression (GMR) in robot skill learning, which are used to transfer the raw data from demonstrations to robot motions. In the experiment, an optimized trajectory was learned from multiple demonstrations and reproduced on a robot. The results show that the GMR complemented with GMM is able to learn a smooth trajectory from demonstration trajectories with noise.
Design of an Improved Active Disturbance Rejection Control Method for a Direct-Drive Gearshift System Equipped with Electromagnetic Linear Actuators in a Motor-Transmission Coupled Drive System
Authors: Lin Shusen , Tang Min , Li Bo , Shi Wenhui
Published: January 2023

In this study, a type of direct-drive gearshift system integrated into a motor-transmission coupled drive system is introduced. It used two electromagnetic linear actuators (ELAs) to perform gearshift events. The adoption of ELAs simplifies the architecture of the gearshift system and has the potential to further optimize gearshift performance. However, a number of nonlinearities in the gearshift system should be investigated in order to enhance the performance of the direct-drive gearshift system. An active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) method was selected as the principal shifting control method due to the simple methodology and strong reliability. The nonlinear characteristics of the electromagnetic force produced by the ELA were subsequently reduced using the inverse system method (ISM) technique. The ADRC approach also incorporated an acceleration feedforward module to enhance the precision of displacement control. The extended state observer (ESO) module used a nonlinear function in place of the original function to improve the ability to reject disturbances. Comparative simulations and experiments were carried out between the ADRC method and improved ADRC (IADRC) method. The outcomes demonstrate the effectiveness of the designed control method. The shift force fluctuates less, and the shift jerk decreases noticeably during the synchronization procedure. In conclusion, combined with the optimized IADRC method, the direct-drive gearshift system equipped with ELAs shows remarkable gearshift performance, and it has the potential to be widely used in motor−transmission coupled drive systems for EVs.
Blockchain Traceability Adoption in Agricultural Supply Chain Coordination: An Evolutionary Game Analysis
Authors: Zheng Yi , Xu Yaoqun , Qiu Zeguo
Published: January 2023

Blockchain technology has brought about profound revolutions in supply chain management. Notably, in the agricultural sector, blockchain-based traceability has become an essential tool to maintain the safety and quality of farm commodities. However, the implementation of blockchain technology in agricultural traceability is not prevalent. In this paper, mathematical modeling and simulation methods were used to investigate the decision making regarding the adoption of blockchain traceability in agriculture, which comprises producers, processors, and governments. This paper provides further analysis of the optimal blockchain-based traceability strategies of the members of the agricultural product supply chain in different scenarios. The results reveal the following: (1) Producers and processors should manage the traceability costs for adopting blockchains to improve their brand image and gain more benefits. (2) The government should encourage supply chain agents to participate in traceability by establishing an effective reward-and-punishment mechanism. In addition, the research will help agricultural supply chain agents to design strategies to implement traceability in agriculture and create a transparent and efficient data-driven agricultural products supply chain. Furthermore, these findings provide guidance to policymakers to develop policies to accelerate the implementation of blockchain-based traceability systems to guarantee fraud-free and sustainable agricultural supply chains.
Carbon Accumulation, Soil Microbial and Enzyme Activities in Elephant Foot Yam-Based Intercropping System
Authors: Ilakiya Tamilselvan , Swarnapriya Ramakrishnan , Pugalendhi Lakshmanan , Geethalakshmi Vellingiri , Lakshmanan Arunachalam , Kumar Manoj , Lorenzo José M.
Published: January 2023

Intercropping is a sustainable, eco-friendly, and economically beneficial cropping system. Elephant foot yam (EFY), a multifarious long-duration vegetable, takes 60 days or more to spread its canopy. Hence, this research assessed the impact of intercropping short duration vegetables, viz., cluster bean, radish, Amaranthus, and fenugreek, in elephant foot yam for two seasons (2021 and 2021/22). It included the analysis of parameters such as carbon accumulation, soil chemical properties, nutrient, enzyme, and microbial activities. The findings revealed that for both the seasons there was a significant (p < 0.01) rise in all the parameters examined in the intercropping patterns. Cluster bean (legume) outperformed the other intercrops utilised. Overall, carbon accumulation was improved by 54.40% when cluster beans were intercropped in EFY. Cluster bean intercropping increased the microbial and enzyme activities in the soil rhizosphere and improved soil organic carbon, microbial biomass carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium by 31, 42, 28, 37, and 11%, respectively, compared to the sole crop. A positive correlation was observed between the soil microbes and enzyme activity with the soil chemical properties. As a result, the research concludes that intercropping cluster bean in EFY promotes carbon accumulation, soil nutrients, enzymes, and microbial community, which, in turn, favour the productivity of the elephant foot yam.
Design and Experimental Study of a Bionic Blade for Harvesting the Wild Chrysanthemum Stem
Authors: Liu Zhengdao , Wang Tao , Liu Suyuan , Yan Xiaoli , Zhao Hongbo , Wu Xiaopeng , Zhang Shuo
Published: January 2023

Wild chrysanthemum has a high medicinal value. Its mechanized harvest can improve harvesting efficiency, reduce labor costs and improve planting benefits, which is an important way to promote artificial planting. However, one of the difficulties in mechanized harvesting is the large diameter and hardness of the stem, leading to high cutting resistance and power consumption. In order to reduce cutting resistance and power consumption, a bionic cutting blade is designed in this paper by employing the bionics principle and the contour of the cricket’s upper jaw incisor lobe instead of the sharp triangular teeth of the standard harvester blade. Using the finite element method, the cutting-edge angle, cutting angle, and reciprocating speed were taken as test factors. The maximum shear force and power consumption were taken as evaluation indexes. At the same time, the center combination simulation test was carried out to optimize the cutting body and to determine the optimal cutting speed. When the cutting-edge angle was 21°, the cutting angle was 66°, the reciprocating speed was 1.29 m/s, and the maximum shear force and power consumption were minimal. The results showed that the maximum shear force of the bionic cutter was reduced by 18% and the power consumption by 15.8%. The bench test showed that the maximum shear force and power consumption of the bionic cutter were reduced by 10.5% and 10.8%, respectively, when the entire wild chrysanthemum stem was cut. The results can provide a reference for the mechanical harvesting of wild chrysanthemum stems.
Optimal Drip Fertigation Regimes Improved Soil Micro-Environment, Root Growth and Grain Yield of Spring Maize in Arid Northwest China
Authors: Li Zhijun , Zou Haiyang , Lai Zhenlin , Zhang Fucang , Fan Junliang
Published: January 2023

Understanding the spatial distributions of soil water, temperature and nutrients as well as their effects on maize growth and grain yield is vital for optimizing drip fertigation regimes. In this study, a 2 year field experiment was conducted on drip-fertigated spring maize with plastic mulching in arid northwestern China in 2015 and 2016. Four irrigation levels were set: as I60 (60% ETc; ETc is crop evapotranspiration), I75 (75% ETc), I90 (90% ETc) and I105 (105% ETc) in 2015; and as I60 (60% ETc), I80 (80% ETc), I100 (100% ETc) and I120 (120% ETc) in 2016. Two fertilization rates of N-P2O5-K2O were set: as F180 (180-90-90) and F240 (240-120-120). The results showed that the average soil water content in the deeper soil layer (80–120 cm) increased with the increase in irrigation level, and the lowest average soil water content in the 0–80 cm soil layer occurred under I95 in 2015 and under I100 in 2016. The irrigation level more significantly influenced the soil temperature at 5 cm than at the other depths. With the decrease in the irrigation level and progression of the growth period, the soil temperature increased. The soil nitrate nitrogen content in the root zone decreased with increasing irrigation level. The largest soil nitrate nitrogen content at the 0–100 cm depth occurred under I60 in both 2015 and 2016. Significant differences were observed for root length density in the 0–20 cm soil layer at various lateral locations. In deeper (60–100 cm) soil layers, the root length density under I75 (2015) and I80 (2016) was greater than at other depths. Grain yield, water use efficiency (WUE) and partial factor productivity (PFP) increased with the increase in irrigation level in 2015, while it increased and then decreased in 2016. I105F180 achieved the maximum grain yield (18.81 t ha−1), WUE (3.32 kg m−3), and PFP (52.26 kg kg−1) in 2015, while I100F180 achieved the maximum grain yield (20.51 t ha−1), WUE (3.99 kg m−3), and PFP (57.02 kg kg−1) in 2016. The optimal drip fertigation regimes for spring maize in arid northwest China were recommended as 90–100% ETc and 180-90-90 (N-P2O5-K2O) kg hm−2.
How Different Na+ Concentrations Affect Anatomical, Nutritional Physiological, Biochemical, and Morphological Aspects in Soybean Plants: A Multidisciplinary and Comparative Approach
Authors: Silva Breno Ricardo Serrão da , Lobato Elaine Maria Silva Guedes , Santos Leidy Alves dos , Pereira Rodrigo Mendes , Batista Bruno Lemos , Alyemeni Mohammed Nasser , Ahmad Parvaiz , Lobato Allan Klynger da Silva
Published: January 2023

Soybean is a legume widely cultivated globally for its seeds, which are rich in oil and protein suitable for animal and human nutrition, and as a biofuel source. One of the main factors that limits production is soil salinity; currently there are an estimated 800 million hectares of agricultural land affected by salt stress worldwide. The aim of this research was to determine whether anatomical, morphological, nutritional, physiological, and biochemical parameters are negatively affected in soybean plants cultivated under different levels of salt stress. The experiment was randomized into five treatments (0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 mM Na+). Plants subjected to concentrations of 50 to 200 mM Na+ exhibited reductions in K (range 21% to 57%), Ca (range 38% to 63%), and Mg (range 20% to 41%) compared to controls (without Na+). Na+ stress progressively produced negative effects on photosynthetic machinery, gas exchange, and photosynthetic pigments, results clearly related to oxidative stress generated by the saline growth conditions. Interestingly, our study revealed that at concentrations up to 100 mM Na+ deposition of epicuticular wax occurred, the quantity and shape of the stomata changed, and the thickness of the leaf epidermis increased. Our broad-based, multidisciplinary, and comparative study proved that soybean plants suffer significant deleterious effects modulated by Na+ stress, mainly at concentrations above 100 mM Na+.
Evaluation of Liquid Organic Acids on the Performance, Chyme pH, Nutrient Utilization, and Gut Microbiota in Broilers under High Stocking Density
Authors: Han Miaomiao , Chen Bingbo , Dong Yuanyang , Miao Zhiqiang , Su Yuan , Liu Ci , Li Jianhui
Published: January 2023

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of organic acids (OAs) in starter broilers and to investigate whether supplemental OAs could alleviate the high stocking density (HSD) stress condition in grower broilers. A total of 408 1-day-old Arbor Acres broilers were assigned into two groups without or with liquid OAs in the starter phase. In the grower phase, each group in the starter phase was divided into a normal stocking density and an HSD. The OA dose was 0.16% at the starter and grower phases. The results showed that at the starter phase, OAs decreased the chyme pH in gizzard and duodenum and increased the activities of chymotrypsin and α-amylase in the duodenal chyme (p < 0.05). In the grower phase, an HSD decreased the growth performance and the ether extract digestibility (p < 0.01). The supplementation of OAs decreased the chyme pH in the gizzard, proventriculus, and duodenum and increased the lipase and α-amylase activities (p < 0.05). The supplemental OAs increased the dry matter and total phosphorous digestibility and the contents of acetic acids, butyric acids, isovaleric acids, and valeric acids (p < 0.05). For cecal microbial compositions at the genus level, an HSD decreased the relative abundance of Blautia, Norank_f__norank_o__RF39, and Alistipes, while supplemental OAs increased the relative abundance of Norank_f__norank_o__RF39 (p < 0.05). In conclusion, although there were no interaction effects between OAs and stocking densities in the present study, it was clear that the supplementation of OAs has beneficial effects on the chyme pH, enzymes activities, and nutrient digestibility in broilers, while an HSD existed adverse effects on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and gut microbiota balance in grower broilers.
Evaluation of an Extract Derived from the Seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum to Reduce the Negative Effects of Heat Stress on Broiler Growth and Stress Parameters
Authors: Archer Gregory S.
Published: January 2023

Heat stress is one on the main welfare issues that broiler chickens face and it can lead not only to decreased welfare but production as well. The seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum has demonstrated the ability in several species to decrease body temperature and affect immune function. To determine whether adding an extract of this seaweed into the diet of broiler chickens would decrease the negative effects of prolong heat stress on broiler growth, a study was conducted. Broilers were fed a control diet with the seaweed extract added at a rate of 0.5 kg/metric ton of feed throughout a 42-day growout or just a control diet. Half of each feed treatment was exposed to two weeks of heat stress (35 °C for 16 h/day) starting at d28 and continued until the end of the trial. Therefore, there were four treatments: a control non-stressed (CNS), control heat stressed (CHS), seaweed-supplemented non-stressed (SWNS), and seaweed-supplemented heat stressed (SWHS). To determine stress susceptibility, the following measures were collected: bilateral asymmetry (ASYM, n = 60), heterophil to lymphocyte ratios (HL, n = 24), plasma heat shock protein 70 (HSP70, n = 24) and plasma corticosterone concentrations (CORT, n = 24). Feed conversion, uniformity and weight gain were also determined. The CHS birds had higher (p < 0.05) CORT, ASYM, HSP70 and HL than the CNS, SWNS and SWHS birds. The CNS and SWNS birds did not differ (p > 0.05) in body weight at d42 but they were both heavier (p < 0.05) than in both the heat-stressed treatments. Furthermore, the CHS weighed less (p < 0.05) that the SWHS birds. The non-heat-stressed treatments did not differ (p > 0.05) from each other in FCR, however the two heat-stressed treatments did differ (p < 0.05) from each other in FCR, with the SWHS birds having better FCR than the CHS birds. Heat stress affected bird uniformity with non-heat-stressed treatments having more (p < 0.05) uniformity of body weights within a pen than the heat stress treatments. These results demonstrate that adding this seaweed extract to the feed of poultry can reduce their stress during a prolonged heat stress event, though it had no effect on growth or feed conversion. This feed additive could be used to improve the welfare of poultry during heat stress events.
Chronic Use of Deslorelin in Dogs: Six Cases (2005–2022)
Authors: Romagnoli Stefano , Diana Alice , Ferré-Dolcet Lluis , Fontaine Christelle , Milani Chiara
Published: January 2023

Deslorelin is currently registered for the induction of temporary infertility in male dogs, male cats, male ferrets, and also prepubertal female dogs, but research has shown its usefulness for other conditions requiring chronic treatment. This paper presents six cases of dogs chronically treated with deslorelin for indications such as benign prostatic hyperplasia, control of fertility, abnormal reproductive behavior and urinary incontinence. All animals were in good health during treatment. Treatment duration was 2–9 years. No short-term side effects were observed except for flare-up reactions, which were observed only in 1/4 intact males. Two dogs developed a neoplasia: a spayed bitch treated for urinary incontinence developed a pituitary carcinoma, and an intact male dog implanted for control of fertility developed a bladder carcinoma. While the pituitary carcinoma seems unlikely to be related to deslorelin, the bladder carcinoma could be due to the neutered condition of the dog (which was treated for 9 years) as urinary tract neoplasia is more common in dogs following gonadectomy. Chronic treatment with deslorelin is regarded as safe when an animal is being treated for life. The possibility that a pause in the treatment might be helpful for the animal should be investigated.
A Review of the Currently Available Antibody Therapy for the Treatment of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Authors: Widyasari Kristin , Kim Jinnam
Published: January 2023

Monoclonal antibodies are a promising treatment for COVID-19. However, the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants raised concerns about these therapies’ efficacy and long-term viability. Studies reported several antibodies, that received authorization for COVID-19 treatment, are not effective against new variants or subvariants of SARS-CoV-2, hence their distribution has to be paused. Here, the authors reviewed the status of the currently available monoclonal antibodies for COVID-19 treatment, their potential as a therapeutic agent, and the challenges ahead. To address these issues, the authors presented general information on SARS-CoV-2 and how monoclonal antibodies work against SARS-CoV-2. The authors then focus on the antibodies that have been deployed for COVID-19 treatment and their current status, as well as the evidence supporting their potential as an early intervention against COVID-19. Lastly, the authors discussed some leading obstacles that hinder the development and administration of monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of COVID-19.
Is There Any Benefit to the Use of Antibiotics with Indwelling Catheters after Urologic Surgery in Adults
Authors: Maffucci Fenizia , Chang Chrystal , Simhan Jay , Cohn Joshua A.
Published: January 2023

Antibiotic stewardship in urologic reconstruction is critically important, as many patients will require indwelling catheters for days to weeks following surgery and thus are at risk of both developing catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) as well as multi-drug resistant (MDR) uropathogens. Accordingly, limiting antibiotic use, when safe, should help reduce antibiotic resistance and the prevalence of MDR organisms. However, there is significant heterogeneity in how antibiotics are prescribed to patients who need indwelling urethral catheters post-operatively. We performed a literature review to determine if there are benefits in the use of antibiotics for various clinical scenarios that require post-operative indwelling catheters for greater than 24 h. In general, for patients undergoing prostatectomy, transurethral resection of the prostate, and/or urethroplasty, antibiotic administration may be limited without increased risk of CAUTI. However, more work is needed to identify optimal antibiotic regimens for these and alternative urologic procedures, whether certain sub-populations benefit from longer courses of antibiotics, and effective non-antibiotic or non-systemic therapies.
Molecular Characterization of Community- and Hospital- Acquired Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Isolates during COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Sohail Muhammad , Muzzammil Moazza , Ahmad Moaz , Rehman Sabahat , Garout Mohammed , Khojah Taghreed M. , Al-Eisa Kholoud M. , Breagesh Samar A. , Hamdan Rola M. Al , Alibrahim Halimah I. , Alsoliabi Zainab A. , Rabaan Ali A. , Ahmed Naveed
Published: January 2023

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a drug-resistant superbug that causes various types of community- and hospital-acquired infectious diseases. The current study was aimed to see the genetic characteristics and gene expression of MRSA isolates of nosocomial origin. A total of 221 MRSA isolates were identified from 2965 clinical samples. To identify the bacterial isolates, the clinical samples were inoculated on blood agar media plates first and incubated at 37 °C for 18–24 h. For further identification, the Gram staining and various biochemical tests were performed once the colonies appeared on the inoculated agar plates. The phenotypic identification of antibiotic susceptibility patterns was carried out using Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion method by following the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) 2019 guidelines. The biofilm-producing potentials of MRSA were checked quantitatively using a spectrophotometric assay. All strains were characterized genotypically by SCCmec and agr typing using the specific gene primers. Furthermore, a total of twelve adhesion genes were amplified in all MRSA isolates. MRSA was a frequently isolated pathogen (44% community acquired (CA)-MRSA and 56% hospital acquired (HA)-MRSA), respectively. Most of the MRSA isolates were weak biofilm producers (78%), followed by moderate (25%) and strong (7%) biofilm producers, respectively. Prominent adhesion genes were clfB (100%), icaAD (91%), fib (91%), sdrC (91%) followed by eno (89%), fnbA (77%), sdrE (67%), icaBC (65%), clfA (65%), fnbB (57%), sdrD (57%), and cna (48%), respectively. The results of the current study will help to understand and manage the spectrum of biofilm-producing MRSA-associated hospital-acquired infections and to provide potential molecular candidates for the identification of biofilm-producing MRSA.
Vitiligo and Mental Health: Natural Compounds’ Usefulness
Authors: Di Bartolomeo Luca , Custurone Paolo , Irrera Natasha , Borgia Francesco , Vaccaro Federico , Squadrito Francesco , Vaccaro Mario
Published: January 2023

Vitiligo is an autoimmune dermatosis frequently associated with other comorbidities, such as mental health disorders. It is unclear if vitiligo triggers mental disorders or if mental disorders trigger vitiligo, but each one affects and worsen the other, if present at the same time. Both mental health disorders and vitiligo present a multifactorial pathogenesis and often require prolonged periods of therapy, sometimes with poor results. Given the possible link of common pathogenetic factors and the need of integrated therapies, the aim of this review is to look at natural compounds as possible supplements for both conditions. The results yielded show a possible role of these supplements in ameliorating both conditions, thus helping these patients to achieve a better quality of life and reduce the need for prolonged therapies. The limitations regarding the relative lack of in vivo studies, and the increasing need to lighten the burden of these chronic diseases, suggests that it is mandatory to proceed with further trials.
IL-21, Inflammatory Cytokines and Hyperpolarized CD8+ T Cells Are Central Players in Lupus Immune Pathology
Authors: Sengupta Soumya , Bhattacharya Gargee , Mohanty Subhasmita , Shaw Shubham K. , Jogdand Gajendra M. , Jha Rohila , Barik Prakash K. , Parida Jyoti R. , Devadas Satish
Published: January 2023

Systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disorder, broadly characterized by systemic inflammation along with heterogeneous clinical manifestations, severe morbidity, moribund organ failure and eventual mortality. In our study, SLE patients displayed a higher percentage of activated, inflamed and hyper-polarized CD8+ T cells, dysregulated CD8+ T cell differentiation, significantly elevated serum inflammatory cytokines and higher accumulation of cellular ROS when compared to healthy controls. Importantly, these hyper-inflammatory/hyper-polarized CD8+ T cells responded better to an antioxidant than to an oxidant. Terminally differentiated Tc1 cells also showed plasticity upon oxidant/antioxidant treatment, but that was in contrast to the SLE CD8+ T cell response. Our studies suggest that the differential phenotype and redox response of SLE CD8+ T cells and Tc1 cells could be attributed to their cytokine environs during their respective differentiation and eventual activation environs. The polarization of Tc1 cells with IL-21 drove hyper-cytotoxicity without hyper-polarisation suggesting that the SLE inflammatory cytokine environment could drive the extreme aberrancy in SLE CD8+ T cells.
Influence of Fiber Mixing Process on the Cracking Resistance of Cold Recycled Asphalt Mixture
Authors: Wang Ming , Huo Tongde , Xing Chengwei , Wang Yuxuan
Published: January 2023

Fiber reinforcement is often used to improve the road performance of cold recycled asphalt mixture (CRAM). The purpose of this research is to evaluate the impact of fiber mixing process on the cracking resistance of CRAM from multiple perspectives. Four kinds of fiber mixing processes, named A, B, C, and D, were designed by changing the order of fiber addition during the mixing process. Then, semicircle bending tests and indirect tensile tests were conducted to characterize the low-temperature cracking behavior of fiber CRAM. Freeze–thaw cycle tests under both dry and water-saturated conditions were performed to investigate the freeze–thaw damage behavior of fiber CRAM. Furthermore, the fiber dispersion in CRAM was observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results show that the fiber mixing process has a significant effect on the cracking resistance of CRAM. The CRAM specimens prepared by process C have the largest fracture energy, splitting strength, and fracture work, while the specimens made by process D have the smallest value. Specially, the fracture energy of the specimens prepared by process C is 77.23% larger than that of the specimens prepared by process A, while the fracture energy of the specimens prepared by process D is 5.6% smaller than that of the specimens prepared by process A. The reason for this phenomenon is that the fiber is well dispersed in the specimens prepared by process C, which contributes to obtain a better crack resistance. For all CRAM specimens, with the increase of freeze–thaw cycles, splitting strength and fracture work of fiber CRAM decrease. However, there is an obvious difference in the reduction rate of splitting strength and fracture work, especially for the specimens under the water saturation condition. The specimens made by process C have the smallest reduction rate, which indicates a better resistance to freezing and thawing damage. According to the analysis of fiber macro-distribution state in loose CRAM, the fiber dispersion is affected by the humidity conditions in the mixing environment. The best humidity conditions are obtained for fiber dispersion in process C. Based on the SEM observation, the overlapping bridging network structure can be observed in the microstructure of the specimens prepared by process C, allowing the mixture to better transfer and disperse stress.
Comparison and Improvement of 3D-Multilateration for Solving Simultaneous Localization of Drones and UWB Anchors
Authors: Malivert Franck , Labbani-Igbida Ouiddad , Boeglen Hervé
Published: January 2023

Drone fleets have attracted a lot of attention from the research community in recent years. One of the biggest challenges in deploying such systems is localization. While GNSS localization systems can only be effective in open outdoor environments, new solutions based on radio sensors (e.g., ultra-wideband) are increasingly being used for localization in various situations and environments. However, self-localization without prior knowledge of anchor positions remains an open problem, which, for example, makes it impossible to track a moving target. In this article, we provide a comparison of different variants of gradient descent-based algorithms, with a new improved variant, for solving the localization problem using relative distance measurements and multilateration. Extensive simulation results are provided, varying the number of neighboring nodes for multilateration, algorithm initialization, and cost functions, in addition to accounting for node positioning errors and ultra-wideband sensor noise. They help set the adequate rate for fixed step descent when used and produce a damping effect in the variable step rate, which will otherwise diverge. In particular, we consider three scenarios: (i) self-localization of anchors; (ii) tracking moving targets using ultra-wideband range sensors; and (iii) simultaneously estimating unknown positions of ultra-wideband anchors and mobile agents (drones). The latter shows a great improvement in localization accuracy.
Research on the Positioning Performance of GNSS with a Low-Cost Choke Ring Antenna
Authors: Rykała Łukasz , Rubiec Arkadiusz , Przybysz Mirosław , Krogul Piotr , Cieślik Karol , Muszyński Tomasz , Rykała Magdalena
Published: January 2023

One of the technologies used for localization is GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems), which is exposed to many phenomena, i.e., the occurrence of terrain covers, reflections of the radio waves, and the multipath nature of the radio waves in the propagation environment. To increase the resistance to environmental phenomena, special types of antennas are used, which include, among others, choke ring antennas. The article describes the design and construction of the choke ring antenna and the impact of the mentioned device on the quality of GNSS positioning. The accuracy of the constructed antenna (based on selected accuracy measures: DRMS, 2DRMS, SEP, MRSE, SAE) is calculated together with positioning errors determined for two types of antennas: choke ring antenna and the dedicated antenna supplied by the manufacturer in RTK mode. The results confirm that the designed choke ring antenna can be used for positioning without significantly losing accuracy in the RTK mode.
Evaluation of Protein and Polysaccharide Biopolymers as Dust Suppressants on Mine Soils: Laboratory Experiments
Authors: Sieger Johannes L. , Lottermoser Bernd G. , Freer Justus
Published: January 2023

Polysaccharide biopolymers have been shown to be alternatives to established dust suppressants. This study investigates the potential of 14 polysaccharides and proteins from diverse botanical (corn, pea, wheat, cellulose, potato, and fava bean) and animal (pig, chicken, and cow) sources as dust suppressants on two mine soils (medium-grained sand and fine-grained silica sand). Results of laboratory tests demonstrate that the type of biopolymer and its concentration have a significant effect on penetration resistance, moisture retention, and crust thickness. Depending on biopolymer type, concentration, and soil type, moisture retention range from 1.0 to 19.5 wt% (control, Cmedium-gr. = 2.5 and Cfine-gr. = 6.9 wt%), penetration resistance from 1.7 to 37.9 N (Cmedium-gr. = 1.5 and Cfine-gr. = 1.7 N), and crust thickness from 0.3 to 18.1 mm (Cmedium-gr. and Cfine-gr. = 0 mm). Proteins form crusts with penetration resistances similar to polysaccharides but mainly require higher concentrations than polysaccharides. Based on the test results, xanthan gum, carboxymethyl cellulose, corn starch, fava bean protein concentrate, and plasma protein exhibit the highest potential to act as dust suppressants. This research contributes to evaluating biopolymers as environmentally friendly soil amendments that may be used to control fugitive dust emissions from large, barren surfaces.
Super-Resolution Multicomponent Joint-Interferometric Fabry–Perot-Based Technique
Authors: Zhang Yu , Lv Qunbo , Tang Yinhui , He Peidong , Zhu Baoyv , Sui Xuefu , Yang Yuanbo , Bai Yang , Liu Yangyang
Published: January 2023

We propose a new spectral super-resolution technique combined with a Fabry–Perot interferometer (FPI) and an interferometric hyperspectral imager. To overcome the limitation of the maximal optical path difference (OPD) on the spectral resolution, the object spectrum is periodically modulated based on the FPI, and an optical Fourier transform of the modulated spectrum information is performed using a double-beam interferometer to obtain an interferogram. Drawing on the concept of nonlinear structured light microscopy, the displacement of the high-frequency interference information in the interferogram after adding the FPI is analyzed to restore the high-frequency interference information and improve the spectral resolution. The optical system has a compact structure with little impact on complexity, spectral range, or luminous flux. Our simulation results show that this method can realize multicomponent joint-interference imaging to obtain spectral super-resolution information. The effects of the FPI’s reflectance and interval are analyzed, and the reflectance needs to be within 20~80% and the interval must be as close as possible to the maximum optical range of the interferometer. Compared with previous, related innovations, this innovation has the advantages of higher system stability, higher data utilization, and better suitability for interferometric imaging spectrometers.
Multi-Hider Reversible Data Hiding Using a Weighted Color Transfer and Modulus Operation
Authors: Hsieh Ku-Sung , Wang Chung-Ming
Published: January 2023

This paper proposes a multi-hider dual-image reversible data-hiding algorithm. Generating dual stego images, the proposed algorithm provides a high embedding capacity, exhibits high image quality, offers reversibility to restore the stego images, and suggests seven levels of secret message extraction. The message embedding in our algorithm contains two phases. In Phase-1, we embed an n-ary secret message vector followed by an m-ary secret message in each pixel using two distinct secret keys when rendering a new image from the source and target images using an optimal weighted color-transfer process. This phase produces a tentative stego image which exhibits a new color appearance, different from the input source image. In Phase-2, we introduce a weighted modulus operation to embed a k-ary secret message vector into a dual-pixel constructed from the tentative stego image. The message concealment is elaborately designed so that the hidden secret messages are intact. This phase produces dual stego images which carry three distinct secret messages. Using legitimate secret keys, an authorized receiver can extract one or parts of secret messages and recover the tentative stego color-transferred image without arousing any suspicion. The experimental results and analysis confirm that our scheme can resist RS and PVD steganalytic attacks. In addition, our algorithm provides both high embedding capacity and better image quality, outperforming its counterparts. To the best of our knowledge, our scheme is the first in the relevant literature that provides multi-hider reversible data hiding, thereby offering various levels of message extraction for secure data communication.
Bacterial Cellulose–Polyvinyl Alcohol Based Complex Composites for Controlled Drug Release
Authors: Busuioc Cristina , Isopencu Gabriela Olimpia , Deleanu Iuliana-Mihaela
Published: January 2023

Drug-loaded mono- and multilayer composite membranes were prepared. The composites, based on nano-fibrillated bacterial cellulose, nano-powdered bacterial cellulose, and polyvinyl alcohol, all biocompatible and biodegradable, were characterized in terms of basic factors related to drug diffusivity and mass transfer: swelling ability, water solubility, and water vapor permeability. Tetracycline hydrochloride was used in this case as drug model. Drug release was evaluated in an aqueous environment for two concentration levels of the antibiotic, and mathematical modeling was applied to fit experimental data. Tetracycline release was influenced by a membranes’ structure, layers’ composition, and by a membranes’ thickness. Bacterial cellulose nanofibrils proved to be the key factor in achieving suitable drug release profiles. Thus, sustained antibiotic delivery was obtained for several days in the case of multilayer composites. The composites proved drug stability and antibacterial efficiency before and after TC-HCl continuous release for several days.
Physical, Thermal, and Mechanical Characterization of PMMA Foils Fabricated by Solution Casting
Authors: Samal Sneha , Svomova Barbora , Spasovová Monika , Tyc Ondřej , Vokoun David , Stachiv Ivo
Published: January 2023

The physical, thermal, structural, and mechanical properties of poly(methyl methacrylate) PMMA foils cast from solutions of toluene were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, optical microscope, Fourier infrared spectroscopy, and dynamical mechanical analysis. The PMMA foils were prepared from a different ratio of PMMA powder with toluene solvent by the solution cast method. The surface features, glass transition temperature, and C-H bonds of foils were investigated and compared with commercial PMMA foil. The mechanical characterization of foils was examined by using static and dynamic loads in axial and transverse modes. The tensile behaviors of the commercial and as-prepared foils were investigated by using a strain rate of 0.01/s. The dynamical behavior of the foils was tested in tensile mode using 0.1 N of stress with a frequency of 1 Hz for the determination of storage, loss modulus, and damping values of the tan delta. A significant shape memory was observed in all of the prepared PMMA foils. The solution cast method allows for tuning the glass transition temperature of polymer foil that could easily integrate with the NiTi alloy phase transition temperature to fabricate a suitable composite structure. Integrating both structures will open the flexibility in bistable actuators in composite structures as a function of thermal cycles.
Analysis and Prediction of Mid-High Peak Frequency for Microspeaker with Side-Firing Front Chamber
Authors: Jiang Zhi-Xiong , Park Ji-Hun , Xu Dan-Ping , Hwang Sang-Moon
Published: January 2023

The generating mechanisms of the mid-high-frequency peaks of a sound pressure level are theoretically investigated in this study with a side-firing front chamber. A mid-frequency peak is caused by the Helmholtz resonance phenomenon of the front chamber, and a high-frequency peak occurs owing to tube resonance. The electromagnetic–mechanical–acoustic coupling method (E–M–A) and resonance equations are used to obtain the sound pressure level and peak frequencies, respectively. Seven side-firing front chambers have been designed with respect to different tube lengths, tube widths and tube heights. Microspeaker samples with different front chamber designs are manufactured to verify the analytical results. The SPL and mid-high peak frequencies comparisons showed good agreement between the analysis and experimental results.