bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of Chitinase-like Genes in Petunia axillaris
Authors: Liu Zhuoyi , Yu Wenfei , Zhang Xiaowen , Huang Jinfeng , Wang Wei , Miao Miao , Hu Li , Wan Chao , Yuan Yuan , Wu Binghua , Lyu Meiling
Published: May 2022

Chitinase (EC 3.2.1.14) is a kind of chitin-degrading glycosidase, which plays important roles in the abiotic and biotic defense of plants. In this study, we conducted whole-genome annotation, molecular evolution, and gene expression analyses on the chitinase-like (CTL) gene family members of Petunia axillaris. Thirty-three Petunia axillarischitinase-like genes (PaCTLs) were identified from the latest Petunia genome database. According to the phylogenetic analyses, these genes were divided into GH18 and GH19 subgroups and further subdivided into five classes (Class I to Class V). Conserved motif arrangements indicated their functional relevance within each group. The expansion and homeology analyses showed that gene replication events played an important role in the evolution of PaCTLs and the increase of the GH18 subgroup members was the main reason for the expansion of the PaCTL gene family in the evolution progress. By qRT-PCR analysis, we found that most of the PaCTLs showed a very low expression level in the normal growing plants. But lots of PaCTLs showed upregulated expression profiles when the plants suffered different abiotic stress conditions. Among them, five PaCTLs responded to high temperature and exhibited significantly upregulate expression level. Correspondingly, many hormone responses, as well as biotic and abiotic stress elements were found in the promoters of PaCTLs by using cis-acting element analysis. These results provide a foundation for the exploration of PaCTLs’ function and enrich the evolutionary process of the CTL gene family.
Low Light Conditions Alter Genome-Wide Profiles of Circular RNAs in Rice Grains during Grain Filling
Authors: Chen Hong , Wang Tao , Gong Zhiyou , Lu Hui , Chen Yong , Deng Fei , Ren Wanjun
Published: May 2022

In animals and plants, circRNAs regulate gene expression and act as sponges that inhibit the activity of microRNAs. This study aimed to determine how specific circRNAs are expressed in rice grains at different stages of grain filling, under normal and low light conditions. We extracted total RNA from rice grains under low and sufficient light conditions. Deep sequencing was performed using circRNA libraries, and bioinformatics tools were used to identify the circRNAs. In addition, we analyzed targeted messenger RNA functions using two databases to predict the processes involved in rice grain development, and we conducted real-time PCR on 15 of the circRNAs as well as Sanger sequencing. During the grain development process, 8015 candidate circRNAs were isolated, among which the number of known circRNAs was 1661. We also found that the number of circRNAs changed with the time of development. Among them, six circRNAs acted as sponges that targeted more than two microRNAs at different stages of development, and these circRNAs showed a regulatory pattern consistent with the transcriptome sequencing results. More circRNA diversity was found under low light treatment compared to normal light. These findings reveal a possible link between circRNA regulation and the expression of the functional genes associated with photosignal-mediated rice grain development.
Genome-Wide Association Study of Phenylalanine Derived Glucosinolates in Brassica rapa
Authors: Shang Guoxia , Zhao Huiyan , Tong Linhui , Yin Nengwen , Hu Ran , Jiang Haiyan , Kamal Farah , Zhao Zhi , Xu Liang , Lu Kun , Li Jiana , Qu Cunmin , Du Dezhi
Published: May 2022

Glucosinolates (GSLs) are sulfur-containing bioactive compounds usually present in Brassicaceae plants and are usually responsible for a pungent flavor and reduction of the nutritional values of seeds. Therefore, breeding rapeseed varieties with low GSL levels is an important breeding objective. Most GSLs in Brassica rapa are derived from methionine or tryptophan, but two are derived from phenylalanine, one directly (benzylGSL) and one after a round of chain elongation (phenethylGSL). In the present study, two phenylalanine (Phe)-derived GSLs (benzylGSL and phenethylGSL) were identified and quantified in seeds by liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis. Levels of benzylGSL were low but differed among investigated low and high GSL genotypes. Levels of phenethylGSL (also known as 2-phenylethylGSL) were high but did not differ among GSL genotypes. Subsequently, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted using 159 B. rapa accessions to demarcate candidate regions underlying 43 and 59 QTNs associated with benzylGSL and phenethylGSL that were distributed on 10 chromosomes and 9 scaffolds, explaining 0.56% to 70.86% of phenotypic variations, respectively. Furthermore, we find that 15 and 18 known or novel candidate genes were identified for the biosynthesis of benzylGSL and phenethylGSL, including known regulators of GSL biosynthesis, such as BrMYB34, BrMYB51, BrMYB28, BrMYB29 and BrMYB122, and novel regulators or structural genes, such as BrMYB44/BrMYB77 and BrMYB60 for benzylGSL and BrCYP79B2 for phenethylGSL. Finally, we investigate the expression profiles of the biosynthetic genes for two Phe-derived GSLs by transcriptomic analysis. Our findings provide new insight into the complex machinery of Phe-derived GSLs in seeds of B. rapa and help to improve the quality of Brassicaceae plant breeding.
Inherent Flame-Retardant, Humid Environment Stable and Blue Luminescent Polyamide Elastomer Regulated by Siloxane Moiety
Authors: Qi Qianqian , Xiao Zhe , Wang Yaowei , Yan Xinjin , Fu Peng , Zhang Xiaomeng , Zhao Wei , Pang Xinchang , Liu Minying , Zhao Qingxiang , Cui Zhe
Published: May 2022

The rapid development of the polymeric materials market has created an urgent demand for the thermoplastic polyamide elastomer (TPAE) owing to its greater functionality, and ability to be synthesized via a facile and industrial route. In this work, a series of novel silicone-containing polyamides (PA1212/Si12) were successfully synthesized from 1,12-dodecarboxylic acid (LA), 1,12-dodecarbondiamine (DMDA), and 1,3-bis (amino-propyl) tetramethyldisiloxane (BATS), via a one-pot melt polycondensation method in the absence of a catalyst. FTIR, 1H-NMR, GPC and inherent viscosity results cohesively prove that the polymerization of monomers was well conducted, and the chemical structure was in high accordance with the design. As expected, the Si12 unit-content of the copolymers regulate the properties of the series. As the feeding ratio of BATS in the diamines increases from 5 mol% to 40 mol%, the thermal transition temperatures, Tg and Tm, decline steadily before finally stabilizing at ~6 °C and 160 °C, respectively, indicating that the co-polyamides possess improved chain flexibility but restricted crystallization ability. The conspicuous evolution in crystalline morphology of the series was observed by XRD and AFM. The increased PA Si12 phase induces the crystallized PA 1212 phase to transit from a thermally-favorable large and rigid crystal structure (α phase) to a kinetically-favorable small and ductile crystal structure (γ phase). Reflected in their stress–strain behavior, PA1212/Si12 copolymers are successfully tailored from rigid plastic to ductile elastomer. The tensile strength mildly drops from above 40 MPa to ~30 MPa while the reversible elongation increases from ~50% to approximately 350%. Accordingly, the moderate surface tension differences in the monomers facilitate the efficient conduction of the co-polymerization process, and the distributed short siloxane unit in the backbone fulfills the copolymer with desirable elasticity. Interestingly, the novel silicone-containing polyamides also display Si12 unit-content dependent flame retardancy, humidity stability, and unconventional solid-state fluorescence properties. The elastomers exhibit a low bibulous rate and anti-fouling characteristics to dye droplets and mud contamination, pass the V–1 rating (UL 94) with a constantly declining PHRR value, and emit blue luminescence under a 365 nm light source. Herein, we propose a new facile strategy for developing a high-performance and multifunctional silicone-modified polyamide, which bears promising industrialization potential. In addition, this first reported silicone-containing thermoplastic polyamide elastomer, which is self-extinguishing, anti-fouling and blue-luminescent, will further broaden the application potential of thermoplastic polyamide elastomers.
Application of Sulfur and Peroxide Curing Systems for Cross-Linking of Rubber Composites Filled with Calcium Lignosulfonate
Authors: Kruželák Ján , Hložeková Klaudia , Kvasničáková Andrea , Tomanová Katarína , Hudec Ivan
Published: May 2022

Calcium lignosulfonate in different loadings was applied to the rubber matrix based on EPDM. A sulfur curing system, organic peroxide, and a combination of organic peroxide with two coagent types were used for cross-linking of rubber compounds. The work was focused on the investigation of filler content and curing system composition in the curing process, cross-link density, morphology, and physical–mechanical properties of composites. The achieved results demonstrated that the curing parameters of rubber compounds cured with the sulfur system were significantly different from those cured with peroxide systems. There was also an observed different influence of curing systems composition on cross link density, though in all cases, the degree of cross-linking showed a decreasing trend with increasing content of lignosulfonate. The tensile strength of the composites cured with sulfur system and organic peroxide was comparable, regardless of lignosulfonate loading. This points to the application of both curing systems in cross-linking of rubber compounds with biopolymer filler. However, the introduction of coagents in peroxide vulcanization led to the improvement of adhesion and compatibility between the rubber and the filler on the filler–rubber interface. This subsequently resulted in the improvement of the tensile characteristics of composites. The introduction of organic peroxide in combination with coagent seems to be a very simple and efficient way for the preparation of biopolymer-filled composites with applicable physical–mechanical properties.
Lornoxicam-Loaded Chitosan-Decorated Nanoemulsion: Preparation and In Vitro Evaluation for Enhanced Transdermal Delivery
Authors: Khan Rahman , Shah Shefaat , Rashid Sheikh , Naseem Faiza , Shah Kifayat , Farid Arshad , Hakeem Khalid , Kamli Majid , Althubaiti Eman , Alamoudi Soha
Published: May 2022

Nanoemulsions are promising drug delivery systems for the administration of poorly soluble drugs like lornoxicam (LRX) by oral or parenteral routes. Such formulations work perfectly for transdermal delivery of lornoxicam-type drugs. It has also been established that formulating such a delivery system is highly dependent on the presence, type, and concentration of excipients taking part in the formulation. The inherent characteristics of nanoemulsion (NE), i.e., smaller globule size and excipient nature, facilitate the drug’s passage through skin. The current study was aimed at the development of an NE-based formulation of LRX to improve the drug solubility in vitro as well as to enhance drug skin permeation to promote therapeutic outcome in appropriate time. Spontaneous self-emulsification technique was utilized to develop optimized LRX-encapsulated NE-based formulations. ATR-FTIR spectra of the pure drug and various formulations did not show any interaction between the drug and various formulation excipients showing compatibility. Globule size for stable formulations ranged between 63–168 nm. These formulations were characterized for viscosity, surface tension, pH, drug encapsulation efficiency, in vitro drug release, and drug skin permeation studies. Chitosan-decorated optimized NE formulation of LRX showed about 58.82% cumulative drug release, showing an anomalous non-Fickian diffusion mechanism of drug release. Drug encapsulation efficiency, in vitro drug release, and skin permeation studies exhibited promising results. An appreciable drug entrapment efficiency was exhibited by optimized NE formulations LRX-6, 71.91 ± 3.17% and C-LRX, 65.25 ± 4.89%. Permeability parameters like enhancement ratio (Er), permeability constant (Kp), and steady state flux (Jss) showed higher values and exhibited good results based on formulation type. The selected promising formulation type “LRX-6” showed significantly different results as compared to other formulations (LRX-4, 5, and 7). The skin permeation property of the LRX-6 formulation was compared to similar chitosan-based formulations and was found to have better skin permeation results than chitosan-based formulations. This study clearly exhibited that an LRX-containing NE-based formulation can be formulated to form a stable drug delivery system. Such formulations are promising in terms of physicochemical characteristics, improved solubility, and high skin permeation potential.
A Preliminary Investigation of Embedding In Vitro HepaRG Spheroids into Recombinant Human Collagen Type I for the Promotion of Liver Differentiation
Authors: Liao Fang-Chun , Wang Yang-Kao , Cheng Ming-Yang , Tu Ting-Yuan
Published: May 2022

Background: In vitro three-dimensional (3D) hepatic spheroid culture has shown great promise in toxicity testing because it better mimics the cell–cell and cell–matrix interactions found in in vivo conditions than that of the traditional two-dimensional (2D) culture. Despite embedding HepaRG spheroids with collagen type I (collagen I) extracellular matrix (ECM) revealed a much better differentiation capability, almost all the collagen utilized in in vitro hepatocytes cultures is animal-derived collagen that may limit its use in human toxicity testing. Method: Here, a preliminary investigation of HepaRG cells cultured in different dimensionalities and with the addition of ECM was performed. Comparisons of conventional 2D culture with 3D spheroid culture were performed based on their functional or structural differences over 7 days. Rat tail collagen (rtCollagen) I and recombinant human collagen (rhCollagen) I were investigated for their ability in promoting HepaRG spheroid differentiation. Results: An immunofluorescence analysis of the hepatocyte-specific functional protein albumin suggested that HepaRG spheroids demonstrated better hepatic function than spheroids from 2D culture, and the function of HepaRG spheroids improved in a time-dependent manner. The fluorescence intensities per unit area of spheroids formed by 1000 cells on days 7 and 10 were 25.41 and 45.38, respectively, whereas almost undetectable fluorescence was obtained with 2D cells. In addition, the embedding of HepaRG spheroids into rtCollagen and rhCollagen I showed that HepaRG differentiation can be accelerated relative to the differentiation of spheroids grown in suspension, demonstrating the great promise of HepaRG spheroids. Conclusions: The culture conditions established in this study provide a potentially novel alternative for promoting the differentiation of HepaRG spheroids into mature hepatocytes through a collagen-embedded in vitro liver spheroid model. This culture method is envisioned to provide insights for future drug toxicology.
Self-Assembly of Ultrafine Fibers with Micropores via Cryogenic Electrospinning and Its Potential Application in Esophagus Repair
Authors: Tian Wenqing , Liu Xinghuang , Zhang Xianglin , Bai Tao , Wu Bin
Published: May 2022

Electrospinning (e-spinning) has been widely applied to fabricate flat films accumulated by microfibers for tissue engineering. In order to acquire an uneven surface morphology, two methods have been applied traditionally. The first uses a designed receiving substrate, which is stable, but suppresses the flexibility. The second uses dual solvents to achieve bimodal distribution of the fiber diameter. However, the bimodal fiber diameter causes inhomogeneity. To solve these challenges, cryogenic electrospinning, using a flat substrate and a single solvent, was performed in this study to obtain uneven films. By applying a low temperature to the flat receiving substrate, uneven e-spun films with wall-like structures were achieved through the self-assembly of uniform filaments. In addition, the wall-like structures enhanced the mechanical properties of the e-spun films. Moreover, the cryogenic e-spinning produced micropores on the fiber surface, which have the potential to promote esophageal epithelial cell adhesion, proliferation and differentiation.
Effect of Cyclic Shear Fatigue under Magnetic Field on Natural Rubber Composite as Anisotropic Magnetorheological Elastomers
Authors: Yoon Jeong-Hwan , Lee Seung-Won , Bae Seok-Hu , Kim Nam-Il , Yun Ju-Ho , Jung Jae-Hum , Kim Young-Gil
Published: May 2022

With the development and wide applicability of rubber materials, it is imperative to determine their performance under various conditions. In this study, the effect of cyclic shear fatigue on natural-rubber-based anisotropic magnetorheological elastomer (MRE) with carbonyl iron particles (CIPs) was investigated under a magnetic field. An anisotropic MRE sample was prepared by moulding under a magnetic field. Cyclic shear fatigue tests were performed using a modified electromechanical fatigue system with an electromagnet. The storage modulus (G′) and loss factor in the absence or presence of a magnetic field were measured using a modified dynamic mechanical analysis system. Under a magnetic field, fatigue exhibited considerable effects to the MRE, such as migration and loss of magnetised CIPs and suppressed increase in stiffness by reducing the energy loss in the strain cycle. Therefore, the G′ of the MRE after fatigue under a magnetic field was lower than that after fatigue in the zero field. The performance of the MRE, such as absolute and relative magnetorheological effects, decreased after subjecting to cyclic shear fatigue. In addition, all measured results exhibited strain-dependent behaviour owing to the Payne effect.
Review of Soil Quality Improvement Using Biopolymers from Leather Waste
Authors: Stefan Daniela Simina , Bosomoiu Magdalena , Dancila Annette Madelene , Stefan Mircea
Published: May 2022

This paper reviews the advantages and disadvantages of the use of fertilizers obtained from leather waste, to ameliorate the agricultural soil quality. The use of leather waste (hides and skins) as raw materials to obtain biopolymer-based fertilizers is an excellent example of a circular economy. This allows the recovery of a large quantity of the tanning agent in the case of tanned wastes, as well as the valorization of significant quantities of waste that would be otherwise disposed of by landfilling. The composition of organic biopolymers obtained from leather waste is a rich source of macronutrients (nitrogen, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium), and micronutrients (boron, chloride, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, nickel and zinc), necessary to improve the composition of agricultural soils, and to remediate the degraded soils. This enhances plant growth ensuring better crops. The nutrient release tests have demonstrated that, by using the biofertilizers with collagen or with collagen cross-linked with synthetic polymers, the nutrient release can be controlled and slowed. In this case, the loss of nutrients by leaching into the inferior layers of the soil and ground water is minimized, avoiding groundwater contamination, especially with nitrate.
Self-Circulating Evaporative Cooling System of a Rotor and Its Experimental Verification
Authors: Wang Yu , Ruan Lin
Published: May 2022

With the development of hydropower, the heat problem of a rotor cannot be ignored. This paper presents a topology of an evaporative cooling system for rotors. The system seals the pole coil in a tank and immerses the coil in the insulating coolant with a suitable boiling point. The latent heat of vaporization during the boiling of coolant is used to control the temperature rise of the pole coil. After explaining the circulation principle of the system, the effectiveness of the cooling system is verified by experiments. A small-scale experimental platform has been set up to test the effectiveness of the new topology. The comparison experiment with air-cooling shows that the phase change cooling system can not only provide hundreds of times the heat transfer capacity of air-cooling, but also the temperature rise of the coil is half that of air cooling. Based on the experimental results, the calculated formula of the heat transfer coefficient of the evaporative cooling system in the rotating state was fitted, and the deviation of the calculated result could be kept at less than 25%. Thanks to the evaporative cooling system, the rotor carries a high current density.
Wet Compression Study for an Aero-Thermodynamic Performance Analysis of a Centrifugal Compressor at Design and Off-Design Points
Authors: Kang Hyun-Su , Kim Sung-Yeon , Kim Youn-Jea
Published: May 2022

In this study, to analyze the effect of wet compression technology on the aero-thermodynamic performance of a centrifugal compressor, a numerical analysis study was conducted on the design point and off-design point. Wet compression technology sprays water droplets at the inlet of the compressor. During the compression process, water droplets evaporate, reducing the heat of compression and reducing the compression work, which improves the efficiency of the compressor. In wet compression technology, detailed research is needed for the application to compressors because the droplet behavior affects the internal flow. The main parameters for wet compression technology are the droplet size and injection rate selection, and the flow inside the compressor changed by the droplet behavior was analyzed. When the droplet size and injection rate were changed at the design point and the off-design point, it was confirmed that a small droplet size was effective in both areas, and it was confirmed that the performance improved as the flow rate increased. The internal flow changed greatly depending on the size of the droplet. As a result, the centrifugal compressor to which the wet compression technology was applied had a lower outlet temperature than dry compression at both the design point and the off-design point and had increases in the pressure ratio and efficiency. However, the surge margin decreased by about 2% in the surge region. The reason is that due to high-speed rotation, particles move in the outer diameter direction and are driven into a tip-leakage flow, and many stagnant flows occur without flowing into the main flow. Through the study results, it was possible to understand the effects of wet compression technology on the performance and efficiency increase of centrifugal compressors and the effects of particle behavior on the internal flow of the compressor at the off-design point.
Simulation of Fracture Morphology during Sequential Fracturing
Authors: Zheng Peng , Gu Tuan , Liu Erhu , Zhao Ming , Zhou Desheng
Published: May 2022

During hydraulic fracturing, the aperture of hydraulic fractures will shrink by the in-situ stress, but will not fully close because of the existence of proppant inside the fracture. In previous studies, few people noticed the existence of proppant, which has resulted in the inaccuracy of simulation results. In this study, based on the boundary element method, a numerical simulation model for sequential fracturing was established, which respectively considered the influence of proppant in staged fracturing and zipper fracturing. In addition, the influence mechanism of proppant on fracture morphology is then revealed. Simulation results show that the residual aperture of the previous hydraulic fracture, which was produced by proppant, may increase with the increase of proppant stiffness and fracture spacing and may also be shrunk by the dynamic propagation of subsequent hydraulic fracture. However, the residual aperture will rebound after hydraulic fracturing construction is finished. The shrinkage and rebound values of residual aperture of hydraulic fracture are usually less than 1 mm. In addition, at the same time, the residual aperture of previous hydraulic fracture may also influence the propagation of subsequent hydraulic fracture. These influences are represented by the bend of fractures in multistage fracturing and the intersection in zipper fracturing. With the increase of well spacing, the influence degree of residual aperture on subsequent fracture propagation is reduced. The previous hydraulic fracture cannot have a significant effect on the deflection of subsequent hydraulic fracture when fracture spacing is between 10 and 30 m. The above research has important guiding significance for controlling fracture morphology in hydraulic fracturing.
The Effect of Chemical Modification on the Rheological Properties and Structure of Food Grade Modified Starches
Authors: Lewandowicz Jacek , Le Thanh-Blicharz Joanna , Szwengiel Artur
Published: May 2022

Starch in its pure form can be used as a functional component of numerous food products; however, much better results both in terms of technological and economical aspects are obtained with the use of modified starches. The aim of the work was to establish how chemical modification affects the molecular structure of potato starch and, as a consequence, its rheological properties as well as texture forming ability. Commercial food-grade potato starch preparations oxidized starch, acetylated starch, distarch phosphate, acetylated distarch phosphate and acetylated distarch adipate were the investigated material. The experimental methods included: viscographic analysis of pasting properties, flow rheometry, texture profile analysis, size exclusion chromatography with triple detection. The obtained data were further analyzed employing principal component and hierarchical cluster analysis. It was found that chemical modification leads to substantial changes in the molecular and functional properties of starch products. Oxidation process leads to depolymerization, which causes a substantial decrease in viscosity. Acetylation results mostly in stabilization of rheological properties during thermal processing. Crosslinking of starch leads to an improvement in thickening capabilities, while the type of crosslinking agent used for modification has a secondary effect. Sterilization of all types of modified potato starch pastes leads only to minor changes in their texture and rheological properties.
Study on the Temporal and Spatial Multiscale Coupling Flow of Shale Oil
Authors: Li Binglin , Su Yuliang , Lu Mingjing
Published: May 2022

Shale oil is one of the world’s most important strategic energy reserves. The microscopic kerogen and matrix structure plays an important role in fluid flow and diffusion processes. The oil flow time in the shale reservoir is determined by the pore spatial scale. An accurate shale reservoir flow model must consider these factors. In this research, fluid flow, Fick’s diffusion in consideration of the time delay effect, desorption, as well as the absorption are considered using the molecular momentum correlation and the partial pressure law of the components. The effect of the above-mentioned factors on the time scale contribution of the well rate is discussed. The spatial distribution diagram of the time scale is constructed and analyzed. The results show that the production process is composed of five periods. The time delay effect is reflected by fluctuations in the production at periods 1–3. The time scale corresponds to different mediums. The oil mainly flows through the outer boundary of the stimulated region through surface diffusion. The time scale spatial distribution diagram also shows that the oil flows into the endpoint of the hydraulic fracture at an early stage. Moreover, the outer boundary needs a longer time to be exploited. The proposed model improves the simulation of shale oil flow, and therefore, would be favorable in designing a more suitable working system.
Optimization Design and Injury Analysis of Driver’s Restraint System in Sedan Small Offset Collision
Authors: Yang Xiuju , Shi Jingjing , Fu Qianying , Pu Shanshan , Pan Zhixin , Lian Chunxiao , Yin Zhiyong , Liu Shengxiong , Wang Guixue
Published: May 2022

A combination of airbag, seatbelt, and other restraint systems greatly reduces injury to drivers in small offset collisions. However, the airbag causes accidental injury to the driver in the deployment process. To maximize the protection effect of the restraint system on the driver, this study proposes a pre-tensioned force-limiting seatbelt. A small offset collision accident with video information was simulated by using a Neon sedan and the THUMS (v.4.0.2) finite element model. The effectiveness of the accident model and the matching use of a pre-tensioned force-limiting seatbelt and airbag for driver protection were verified. To obtain the best parameter matching of protection effect, first, the seatbelt force-limiting A, pre-tensioned force B, pre-tensioned time C, airbag ignition time D, and mass flow coefficient E were selected as influencing factors, and orthogonal tests with different factor levels were designed. Then, the direct analysis method was applied to analyze the influence laws of each factor on driver dynamic response and injury. In addition, the radial basis function surrogate model was constructed by synthesizing each kind of critical injury value to the human body. Combined with NSGA-II multi-objective genetic algorithm, the structural performance parameters of the restraint system were optimized and matched. Results showed that the optimal protection matching parameters of the restraint system were 4933.5 N−2499.9 N−16 ms−15.3 ms−0.5 (A−B−C−D−E). Finally, the best matching parameters were input into the accident model for verification. After optimization, the WIC and Nij of drivers were reduced by 37.9% and 45.3%, respectively. The results show that the optimized restraint system can protect the driver the most.
Heat/PMS Degradation of Atrazine: Theory and Kinetic Studies
Authors: Lu Yixin , Liu Yujie , Tang Chenghan , Chen Jiao , Liu Guo
Published: May 2022

The degradation effect of heat/peroxymonosulfate (PMS) on atrazine (ATZ) is studied. The results show that the heat/PMS degradation for ATZ is 96.28% at the moment that the phosphate buffer (PB) pH, temperature, PMS dosage, ATZ concentration, and reaction time are 7, 50 °C, 400 μmol/L, 2.5 μmol/L, and 60 min. A more alkaline PB is more likely to promote the breakdown of ATZ through heat/PMS, while the PB alone has a more acidic effect on the PMS than the partially alkaline solution. HO• and SO4−• coexisted within the heat/PMS scheme, and ATZ quantity degraded by HO• and SO4−• in PB with pH = 7, pH = 1.7~1. HCO3− makes it difficult for heat/PMS to degrade ATZ according to inorganic anion studies, while Cl− and NO3− accelerate the degradation and the acceleration effect of NO3− is more obvious. The kinetics of ATZ degradation via heat/PMS is quasi-first-order. Ethanol (ETA) with the identical concentration inhibited ATZ degradation slightly more than HCO3−, and both of them reduced the degradation rates of heat/PMS to 7.06% and 11.56%. The addition of Cl− and NO3− increased the maximum rate of ATZ degradation by heat/PMS by 62.94% and 189.31%.
Use of Banana Waste as a Source for Bioelectricity Generation
Authors: Rojas-Flores Segundo , De La Cruz-Noriega Magaly , Nazario-Naveda Renny , Benites Santiago M. , Delfín-Narciso Daniel , Angelats-Silva Luis , Murga-Torres Emzon
Published: May 2022

The large amounts of organic waste thrown into the garbage without any productivity, and the increase in the demand for electrical energy worldwide, has led to the search for new eco-friendly ways of generating electricity. Because of this, microbial fuel cells have begun to be used as a technology to generate bioelectricity. The main objective of this research was to generate bioelectricity through banana waste using a low-cost laboratory-scale method, achieving the generation of maximum currents and voltages of 3.71667 ± 0.05304 mA and 1.01 ± 0.017 V, with an optimal pH of 4.023 ± 0.064 and a maximum electrical conductivity of the substrate of 182.333 ± 3.51 µS/cm. The FTIR spectra of the initial and final substrate show a decrease in the peaks belonging to phenolic compounds, alkanes, and alkenes, mainly. The maximum power density was 5736.112 ± 12.62 mW/cm2 at a current density of 6.501 A/cm2 with a peak voltage of 1006.95 mV. The molecular analysis of the biofilm formed on the anode electrode identified the species Pseudomonas aeruginosa (100%), and Paenalcaligenes suwonensis (99.09%), Klebsiella oxytoca (99.39%) and Raoultella terrigena (99.8%), as the main electricity generators for this type of substrate. This research gives a second use to the fruit with benefits for farmers and companies dedicated to exporting and importing because they can reduce their expenses by using their own waste.
A Cleaner Delignification of Urban Leaf Waste Biomass for Bioethanol Production, Optimised by Experimental Design
Authors: Kildegaard Gustavo , Balbi María del Pilar , Salierno Gabriel , Cassanello Miryan , De Blasio Cataldo , Galvagno Miguel
Published: May 2022

This work is focused on optimising a low-temperature delignification as holocellulose purification pretreatment of Platanus acerifolia leaf waste for second-bioethanol production. Delignification was accomplished by acid-oxidative digestion using green reagents: acetic acid and 30% hydrogen peroxide 1:1. The effect of reaction time (30–90 min), temperature (60–90 °C), and solid loading (5–15 g solid/20 g liquid) on delignification and solid fraction yield were studied. The process parameters were optimised using the Box–Behnken experimental design. The highest attained lignin removal efficiency was larger than 80%. The optimised conditions of delignification, while maximising holocellulose yield, pointed to using the minimum temperature of the examined range. Analysis of variance on the solid fraction yield and the lignin removal suggested a linear model with a negative influence of the temperature on the yield. Furthermore, a negative effect of the solid loading and low effect of temperature and time was found on the degree of delignification. Then the temperature range was extended back to 60 °C, providing 71% holocellulose yield and 70% while improving energy efficiency by working at a lower temperature. Successful lignin removal was confirmed using confocal laser scanning microscopy. As evaluated by scanning electron microscopy, the solid structure presented an increased exposition of the cellulose fibre structure.
Victims Are Not Guilty! Spiritual Abuse and Ecclesiastical Responsibility
Authors: Fernández Samuel
Published: May 2022

The aim of this article is to show that victims of spiritual abuse are not guilty of what they have undergone and that, in the Catholic setting, the Church has an institutional responsibility for it. With this objective, after the Introduction (1), the paper analyses the definition of spiritual abuse (2); tackles several topics stemming from the analysis of definitions, such as the nature of spiritual power and its effects (3), the issue of vulnerability (4), the institutional dimension of spiritual abuse in the Catholic setting (5), and the disputed topic of intentionality (6). The article provides a conclusion that aims to summarize the results of the analysis (7).
The Risk of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Influence on the Business Insurance Market in the Medium- and Long-Term Horizon
Authors: Przybytniowski Jarosław Wenancjusz , Borkowski Stanisław , Pawlik Andrzej , Garasyim Petro
Published: May 2022

The aim of this article is to identify the risk and the likelihood of potential consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the business insurance market in the medium- and long-term horizon. The first section of this elaboration presents the theoretical approach connected with the nature of the pandemic. The second section outlines the presentation of the COVID-19 measurement rules and the third describes the potential effects of COVID-19 on the insurance market. Contrary to other elaborations on this topic which have appeared so far (these are mostly reports describing the financial market in short- and long-term horizons), here, the authors present the medium-term horizon as well. The possible consequences of COVID-19 are outlined both in relation to the insurance company client, e.g., change in the amount of the insurance premium under the insurance agreement, as well as in relation to the insurer, e.g., appearance of innovative and competitive offers (Trott’s concept Special attention has been paid to the way in which the insurer’s strategy (scenario analysis) may be used to build resilience to other crises as well as to the planning of emergency solutions. Actual events confirm the hypothesis that changes in the business insurance market dominated the losses in the aftermath of the pandemic.
Estimates of Hyperspectral Surface and Underwater UV Planar and Scalar Irradiances from OMI Measurements and Radiative Transfer Computations
Authors: Vasilkov Alexander , Krotkov Nickolay , Haffner David , Fasnacht Zachary , Joiner Joanna
Published: May 2022

Quantitative assessment of the UV effects on aquatic ecosystems requires an estimate of the in-water hyperspectral radiation field. Solar UV radiation in ocean waters is estimated on a global scale by combining extraterrestrial solar irradiance from the Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor (TSIS-1), satellite estimates of cloud/surface reflectivity, ozone from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and in-water chlorophyll concentration from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) with radiative transfer computations in the ocean-atmosphere system. A comparison of the estimates of collocated OMI-derived surface irradiance with Marine Optical Buoy (MOBY) measurements shows a good agreement within 5% for different seasons. To estimate scalar irradiance at the ocean surface and in water, we propose scaling the planar irradiance, calculated from satellite observation, on the basis of Hydrolight computations. Hydrolight calculations show that the diffuse attenuation coefficients of scalar and planar irradiance with depth are quite close to each other. That is why the differences between the planar penetration and scalar penetration depths are small and do not exceed a couple of meters. A dominant factor defining the UV penetration depths is chlorophyll concentration. There are other constituents in water that absorb in addition to chlorophyll; the absorption from these constituents can be related to that of chlorophyll in Case I waters using an inherent optical properties (IOP) model. Other input parameters are less significant. The DNA damage penetration depths vary from a few meters in areas of productive waters to about 30–35 m in the clearest waters. A machine learning approach (an artificial neural network, NN) was developed based on the full physical algorithm for computational efficiency. The NN shows a very good performance in predicting the penetration depths (within 2%).
A Continuous Change Tracker Model for Remote Sensing Time Series Reconstruction
Authors: Zhang Yangjian , Wang Li , He Yuanhuizi , Huang Ni , Li Wang , Xu Shiguang , Zhou Quan , Song Wanjuan , Duan Wensheng , Wang Xiaoyue , Muhammad Shakir , Nath Biswajit , Zhu Luying , Tang Feng , Du Huilin , Wang Lei , Niu Zheng
Published: May 2022

It is hard for current time series reconstruction methods to achieve the balance of high-precision time series reconstruction and explanation of the model mechanism. The goal of this paper is to improve the reconstruction accuracy with a well-explained time series model. Thus, we developed a function-based model, the CCTM (Continuous Change Tracker Model) model, that can achieve high precision in time series reconstruction by tracking the time series variation rate. The goal of this paper is to provide a new solution for high-precision time series reconstruction and related applications. To test the reconstruction effects, the model was applied to four types of datasets: normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), gross primary productivity (GPP), leaf area index (LAI), and MODIS surface reflectance (MSR). Several new observations are as follows. First, the CCTM model is well explained and based on the second-order derivative theorem, which divides the yearly time series into four variation types including uniform variations, decelerated variations, accelerated variations, and short-periodical variations, and each variation type is represented by a designed function. Second, the CCTM model provides much better reconstruction results than the Harmonic model on the NDVI, GPP, MSR, and LAI datasets for the seasonal segment reconstruction. The combined use of the Savitzky–Golay filter and the CCTM model is better than the combinations of the Savitzky–Golay filter with other models. Third, the Harmonic model has the best trend-fitting ability on the yearly time series dataset, with the highest R-Square and the lowest RMSE among the four function fitting models. However, with seasonal piecewise fitting, the four models all achieved high accuracy, and the CCTM performs the best. Fourth, the CCTM model should also be applied to time series image compression, two compression patterns with 24 coefficients and 6 coefficients respectively are proposed. The daily MSR dataset can achieve a compression ratio of 15 by using the 6-coefficients method. Finally, the CCTM model also has the potential to be applied to change detection, trend analysis, and phenology and seasonal characteristics extractions.
A Framework for Survey Planning Using Portable Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (pUAVs) in Coastal Hydro-Environment
Authors: Trinh Ha Linh , Kieu Hieu Trung , Pak Hui Ying , Pang Dawn Sok Cheng , Cokro Angel Anisa , Law Adrian Wing-Keung
Published: May 2022

Recently, remote sensing using survey-grade UAVs has been gaining tremendous momentum in applications for the coastal hydro-environment. UAV-based remote sensing provides high spatial and temporal resolutions and flexible operational availability compared to other means, such as satellite imagery or point-based in situ measurements. As strict requirements and government regulations are imposed for every UAV survey, detailed survey planning is essential to ensure safe operations and seamless coordination with other activities. This study established a comprehensive framework for the planning of efficient UAV deployments in coastal areas, which was based on recent on-site survey experiences with a portable unmanned aerial vehicle (pUAV) that was carrying a heavyweight spectral sensor. The framework was classified into three main categories: (i) pre-survey considerations (i.e., administrative preparation and UAV airframe details); (ii) execution strategies (i.e., parameters and contingency planning); and (iii) environmental effects (i.e., weather and marine conditions). The implementation and verification of the framework were performed using a UAV–airborne spectral sensing exercise for water quality monitoring in Singapore. The encountered challenges and the mitigation practices that were developed from the actual field experiences were integrated into the framework to advance the ease of UAV deployment for coastal monitoring and improve the acquisition process of high-quality remote sensing images.
Integration and Comparison Methods for Multitemporal Image-Based 2D Annotations in Linked 3D Building Documentation
Authors: Taraben Jakob , Morgenthal Guido
Published: May 2022

Data acquisition systems and methods to capture high-resolution images or reconstruct 3D point clouds of existing structures are an effective way to document their as-is condition. These methods enable a detailed analysis of building surfaces, providing precise 3D representations. However, for the condition assessment and documentation, damages are mainly annotated in 2D representations, such as images, orthophotos, or technical drawings, which do not allow for the application of a 3D workflow or automated comparisons of multitemporal datasets. In the available software for building heritage data management and analysis, a wide range of annotation and evaluation functions are available, but they also lack integrated post-processing methods and systematic workflows. The article presents novel methods developed to facilitate such automated 3D workflows and validates them on a small historic church building in Thuringia, Germany. Post-processing steps using photogrammetric 3D reconstruction data along with imagery were implemented, which show the possibilities of integrating 2D annotations into 3D documentations. Further, the application of voxel-based methods on the dataset enables the evaluation of geometrical changes of multitemporal annotations in different states and the assignment to elements of scans or building models. The proposed workflow also highlights the potential of these methods for condition assessment and planning of restoration work, as well as the possibility to represent the analysis results in standardised building model formats.
A Novel Scheme for Controller Selection in Software-Defined Internet-of-Things (SD-IoT)
Authors: Ali Jehad , Roh Byeong-hee
Published: May 2022

The software-defined networking (SDN) standard decouples the data and control planes. SDN is used in the Internet of Things (IoT) due to its programmability, central view and deployment of innovative protocols, and is known as SD-IoT. However, in SD-IoT, controller selection has never been studied. Controllers control the network and react to dynamic changes in SD-IoT. As sensors communicate frequently with the controller in SD-IoT, there is a degradation in performance with scalability and an increase in flow requests. Hence, the controller performance and selection are critical for SD-IoT. However, one controller’s support for certain functions is high while another’s is poor. There are various SD-IoT controllers, and choosing the best one might be a multi-criteria choice. An analytical network decision making process- (ANDP) based technique is employed here to identify feature-based optimal controllers in SD-IoT. The experimental analysis quantifies the high-weight controller from the feature-based comparison. An ANDP-based feature-based controller selection strategy is suggested, which selects the controller with the best feature set first, before comparing performance. This paper’s main contribution is to evaluate the ANDP for SD-IoT controller selection based on its features and performance validation in the SD-IoT environment. The simulation results suggest that the proposed controller outperforms the controller selected with previous schemes. Choosing an optimal controller in SD-IoT reduces the delay in both normal and heavy traffic scenarios. The suggested controller also increases throughput while using the central processing unit (CPU) efficiently and reduces the recovery latency in case of failures in the network.