bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Celestial and Quantum Propagation, Spinning, and Interaction as 4D Relativistic Cloud-Worlds Embedded in a 4D Conformal Bulk: From String to Cloud Theory
Authors: Al-Fadhli Mohammed B.
Published: June 2022

Considerable efforts have been devoted to modifying gravity, which aim to elucidate the possible existence or nature of dark matter and dark energy, achieve a better description of observation data, and formulate quantum gravity. In addition, despite the enormous success of the quantum field theory, the framework requires renormalization techniques and breaks down at high energies. Recently, the Planck Legacy release has confirmed the presence of an enhanced lensing amplitude in the cosmic microwave background power spectra, which prefers a positively curved early Universe with a confidence level greater than 99%. This study considers the implied positive curvature of the early Universe as the curvature of ‘the background or the 4D conformal bulk as a manifestation of vacuum energy’ and distinguishes it from the localized curvature that is induced into the bulk by the presence of celestial objects that are regarded as ‘4D relativistic cloud-worlds’. Analogously, since gravitation seems to emerge owing to spacetime curvature and does not exhibit critical characteristics shared by the other fields, it has been incorporated as the local background curvature of the bulk, due to the stress-energy of the cloud-world, affecting the embedded quantum fields that are regarded as propagating ‘4D relativistic quantum clouds’. To consider the impact of the bulk on the embedded clouds, this paper presents interaction field equations in terms of the brane-world modified gravity and the perspective of gravitization of the quantum mechanics that count for the curvature of the 4D conformal bulk as the induced gravity on the embedded 4D relativistic clouds in addition to the boundary term interactions, which could remove the singularities and satisfy a conformal invariance theory. A visualization of the evolution of 4D relativistic cloud-worlds over the conformal spacetime of the 4D bulk is presented.
Human Muscle Spindles are Wired to Function as Controllable Signal-processing Devices
Authors: Dimitriou Michael
Published: June 2022

Muscle spindles are encapsulated sensory organs found in most of our muscles. Prevalent models of sensorimotor control assume the role of spindles is to reliably encode limb posture and movement. Here, I argue that the traditional view of spindles is outdated. Spindle organs can be tuned by spinal γ motor neurons that receive top-down and peripheral input, including from cutaneous afferents. A new model is presented, viewing γ motor activity as an intermediate coordinate transformation that allows multimodal information to converge on spindles, creating flexible coordinate representations at the level of the peripheral nervous system. That is, I propose that spindles play a unique overarching role in the nervous system: that of a peripheral signal-processing device that flexibly facilitates sensorimotor performance, according to task characteristics. This role is compatible with previous findings and supported by recent studies with naturalistically active humans. Such studies have so far shown that spindle tuning enables the independent preparatory control of reflex muscle stiffness, the selective extraction of information during implicit motor adaptation, and for segmental stretch reflexes to operate in joint space. Incorporation of advanced signal-processing at the periphery may well prove a critical step in the evolution of sensorimotor control theories.
Impacts of COVID-19 on Nutritional Intake in Rural China: Panel Data Evidence
Authors: Han Xinru , Guo Yufei , Xue Ping , Wang Xiudong , Zhu Wenbo
Published: June 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic introduced risks and challenges to global food and nutrition security. In this paper, we examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the nutritional intake of China's rural residents using panel data and a fixed effect model. The data were collected in 2019 and 2020 and covered nine provinces and 2,631 households in rural China. The results reveal that an increase of 100 confirmed cases in a county resulted in a 1.48% (p<0.01), 1.46% (p<0.01), 1.77% (p<0.01), and 1.23% (p<0.01) decrease in per capita intake of dietary energy, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, respectively. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic only had a significant and negative effect on dietary energy intake in the low-income group at the 5% level of significance. Our study indicates that the potential insufficient nutrition situation, nutritional imbalance, and dietary imbalance of low-income rural residents should be addressed appropriately.
Tissue Cultured Regeneration and Ecological Values in Major Bamboo Species
Authors: Sharma Avinash , Manpoong Chowlani , Gohain Anweshy , Padu Gompi , Aku Hage
Published: June 2022

Objectives: The promising specific growth regulators are employed tissue culture of the bamboo species. The specific natural hardening mixture supports the acclimatization and adaptation of the protected cultivation. The bamboo species contribute to the carbon sequestration and stabilization of the environment. Findings: The growth regulator 2, 4-D encourages callus induction and growth regulators NAA + TDZ, BAP + Kinetin + Gelrite, BAP + Kinetin + Coconut water + myo-inositol, NAA and TDZ impose plant regeneration in the Bambusa species. The growth regulator of 2,4-D, 2,4-D + Kinetin, 2,4-D + BA, 2,4-D + BAP and 2,4-D + NAA + BAP produces callus induction in the Dendrocalamus species. The growth regulator of TDZ, BA and IBA + Coumarin + Putrescine, BAP + GA3, NAA + Kinetin, BA + IBA, BA + Kinetin + NAA, NAA + Kinetin, Kinetin + IAA has facilitated shoot regeneration in the Dendrocalamus species with the specific period. The growth regulator of BA and TDZ; BAP + TDZ, IBA + Coumarin + Putrescine, BAP + GA3, NAA + Kinetin, BA + IBA, BA + Kinetin + NAA, NAA + Kinetin, Kinetin + IAA develops root regeneration with unambiguous time in the Dendrocalamus species. The growth regulator of BAP and Kinetin + BAP imposes shoot regeneration and IBA and IBA + Coumarin + sucrose conducts root regeneration in the edible bamboo. The natural hardening materials of cocopeat, vermicompost, perlite, cow dung, FYM, compost, soil & garden soil and humus soil, perlite, and FYM recommend in the acclimatization and adaptation of the Bambusa species and Dendrocalamus species respectively. Novelty: The standard growth regulators and hardening mixtures impose tissue culture, acclimatization and adaptation in the bamboo species. The bamboo species involves in managing carbon sequestration, biogeochemical cycle and the environment.
An Ensemble Transfer Learning Spiking Immune System for Adaptive Smart Grid Protection
Authors: Demertzis Konstantinos , Taketzis Dimitrios , Demertzi Vasiliki , Skianis Charalabos
Published: June 2022

The rate of technical innovation, system interconnection, and advanced communications undoubtedly boost distributed energy networks' efficiency. However, when an additional attack surface is made available, the possibility of an increase in attacks is an unavoidable result. The energy ecosystem's significant variety draws attackers with various goals, making any critical infrastructure a threat, regardless of scale. Outdated technology and other antiquated countermeasures that worked years ago cannot address the complexity of current threats. As a result, robust artificial intelligence cyber-defense solutions are more important than ever. Based on the above challenge, this paper proposes an ensemble transfer learning spiking immune system for adaptive smart grid protection. It is an innovative Artificial Immune System (AIS) that uses a swarm of Evolving Izhikevich Neural Networks (EINN) in an Ensemble architecture, which optimally integrates Transfer Learning methodologies. The effectiveness of the proposed innovative system is demonstrated experimentally in multiple complex scenarios that optimally simulate the modern energy environment. In this way, the proposed system fully automates the strategic security planning of energy networks with computational intelligence methods. It allows the complete control of the digital strategies of the potential infrastructure that frames it, thus contributing to the timely and valid decision-making during cyber-attacks.
The Origin of the Fundamental Constants
Authors: Garrigues-Baixauli José
Published: June 2022

In this work, the hypothesis that the universe is made up of 4-dimensional spheres of space, whose diameter is the Planck length, allows us to calculate most of the constants used in current physical theories. Calculated constants include: elementary charge, fine structure constant, electron mass, Planck constant, gravitational constant, electrical constant, Boltzmann constant, mass and charge of up and down quarks, muon mass, and Higgs boson. All of these depend on the speed of light and the Planck length, which shows that all the constants are related and not due to chance.
Fundamentals of Climatology for Engineers
Authors: Sarker Shiblu
Published: June 2022

The study of long-term average weather patterns is known as climatology. It is a distinct field of study from meteorology and can be broken down into several subdivision. In order to predict the future, the knowledge of climatology is essential. In other words, with the help of climatology, we can figure out how likely it is that snow and hail will fall to the ground, and how much solar thermal radiation can reach a certain location etc. Climatology often focuses on how the climate has changed over time and how it has affected people and events. Both meteorology and climatology fall under the general term "meteorology", in particular, they are subdivision of research in the same field. In case of predicting the weather, meteorologists use variables such as humidity, air pressure, and temperature. This article's primary objective is to familiarize engineers with the fundamentals of climate and its processes so that they can effectively apply this knowledge to comprehend the climatic impact on water resources systems.
Improving RENet by Introducing Modified Cross Attention for Few-Shot Classification
Authors: Chang Ching-Han , Yu Tian-Li
Published: June 2022

Few-shot classification is challenging since the goal is to classify unlabeled samples with very few labeled samples provided. It has been shown that cross attention helps generate more discriminative features for few-shot learning. This paper extends the idea and proposes two cross attention modules, namely the cross scaled attention (CSA) and the cross aligned attention (CAA). Specifically, CSA scales different feature maps to make them better matched, and CAA adopts the principal component analysis to further align features from different images. Experiments showed that both CSA and CAA achieve consistent improvements over state-of-the-art methods on four widely used few-shot classification benchmark datasets, miniImageNet, tieredImageNet, CIFAR-FS, and CUB-200-2011, while CSA is slightly faster and CAA achieves higher accuracies.
The Frequency and Patterns of Post-COVID-19 Vaccination Syndrome Reveal Initially Mild and Potentially Immunocytopenic Signs in Primarily Young Saudi Women
Authors: Said Kamaleldin B. , Al-Otaibi Amal , Aljaloud Luluh , Al-Anazi Basmah , Alsolami Ahmed , Alreshidi Fayez Saud
Published: June 2022

Vaccination is the most promising approach for ending or containing the SARS-CoV2 pandemic. However, serious post-COVID vaccine reactions including immunocytopenia (ITP) syndrome has been increasingly reported. Several factors cause increased risks including multiple doses, age-dependent heterogeneity in immune-responses, platelet cross-reactions with microbial components, and Long-COVID syndrome. Thus, in the absence of a widely available specific therapeutics, vigilance is important while more studies are imperative. Using a structured questionnaire sent to different regions in Saudi Arabia, we conducted a comprehensive investigation on the frequency, rates, disease patterns, and patient demographics of post-COVID-19 side effects on febrile patients after three major vaccines. Results indicated the majority administered Pfizer BioNtech vaccine (81%, n=809); followed by AstraZeneca (16%, n=155); and Moderna (3%, n=34). In overall 998 participants, 74% (n=737) had no serious symptoms; however, 26.2% (n=261) revealed typical syndrome. In a focused group of 722, shortness of breath (20%), bruises or bleeding (18%), inattention (18%), GIT symptoms (17.6%), skin irritation (8.6%), and anosmia and ageusia (8%) were the most prominent. The onset time was mostly in 1-3 days in 49% (n=128), followed by 4-7 days in 21.8% (n=57), 8-14 days in 16.5% (n=43), and more than a month in 12.6% (n=33). The onsets occurred mostly after the first, second, or both doses 9%, 10%, and 7%, respectively. The frequency of symptoms was significantly higher among after Moderna ® vaccine (P-value = 0.00006) and it was significantly lower in participants who received Pfizer (P-value 0.00231). We did not find significant difference in symptoms related to differences in regions. Similarly, the region, age, gender, education, and nationality had no influence in the dose and onset timings. The findings of this study have significant clinical implications in disease management strategies, preventive measures, and vaccine development. Future vertical studies would reveal more insights into the mechanisms of post-COVID vaccine syndrome.
On the Role of Robotic Assistance in Upper-Limb Neurorehabilitation
Authors: Nehrujee Aravind , Srinivasan Sujatha , Balasubramanian Sivakumar
Published: June 2022

An early hypothesis in robot-assisted stroke therapy was that sensorimotor stimulation through robotic assistance is beneficial for recovery. Despite 25 years of upper-limb rehabilitation robotics research, this hypothesis remains untested barring a few studies with small sample sizes. This review aims to provide a critical summary of the current state of this hypothesis by collating evidence from rehabilitation robotics and other related therapeutic approaches. The review starts with a causal model to expose the various direct and indirect routes through which robotic assistance can aid sensorimotor recovery. The indirect routes include the influence of robotic assistance on therapy intensity, patient motivation, and active participation. The direct route is through changes in cortical networks through Hebbian(-like) learning and changes in peripheral tissue properties. There is currently mixed evidence for the direct causal effect of robotic assistance on recovery from the upper-limb rehabilitation robotics literature. However, evidence from the neuromuscular electrical stimulation literature provides some support for this causal role. Based on the data at hand, we hypothesize that the enhanced movement-related sensory feedback from robotic assistance has a direct, possibly small, causal role in the sensorimotor recovery of the upper-limb, and this effect might be detectable with high-intensity therapy. Large, high-intensity, controlled studies are warranted to support or refute the role of robotic assistance on recovery, which is both scientifically and practically important.
Facilitation of Insulin Effects by Ranolazine in Astrocytes in Primary Culture
Authors: Jordá Adrián , Aldasoro Martin , Palacio Ignacio Campo , Vila Jose Mª , Aldasoro Contanza , Campos Juan Campos , Colmena Carlos , Singhb Sandeep Kumar , Obrador Elena , Valles Soraya L.
Published: June 2022

Ranolazine (Rn) is a drug used to treat persistent chronic coronary ischemia. It has also been shown to have therapeutic benefits on the central nervous system and an anti-diabetic effect by lowering blood glucose levels and however, no effects of Rn on cellular sensitivity to insulin (Ins) have been demonstrated yet. The present study aimed to investigate the permissive effects of Rn on the actions of Ins in astrocytes in primary culture. Ins at 10-8 M, Rn (10-6 M) and Ins+Rn (10-8 M and 10−6 M respectively) were added to astrocytes during 24 h. In comparison to control cells, Rn and/or Ins caused modifications in cell viability and proliferation. p-AKT, p-ERK, p-eNOS, Mn-SOD, COX-2, and the anti-inflammatory protein COX-2 were all upregulated by ins. On the contrary, no significant changes were found in the protein expression of Cu/Zn-SOD, NF-κB and IκB. The presence of Rn produced an increase in p-ERK protein and a significant decrease in COX-2 protein expression. Furthermore, Rn significantly increased the effects of Ins on the expression of p-AKT, p-eNOS, p-ERK, Mn-SOD, and PPAR-γ. On the other hand, Rn+Ins produced a significant decrease in COX-2 expression. In conclusion, Rn facilitated the effects of insulin on the p-AKT, p-eNOS, p-ERK, Mn-SOD and PPAR-γ, signaling pathways, as well as on the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of the hormone.
Leveraging Geographically Distributed Data for Influenza and SARS-CoV-2 Non-Parametric Forecasting
Authors: Boullosa Pablo , Garea Adrián , Area-Carracedo Iván Carlos , Nieto Juan , Mira Jorge
Published: June 2022

The evolution of some epidemics, as influenza, shows common patterns both in different regions and from year to year. On the contrary, epidemics like the novel COVID-19 show quite heterogeneous dynamics and are extremely susceptible to the measures taken to mitigate their spread. In this paper we propose empirical dynamic modeling to predict the evolution of influenza in Spain’s regions. It is a non-parametric method that looks into the past for coincidences with the present to make the forecasts. Here we extend the method to predict the evolution of other epidemics at any other starting territory and we test also this procedure with Spanish COVID-19 data. We finally build influenza and COVID-19 networks to check possible coincidences in the geographical distribution of both diseases. With this, we grasp the uniqueness of the geographical dynamics of COVID-19.
The Test of the Availability Hypothesis Across a Protected Area Reveals the Needs for Ex-situ Conservation to Open Window for Ethnobotanical Knowledge Development
Authors: Yessoufou Kowiyou , Muleba Isidore , Rampedi Isaac Tebogo
Published: June 2022

In ethnobotany, the availability hypothesis predicts that plants that are abundant and easily accessible to people are more likely to be medicinal than not. By protecting species diversity away from people, protected areas (PAs) may act as a limiting factor to a sustainable development of traditional knowledge concerning medicinal uses, and in so doing, PAs provide opportunity to prioritize ex-situ conservation for species that are PAs restricted. In this scenario, ex-situ conservation becomes the only chance for people to develop traditional knowledge on plants which otherwise wouldn’t be documented as traditionally useful to people. To test these expectations, we used data collected for almost 20 years of fieldworks on plant medicinal uses and their abundance inside and outside the Kruger National Park (KNP), South Africa. We fitted four different scenarios of structural equation models (SEMs) to the data collected. We found that total plant abundance (abundance outside + inside KNP) is a significant positive predictor of medicinal status, and so is abundance outside KNP, thus supporting the availability hypothesis. However, not only abundance inside KNP is not a direct significant correlate of medicinal status, but also the relationship between both is negative. The lack of predictive power of inside-abundance is most likely because some species are exclusively found inside KNP, and local communities do not have access to them. It also shows that the positive and direct correlation of total abundance with medicinal status is driven by outside-abundance. In addition, the negative relationships between inside abundance and medicinal status implies that abundant plants inside KNP tend to be not-medicinal, further providing evidence that PAs hinder the development of medicinal knowledge. Furthermore, when inside and outside abundance were included simultaneously in a model as two distinct variables, inside abundance was never a direct significant predictor of medicinal status, but it was so, via an indirect path mediated by outside abundance. This suggests that outside abundance is the key variable driving the development of medicinal plant knowledge. Cumulatively, our findings suggest that anything that promotes the growth of PA-restricted plants beyond the natural realized niches of these plants (ex-situ conservation) such as in botanical gardens, private gardens, in agroforestry systems, etc., is to be promoted so that people-plant interactions may continue for the benefits of ethnobotanical knowledge development.
Assessing the Effectiveness of Tobacco 21 Laws to Reduce Underage Access to Tobacco: Protocol for a Repeated Multi-Site Study
Authors: Hrywna Mary , Kong Amanda , Ackerman Christopher , Hudson Shawna , Delnevo Cristine
Published: June 2022

Background: Prior to the federal law passed in late 2019, many states passed an increased age of sale law prohibiting youth under age 21 (or Tobacco 21) from purchasing tobacco products and e-cigarettes. Although previous research has documented tobacco retail sales violations, fewer studies have examined age verification and illegal tobacco sales in the context of Tobacco 21 or in repeated purchase attempts in various settings. Methods: In this study conducted between 2019 and 2022, buyers aged 18 to 20 years made repeated unsupervised purchase attempts of cigarettes, cigars, e-cigarettes, tobacco-free nicotine pouches and/or smokeless tobacco in store visits to over 180 tobacco or vape retailers in New Jersey, New York City, and Pitt County, North Carolina. Buyers documented whether they were asked for identification and whether they were able to successfully purchase a tobacco or nicotine product at each visit. Results: The primary outcome will be the percent of retailers that checked buyers’ identification at store visits and the precent of visits that resulted in a successful underage tobacco product purchase. We will aim to compare the results across time periods and study sites while controlling for other factors (including repeated visits). Conclusion: These results will be beneficial to designing compliance check inspections and/or interventions that reduce youth access to tobacco.
Maternidade e aposentadoria no RGPS: como as mulheres com filhos são afetadas pela reforma previdenciária da Emenda Constitucional 103/2019?
Authors: Wiederkehr Bianca , Afonso Luís Eduardo
Published: June 2022

Este trabalho analisa como a aposentadoria pode ser impactada pela maternidade, dado que pode afetar os fluxos de renda, contribuições e benefícios. Emprega-se um modelo atuarial com densidades contributivas diferenciadas por nível de renda. Como o número de contribuições varia em função destas densidades, a idade de aposentadoria é calculada de forma endógena, com a realização de um conjunto de simulações. Foram calculados cinco indicadores previdenciários em diferentes cenários, dados por combinações do evento da maternidade, idade no nascimento do filho, duração do afastamento do mercado de trabalho e salário no retorno ao mercado de trabalho. Os cálculos foram feitos para a regra antiga do Regime Geral de Previdência Social (RGPS), que vigorou até 2019, e para a regra nova, que passou a valer em 2020, após a aprovação da Emenda Constitucional n. 103/2019. Observou-se queda no caráter progressivo das aposentadorias do RGPS devido à reforma de 2019, bem como redução na maioria dos indicadores, particularmente na taxa interna de retorno. Mas a taxa de reposição pode aumentar para alguns grupos devido à extensão do período contributivo. Trabalhadoras sem filhos e aquelas que não deixam o mercado de trabalho devido à maternidade são afetadas de maneira razoavelmente similar pela reforma. Trabalhadoras que precisam deixar o mercado de trabalho são mais afetadas, com redução nos indicadores que dependem do período de recebimento do benefício de aposentadoria.
TEXT CONTENTION BEHIND SHARIA SUPERVISORY BOARD REPORTS: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS
Authors:   Universitas Muhammadiyah Jakarta, Ermawati Ari , Birton M Nur A ,   Universitas Muhammadiyah Jakarta, Tarmizi Irfan ,   Universitas Muhammadiyah Jakarta, Muttaqin Muhammad ,   Universitas Muhammadiyah Jakarta
Published: June 2022

Sharia Supervisory Board Reports (SSBRs) have an interest in convincing the public that entities supervised by a Sharia Supervisory Board (SSB) are sharia-compliant and reflective of Good Corporate Governance (GCG) practices. Failure in public convincing will be detrimental to Islamic banks’ reputation as well as the SSB’s image and credibility. This study aimed to critically assess how the SSB produces reports as texts to persuade the public using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). We analyzed four SSBRs from two Islamic Commercial Banks (ICBs) and two Islamic Business Units (IBUs) owned by other ICBs as well as interviews for data triangulation. We employed three of Halliday’s CDA structures for data analysis: text as microstructure as well as the context of situation and the context of culture as macrostructure. The results are as follows. First, microstructure analysis on SSB members’ performance and personality shows that language practices used to build their character and positive image at semantic and syntactic levels are in place. Second, the context of situation trilogy reveals that the SSB only focuses on language compiling practices to direct readers into a desired direction while maintaining its existence and legitimacy. Third, the context of culture indicates that the SSBRs become more concerned with formality than substance, annexing a manipulative potential on reality. Also, it is identified that the SSBRs serve only as a fullfilment of regulations or internationally applied guidelines of SSB roles.
Environmental human rights and the protection of the environment through criminal law in the light of recent developments
Authors: Görgényi Ilona
Published: June 2022

In the history of the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment and its recognition, 2021 marked a milestone. To admit a new generation of human rights, in the UN, the Human Rights Council dealt with the matter of human rights and the environment. Considering the resolution 48/13, it can make the progressive legal accepts stronger at international level. Within the Council of Europe framework, an additional protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights concerning the right to a healthy environment was drafted to admit a new generation of human rights, which is an integral part of Recommendation 2211 (2021). Furthermore also in 2021, the European Commission prepared a Proposal for a Directive on the protection of the environment through criminal law and replacing Directive 2008/99/EC. The drafted Directive is a part of the EU new legislative initiatives.
The Right to a Healthy Environment in the Hungarian Constitution
Authors: Paulovics Anita , Jámbor Adrienn
Published: June 2022

The aim of the study is to present the development of the environmental law institutions founded up to the present day. Regulations concerning the protection of the environment had first been   defined on international level before they appeared in the national legal system. Basic questions of environmental law are being analysed in this study. The history of environmental law is reviewed briefly from the 1950s to the present day both in international and national aspects as well as the constitutional foundation of environment protection within the right to a healthy environment and its Constitutional Court practice. This study will not touch upon the detailed study of the underlying principals of the national environmental law.
Видовой состав и биогеографическая структура фауны Polychaeta Печорского моря в период потепления Арктики
Authors: Гагаев С. Ю. , Денисенко С. Г. , Стрелкова Н. А. , Фролова Е. А. , Сикорский А. В.
Published: June 2022

Всестороннее изучение бентоса позволяет не только видеть текущие изменения донных сообществ и лучше понимать, чтό происходило с ними в прошлом, но и с некоторой степенью достоверности прогнозировать их будущее. Многощетинковые черви являются одной из самых многочисленных и значимых групп бентоса, способных выступать своеобразными биоиндикаторами состояния среды. В настоящей статье предпринята попытка проанализировать изменения биогеографических групп полихет Печорского моря в сравнительно длительный период времени (около 50 лет), чтобы понять, кáк влияют изменения климата на соотношение биогеографических групп многощетинковых червей и, как следствие, могут ли полихеты в той или иной степени выступать в качестве биоиндикаторов. На основе анализа новых и прежних данных составлен список многощетинковых червей Печорского моря. Он насчитывает 198 таксонов (из них 186 определены до вида), относящихся к 127 родам, 37 семействам и 15 отрядам. Соотношение биогеографических групп полихет Печорского моря указывает на постоянство их биогеографического состава в течение последних 50 лет и является ещё одним подтверждением цикличности процессов, происходящих в Арктике.
Пределы галотолерантности черноморского представителя рода Entomoneis Ehrenberg, 1845 (Bacillariophyta)
Authors: Давидович О. И. , Давидович Н. А. , Подунай Ю. А. , Солак Ч. Н.
Published: June 2022

Род Entomoneis Ehrenberg, 1845 достаточно богат видами. Недооценённое разнообразие Entomoneis требует более глубокого морфологического и молекулярного исследования этого рода, а также изучения эколого-физиологических характеристик видов, в частности пределов толерантности к факторам среды. Учитывая распространение видов Entomoneis в водоёмах с различной солёностью, мы поставили задачу исследовать пределы толерантности и установить оптимальную солёность для вегетативного размножения и полового воспроизведения диатомовой водоросли Entomoneis sp. из Чёрного моря. В работе использованы оказавшиеся репродуктивно совместимыми клоновые культуры, которые были выделены из проб, отобранных у крымского и турецкого побережий Чёрного моря. Для клона Entomoneis sp. 7.0906-D получена нуклеотидная последовательность гена rbcL, которая представлена в базе данных GenBank под номером MT424817. Использованный в экспериментах вид хотя и напоминает по морфологическим критериям E. paludosa, но, по молекулярным данным, далеко отстоит от такового и по эколого-физиологическим характеристикам является морским видом. Согласно литературным материалам, E. paludosa, в отличие от изученного нами Entomoneis sp., обитает в солоноватых, слабосолёных и даже пресных водоёмах. Эксперименты по изучению пределов галотолерантности показали, что черноморские клоны Entomoneis sp. жизнеспособны в диапазоне, охватывающем как минимум 40 ‰ (от 8 до 48 ‰). Диапазон солёности среды, в котором Entomoneis sp. способен к половому воспроизведению, значительно ýже и находится в пределах от 18 до 36 ‰. Определены оптимальные значения солёности для вегетативного роста и для полового воспроизведения (27,4 и 26,4 ‰ соответственно), оказавшиеся в обоих случаях выше тех значений, при которых вид обитает в природе. У Entomoneis sp. по мере увеличения солёности среды отмечена тенденция к уменьшению размеров инициальных клеток, образующихся в результате полового
Ревизия макрофитобентоса заповедного территориально-аквального комплекса Бакальской косы (Чёрное море)
Authors: Садогурский С. Е. , Евстигнеева И. К. , Белич Т. В. , Танковская И. Н. , Садогурская С. А.
Published: June 2022

Территориально-аквальный комплекс Бакальской косы, расположенной на северо-западе Крымского полуострова, представляет собой уникальный природный объект, который отличается высоким разнообразием биоты и ландшафтов. Несмотря на то, что он имеет статус ландшафтного парка, его компоненты претерпевают существенную антропогенную трансформацию. Структурный и функциональный фундамент большинства прибрежно-морских и лагунных биотопов комплекса формирует макрофитобентос. Однако информация о видовом составе и систематической структуре их флоры была неполной и не учитывала номенклатурно-таксономические изменения, принятые в фикологии в последние годы. В связи с этим по результатам собственных исследований выполнена ревизия флоры макрофитов морских и лагунных акваторий в границах заповедного территориально-аквального комплекса. Установлено, что она включает 64 вида: Chlorophyta — 23, Ochrophyta — 5, Rhodophyta — 31, Tracheophyta — 5. Таксономическая структура включает 5 классов, 16 порядков, 26 семейств, 37 родов. Анализ соотношения эколого-флористических группировок показал, что 51,6 % составляют олигосапробы. Преобладают коротковегетирующие виды (68,7 %). Среди галобных группировок доминируют морские и солоноватоводно-морские виды (суммарно 90,7 %). Преобладает тепловодный комплекс (45,3 %), но достаточно велик вклад видов-космополитов, отличающихся эврибионтностью (15,6 %). Раритетная фракция насчитывает 21 вид (32,8 %); макрофиты формируют основу биотопов, подлежащих особой охране согласно Директиве ЕС о местообитаниях (Council Directive 92/43/EEC; коды 1110, 1150 и 1160). С учётом высокого созологического значения территориально-аквального комплекса необходимо прекратить промышленную добычу песка (она представляет основную угрозу и является трансформирующим фактором), а также увеличить площадь комплекса и повысить заповедный статус (либо как самостоятельного объекта, либо в составе крупного национального парка). Целесообразно включение территориально-аквального комплекса в структуру экологической сети Emerald для получения дополнительных возможностей для его защиты и сохранения. Представленные результаты являются основой для повторных гидроботанических исследований, которые позволят выявить масштаб и вектор изменений в составе и структуре макрофитобентоса и экосистемы в целом.
Numerical Simulation of Proppant Transport and Placement in Hydraulic Fractures with the Hybrid Perkins-Kern-Nordgren-Carter (PKN-C) Model and Particle Tracking Algorithm
Authors: Ding Yanan , Yang Daoyong , Huang Hai , Wang Haiwen
Published: June 2022

Although non-Newtonian fracturing fluids have been widely used, numerical simulation of field-scale proppant transport considering non-Newtonian fracturing fluids is far from satisfactory. In this study, a novel numerical scheme based on the Eulerian-Lagrangian (E-L) method has been developed and validated to simulate such a proppant transport and placement behavior. More specifically, hydraulic fracture propagation is characterized by the Perkins-Kern-Nordgren-Carter (PKN-C) model, and the injected proppants are described using the classic particle tracking algorithm. Proppants are vertically dragged by the gravitational force and horizontally driven by the velocity field conditioned to the fracture propagation and proppant dune packing. The settling velocity of proppants is quantified considering the in-situ shear rate and concentration, while their transport at each dune surface is quantified by performing drag/lift force analysis. The numerical model is first validated by reproducing experimental measurements inside a visual parallel plate. Subsequently, field-scale simulations are performed to identify the factors dominating proppant transport and placement under various conditions. As indicated by simulated results, the accumulated concentration at the lower region of a fracture usually results in a growing proppant dune with a “heel-biased” distribution. The non-Newtonian fluid yields a higher slurry coverage together with a longer proppant dune than the Newtonian fluid when their average viscosities are consistent. In addition to the dependence of the premature tip screenout configuration on the power-law fluid parameter n, both parameters of K and n impose a generally consistent effect (on proppant transport) with that of Newtonian viscosity (i.e., an increase of either K or n effectively improves the average viscosity and mitigates the proppant settling). A mild increase in proppant density and size significantly enhances the proppant dune formation; however, a further increase of these two factors aggravates the “heel-biased” distribution of proppants. Also, an increased leakoff coefficient improves the overall proppant concentration as well as the dune and slurry coverage. The used particle tracking algorithm enables proppant transport to be individually and accurately evaluated and analyzed with an acceptable computational cost, while such a numerical model can deal with both the Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids at the field scale. This numerical study allows us to optimize the growth, propagation, and coverage of proppant dunes for maximizing fracture conductivity during hydraulic fracturing operations.
Behavioral responses and development of larvae and adult of Cnaphalocrocis medinalis (Guenée) on transgenic Bt rice
Authors: Gothandaraman Rajadurai , Sudhakar D. , Varanavasiappan S. , Balakrishnan N. , Udayasuriyan V. , Natarajan N.
Published: June 2022

Background In general, it was observed that the transgene expression in transgenic plants did not alter the biochemical composition and phenotypes of transformed plants. The oviposition preference of gravid female moths is expected to correlate with the host plant fitness for their offspring development. Since many neonate larvae of lepidopteran species are relatively immobile, female adults must choose a more favorable site for laying eggs to increase the probability of larval survival. With this background, the present investigation was carried out to study the behavior of larvae and adults of leaf folder, Cnaphalocrosis medinalis (Guenee) on transgenic rice lines expressing cry2AX1 gene which were previously generated in our laboratory. Results PCR positive transgenic plants were subjected to quantitative ELISA for their level of expression. The expression level of Cry2AX1 ranged between 18±0.01 to 128±0.06 ng/gram of fresh leaf tissues, while the non-transformed ASD16 did not show any detectable level of expression. Among the transgenic events tested, the maximum expression level (128 ng/g) of Cry protein was observed in GR-ASD16-1-91-1. The results revealed that the adults did not exhibit oviposition preference towards transgenic and non-transgenic plants in choice as well as no choice test as the adults could not differentiate the test and control plants for laying the eggs. However, significant differences in larval survival and adult emergence indicated the deleterious effect of transgenic plants harboring the cry2AX1 gene in both larval and adult development, irrespective of the test condition of choice and no choice. Prolonged settling time and reduced folding length and binds spun by the larvae on transgenic plants lead to the hypothesis that the larvae could not behave normally and make congenial niche as in non-transgenic plants, exposing the larvae to the risk of both biotic and abiotic factors. The larvae fed on transgenic plants could not behave normally as in wild type and exposing their body parts to the risk of both biotic and abiotic factors.ConclusionsIt was concluded that transgenic plants with a moderate level of insect toxicity can also be used in IPM of rice leaf folder by introducing larval parasitoids or predators for effective management of rice leaf folder.
Influence of L-alanine Doping on Zinc (TRIS) Thiourea Sulphate (ZTS) Single Crystals
Authors: Marudhu G. , Baraniraj T. , Venkatesan chithambaram
Published: June 2022

ZTS has been grown using a slow evaporation technique at ambient temperature, and the L-alanine-doped ZTS was likewise prepared. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Vickers’s micro hardness test have all been used to analyse growing crystals. Both pure ZTS and L-Alanine-doped ZTS crystals have an orthorhombic structure. L-alanine doped ZTS had greater second harmonic generation (SHG) conversion efficiency. L-alanine doped ZTS crystals had a higher hardness than a pure ZTS sample. UV spectral analysis indicates that both crystals have excellent UV and visible transmission. Doping with L-alanine resulted in an increase in the melting point of the pure ZTS crystal.
Fe-Mn/UiO-66 catalysts for catalytic wet peroxide oxidation of metronidazole in pharmaceutical wastewater
Authors: Jiang Songshan , Chen Ying , Lyu Yang , Zhang Xu , Liu Xiao , Xu Jing , Xiong Wei , He Bai , Feng Jian , Lian Xin
Published: June 2022

Novel Fe-UiO-66, Mn-UiO-66 and Fe/Mn-UiO-66 catalysts were prepared and applied for the catalytic wet peroxide oxidation (CWPO) of metronidazole in pharmaceutical wastewater. The effects of Fe and Mn loading rate, catalyst dosage, metronidazole concentrations, calcined temperature of Mn-UiO-66 and Fe/Mn ratio on the CWPO of metronidazole wastewater were systematically studied. The Fe-UiO-66 catalysts exhibited good catalytic activity for the CWPO degradation of metronidazole wastewater (XMNZ = 93%, XH2O2 = 78%) compared with Mn-UiO-66 catalysts (XMNZ = 20%, XH2O2 = 30%). The bimetallic Fe/Mn can effectively increase the catalytic activity of Mn-UiO-66 catalysts. The kinetics study indicates that the CWPO process is well fit for the first order reaction with activation energy of 89.37 kJ/mol and 95.08 kJ/mol on the Fe-UiO-66 and 2Fe/Mn-UiO-66 catalysts, respectively. The supported UiO-66 catalyst shows good catalytic activity used for the CWPO of metronidazole in pharmaceutical wastewater which shows potential application in the environmental field.
Climate Change, Food Choices, and the Theory of Behavioral Choice
Authors: Gifford Robert , Lacroix Karine , Asgarizadeh zahra , Anderson Emily Ashford , Milne-Ives Madison , Sugrue Peter
Published: June 2022

Food choices are an important aspect of climate change mitigation. How best to account for them? The dietary change intentions of 454 adults in the United States and Canada were predicted from the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the recently proposed theory of behavioral choice (TBC), using an online survey. The TBC accounted for a statistically significant greater proportion of variance than the TPB (83 versus 61 percent) in explaining the respondents’ intentions. The strongest TBC predictor of intention was felt obligation, followed by social norms, affect, and habitual behavior. Three interactions among the TBC predictors also contributed, in small but significant ways, in accounting for the food choice intentions. Translational policy implications are discussed.
Structure-Based Virtual Screening, Molecular Docking, Molecular Dynamics Simulation of EGFR for the clinical treatment of Glioblastoma
Authors: Pande Aditi , Abdalla Mohnad , Madhavi Maddala , Chopra Ishita , Bhrdwaj Anushka , Soni Lovely , Vijayakumar Natchimuthu , Panwar Umesh , Khan Mohd. Aqueel , Prajapati Leena , Gujrati Deepika , Belapurkar Pranoti , Albogami Sarah , Hussain Tajamul , Selvaraj Chandrabose , Nayarisseri Anuraj , Singh Sanjeev Kumar
Published: June 2022

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a WHO Grade IV tumor with poor visibility, a high risk of comorbidity, and limited treatment options. Resurfacing from second-rate glioma was originally classified as either mandatory or optional. Recent interest in personalized medicine has motivated research toward biomarker stratification-based individualized illness therapy. GBM biomarkers have been investigated for their potential utility in prognostic stratification, driving the development of targeted therapy, and customizing therapeutic treatment. Due to the availability of a specific EGFRvIII mutational variation with a clear function in glioma-genesis, recent research suggests that EGFR has the potential to be a prognostic factor in GBM, while others have shown no clinical link between EGFR and survival. The pre-existing pharmaceutical lapatinib (PubChem ID: 208908) with a higher affinity score is used for Structure-based Virtual Screening. As a result, the current study revealed a newly screened chemical (PubChem CID: 59671768) with a higher affinity than the previously known molecule. When the two compounds are compared, the former has the lowest re-rank score. The time-resolved features of a virtually screened chemical and an established compound were investigated using Molecular Dynamics Simulation. Both compounds are equivalent, according to the ADMET study. This report implies that the virtual screened chemical could be a promising Glioblastoma therapy.
Kinetic Studies on Extraction of Oil from a New Feedstock (Chukrasia Tabularis L. Seed) for Biodiesel Production and Optimizing the Process Using a Heterogeneous Catalyst
Authors: Eswaramoorthi Yuvanashree , Pandian Sivakumar , Sahadevan Renganathan
Published: June 2022

In this study, Chukrasia tabularis L. (C. tabularis) seed is identified as a new feedstock for biodiesel production. The seeds are pretreated by autoclave assisted ultrasonic homogenization process (AUH) and an appropriate solvent was chosen to extract the total oil content. The oil extracted from the seed was maximum for n-hexane (32 wt%). Further, the kinetic and thermodynamic studies are performed in batch extraction using n-hexane. The data shows that the extraction follows first order kinetics and further, their rate constants, thermodynamic parameters and activation energy were calculated. Finally, the physiochemical properties of the oil are estimated using standard methods. It is identified that C. tabularis oil has high free fatty acid (FFA). Hence, it requires an acid catalyst to catalyze a single step, both esterification and transesterification simultaneously to produce biodiesel. The heterogeneous acid catalyst (HAC) has numerous advantages compared to a homogeneous catalyst. In this work, HAC is synthesised from a carbon precursor by a chemical reduction and activation process. Moreover, its physiochemical properties are characterised and used to catalyze the biodiesel production process. The optimum oil conversion was 99.2% at 6 wt% catalyst loading, 15:1 methanol to oil molar ratio, 120 min reaction time, 70 ºC reaction temperature and 500 rpm stirring rate. The physiochemical characteristics of biodiesel were determined using standard methods and compared with the ASTM D6751 standard.
The Human Well-being and Environmental Degradation Nexus in Africa
Authors: Aladejare Samson
Published: June 2022

Environmental degradation continues to attract interest from academics, policymakers, and other stakeholders. However, empirical studies have been limited, particularly in the choice of human well-being indicators. Therefore, this study extends the literature by broadening the nexus between human well-being and environmental degradation in 29 African countries from 1970 to 2019. Preliminary tests adaptable to effects of cross-sectional dependency and heterogeneity in panel dataset were adopted, alongside the cross-sectional auto-regressive distributed lag model and the Dumitrescu-Hurlin causality approach. Findings from the study showed that the adopted human well-being indicators such as globalisation, life expectancy and human capital development were environmentally enhancing both in the short and long term. In contrast, growth in income was found to be environmentally degrading in the short and long term. At the same time, urbanisation was only environmentally detrimental in the long term with no significant short-term effect. Natural resource rent which served as a control variable, was environmentally degrading both in the short and long term. Also, a bidirectional association between human well-being and environmental degradation was confirmed. Consequently, this study implies a win-win symbiotic nexus between the environment and human well-being in African countries.